Rust repair in MA?

H

Harold97

New member
Hi,

I have some minor rust along my pinch welds that has spread into the rockers. It looks like it was started by paint cracking at the jack point.

Would anyone in MA or perhaps southern NH be able to recommend a place that can do a correct repair of this? I find that body shops are not really interested in this sort of repair, or they don't sound like they would do a good job. I have found this place but do not know anything about them:

GOT RUST? RUST-O-RAMA IS HERE! | NH Auto Car and Truck Rust Repair , Dent Repair & Expert Welding Services

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
That kind of repair is a crap-shoot. IME (and that's lots and lots of experience) it hardly ever lasts, though I do have one spot that's held up fine for decades (fortunately it was on one of the keepers!). It's just too tough to get down inside the weld where the rust is. 99.999% of the bodyshops will just do a superficial fix that won't last past the next winter or two.

IMO you're probably better off to DIY it and see how that lasts. Probably won't be any worse than a [cough cough] Pro repair and it'll cost pennies on the dollar.

I did my most recent repair like that on one of the Tahoe's rear barn doors and it's lasted OK for a few years now despite lots of winter use; it might rust out again though (probably will), and if/when it does I'll either redo the same fix (if there's still enough metal there) to get a few more years out of it or I'll do it right and write the big check for a new door, which IMO/IME is the only *proper* fix. Pricey things, doors!
 
Accumulator said:
There's a reason why many bodyshops don't want to do this sort of repair...too great a chance of come-backs.
Click to expand...

Bingo! I have a Challenger that developed a rust spot in a rear quarter, something that is looking somewhat common. It was 3 months out of corrosion warranty and at first pass they wouldn't buy a warranty repair. I started shopping body shops, and every one said the same thing. They guarantee their repairs for life but couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't return so they weren't sure they wanted to do it. Those that would charged $$$$

Ultimately the local dealer worked with me with Dodge (Fiat now) and got it covered, but it was a pretty hard fight. I can tell you there's almost 0% give with getting Fiat to cover anything even a day out of warranty.
 
Ccrew- glad to hear you at least got it taken care of.

When my Mazda MPV rusted out like that in several places Mazda simply blew me off. They were such [jerks] about it that we'll never own another Mazda. And I found out later that it's a known, specific manfacturing defect, 100% their fault.
 
The problem with just noticing the rust is that it has been working for years behind the scene for a long time devouring metal. You really do not know the extent until it is opened up. I know it is a little late now but the best alternative is prevention. I have sprayed the inside of my doors, rocker panels etc. with Eastwoods in frame rust coatings and rust prevention paints. Once the rust starts it can be very difficult to stop short of moving to Arizona.

Dave
 
Ccrew- If you can post a good pic, showing the extent of the corrosion, I'll hazard a guess (just a guess ;) ) as to whether it's worth trying to (temporarily) fix or not.
 
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