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My Oldsmobile Alero is getting rust below the door on both sides. I’ve had the issue for a few months, it seems to be getting worse. I really can’t afford a big repair bill, I just got some new tires today that I desperately needed. Also, judging from the pics, anyone have any idea what that would cost to repair? Any suggestions or DIY methods out there?
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I hate to tell you this but what I’m seeing probably isn’t worth fixing. It is going to cost a lot and then in a couple of years the rust will be back.
agree with barney. look at the rocker panel….. once the plastic cover will be remove …. that section will be the ugliest to do. you will need a shear… lots of time involve if you never did such a repair before. And getting that done in the shop will be $$$$ for the value of the vehicle.
Stretch the car if it is mechanically fine and look for newer.
[quote=”Kgevil” post=94838]agree with barney. look at the rocker panel….. once the plastic cover will be remove …. that section will be the ugliest to do. you will need a shear… lots of time involve if you never did such a repair before. And getting that done in the shop will be $$$$ for the value of the vehicle.
Stretch the car if it is mechanically fine and look for newer.[/quote]
That blows, didn’t think it would be that horrid.
Food for thought/considerations:
What year is your Alero?
Is it in good shape other than this rust?
Is it mechanically sound?
Had you planned to keep it long term?
Do you have the time/resources to invest to learn to DIY?
Do you have a second car (or one you could borrow while your Alero is down)?
Do you have a trade school near you that offers adult education for automotive paint basics?I am in a similar situation with rust on my 2000 Honda Civic VP. Above represents some of the things I thought about when deciding how to deal with the rust issue on my car. I hope this helps in some way.
[quote=”barneyb” post=95126]A beautiful paint job massages the ego but a rusty car will take you to work.[/quote]
…you know what they say about an ounce of prevention? It’s worth a pound of cure. 🙂
Won’t both cars get ya to work? :silly:
Shinny is an amazing thing. I drive a sporty car that when washed and waxed it will get me a challenge from any teenage boy who owns a vehicle. Leave it unwashed and dirty and the car is invisible. I don’t wax and rarely wash.
^^^But, yeah, I agree, paint is another part of a vehicle that must be maintained. The trouble is GM used some stuff that barely passes for paint. Once it starts coming off it all goes.
I remember our secretary at work. She drove some small GM product. It was a nice looking car and only months later a rust bucket.
[quote=”lar1969″ post=95112]Food for thought/considerations:
What year is your Alero?
Is it in good shape other than this rust?
Is it mechanically sound?
Had you planned to keep it long term?
Do you have the time/resources to invest to learn to DIY?
Do you have a second car (or one you could borrow while your Alero is down)?
Do you have a trade school near you that offers adult education for automotive paint basics?I am in a similar situation with rust on my 2000 Honda Civic VP. Above represents some of the things I thought about when deciding how to deal with the rust issue on my car. I hope this helps in some way.[/quote]
It’s an 02 Alero. I have had no problems besides the rust. I planned on keeping it a while longer, at least another 2 years. I do have the time, as for as “resources” I dont have all the tools to work on it. The school I attended a year ago have automotive courses, its about 6 miles from me. How exactly did you tackle the issue on your Civic?
[quote=”barneyb” post=95126]A beautiful paint job massages the ego but a rusty car will take you to work.[/quote]
Indeed, you are correct.
Well, I used those questions to help me decide whether or not to attempt a DIY on the rust on my Honda.
My Honda is a 2000 and I generally keep my cars until they die. I know that my Honda will have some needs mechanically within about a year but that gives me plenty of time to save up some cash or consider doing them myself (timing belt/water pump/oil pan gasket replacement). I plan to enroll in my local trade school for an automotive paint basics class. I currently have the time interest to invest into such a project. I also have a back-up car.
As soon as I get my project car to a happy place, I will start the Honda paint/body project. I will be approaching this one mostly as a preventative maintenance/learning project and not expecting that it will be perfect. Attached are my Hondas rust issues. They seem to have gotten worse just within the last 2 mos (which is when I bought it).
Oh BTW, Eric, as I understand it, will be doing some body work on his Acura Vigor.
I am also looking at repairing severe rust with replacement panels. I think If the car is in good shape and it’s important to you not to drive a rusted out car go for it. I plan on keeping the car for a long time and driving it till it can’t be fixed anymore. I would look for ready made replacement panels. You most likely would need a mig welder but there are other ways to do it. I’ve painted portions of cars in my driveway. Where there is a will, there is a way.
[quote=”Rob913meg” post=95572]I am also looking at repairing severe rust with replacement panels. I think If the car is in good shape and it’s important to you not to drive a rusted out car go for it. I plan on keeping the car for a long time and driving it till it can’t be fixed anymore. I would look for ready made replacement panels. You most likely would need a mig welder but there are other ways to do it. I’ve painted portions of cars in my driveway. Where there is a will, there is a way.[/quote]
I was going to approach my ’78 Chevy Camaro rust issues using replacement panels (rear quarter panels) but never got the chance (I have been digging through old pics trying to find some to post but I guess I didn’t take many. At that time, I only had an old Kodak 110 camera. Google those if you have never seen them. Antique!). I had, at the time, planned to keep that car as my project car, instead of the 1997 Saturn SC2 that I have been writing about since February. My dad was just getting into automotive paint and he shared some of his ideas about how to do the Camaro quarters. He had talked about riveting the panels and then using Bondo but this was before he had a welder. He has since been welding panels. He did an AWESOME paint job/body work on his ’63 Plymouth Fury, the car that he kept from his youth as his project car (while I was growing up). He has been racing it at an Ohio track. If I remember correctly, he was able to tune his car to the point that in the 1/4 mi, 12 or 13 s down to 9s.
Anyway…yes, where there is a will, there is a way!
Sorry for the late response. Yours does not seem as bad as mine though. I’m doing a few minor things on the vehicle myself, since I wont be able to pay for any costly repairs.
[quote=”scouseman” post=95755]Sorry for the late response. Yours does not seem as bad as mine though. I’m doing a few minor things on the vehicle myself, since I wont be able to pay for any costly repairs.[/quote]
Yeah, it seems the previous owner took pretty good care of the Honda but it will still be a challenge for me.
Good luck. Post some pics when you’re done.
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