MajorCommonBody & Rust

Volkswagen Crafter: Body corrosion on Sprinter-based shell (arches, sills, door bottoms)

Body corrosion on Sprinter-based shell (arches, sills, door bottoms) is a common body & rust fault on the Volkswagen Crafter on the 2007–2017 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $500 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 5 documented faults on the Volkswagen Crafter.

Vehicle: Volkswagen Crafter
Years: 2007–2017
System: Body & Rust

This page covers the Volkswagen Crafter as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Volkswagen Crafter faults5 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Body corrosion yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

Because the 2E Crafter shares its bodyshell with the Mercedes Sprinter of the same era, it inherits the same rust hotspots. Corrosion appears at the rear wheel arches, sill/rocker seams, door bottoms, around the sliding-door runners and where the load floor meets the sides. NZ's coastal salt air and Australian delivery mileage make it worse, and rust here is a WoF/rego failure as well as a structural concern. On a working van the arches and door bottoms are usually the first to bubble.

What you would notice

Bubbling paint on rear arches and door bottoms
Flaking or rusty sills / rocker panels
Rust around the sliding-door track
Brown staining inside the load area at floor edges

How to check it

Where to look. Rear wheel arches, sills/rockers, door bottoms, sliding-door runner, load-floor edges

Walk the whole van and press on the rear wheel arches, sills and door bottoms - crunchy or soft metal means rot underneath.
Open the sliding door and inspect its runner.
Look inside the load bay along the floor-to-side seams.
Check underneath with a torch.
Fresh underseal can hide repairs, so be suspicious of a heavily coated arch.

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

What it costs to put right

$500 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has any rust or panel work been done?”
“Has it lived near the coast?”
“Will it pass a WoF on corrosion right now?”

Now check the Volkswagen Crafter you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.

Volkswagen Crafter buyer questions

Is body corrosion on sprinter-based shell (arches, sills, door bottoms) serious on a Volkswagen Crafter?

We rate it major and common on the Volkswagen Crafter. Because the 2E Crafter shares its bodyshell with the Mercedes Sprinter of the same era, it inherits the same rust hotspots. Corrosion appears at the rear wheel arches, sill/rocker seams, door bottoms, around the sliding-door runners and where the load floor meets the sides. NZ's coastal salt air and Australian delivery mileage make it worse, and rust here is a WoF/rego failure as well as a structural concern. On a working van the arches and door bottoms are usually the first to bubble.

How much does it cost to fix on a Volkswagen Crafter?

$500 to $4,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Volkswagen Crafter years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2007–2017 Volkswagen Crafter. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Walk the whole van and press on the rear wheel arches, sills and door bottoms - crunchy or soft metal means rot underneath. Open the sliding door and inspect its runner. Look inside the load bay along the floor-to-side seams. Check underneath with a torch. Fresh underseal can hide repairs, so be suspicious of a heavily coated arch. Look here: Rear wheel arches, sills/rockers, door bottoms, sliding-door runner, load-floor edges