Do you or have you owned a rusty vehicle?

[ZZman]

Living in Michigan and Salt used in the winter usually means rusting issues. I have owned my fair share of various vehicles that had rust. Often I would fix it as I did covered it. Currently my 2014 Fusion is starting to get lots of rust around the rear wheel wells. I don't know if it is my age, the fact the car is paid off and considered my beater car, or I just don't care much anymore, but I am just not really interested in fixing it. Maybe I don't feel the need to impress anyone anymore.

How about you all?

 

[charbaby]

I've had my share of rusty vehicles in the past. I don't want them anymore and I certainly don't want to be fixing them only to have the rust return anyway. Living in the salt belt along the Great Lakes, we use lots of salt in the winter time however, I am noticing that vehicle are indeed lasting longer before they start to rust when maintained regularly. However, it is inevitable that, where we live, the vehicles are going to disintegrate at some point.

I suppose that if I want my vehicles to last longer before rusting that I would have them treated regularly with those lanolin or wool wax or whatever type of spray treatments that actually creep into the nooks & crannies and provide a protective layer to the whole vehicle and block out the O2.

I'd love to keep my vehicles longer without any issues and corrosion but the way vehicles are being made today, I'm starting to think that they're designed to be replaced instead of repaired. I am going to stay with the vehicles that have that better reputation for being able to do this but I don't know how long this will last.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

I’ve had several. Never had one with fist sized holes in or big holes in the floor. The reality is most of the cars in the Midwest will be rusty in 8-10 years from new, and I usually keep them 15-20 years. Now I have aluminum F150’s. As long as I maintain the fame, I’ll never have rust again.

 

[billt460]

I had nothing but for the 38 years I lived in and around the Chicago suburbs. It becomes all but impossible to keep a vehicle in good condition there. Today the cars will last a bit longer because of more composite materials, and things like Stainless steel exhaust systems and the like.

But everything will rust around it. Especially things like the frame, upper and lower control arms. Along with various other suspension components and springs. Much like a bad marriage, you get used to it, and you don't realize just how bad it is until you get away from it, and have something better to compare it to.

 

[amateurbob]

Living in Michigan and Salt used in the winter usually means rusting issues. I have owned my fair share of various vehicles that had rust. Often I would fix it as I did covered it. Currently my 2014 Fusion is starting to get lots of rust around the rear wheel wells. I don't know if it is my age, the fact the car is paid off and considered my beater car, or I just don't care much anymore, but I am just not really interested in fixing it. Maybe I don't feel the need to impress anyone anymore.

How about you all?

Fusions are prone to rust in the wells and rockers right?
My approach has been to fix the easy stuff, removing the rust and doing crappy primer and touch up.
If it is more advanced or a beater, and l don't care about the looks then l spray fluid film directly on it.

 

[billt460]

Brings back memories.... Bad ones.

 

[NibbanaBanana]

"Do you or have you owned a rusty vehicle?"

Nothing but. In New England and the Northeast in general, it's only a matter of time. Rot is what has killed every one of my vehicles. The new one's aren't rusty now but they're going to be sooner or later.

Pulled up the heavy floor mat on my 1990 Dodge cargo van and the whole floor was missing. Just a few cross members supporting the mat. Rotted shackle sent it to the grave. All 3 Metros had the unibody rot out. Current daily '06 Aveo had the rear axle rot in half and brake. Which I replace but the rest of the car is rotting. '02 E150 chassis looks like it was down with the Titanic. .........

Haven't solved this problem and probably am not going to. Budget for the future, inflation adjusted, inevitable, painful purchase of new vehicles.

One problem solved. Liberally coat all brake lines with white lithium grease out of the tub. And change brake fluid every 30K miles. Good for the life of the vehicle.

 

[fantastic]

We live in MO & it's part of the "salt belt" so plenty of rust around here.
I just bought a Navigator that came from NY. The F-350 was Never washed underneath before I bought it used.

Like seeing this disintegrated castle nut while working on it.

Post in thread 'Suspension corrosion protection'

Jan 26, 2025

Spray paint & wash those parts at least once in a while. Recoat paint 5-7 years. Even the nuts can cause a very serious condition so props to you for wanting to do something about it.

Driver side is the worst for rust. Here's my F-350 upper ball joint/spindle nut completely rusted. I happened to take my wheel off & seen it. I began to easily pluck off the nut chunks. I bought this truck used back in 2020 & although they took really good care of the interior they never washed the undercarriage anywhere at anytime. Yes, I replaced that nut ASAP.

• fantastic

 

[Zebra312]

Every time I see these discussions, I think God I love south of the salt. I often mess with 60 year old vehicles with zero rust and putting a set of floor pans in is about as far as I care to go.

 

[RBT]

Yes. My 97 Ram 1500 rotted at the spring perches and under the doors. It had about 250k when it became very noticeable and I scrapped it a few years later.

The rustproofing on the 5th gen 4Runner (a 15 with about 110k) we own is disappointing. The frame has rust on the welds and on the rear tailgate, when I remove the license plate to clean under it a few times a year, there is bubbling starting at the holes for the plate mounting. On the frame, most of the exposed bolts are now at the point where removal would require lots of spray and probably heat. Not acceptable on a modern vehicle, and particularly one that is well cared for (I don't let salt sit on the cars). I will monitor it as there is not much to be done and I am not spraying the frame every year - it makes the truck a mess to work on it and most of that stuff is pretty bad for the environment as it washes off.

I have found that fighting rust is a losing battle so subject to what the kids need in terms of vehicles the next few years, it may get sold. If it does because I feel I have to do so because of the corrosion, that will be the last Toyota truck I buy. Lots of things you can fix or deal with on an older vehicle but rust is very difficult to effectively fix at reasonable expense.

 

[Snagglefoot]

To be honest, I have a 2008 3/4 ton Suburban that I did a You Tube type bondo repair job on, including a section using an aluminum screen. It looks pretty good and is holding up. It can be a lot of work but is better if you use electric sanders rather than hand sanding. I used 3M fiber wheels on an electric drill to rip out the rust. I used both fiberglass entrained Bondo and ordinary Bondo. I also completely understand why someone would let it go and move on to a new vehicle.

 

[Passport1]

have you owned a rusty vehicle?​

Yes. Bought a new Fiat 131 in 1976. It came pre-rusted from the factory as a nifty standard feature.

Wikipedia

 

[fdcg27]

Yep, we live in a part of the country where we have ample frozen delight every winter.
I have found that frequent washing with a thorough spray of the underbody seems effective in keeping rust at bay.
In cars I've had rust problems with, I've found that removing as much as possible, applying a good rusty metal primer and then using body filler followed with a finish of body color paint works pretty well in preserving a vehicle for at least a few years.
Still, as Neil Young might have said, rust never sleeps.

 

[opus1]

Definitely. For a part of the late 70's my Dad had a ritual where he'd take August off of work due to the heat in the steel mill and having the seniority to do so, and then would lock himself in a hot garage for at least a week or so fixing rust and repainting a car. We had two cars at the time and each one was worked-on every other year. He also did some work on my '89 GMC to fix the rust around the wheel wells. I don't remember him doing much body work after that.

 

[The_Jeff]

Yup.

Most notably I had a fleet of Saturns, which have plastic body panels but the undercarriage goes out. Luckily the first thing to go is the bolt-in engine cradle, and always in the same spot by the driver's control arm, so a buyer can check out a prospective car by just peeking under there. The rear door sills are next, and when they were done, my 247k mile car was also mechanically done.

My plow trucks have been end-of-life wonders. 1985 Dodge w250 had cab/floor rust so bad there was a giant hole where the seat belt bolted to the floor. The seat itself wobbled back and forth until I braced it against what was left of the door frame. Snow blew in through the floor, up onto the dash somehow, so I'd have some sitting on the speedometer when I went out to plow.

Feeling the need for fuel injection, I traded it for a 1990 Bronco II where the rear leaf springs are held in with, IDK, gravity? The loop on one that goes around the forward bolt is more like a spoon, just sitting there. The rear shackles are also garbage. A genuine Bronco II shackle is a few hundred bucks while a Ranger one is under $20, so I got the Ranger and shimmed it with a bunch of washers, LOL. Truck runs great and pushes the snow, and its 94" wheelbase makes it really maneuverable in my suburban scenario.

 

[Kira]

While it costs substantially more, the stainless steel option is, IMHO, worth it.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

My dad had a late 70's Toyota pickup, purchased new. Japanese steel of that era was notoriously bad. After about six New England winters, the body was just disintegrating. The steering box ate itself and the transmission was unhappy, but it ran like a top!

 

[Chris142]

Thankfully no

 

[Legs4Arms]

My dad had a late 70's Toyota pickup, purchased new. Japanese steel of that era was notoriously bad. After about six New England winters, the body was just disintegrating. The steering box ate itself and the transmission was unhappy, but it ran like a top!

My first few Datsun Z-cars were like that even here on the West Coast where salt use wasn't common back then.

Agreed, the steel they used was weak sauce unfortunately, everything else in those cars was awesome.

 

[KGMtech]

SW Ontario is just as bad as any place on earth, but Quebec - Montreal is worse. So many 1 and 2 year old cars registered in Quebec arrive in Ontario to be sold as 'nearly new' and within 3 years these are pretty easy to spot versus the regular Ontario cars that rust in 5 years or so. The 2019 QX60 I have is pretty clean, and the 2013 version of this body style still look good without holes in the exterior, so fingers crossed?