Mercedes>BMW

My dad's 2010 Acura TSX now has 93,000 miles on it, washed it after the brutal winter and like 2-3 months after we had gone to NJ in the car with salt covered all over it, especially on the trunk.... Anything to slow this down? I know keeping it clean is the best way, I washed it, waxed it but beforing waxing it I clayed it and tried to get the most rust bubbles I could off of the car. I would suggest other people also check prone areas for rust, this is all my fault for this happening as I didn't wash the car at all in the winter other than maybe once... But I did wax it before winter, but that was probably like 6 months ago.

This was a few weeks ago... probably should have also washed it then .





This is now after I washed and clayed it... and also just noticed that there is a trunk button when I took these pics!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

you can try a product called Iron X.

from now on, you'll need to be religious with your waxing, every spring and fall!!!

Mercedes>BMW

I need to wash it often and keep it waxed... It was too cold in the winter, these DAMN Chicago winters. Let this be a warning to all of you!

rawger

Besides having a clear bra on the whole car, I can't think of anything.

Something like this. I'd also assume this is pretty expensive.

iCrap

My car has a small rust spot in the doorjam and on the roof... :/

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dudes, if you use a sealant in the spring, by fall it will be ready to be applied again.
apply sealant during fall and by spring it will be ready to apply again! keep this cycle going forever.

this solves the problem of having to wax it during the harsh cold winters.
I would also pay attention to the spots that is rusting and spend a few extra mins washing and waxing that area

rawger

Which sealant would you recommend? Also, is it applied just like a wax and able to use with a polisher or is hand application preferred.

Next week I should be able to polish my car, just getting the knowledge now so I can be prepared!

Mercedes>BMW

Thanks Justin, your always so helpful.

So if I apply wax/sealant it won't get worse for a while, or?

thanks!!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

right.

i think, as I have no real practice with iron x, but i think iron x will remove the orange colored particles.
then keep those trouble spots* waxed or sealed at all times to keep it from happening again.

*trouble spots include the trunk lip and door jambs and the like.

a sealant is a man made wax and will last longer than a wax.

I only have tried two sealants.
I used to use Black Fire Wet Diamond or BFWD for short. it proved great results!
next, and currently I'm using Four Starr Ultimate Paint Protection or 4starrUPP for short.

personally, I cant tell the difference between the two...
well, maybe because I used them two far apart and not between two cars.

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

the warranty for rust is 5 years / Unlimited miles.......................

ceb

Nope. Iron-X will remove rail dust and the like. What the OP has here is plain old rust. It needs to be repaired because it is a cancer and will continue to spread unless removed.

The rust through warranty is just that - rust through. It also only applies if the rust starts from the inside - here it is probably a result of some exterior damage that allowed the rust to start.

That said, unless you see some signs of obvious exterior damage, I'd take it to the dealer and have them evaluate it for a rust warranty claim.

Did that year have the chrome on the trunk lid? If it did and you removed it, then you can kiss any warranty goodbye. If it didn't, then maybe you can get the rust removed, sealed and then add the chrome.

Simba91102

No trunk chrome on the 010. I wonder if they're the original owner. I can't imagine rust like that unless the car was hit in the rear.

rawger

What happens if you have a rock chip that started to rust? Covered or no?

Mercedes>BMW

Not the original owner. Bought it certified pre owned with 47,000miles. Also bought the extended bumper to bumper coverage until 100,000miles, 93k on it right now. I wish the chrome came on the 2010. Please help, this car may be mine next year and by that time it'll be much worse and my parents don't take that great of their vehicles, they wont fix this. Let me know if the bumper to bumper will cover it, It probably did it from the inside out right ? Look at that picture.. I'll get more tomorrow when its light out

iCrap

It might be covered... might as well take it to Acura and show them.

Mercedes>BMW

Sure thing, but I meant if Ceb had anymore insight since I have the bumper to bumper warranty, yet I'm not the original owner.

iCrap

We have the bumper/bumper on our other honda and this stuff is not covered, so id think it's the same.

Honestly what i'd do is seal off the rust, buy the chrome accent off the the later year and put that on.

opboarding

A warning not to move to Chicago? Don't worry I will never move up north.

rawger

#DirtySouthBoyz4Lyfe

number17

Looks like the trunk has been hit, it's been fixed and repainted, but didn't do a good job that's why the rust is starting to come out.

In fact, right where the rust is in the photo it looks like signs of uneven metal filler just to the left of the rust. I can't tell for sure from the photo but it looks like it.

If the used car dealer told you the car's never been in an accident you may be able to take this back and get them to repair this for you.

Unfortunately there is no cheap and easy fix for this, and if you just cover it it will just keep expanding because it's coming from the inside.

Harper

^ I can see what you're talking about in the second picture.

xtcnrice

wow.. good eye. I really hope that wasn't the case for the OP though.

ceb

Not covered. Why would that be Acura's fault?

Any warranty covers things that are under the control of the manufacturer. External damage isn't their fault.

ceb

You can't "seal off" rust. You can remove it but once there, it is just like a cancer and will continue to grow.


Yes, the pictures show scratches next to the rust. Was the car ever damaged? This will not be covered by warranty.

It needs to be fixed though because it will continue to spread.

ceb

It is unlikely that it is filler material because that stuff doesn't rust. It could be a poor repair and a tape line we are seeing.

If previou damage wasn't disclosed and the car was bought from an Acura dealer as CPO then they (the dealer) could be on the hook.

The extended warranty is immaterial as this would either be covered under the 5yr unlimited rust warranty (unlikely) or by the dealership.

In either case the OP needs to deal with ASAP.

Mercedes>BMW

Well Ceb, what should I do exactly? My parents will NOT pay for it and now my dad says it's an old car anyways which is BS since it's only about to be 5 years old on 8/27? Should I send them an email about this and say? Thanks... It really sucks this is an accident vehicle, I heard of things like this happening with CPO cars, we never asked them if it was an accident vehicle and I remember checking the carfax and it came out fine.

ceb

We can't tell you how to deal with your parents because we don't know them. We can tell you that left unfixed it will get worse within a year.

Me? I'd take it to a bodyshop to see what the cause was. If it looks like a previous repair AND your parents had the car CPO'd when they bought it, then somebody should speak with the dealership.

A decent bodyshop should be able to remove the rust and it virtually invisible to anyone but you for a couple of humdred$$.

If you do nothing then you'll be buying a new trunk lid in a year because it will look really bad and the costs of repair will exceed the cost of a new lid and paint.

OTOH, if your parents don't care how it looks then leave it. It will be a long time before the rust gets so bad that it will fail inspection or leak.

Mercedes>BMW

Sorry, I was asking if I should send the dealer we bought it CPO from an email, I guess I should with pictures and then say there was an accident that was never disclosed on carfax or from the dealer. Now there is rust from this accident being improperly fixed.

Simba91102

Carfax gets way too much credit. It's a tool, but far from all knowing. If the accident was small (no insurance), perhaps handled privately, or even if it was covered by insurance, it's still easily missed by Carfax. Plus, just because it was certified, that doesn't mean it may not have been in an accident; I've come across such cars. Stop trying to shift the blame for this. To some degree your dad is right; it's a 5 year old used car. I agree with the advice to take it to a good body shop. They should be able to provide some insight into why it is rusting (if they can't, go somewhere else), and what they can do to fix it. And . . . if you're going to get the car for free from mum and dad, then spending a few bucks to make it right is still a pretty sweet deal.

iCrap

carfax is crap. it only shows things which were reported.

My car has BOTH bumpers repainted and carfax didn't report that. same with our ody, front and rear both resprayed.. clean carfax.


But yes, send the dealer an email for sure.

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

OP - 1 st thing you need to do is take it to the Acura dealer it was purchased from and show them....

terdonal

My thoughts as well, take it to Acura and see what they will do.

Mercedes>BMW

Okay thanks for all the help guys. It's about 45 minutes away, I'll convince my dad to go with me tomorrow and we'll see what they have to say if he even will go. Sure if I do get the car in a year it'll be cheap for me to fix, but what if I don't want the car... I still do care about the car.

ceb

Dealers in big cities routinely respray bumpers to fix little parking scratches. Those would never be reported to CARFAX. If they were, then most used cars would have a negative entry.

That said, CARFAX IS crap. You can believe CARFAX when there is a reported accident but a clean CARFAX means nothing. I've had 3 cars that sustained $8k+ worth of damage (they don't call me the deerslayer for nothing) plus my last TSX. All went through insurance, the TSX had a police report and the damage was always disclosed to the dealer on trade-in. NONE of them have any blemishes on their CARFAX record.

Wrong answer on sending the email.

Wrong answer

Wrong answer

Wrong answer.

If you send an email with pictures or go to the dealer then I will guarantee you that the answer will be "external damage, not our problem. It must have been a rock chip." At that point, you are dead in the water.

If, OTOH, you go to a bodyshop to determine what the cause and what cost to repair is, then you are going to the dealer with sufficient information to know if the dealer is blowing you off.

Let's assume you bought the CPO from an acura dealer. The bodyshop says "it was in an accident, poorly repaired and it'll cost $300 to fix" then you have more leverage with the dealer.

It is also possible that the bodyshop says "it was badly chipped, doesn't look like body damage" or "that's odd, it looks like it is rusting from the inside out."

A good lawyer will always tell you "never ask a witness a question you don't know the answer to". The same holds true here.

What do you think gets better results when you walk into the dealership;

"Gee, ahh, I have some rust going on here. Can you tell me if you'll pay to fix it?"

or

"The car you sold us has undisclosed badly repaired body damage. The car is now rusting. Would you like to pay your bodyshop to repair the damage properly or will you authorize us to take it to a bodyshop of our choice? I have an estimate right here that outlines the cause of the rusting and the costs to fix it."

Simba was spot on. Go to the bodyshop first - then to the dealer.

number17

Just to clarify, yes, metal filler doesn't rust, but what could quite possibly happen is the panel has been hit, instead of replacing the panel they try to hammer it to restore its original shape, and use metal filler to detail the imperfection after the repair. Because the metal has been bent, sanded and repainted, overtime rust develops from the bent and comes out on to the surface ... that's probably why you are seeing it next to the metal filler.

Or, it could simply be a poor paint job and that's tape mark.

In either case, the trunk has been repaired and repainted to say the least, that much is certain. If they sold the car to you telling you it has never been in an accident, you can take this back to them and ask them to fix it for you.

Knowing it's a used car, there's pretty much no way they will give you a new trunk. So the best case scenario really is they 'fix' the rust for you for free.

Which basically means remove the trunk, sand down the whole rust and also surrounding area, use metal filler to fill it up, then repaint it.

Which does not guarantee rust won't come out again, it may (and most likely will) but you may be good for 5-6 years if you're lucky, and by then you might be looking to sell your car anyways.

And, a little bit of rust isn't the end of the world just to put things in perspective. On my old del sol (and this goes back 20 years ago ... man!) I had rust developing from the trunk lid because the dealer who installed the spoiler for me didn't do a proper job. But the rust was only on the inside of the trunk lid, so I sanded down the rust and repainted over it every 6 months. It never went away completely, but I had it under control all that time until I sold my car 4 years later. Even the dealership whom I traded my car in didn't notice the rust ... and commented my del sol was in tip top shape

Best of luck!

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

LOL, so dramatic....dq

true - good idea to go to a body shop, but the problem with that is most body shops are clueless....and they'll probably say they have to dig into the truck lid to find out what's going on...fine if they will do that and it's free...they'll also probably insist the dealer won't cover it because they want the work

Reason I say go to the dealer first is...for the most part Acura dealers are very accommodating and have great customer service and want to take care of the customer not blow them off. Even if they do give the responses you stated there's no reason you couldn't get a second opinion from a body shop if Acura turns you down.

ceb

Getting that "second opinion" from a body shop after Acura has turned you down (and they will) makes you work so much harder.

If the bodyshop you are going to has no clue as to how the rust started then you can write off that body shop anyway.

When did I say "go to the bodyshop and tell them that you want Acura to fix it"? I said "get a quote and an explanation of the cause of the rust". Any competent body shop will do that - because they want your business.

Mercedes>BMW

Yeah well guys I doubt my dad cares the slightest bit about the car, he's a stubborn idiot who thinks I know nothing about anything and he will never listen. Even when I have facts behind me, I'm sorry for wasting your time but I really doubt he cares at all, I'm not going to detail this car anymore just work hard this summer and get a nice older Mercedes (My favorite ones) of my own. He has never appreciated me detailing the car at all and bitches everytime I use the hose, he's cheap. Sorry for wasting your time. I guess this could be a warning for people that haven't washed their cars (down the road).

ceb

Some people are car guys and some aren't. That doesn't make them bad people.

On topic - while washing and waxing (and/or sealing) are important, this damage wasn't caused by lack of washing - nor did it contribute to it.

Regular detailing will, however, let you find problems early - just like a periodic colonoscopy can prevent major problems down the road.

dallison

We have an 08 accord and an 09 tsx. the paint on both is pretty thin compared to the older models. I have little rust spots ll over each car. It is one reason that i may not buy another honda product.