2013 Honda Accord rusting already...

[eljefino]

I'm not sure exactly what you meant but keeping it in the garage wont keep it from rusting. It is better however than leaving it outside to get rained on.

Warmth and brine causes rusting. If you have a car crusted up with salt and leave it outside in 5'F weather it'll rust more slowly than in a garage that retains heat near freezing temps.

Garaging is a strategy to consider along with your local climate and personal usage.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

...
Many cars today have replaced the outer rocker panel with an actual plastic cover, and it fasteners to the inner rocker.

I'm still confused... Can you perhaps mention some of those specific car models. 'Cuz this is a surprise to me...

 

[Donald]

Went to go wash my dad's car at a touch-free car wash and this is what I noticed while drying the car....

2013 Accord 76k miles. Garaged until 2019

Don't know how a body guy's going to fix it butView attachment 92060

A warm garage speeds rust as its a chemical reaction.

Should have treated the vehicle with a rust prev spray of your choice. Krown or CarWell or FF or NH Coatings or others.

 

[Blinker]

What are you talking about? The rockers rust to pieces under that plastic. All the plastic does hide it till there is nothing left.

What I’m talking about is a lot of newer vehicles use a plastic side skirt to cover the rocker. In days before with full metal rockers, water, salt, dirt, would collect in the rocker and start rotting it out. Now with the use of the plastic skirts, water, salt, dirt can still collect, but it won’t rot out the plastic skirt. Eventually if the conditions are right it will eventually rot out the metal rocker. But in my experience, the process takes a lot longer to start on cars that use a plastic skirt compared to other vehicles that use a full metal rocker.

 

[Blinker]

I'm still confused... Can you perhaps mention some of those specific car models. 'Cuz this is a surprise to me...

Just compare the rocker design of a ‘13 Accord compared to a ‘18 Accord and you’ll see how they are designed differently.

 

[K.Aoi]

To this day I'm still surprised that F150s/etc don't have plastic cladding on the rear wheel arches. I swear I see pretty new trucks, must be 5 years old or newer that have wheel well rot because it's just metal and the pain gets chipped off by rocks flung up by the tires.

 

[JHZR2]

I was surprised at the surface rust that has showed up on my 2015 accord from an early age. No panel rust like you show, but every fastener and paint chip has rusted in short order. Our odyssey that sees the same conditions and we bought within the same few month range doesn’t at all.

 

[doitmyself]

Just compare the rocker design of a ‘13 Accord compared to a ‘18 Accord and you’ll see how they are designed differently.

Here's what he is talking about. Skip to minute 3:09. I haven't seen other vehicles with this, but what do I know (very little)

 

[joegreen]

Wow that’s bad for 2013. My 2002 accord that lives its entire life in the northeast is quite clean underneath.

 

[K-Man]

It seems that a number of Asian cars resist rust for a while, but when rust finally starts, boom! The car's gone in no time. Certain Hondas and Mazdas have a real problem with it. I can't tell you the last time I saw one of those Accords with the flip-up headlights.

 

[JTK]

Ugh.. That is sad to see, but seems to be the norm for many rust belt vehicles once they get beyond that 72-84month loan.

I wonder if something as basic as fluid film or krown done early on would have slowed or prevented this.