Dreaded Rust problems - Honda Prelude Forum

Si_g · 01-04-2005, 02:23 PM

well i thought i didnt have any rust on my car since i just got a new paint job about 2 months ago... I thought all the rust i found had been fixed, but i guess i forgot to check one spot... My windshield molding's life was coming to an end so i decided to have it changed. I had the body shop do it, they called me up and wanted me to check out what they found. I must say i was pretty

suprised when i saw it. IT looks really NASTY. The driver side is fine but the passenger side.... all around it inside that lil area where the molding goes is filled with rust, anyway, i took a few pics, u judge! I suggest all of you check this area of your cars, u never know what u can find I think its a good thing this came up, cause i m not sure how much more it woulda eaten up my car.

yield · 01-04-2005, 08:43 PM

I've noticed a small amount coming from around the top driver corner. I don't even want to know what it looks like underneath

Si_g · 01-05-2005, 02:24 PM

yea i saw mine out of nowhere, and my windshield started gettin bumpy all around, so i thought it was time to change it, and well thats what i saw afterwards... its being fixed right now, but its gonna cost a pretty pernny for body work hours.

siklude · 01-05-2005, 05:36 PM

damn that doesnt look too gooddd, so whats your plan now with the rust?

Si_g · 01-05-2005, 08:06 PM

well the car is back in the body shop, they already ordered the new molding from honda, and they r going to fix the rust, its gonna cost, as there is a lot of work to be done, with so lil space, the windshield may have to be removed, they ll see as they go. i dropped the car off since monday, and they are workin on it.

The body shop owner put a new idea in my head now, so he got me thinkin. He offered to repaint my whole car again (keep in mind the car got repainted 2 months ago) with the Alpine white I have but, mixing it with some silver metallic, they painted a sample to show me and it looks pretty badass, its a sparkly pearl effect and he wants a extra 500. So its basically a color change, since they have to special mix it, it becomes a custom color... I m already payin a lot to get that rust fixed, so i got a few days to think about it. But i should get the car back next week either way. I ll try to go back and take pics of the sample they painted...

tenzola · 01-05-2005, 09:42 PM

i know one of my 92's is nasty underneath the molding.. what do they do in all honesty.. i mean.. since there's no metal to work with.. body filler (bondo) doesn't seem to be the way out.. do they weld on new metal? fiberglass? or do they just kill the rust by nuetralizing it and cover it with a new molding? wow.. $500 for a color change.. i'd be all over that.. i'm sure they give you a lifetime warentee with that too right.. not like a maco 1 coat paint job that chips off after the first winter?.. then again.. you're in florida.. guess winters don't hit as hard as chicago..hehehe

Si_g · 01-06-2005, 12:33 AM

they said they will try to bondo it, and if it doesnt work, then they would have to weld in some metal, which i think thats waht they will most likely do, then install the new molding. I know the color change is pretty good, but keep in mind its just gonna be a custom white, 2 months ago they repainted it alpine white when i had the accident, so custom white with that silver metallic i guess is pretty good, but its a extra 500 i dont have yet, cause i m already paying em 700 to fix this crap. They quoted me at around 12 hours worth of body work, plus the price for the molding. Yea they do give warranties, they gave me a year on the 2 month old paint job, so its pretty good.

Jeager · 01-06-2005, 01:53 AM

I had the same problem...it sucks..My windshield actually cracked because of the rust...(didnt know it at the time) thought it was from the accident I was in last year...anyway when the body shop pulled the window to my suprise I saw what you saw...so i had em take care of it...what they did to mine was us a rust chemical.How it works: They apply the chemical to the area...it then pulls the rust to the surface and turns it into a hard substance...then they grind it off...apply again...and so forth untill there is no more rust being pulled up...then they bondod and filled needed areas and repainted it..they had my car for about a week since the process took so long for the chemical to work..but I have been rust free for 6 months now..so seems to have worked...the total came to about 400 dollars for the labor

Si_g · 01-06-2005, 08:32 AM

good to see i m not the only one to whom it happenned to. 400 is a very good prices, i was expective to pay 300 just to get that windshield molding replaced including parts and all, but their hourly labor is what it is, plus all the taxes and all the junk, they actually charged me for all the metal they were gonna use. 450 is for all the body work hours, 150 for the molding, plus some parts and all, and taxes...Anyway, what is the name of that chemical they use, i ll ask them if they have that, if it ca lower my cost, i may go that route.

tenzola · 01-06-2005, 08:39 AM

is the modling that expensive?... i mean.. around here i was quoted $250 to replace the molding and the windshield itself.. that includes all parts and labor

i have yet to decide what i want to do with the rusting car.. i mean... it's a 92' si in frost white.. there's no more glow to it.. the rear quarters are gone... and the sunroof rust is starting to peep it's head up

oh well.. figure that out later i guess

good luck with everything

Si_g · 01-06-2005, 09:09 AM

250 is about right but i dontknow about including a windshield with that, that front window costs 600 easy. its all that body work thats killin me. Get a estimate, for bout 1500 or 2000, u can get your whole care redone the right way and make it 10 years younger. Unless uplan on gettin rid of the car then dont fix it, but if u got a lot of rust and plan to keep it, i suggest u fix it quick, cause once that rust start eatin up your metal, its goes on a roll, and it can trash your car in no time.

tenzola · 01-06-2005, 10:39 AM

i wonder if a shop that does metal work will warentee the work for life... cause i got my 01' painted.. and they gave me a full lifetime warentee on the paint from flaking off/fading or anything like that.. but then again.. that was piant and not metal

i just remember a beemer hit me and the bill was 2700 to get a new door skin and repaint half the car.. they had to bondo the rear 1/4 to make it flush..

i guess it can't hurt to get an estimate for a car to get re-done... figure it's free anyways..hehehe

4thGenReady2Go · 01-08-2005, 10:59 AM

someone delete this thread lol, just reading it alone was bad enough, now that I've seen the pictures I'm getting quite worried about the lifespan of my car ... ugh.

tenzola · 01-08-2005, 04:29 PM

i'm kinda glad you showed me what is under the molding.. i mean.. i don't think i would have every taken it off to "check" or anything...

i think i'm gogin to make it a priority to get the car fixed the right way with metal and good bondo work.. so far i've just been putting bondo over more bondo on the rear 1/4 and it's not getting any better.. starting to loose anything for the bondo to stick onto

=P

Si_g · 01-08-2005, 07:05 PM

yea, i wasnt even goin to check, just the molding started getting bumpy all of sudden..., i guess when i got the car some work was done underthere and water got in slowly with time. i never had any leaks... but if u dont have any water leaks, then the rust problems under the molding shouldnt be so bad i dont think.

Jeager · 01-09-2005, 07:20 PM

Yeah my problem was the person that had the car before me had the windshield replaced or the molding replaced and whoever put it in used GOBS and GOBS of glue or something..and there was no place for water to go so i just sat in there....the 400 dollars they charged me was for the work they did + materials + repaint whatever was needed....it didnt include the windshield or molding...insurance was taking car of that do to a previous accident..but when they did paint my car for the accident I think they quoted me like $120-150 or so on the windshield molding or something...its rediculous for that peice of ****