Auto body repair shops struggle with rust
19 posts in the last 30 days, all from r/Autobody.
“Hi! How do I repair or remove the rust on my ford Taurus? This is just an example of one door (most rust) and it’s on all door corners.”
“Looks surpricingly local. Regardless, a cheap car made of thin sheet metal, might be annoying to weld unless you've got a very good welding machine. But it's just rust, why wouldn't it be repairable?”
“I have the exact same car, exact same issue. I can't even use a floor jack anymore because my frame is so rotten it punches holes straight into my pinch welds when I try it. Kia Sorentos subframe rotted so dangerously and so FAST that it absolutely should have been considered an…”
Several posts discuss the feasibility and cost of repairing vehicle damage, specifically focusing on issues related to rust. Owners are questioning whether repairs are worthwhile given the extent of corrosion.
SOURCES (60)
“Hi! How do I repair or remove the rust on my ford Taurus? This is just an example of one door (most rust) and it’s on all door corners. submitted by /u/anuj94tiwari [link] [comments]”
“Is this normal rust for a 10 year old 2016 Escalade? Only 65k miles, driven in northeast. submitted by /u/lemmem924 [link] [comments]”
“Totaled…. Okay not totaled but it needs some exhaust work [re: how bad is this rust?]”
“04 Civic LX. Rust hole about 2 inches wide leaking water into the headliner above the driver seat. Varying levels of corrosion along the driver's half of the car. The few shops I called willing to touch this quoted a minimum of 3.5k, more than the car itself is worth. Pretty sure I got hosed; I discovered the windshield is aftermarket, not OEM, and the weatherstrip on the top was also aftermarket and sealed with a line of silicone sealant that failed over time. This means the likely root cau”
“Hi all. I bought this car recently and want to fix this rust patch. My dad says that doing a full repair isn't possible since the weather won't allow for putty/bondo and a full paint job to dry properly unless I take it to a shop. Not interested in spending upwards of $1k on what is a relatively small rust spot. I know that a full repair for this means grinding the rust and surrounding area to bare metal with several grits of sandpaper, putting on some putty or bondo, then spraying prime”
“Put it on a hoist and inspect heavily for all the other rust or areas already patched with body filler. [re: How would you go about repairing this on a 2013 Honda Accord?]”
“Most shops in my area will not guarantee a rust repair. I would ask about that and how they plan to do it. The consensus seems to me the rusted area has to be removed. [re: Old car but still want to preserve it]”
Can this be fixed submitted by /u/Next-Bake-9435 [link] [comments]
“This guy knows how to fix rust properly. The rest are clueless hence they replace panel...”
“Yeah thats way too much rust. I would start sourcing a frame if you want to keep this vehicle.”
“Frame rust on a 97 jeep wrangler, this rust is only on the rear driver side of the car is this able to be fixed with welding? submitted by /u/dsol2012 [link] [comments]”
“Planning on doing some rust restoration/preventative measures on a vehicle. Has pretty small amounts of rust in my opinion but nevertheless has it, as the vehicle spent part of its life in the rust belt. I try to take care of my vehicles, which includes the look. Rust is mainly on Weld seams, bolts, cast pieces like the differentials, etc. Nothing for the most part on the frame, no vast amounts of surface rust, but I want to make the vehicle look great, even on the underside. So far I’ve deduced”
“I'm looking at buying a 1997 Toyota Chaser JZX100 (imported from Japan), pretty much the perfect car that I've been searching for outside of the rust issues I uncovered. I'm mechanically inclined enough for basic DIYs but this seems outside of my scope of expertise, I'd bring it to a shop to have someone competent do the repairs. I'm guessing this is well beyond wire wheel/converter/coating and will need real metal work. Is it bad enough that I should just walk away? I unders”
“What area are you in and how was the paint? In a similar situation, but some bad paint spots and a messed up steering wheel im debating on replacing.”
“So my wife has had her 2014 Hyundai Elantra for three years now and despite treating the undercarriage for salt and winter, I noticed she had this rust damage on her front passenger side. And there is a matching sized spot on the driver's side too. Is it even worth fixing considering the age of the car? Thanks for the guidance. submitted by /u/Deargodswhy [link] [comments]”
“2010 5.4 lol, spot on. I knew it needed body work but the frame was perfect and it's a 4x4 which I need where I live and I paid peanuts for it. Bought a parts truck for $500, but maybe after this I'll grab the bumper too lol That sounds like everything I've worked on in the last eight years😂 nothing worse than bringing someone's car on the hoist for a starter or brakes and having to tell them the car is pooched cause the frame is gone. Rust doesn't play around here. I just r”
“Your rig a 2010 ish? the 5.4? Or that the 5L? I have a very similar truck. I also put rock guard on the rocker panels, these trucks are notorious for rusting out. My front bumper was fucked. Mainly drive gravel roads and it didn't come with 3M and I was dumb and didn't notice, front bumper was completely screwed in 2 years. EDIT: the entire undercarriage of mine is orange lol, if I uploaded a picture on here people would shit their pants. axles, diffs, frame, all of it. But I'll driv”
“Hello! I’ve got surface and structural rust on my 1992 Toyota Camry CSi. I am looking for some advice on a rust repair job. I would like to do it myself but need more knowledge and was wondering if anyone with experience has any advice. Is this doable with ought welding/panel replacement and removing windshield? Thank you submitted by /u/No_Expression2977 [link] [comments]”
“meh looks like exhaust heat shield, for where i live thats a normal amount of rust for a used car, probably get a couple years out of it. i wouldnt spend a lot on it but it would definitely get you by for a few years on the north east coast”
“Looking at buying this as a project/winter daily. Good service history, engine/turbo seem fine, but the underside has more rust than I expected — some of it looks like actual surface scale, but a couple spots (see photos) look like it might be perforated through. Everything structural I can see (subframe, control arms) still looks intact, but I'm not experienced enough to know if I'm missing something. Is this fixable with wire wheel + rust converter + undercoating, or is this the kind o”
“Would you attempt to fix, or let it go? 2016 Chevy silverado crewcab, 190km and plan to be its last owner. I purchased it last year. Both rocker panels are 40% shot, this is the worst of it. The rust doesn't seem to extend up much into the door or floor panels. Is it worth the investment fully replace them both, or just let them fall apart? I live in a province where MVI is not necessary unless I were to resell. I'm learning DIYer, I annually wire wheel and hammer off rust and spray a co”
“I have a 2018 Mazda 3 which has a visible spot of rust on the side panel above the wheel well. It developed fairly quickly and is the first visible spot I've seen. The spot is about the size of a small apple or golf ball and doesn't have noticeable flaking of paint yet and is still solid to the touch. I was quoted about $1,000 from a local body shop in Ottawa to repair it by sanding it down and filling it and repainting it. They do not guarantee the work unless they replace the entire pa”
“I don’t know anything about car rust and need help for peace of mind. This is a 09 Honda civic that my friend just got, the mechanic who inspected it said there is extensive rust but not on anything critical and it’s still drivable. Is this true? submitted by /u/ArrivalMaximum2309 [link] [comments]”
“2006 towncar. 131k. Got a good deal on it. Knew about the rust. Knew I wasn’t paying shop rates on a car at this value. Decided to DIY. Curious how the experts think it’s going and if you have any helpful advice as I get into the body molding. submitted by /u/Individual_Reach_732 [link] [comments]”
Car is in good shape considering its been in the rust belt for 22 years .
“I recently had the rear brakes and rotors replaced. We had a heavy rain, and this rust staining was present under the vehicle. submitted by /u/CE_bro [link] [comments]”
“Noticed my 2009 F150 has rust in the seams on the roof and in the top right corner of my windshield. Is this something that I could DIY repair or should I just suck it up and have a body shop do it? I’m not looking for anything perfect, just don’t want it to spread more than it already has. submitted by /u/ThroatAdventurous557 [link] [comments]”
“Here from up north, Canada. Did a job on my 2015 Honda Fit absolutely no professional wanted to do. I gave up and did it with my brother. We started the repair almost two weeks ago. Here's the result, pretty happy with the look since how it was. Im keeping my Fit alive for an other 5 years I hope so! submitted by /u/DeepCook4226 [link] [comments]”
“Looks like you need rockers, cab corners, and floors on both sides. Plus at least one cab mount. That's a lot of metal to weld in. Then you have the hole in the frame. How are the suspension components?”
“The frame would have to be replaced which would require a donor van with a good frame. Not to mention a huge amount of labor, and replacement of every bolt and fastener you touch. If you get to the point where you have a donor van, keep it and forget about this one.”
“Stout would be money ahead to buy a good clean one. Take a vacation to California and buy a rust free van of your choice and drive it home and you will save money.”
“1996 tl with some juicy rust of what was my car (it has returned to the earth) can this be fixed or no? That rust hole is all under the gas tank and crumbles extremely easily submitted by /u/PercentageNo8239 [link] [comments]”
“So I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey that I took to my local mechanic to have a trailer hitch installed on. He called me back a couple hours later saying that my frame is too rusty to safely install the hitch to for the purpose of towing a small pop up camper. I trust him but I don't want to believe him. So I'm asking from the state of denial..... Is he right The metal when tapped with a key does not change tone as you move up the frame. submitted by /u/InvestigatorOk8386 [link] &#”
“Is my car done for or can I still get a year or 2 out of it? I’ve had it for 1.5 years and put a lot into it to get the suspension and brakes done and among other parts. submitted by /u/Opposite-Turbulent [link] [comments]”
“The latter. This is unibody construction. Cars used to sit on a frame, most trucks still do but today’s cars the entire thing is the frame. You can’t weld a patch over the hole and make it safe. The same if it were dented. You could pull out the dent in the frame but the weak spot would still be there. If this car went to auction with or without being repaired you would still have to announce frame damage on the car so the people buying it would know. It’s a set rule in auction houses because th”
“Looks surpricingly local. Regardless, a cheap car made of thin sheet metal, might be annoying to weld unless you've got a very good welding machine. But it's just rust, why wouldn't it be repairable?”
“I have the exact same car, exact same issue. I can't even use a floor jack anymore because my frame is so rotten it punches holes straight into my pinch welds when I try it. Kia Sorentos subframe rotted so dangerously and so FAST that it absolutely should have been considered an ANY MILEAGE, ANY YEAR warranty. If we had an ACTUAL congress and not a small group of evil wealthy boomers, this kind of shit would be entirely illegal. 🙄”
“Unibody chassis rust is usually repairable when a person thinks they want to spend the money on welding. When they get real bad to the point of the doors not closing properly, I'm not certain about further repairs. Could possibly be done, the question is wether it's worth it or not.”
“2007 Dodge ram 2500. Looking to purchase it. Really just want to know if its got years left considering the rust. Would this concern anybody here? submitted by /u/AppropriateAppeal799 [link] [comments]”
“Have a 2012 Lexus CT, and the corner of the driver side is getting some significant rust. Is this something I can DIY (I’m relatively handy) or is it worth taking to an autobody shop? I know neglecting is going to make it worse, and I want to get ahead of it before it gets too bad. submitted by /u/Different_Limit6793 [link] [comments]”
“Everything else was in excellent condition. She had put in $10k in repairs (all with reciepts), interior is super clean, the rest of the paint is in good condition (not faded). Its just the rust. I do like the car and would like to fix her up to looking the best it can, but I just dont know how I should go about that”
“This is my first car and I really love it but I'm kinda scared to try and restore it just to be consumed by rust, is this thing fixable? submitted by /u/Swimming-Topic-6065 [link] [comments]”
“Looking at other rust posts I feel like an idiot now, but yesterday while washing my car I discovered this rust bump on my 2017 civic. I live in an area where they salt the roads when a “big” snow storm is coming 5-10 times per winter, but rust doesn’t seem too common. I’ve been thinking about trading it in to go back to a truck, but I’ve kinda fallen in love with my car over the years. Trade in isn’t worth too much right now, and it needs new tires, fluids, battery, seat covers, and now body wo”
“I may buy my dads old pilot off of him to commute to work to keep miles off of my truck. Can this rot be repaired? submitted by /u/bdscalz [link] [comments]”
“2010 Corolla. We have this car for the kids to use and hoped to give it to my daughter when she moves out. Got the windshield replaced the other day and the tech said that these rust spots will be a huge issue in the near future. That eventually they will rust through (makes sense) and that it will be very expensive to fix. Before I take it into a shop, does anyone here have the same or differing thoughts? I’d love to find a way to get another 5 years out of this car. Appreciate the comments. Th”
“It has started, and you shold get a fluidfilm treatment, soft stuff in cavitys and the gooey stuf on exposed frames. It wil last a long time if treated, but die in a few winters without.”
“Definitely not passing state inspections. I wouldn't fuck with it. Definitely try and see how much it would be to repair it.”
“Lexus tech here.....Time go put it down unfortunately. Once the cancer rust gets this bad on it,its game over.”