Welds rusting on inner door skin

[Klutch9]

Sadly, the rusty Midwest is already imposing its will on our 5 year old Fusion. While detailing the car last week, I noticed that along the rear side of the inner portion of the rear doors, the pinch welds seem to be rusting/bubbling from underneath. Think of it as where the outer door skin wraps around the edge until it reaches the inner side, then terminates. Surprisingly, the bottom of the door, where everything runs down to, is clean. The rust is on the vertical portion of the latch side, and there are little strips of bubbling on what looks like the pinch welds. What's the best way to stop this? I don't want it somehow spreading to the outer door skin. I cleaned the areas well, and rubbed a little 3-in-1 oil on them until I figure it out.

 

[Nick1994]

It has a 5 year corrosion warranty, any chance you bought it just less than 5 years ago?

 

[Klutch9]

More like just over 5 years ago, naturally. Although it's probably been there for awhile, and I didn't notice it.

 

[Kawiguy454]

I have used a product called Extend with some success to halt the rust degradation on seams/tack welds. You can get aerosol or paint on type. If water is trapping somewhere you need to address that though as well.

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: Kawiguy454
I have used a product called Extend with some success to halt the rust degradation on seams/tack welds. You can get aerosol or paint on type. If water is trapping somewhere you need to address that though as well.


I'll check that out. I didn't know you guys had rust in Arizona

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9


I'll check that out. I didn't know you guys had rust in Arizona

Lol, I see rusty cars all the time here in the winter, but it's from all the snow birds with Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New York plates.

I'd pop off all of the door panels and spray some fluid film or something in there all the way around by all the seams. Probably much rustler in there.

 

[69GTX]

Eastwood has some useful products for rust proofing undercarriages, frames, etc. Corroless is one product that can be brushed our sprayed on...and it clings to rusty surfaces to make a strong bond. I've used that product before on the floor pans on my old '68 Plymouth GTX. Extend does something similar.

 

[LeakySeals]

I would get some fluid film at Lowe's and blast it up the drain holes. see if you can get inside that weld. I also spray it right on the paint in the door jamb. Then wipe it down mostly clean.

 

[Olas]

Anything to keep water and air away from it in the short term until you can decide on new doors vs. bodging vs. fixing

 

[Kamele0N]

First clean all drain holes/channels in your doors...cars body

Than buy (antirust) body wax...it comes as a spray...

Go in hobbystore...and try to find some longer nozzles...that you will reach all hollow compartments...

The rest is history

 

[2010Civic]

Once you see rust it's too late. The only way to fix it is to completely grind off all of the rust and repaint it. The place where you have it is especially hard as it's hard to get in there and the rust is in-between outer and inner skins. You can have a body shop fix it but it will come back. Heck, new from the factory it only lasted 5 years. Even in the rust belt the doors shouldn't rust after only 5 years.

 

[Donald]

I have it a little on my Jeep. Its called the pinch seam as the outer skin is pinched onto the inner skin. Sometimes there is some sealant along the seam. I would scrape that away.

I used a rust treating product like Naval Jelly, when that is cleaned off I used Eastwood Rust Encapsulator.

Extend is more of a one part rust treatment and encapsulator.

The rust encapsulator products work by providing a very hard shell preventing any water or air from getting to the once rusty metal. You can paint over them, but if you sand you will damage the hard shell surface they provide.

I have also had my car sprayed with CarWell, and they drill a hole in the door and spray the product inside the door. (They stray the whole under carriage also).

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: Donald

I have also had my car sprayed with CarWell, and they drill a hole in the door and spray the product inside the door. (They stray the whole under carriage also).

I just went to the website and read about the product. Sounds like something similar to fluid film. Can you snap a photo of your car underneath?

 

[Doc8404]

Scrape. Sand. Grind. Rust bullet.

 

[Michael_P]

My F150 started developing rust at the door bottom pinch welds when it was 5 years old. I just shot a bunch of oil on the drain holes and smeared grease on the outside of the pinch weld. 15 years later the rust has not progressed one bit. Before every winter, I smear and slather grease all over those pinch welds. By mid winter, the bottom of the door is black and dingy. But come spring after a good cleaning, the door still looks good.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
My F150 started developing rust at the door bottom pinch welds when it was 5 years old. I just shot a bunch of oil on the drain holes and smeared grease on the outside of the pinch weld. 15 years later the rust has not progressed one bit. Before every winter, I smear and slather grease all over those pinch welds. By mid winter, the bottom of the door is black and dingy. But come spring after a good cleaning, the door still looks good.

Home remedies are awesome!

 

[Ducked]

+1 for oil, sprayed inside the doors. I'd take the door cards off to get access, rather than try and [censored] up a drain hole.

If you don't mind the smell, thin with diesel, kerosene, or white spirit (In order of decreasing smelliness/persistance) until its sprayable and seems penetrative enough.

Where wash-off is likely to be an issue I thicken with sunflower oil, but that's probably unecessary inside a door skin, and it might grow mould.

I havn't tried the grease on the outside but it couldn't hurt, unless you want to paint it.

For surface-treating rusty steel I abrade with aluminium using sunflower oil as a binder.

Home remedies are cheap, and so am I.

Plus you can't buy anything here,

 

[Rick in PA]

Take the inside door panels off and see what's going on inside. I had some rust showing up on the bottom pinch weld of my one car door. Took all the door panels off and vacuumed out a bunch of leaf debris. Then I gave the inside of the doors a good shot of Fluid Film. It seems to be holding so far.

 

[sciphi]

X3 on spraying Fluid Film inside the doors by the drain holes. Been doing that on each car since basically new, with no signs of rust.

 

[daves87rs]

Too much salt put on the roads here to even make it worthwhile..

Easier to just have a winter beater....