shall i get some rusty arches repaired or not?

[danlightbulb]

Hi all,

For those who remember my previous posts may recall I bought myself a 2003 Honda Accord before xmas. It had some rust spotting on the arches at the time, and through inexperience I didn't think it was a big problem. Kicked myself a little after, as I checked everything else really thoroughly, had a long test drive, and thought it was good for the money (£1400). Chalk this one up for future reference.

Anyway, the car does indeed run and drive lovely, and aside from the rust in this one location is really in otherwise perfect condition. So I'm not sure what to do about this rust. I contacted a guy locally and after seeing some photo's has quoted £200 per side for a repair. I know this won't solve the root cause, but what I don't know is how long it would last after. I have arranged to drive and see him tomorrow so he can have a proper look up close.

So I'm not sure what to do. I know its an old car and maybe I should just put that £400 in the bank and when the car is bad enough to fail its MOT then I either patch it then or swap it (presumably for scrap money). What I don't know is whether that is 1 year away or 3. The rust is already sharp edged on the underside of the arch.

Anyone with experience of old cars, what are my options please?

What would a full repair do, compared to a patch job for an MOT pass? Will it pass the MOT if I just cover the area with duct tape(!). Should I save my £400 and let it fall apart, or try and mitigate the spread now?

Thanks


The other side is similar.

[Brigand]

Depending on how you feel about the car, could it be worth doing yourself?

I've done plenty of similar repairs in the past for the cost of some sandpaper, rust curing stuff, primer, paint and lacquer. If the car is your Pride & Joy and everything has to be perfect then a DIY repair probably isn't the best idea, but if you're just looking to get it solved and are happy with a reasonable repair (all comes down to your skill with the paint, how well you've prepped the area, match of the paint etc) then I'd say a DIY attempt was worth it.

[danlightbulb]

Brigand said:

Depending on how you feel about the car, could it be worth doing yourself?

I've done plenty of similar repairs in the past for the cost of some sandpaper, rust curing stuff, primer, paint and lacquer. If the car is your Pride & Joy and everything has to be perfect then a DIY repair probably isn't the best idea, but if you're just looking to get it solved and are happy with a reasonable repair (all comes down to your skill with the paint, how well you've prepped the area, match of the paint etc) then I'd say a DIY attempt was worth it.

I am very tempted to try, however what concerns me is when I start stripping it back, sanding and grinding, that most of the rusty bit just disintegrates on me and Im left with a zig zag of sharp edged metal. Ps I cannot weld, so that option is out as a DIY.

[Quhet]

Is it just the wheel arches that are rusty? If so and it's just cosmetic, I'd be tempted to leave it. I guess you're not going to keep the car more than a couple of years at that price, not really worth spending £400 on IMO. Save that for anything else that could go wrong

[Gunk]

A DIY repair with rust inhibitor filler and rattle can will look crap and the rust will soon come through again, I'd either buy a couple of wheel arch repair kits and have it fixed properly or just leave it alone.

[danlightbulb]

Quhet said:

Is it just the wheel arches that are rusty? If so and it's just cosmetic, I'd be tempted to leave it. I guess you're not going to keep the car more than a couple of years at that price, not really worth spending £400 on IMO. Save that for anything else that could go wrong

Yep, just the rear arches on both sides. Its cosmetic rather than structural (although I'm informed that it will be coming from the inside out and so will be much worse than it initially appears on the surface). As you see from the pictures I have some jagged edges appearing.

Can anyone with MOT knowledge tell me at what point cosmetic rust becomes a fail?

[steveo3002]

that wont be a mot fail for ages , even when it is you can tape over it to cover any sharp edges

i think its too bad for a newbie diy repair

[danlightbulb]

Gunk said:

A DIY repair with rust inhibitor filler and rattle can will look crap and the rust will soon come through again, I'd either buy a couple of wheel arch repair kits and have it fixed properly or just leave it alone.

I'm in the process of asking some breakers whether I can get the rear panels off another car. No luck yet. I don't think direct wheel arches are available for this model. New panels would cost me in the region of £800 for both sides. Someone previously linked me to some cheap 'over arches' which kind of stick on top of the existing arches, but its not a great solution really.

Regarding keeping the car, I will try and keep it as long as I can. If it needs no mechanical repairs and/or only minor repairs at MOT time then why ditch.

[GT6 Jonsey]

I come from a classic car background so correct me if I am wrong, Looking at the photo I would say those arches are 2-3 years way from being an issue at mot time. If you can live with the look of the arches and not keeping the car long term I would just leave it as is. Some rust inhibitor, a dollop of filler and a blow over with a rattle can would be the DIY option and much cheaper than your quote.

[danlightbulb]

This is the other side.

GT6 Jonsey said:

I come from a classic car background so correct me if I am wrong, Looking at the photo I would say those arches are 2-3 years way from being an issue at mot time. If you can live with the look of the arches and not keeping the car long term I would just leave it as is. Some rust inhibitor, a dollop of filler and a blow over with a rattle can would be the DIY option and much cheaper than your quote.

I could live with it, depending on how fast it gets really bad. But, if I was to get rid of the car in 3 years say, then I would still want something back for it (be able to sell it). So I want to think about how best to plan long term for the issue at resale as well.

Edited by danlightbulb on Saturday 9th January 21:31

[996TT02]

danlightbulb said:

Brigand said:

Depending on how you feel about the car, could it be worth doing yourself?

I've done plenty of similar repairs in the past for the cost of some sandpaper, rust curing stuff, primer, paint and lacquer. If the car is your Pride & Joy and everything has to be perfect then a DIY repair probably isn't the best idea, but if you're just looking to get it solved and are happy with a reasonable repair (all comes down to your skill with the paint, how well you've prepped the area, match of the paint etc) then I'd say a DIY attempt was worth it.

I am very tempted to try, however what concerns me is when I start stripping it back, sanding and grinding, that most of the rusty bit just disintegrates on me and Im left with a zig zag of sharp edged metal. Ps I cannot weld, so that option is out as a DIY.

I agree with Brigand but also understand your point and you are probably right, after taking off what's not there anyway (that's the reality) you will likely be left with some holes and bits taken out. However - if you do remove as much rust as possible and treat well - you could consider applying filler from the back side to fill the holes and sand flush from the front. The main thing is that if you do a good enough job and follow up by undersealing the arches properly you will buy some time, perhaps quite a lot of it.

Use an angle grinder or drill with a sandpaper flap disc (?) and also a wire brush fitting to remove all you can then treat with a rust converter, apply anti corrosion primer, apply filler, primer, paint, then underbody seal.

[danlightbulb]

I understand how to do it, having watching several videos, when there is a hole surrounded by an edge. But how do you fill when there is no edge left? I.e on the underside of the sill the edge itself is retreating.

[NiceCupOfTea]

3 options:

1. Have a go yourself. Sand back, rustproof, prime, spray.

2. Cheap repair. Will be back in 12 months Max so sell before.

3. Stump up the money to get it cut out and then new metal welded in

[DuraAce]

Leave it until it gets into mot fall territory. Then get patches welded in /on as required to pass mot. Paint with rattle cans.

The car is a 1k banger (don't take offence) so don't invest hundreds in it - you'll never get this back as it's not a rare/sought after car.

If it's still roadworthy and has an mot in three years time then it'll still sell if the paint on the arches doesnt look mint. At the cheap end of the market the MOT means everything, cosmetic paint does not.

Be realistic.

[Justin S]

The only way of making it last longer than 3 months is to cut out and replace with fresh metal. Painting with rust killer and filling and using rattle cans, not only will look pretty poor, the rust will pop up very soon again, not only because of the repair done, but the location of always being wet under the arch. Personally I wouldn't bother as its banger money and use until it does become an issue with MOT time.

[Gunk]

danlightbulb said:

I understand how to do it, having watching several videos, when there is a hole surrounded by an edge. But how do you fill when there is no edge left? I.e on the underside of the sill the edge itself is retreating.

Tin foil, newspaper, or bog roll then lashings of Isopon, that's how we did it back in the early 1980's when you wanted to get a ticket on your £150 Mini!

[ToothbrushMan]

you want to check if the outer wheel arch bucket that runs into the inner bucket (I dont mean the outer panel) isnt rusted either because whilst the visible panel is a fair easy fix/tidy up job it may not be economic to have to rip out the outer arches and replace. that may require the whol rear quarters to be removed to access. then paint etc lots of money for labour.

[battered]

That's a mile away from an MoT fail. I've never had a fail for rusty arches, even if it does leave a sharp edge (which has to be on the OUTSIDE) then gaffer tape gets a pass.

I'd ignore it or possibly do a light sand, a patch and a bodge with a touchup pen. Or attach eyebrows.

Next time, hold out for a car that doesn't have frilly arches.

[renegade666]

option 1 leav it as it is
option 2 diy depending on your skill it will last a while but rust will be back how fast depends on your skill
option 3 cheap job at body shop rust will be back


option 5 if you want it done right is cut out rust weld in arch repair panel if none for you car cut one from a donor car
paint and respray and blend

good body shop or diy if you can do it your self rust wont come back for long time

[Slow]

Leave it alone, when it starts falling off and gets sharp it will fail an mot, just put duct tape over it and continue to drive. Not a valuable car so not worth spending 1/3 its value on 2 arches I reckon.