[VWBigRob]

A cautionary observation for Atlas owners who drive in winter conditions where sand, salt and other chemicals are used on the roads. After taking my new Atlas through the car wash, I was surprised to find a large accumulation of road grime (sand, salt, snow) trapped in a channel along the inside bottom edge of the doors. The car wash spray didn't clear it away. That area is metal which creates the opportunity for corrosion and rust to form. Outside of spending $1,000+ on adding the running boards, it requires a regular stop at a wand wash to manually spray away the potentially corrosive substances that get trapped in that channel. Really enjoy my Atlas and would like to drive it for many years to come.

 

[Randy Smith]

I noticed this as well. Just got mine back from the detailer on a road tar removal issue and saw that they missed this area in the detail. Quite a bit of crud for what little I've had it thus far. Definitely on my radar for an extra bit of maintenance. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[anujtiwari]

This may be helpful for the fellow ATLAS owners. VW offers 7 year, 100000 warranty against corrosion perforation. Attached link in the post

https://www.vw.com/content/dam/vwcom/brochures/2018/Warranty Booklet.pdf

 

[VWBigRob]

Unfortunately, in Canada the warranty is 80,000 km/4 years

 

[Benoit Galarneau]

Along with threat of corrosion, the snow/salt accumulation falls when I open the door and I step on the mixture everytime. For those who leaves the Atlas in a heated spot, I assume it will melt in the garage and leave a mess.
I drove a Tiguan for a while and same happens. This is a VW design flaw.

 

[nkrashef]

Great info. I will keep a close eye on this area as winter approaches.