shall i get some rusty arches repaired or not?
Discussion
egor110 said:
I tried to get away with the cheap fix and 2 years later had rust bubbling thru again hence why this time i replaced inner and outer arches.
2 years is a long time in shedland. It's a £1400 car, I wouldn't feel too aggrieved about having to do this every 2 years. 20,000 miles, maybe more, further down the road, and it hands you a chunky bill for the MoT, maybe the clutch is starting to slip a bit, the oil consumption's higher than it used to be, that gearbox is a bit notchy into 2nd and 3rd and the suspension's getting sloppy, so it goes on and maybe this one has gone far enough. We've all been there, but either way a rusty wheelarch is the least of your worries. battered said:
egor110 said:
I tried to get away with the cheap fix and 2 years later had rust bubbling thru again hence why this time i replaced inner and outer arches.
2 years is a long time in shedland. It's a £1400 car, I wouldn't feel too aggrieved about having to do this every 2 years. 20,000 miles, maybe more, further down the road, and it hands you a chunky bill for the MoT, maybe the clutch is starting to slip a bit, the oil consumption's higher than it used to be, that gearbox is a bit notchy into 2nd and 3rd and the suspension's getting sloppy, so it goes on and maybe this one has gone far enough. We've all been there, but either way a rusty wheelarch is the least of your worries. 
mrtwisty said:
Can you juggle? No? Watch some videos, then give it a go.
The difference being with bodywork repairs, once you've 'dropped the balls' you're a bit buggered.
(I bloody hate doing bodywork!)
Lol I can juggle. I get your point though - what I meant was I understand the method - putting it into practise entirely different thing and I agree with you. I am tempted to give it a go myself, but if it starts to fall apart on me Im not equipped to deal with that.The difference being with bodywork repairs, once you've 'dropped the balls' you're a bit buggered.
(I bloody hate doing bodywork!)
battered said:
2 years is a long time in shedland. It's a £1400 car, I wouldn't feel too aggrieved about having to do this every 2 years. 20,000 miles, maybe more, further down the road, and it hands you a chunky bill for the MoT, maybe the clutch is starting to slip a bit, the oil consumption's higher than it used to be, that gearbox is a bit notchy into 2nd and 3rd and the suspension's getting sloppy, so it goes on and maybe this one has gone far enough. We've all been there, but either way a rusty wheelarch is the least of your worries.
You've described my old car! I spent loads on it just keeping it running, and until I looked back I didn't realise how all those small(ish) jobs added up over the years. I guess the trick is knowing when to let go. Funny thing is I wouldn't be bothered if it was a dent, or a bit of mismatched paint. Its the fact the rust will get worse that is making me want to mitigate it now. SuperHangOn said:
Whether its worth it depends what state the rest of the car is in.
Well I think very good personally. But then I did buy a car with rusty arches so what do I know.If in 3 years the car has cost me nothing in repairs and sailed through its MOT's, but the rust has climbed halfway up the panel, I'll probably wish I'd had it done when I had a better opportunity.
I seem to be sounding more like an old git all the time on here, but it seems people don't really understand rust anymore. When all cars rusted and were killed by it, everyone studied the subject to degree standard whether they wanted to or not 
Yes you can have surface rust from stone chips and these are reasonably fixable but the stuff that bubbles up from below is a very different situation and hints of terrible things unseen.
I'm guessing Dan thought this rust was just the surface stuff. I must say, Honda have gone right down in my estimation after reading this thread.
Yes you can have surface rust from stone chips and these are reasonably fixable but the stuff that bubbles up from below is a very different situation and hints of terrible things unseen.
I'm guessing Dan thought this rust was just the surface stuff. I must say, Honda have gone right down in my estimation after reading this thread.
danlightbulb said:
No pattern arches available for this car.
I have just been to see a guy. He seemed very knowledgeable, very genuine, and very confident that his price of £200 per side would do a very good job of it. He will cut out the bad sections and reform the arch with new sheet metal, then weld it back in. If the internal arch is bad too he will cut out sections of that and remake those in new metal. He will re-weld the seam between the inner and outer skin and seal the gap. All followed by a respray and blend in to whole rear quarter panel and the rear doors.
Struggling to decide what to do. The longer I leave it the worse it will get, and possibly very fast.
If that price is firm just let him do it.I have just been to see a guy. He seemed very knowledgeable, very genuine, and very confident that his price of £200 per side would do a very good job of it. He will cut out the bad sections and reform the arch with new sheet metal, then weld it back in. If the internal arch is bad too he will cut out sections of that and remake those in new metal. He will re-weld the seam between the inner and outer skin and seal the gap. All followed by a respray and blend in to whole rear quarter panel and the rear doors.
Struggling to decide what to do. The longer I leave it the worse it will get, and possibly very fast.
Make sure you/he protects the rear of it with lots of Waxoyl/Dinitrol/ Bint Hamber etc and get on with your life.
If it comes back, cross that bridge when you get to it.
danlightbulb said:
From what I have read, it is only the rear arches that are a problem on this generation (gen 7). Its poor design on Honda's part.
I am a bit of a Honda fan, but lets be fair to the car, it's now getting on for 13 years old. Yes, Honda may have not rust proofed that part of the car as well as they could have, but lets not forget that a generation ago a 13 year old car would have been held together with Isopon and keeping the rest of it running would have been a constant battle. designforlife said:
if its a keeper, get it done properly...but don't be tempted to leave it....previous owner decided to leave the arch on mine, and its turned into a 500 quid repair job (admittedly having to have a new arch stitched in as my stupid car is too rare to source a rear quarter for).
Thanks for this pic. I note the bubbling further up the arch and also the wavyness of the undersill of the arch where presumably moisture has got in, frozen, and expanded the metal. Do you have the pic after repair?I am in exactly the same predicament, on a similarly priced car. As it's in banger territory, I am unsure whether to bother, as it might suddenly become worthless through a couple of faults.
I love the car but could buy another easily and cheaply so wonder whether to bother. Chances are i'll procrastinate and it'll be too late!
I love the car but could buy another easily and cheaply so wonder whether to bother. Chances are i'll procrastinate and it'll be too late!
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