Body work advice? Door got hit + rust issues

Raccoon1400

Super Member
I returned to my car after a family dinner to find a note on my car apologizing for dinging my car door, and providing contact info. There's a dent and scrape on the drivers side door, she hit it backing out of the neighbours driveway.

I'm not sure what to ask for from her yet, but I called today to let her know I wasn't super upset and we'd work something out soon. I'm not worried about it looking perfect, but I'll need to do something with the paint so it doesn't rust.

I have some other rust issues to address too. Any advice for how to deal with that? Someone was telling me how to do it a few months ago. Something along the lines of using a wire brush on a grinder to get as much of the rust off as possible, then using a rust inhibitor. And some sort of rubberized compound. I'm not concerned about it looking perfect, I just want to stop it from rusting out.

The car is a 2007 honda fit with 156,000km.
 

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I'm going to piggyback on your thread.

I bought this Lexus SC300 about a year ago. The driver side is perfect, but rust started showing on the rear passenger quarter a couple of months ago.

I'm going to try to inject rust convertor (the brush-on type) using a syringe. But first, i have to replace the timing belt and front seal on the motor.

DSC00343.JPG DSC00342.JPG
 
Sorry to say that it's far too late for chemical rust treatments for that kind of stuff, it started on the inside and has already worked its way all the way through.

That Lexus looks like body butty (bondo) on top of the original rust.

Only real fix there is to cut it out and replace the panel.
 
Sorry to say that it's far too late for chemical rust treatments for that kind of stuff, it started on the inside and has already worked its way all the way through.
On mine or the lexus?
What would I replace the metal with? Could I grind all the rust away and use bondo and/or other fillers?

And for yesterday's door damage:
Also, what would a pro body shop likely charge for a 100% fix for the door dent/paint? At least a grand, right? I don't want to go that route but it would be helpful to know the cost. And what would it cost for them to just fix the paint on the door?
I've got to figure out what to ask the woman for. What would you guys do if this was your car?
 
I don't know the number of salvage yards in your area, or what their pricing is like, but the first thing I'd do (in my neck of the woods) is hit the salvage yards. A Honda FIT is a fairly common vehicle, so used parts should be readily available. If you get lucky, you might even find one in the same color, so you wouldn't even have to repaint.
 
On mine or the lexus?
What would I replace the metal with? Could I grind all the rust away and use bondo and/or other fillers?

And for yesterday's door damage:
Also, what would a pro body shop likely charge for a 100% fix for the door dent/paint? At least a grand, right? I don't want to go that route but it would be helpful to know the cost. And what would it cost for them to just fix the paint on the door?
I've got to figure out what to ask the woman for. What would you guys do if this was your car?

IMO, the problem here is the amount of rust the car already has regardless, for the moment, about the dent. For a body shop to actually "fix" as best possible the existing rust may require them to use patch panels/replace some metal. You could easily be at approximately the value of the car (at least according to what I looked up on Edmund) in just fixing the existing rust.

I have a truck I drive for work. It's a 2010 with average miles for the year. Otherwise in pretty good shape but the cab corners are starting to blister. Just got an estimate using aftermarket patch panels. $3,000. If I went with genuine OEM parts, it would be probably double that, mostly in extra labor, because the factory panels require much larger areas cut out to replace than the smaller aftermarket patch panels.

You can wire brush it and all that but as others have said if it's coming from the inside, it's just a matter of time (maybe a year or so if done well, less if not) before it's showing through again.

Now, to the dent, yeah, that could be $500 to $1000 to repair and paint to 100%. However, what the "devaluation factor" is here is a sensitive subject. If you had that damage on a brand new car or car in otherwise excellent condition then, sure, full boat for the repair. However, that damage doesn't devalue a rusty car as much as it does a pristine car. What's the right adjustment? 1/2, 1/3rd? I dunno like I said, sensitive subject.
 
It's not worth taking it to a body shop at all, if it was my daily driver I would just take whatever the value of the repair for the dent/paint repair and pocket it. The red paint that was left you can probably get out with some compound & DA sander

As far as dealing with the rust POR-15 is killer, its the best rust sealer/preventer

you don't have to grind off the rust either, just clean the area with degreaser and apply, it's seriously awesome.

Friends with tacomas, broncos, jeeps all use this stuff for everything. You can even do the frame of a truck

that being said it's far from pretty, but will suit your needs. Lucky you have a black car it shouldn't look as bad

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-45004-Gloss-black-Preventive/dp/B00H2VVL0S
 
It's not worth taking it to a body shop at all, if it was my daily driver I would just take whatever the value of the repair for the dent/paint repair and pocket it. The red paint that was left you can probably get out with some compound & DA sander
I was thinking it would be reasonable to ask for something in the neighbourhood of $300. That's a fraction of what a proper body shop fix would cost her if she hit a nicer car. And I'd leave the dent, fix the paint, and if there's anything left put it toward fixing the A/C.
She said whatever I want to do I could give her the bill.

As far as dealing with the rust POR-15 is killer, its the best rust sealer/preventer

you don't have to grind off the rust either, just clean the area with degreaser and apply, it's seriously awesome.
I'd probably still want to at least grind off the loose flakes, right? And maybe do a bit of filling with bondo to get a smooth finish. There's a small hole in one place now, I'll at least have to fill that. (I'd have to treat the area with the POR-15 before bondoing over it though, right)

As stated before, I'm willing to sacrifice looks here.
 
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I was thinking it would be reasonable to ask for something in the neighbourhood of $300. That's a fraction of what a proper body shop fix would cost her if she hit a nicer car. And I'd leave the dent, fix the paint, and if there's anything left put it toward fixing the A/C.
She said whatever I want to do I could give her the bill.

QUOTE="nyhifihead, post: 10744581, member: 213234"]
As far as dealing with the rust POR-15 is killer, its the best rust sealer/preventer

you don't have to grind off the rust either, just clean the area with degreaser and apply, it's seriously awesome.
I'd probably still want to at least grind off the loose flakes, right? And maybe do a bit of filling with bondo to get a smooth finish. There's a small hole in one place now, I'll at least have to fill that. (I'd have to treat the area with the POR-15 before bondoing over it though, right)

As stated before, I'm willing to sacrifice looks here.[/QUOTE]

around $300 seems fair, must be nice to have some people accountable. Around here they don't have the decency to leave a note when they do $1500+ damage!

regarding the POR 15 believe it or not the formula they use is actually meant and has BEST results when used directly on rust/rough surfaces, there is minor prep work. I'm not sure of the interactions between POR 15 and bondo but I'm pretty sure if your filling in the hole it would be por15, bondo, then another top coat of por15

Paint Over Rust 15 is an exterior finish, there are gloss finishes but also a bedline style suitable for frames and under body metal

heres a decent video, there's a lot of documentation online about this stuff so feel free to look around

 
Where do you live? Here and Rust Belt Michigan the salt used on the roads in winter is a car killer. My last two vehicles suffered demises do not to Mechanical failures but to extensive rusting of the body and subframes. I'm not sure how much work you want to do on them but you could always Bondo and spray them a little bit or if it just gets to the point you can just keep on spraying over them with paint.

The sad part of the situation is rust, like water, always wins
 
Where do you live? Here and Rust Belt Michigan the salt used on the roads in winter is a car killer. My last two vehicles suffered demises do not to Mechanical failures but to extensive rusting of the body and subframes. I'm not sure how much work you want to do on them but you could always Bondo and spray them a little bit or if it just gets to the point you can just keep on spraying over them with paint.

The sad part of the situation is rust, like water, always wins
Ottawa, Canada. Lots of snow and salt here.

I visited Victoria BC last summer and was amazed by seeing cars from the 90s-80s with much less rust than this 2007 car.

At least she didn't hit the bumper. There's no fender benders anymore, now thanks to plastic they are fender breakers. Dad broke the bumper on this car once when it was his and it cost him about $2k.
 
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Looks to me like the rust is coming from the inside, not the outside. If that's the way it is, figure fore every square inch of rust you can see, there are 10 that you can't.
This is why I'm not inclined to tackle any repair not needed for point A to point B travel. I tend to drive it until the value is the same driven away or hauled away.
 
This is why I'm not inclined to tackle any repair not needed for point A to point B travel. I tend to drive it until the value is the same driven away or hauled away.
I'd like to keep this car as long as possible. I can't afford another one, and it is the perfect car for me. It has earned its name, the fit. It fits a lot of stuff. We've packed it full of tools, stereo gear, and even a full size solar panel module. And it fits me! (I'm 6'3 and there's headroom to spare!) It is a small car on the outside and a big car on the inside. And it is great on gas.

So I'd like to do what I can to stop the body from rusting out prematurely, so it can get me and whatever I need to "fit" in it from point A to B as long as possible.
 
I just bought an angle grinder to grind some rust away. I just had a look at it with an audio customer who works with cars and seems to know this stuff. He thinks I can do something with bondo. POR15, rockerguard, paint. Fiberglass filler if needed. He also mentioned panels you can buy that fit over the "dogleg" just in front of the rear tire, that I can pop rivet on, or weld metal in. He said I need to grind the rust away and see what that leaves me with, then go from there.
 
I want to take a crack at welding patches. I've got a basic arc welder. What if anything do you guys disconnect before arc welding on a car to prevent damage to electronics, etc?
 
mig welder is what you want . tig is better but not needed .. gas is best but hard not to buckle the panels .. i use a mig .argon c02 mix gas and 0.6mm wire . 150 amp welder . only needs to be on setting 1 or 2 . i guess 100 amp would be plenty . i once had the use of 3 phase mig welder .that thing would turn down so low it would weld a tobacco tin which is very thin indeed .
forget stick welders and cars .. i know it can be done with a vibrating fixture for the rod but it must be rather messy .
i have never disconnected anything and never had a problem .. mig welders so i was told many many years ago are fine to leave battery connected .
there is however a box of tricks you are supposed to use to save the electronics on modern vehicles .
 
mig welder is what you want . tig is better but not needed .. gas is best but hard not to buckle the panels .. i use a mig .argon c02 mix gas and 0.6mm wire . 150 amp welder . only needs to be on setting 1 or 2 . i guess 100 amp would be plenty . i once had the use of 3 phase mig welder .that thing would turn down so low it would weld a tobacco tin which is very thin indeed .
Can the arc welder work? It's what I have. Otherwise I'll go for fiberglass or bondo patches.
 
Hard to tell if your paint was chipped or creased. If NOT, a reputable body shop may have "paintless dent repair" where they go inside the panel and massage the dent out from the inside. It could only cost around $100.00. Following the dent repair, it should be possible to "buff out" the paint. As far as your rust, it's literally the tip of the iceberg, and it will devour the metal. They don't call it "cancer" for nothing.
 
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