I have a 2008 Honda Accord with 252k miles on it and some bad rust. This was my first car and has had no real issues so I would like to keep it and just don’t want to have to get a new car because of rust. I have money to repair this but not sure if anyone would want to work on this and if it would make more sense if I figured out how to cut some of this out. It rusted out bad and when I was driving and some of it dropped down and I had to pull it off. Now I can’t jack the car up if i needed to replace the front driver side tire.
I am considering just cutting some of it off that is hanging and spraying it again with a rust-oleum reform and seal.
I haven’t called any shops yet to see what they could do but wondering if its even worth it. I am not too worried about how it looks.
Time to move on to another vehicle. The cost will be large even if a shop would work on it, The rust you can’t see will be even more damaging to the vehicle structure.
Yep, there’s no way to pay someone to repair this for a reasonable amount of money, given the miles. Just cutting out the rust solves nothing, the body is weakened.
Ok yeah I agree. But maybe I will just cut out anything that is hanging down and spray it just to get through another winter. I hardly drive it and have another work vehicle.
With 252k miles, and rusted-out rocker panels, I’d just drive it until it needs something more complicated than a battery or tires, and then junk it. I’d ignore the people telling you to junk it now, but I also wouldn’t spend money trying to fix the rust, either. I am originally from Illinois, and I remember driving some real rust buckets in my life. Cars there used to look like this after 10-15 years. Still, I thought modern vehicles had better rust protection.
I guess I’m spoiled living in Arizona, where you can buy a 20+ year old car with no rust at all, and not even have to worry about this problem.
Ok cool thanks! Yes and in the past year got new breaks, tires, battery, starter and alternator so can’t see myself getting rid of it now but anything more serious I will just get something else.
Yeah it is really too bad with these northern states haha I should have gotten to it earlier though because like 9 years ago it had a big scratch on that door from a retaining wall and I didn’t think about painting it to stop rust. 3 years ago I tried to fix it with sanding it down and bondo but it got worse now. Next car I get I want to make sure the parts round the wheel and below are plastic.
The pinch welds on my sons Pontiac were weak and collapsing when using the spare tire jack. He didn’t dislike the car but after 7 years he found a deal on a better car and sold the Pontiac.
To replace the rocker panels and pinch welds could cost $10,000, plus doors and rear quarter panel repairs. $20,000 cash deposit necessary, nobody is going to take you seriously. Keep using the car until it is no longer practical.
Practically speaking, the best solution is to buy another car. You definitely need a proper welding repair job for that problem, and that’s going to cost you a lot of loot, and you probably can’t justify the expense for an 08 Accord. But if you learn to do the welding yourself, and have a spare car so you would be able to keep the car off the road during the time it takes you to do the repair (which might be considerable), and you’d consider this as learning a new hobby so there’s need to cost-out the time it takes you, then you might be able to justify saving it.
If a novice were to cut out the floors and rocker panels for replacement, the car would certainly never go back together again. Complete one of these projects yourself before recommending this to others.
This is a common thing on the island. People back in Jamaica would fix this car up and you’d never know its previous condition. I’ve seen worse than shown in OP’s post.
Yiur car has no frame under it. The rocker panels and pinch welds are serving as the frame. Keep driving it only if the car collapsing on the road while driving does not worry you.
My son had a Dodge Omni with similar rust that collapsed at 10 mph in our court and the rear axle drifting away applied the emergency brake and spun him like a top.
If the OP is concerned at all regarding safety, he needs to have the car put up on a lift so that a qualified mechanic can check for damage to the suspension and suspension mounting components.
OP, if you decide to do a proper rocker panel repair, and you’d like to forestall a repeat, suggest to rinse out that area thoroughly on every car wash. And apply a thick coat of wax to that area at least a couple of times a year. When I lived in salted-road Colorado I’d wash out that area after every snow storm using a pressure spray wand at the self-serve car wash, sometimes 2-3 times a week. . .
Rinsing the inside of the rocker panels is a tedious job, there is a series of small drain holes. What type of wax do you use inside the rocker panels?
