Ugh. Read this to understand what ugh means.

[Bin_jammin]

Started popping off the passenger's side trim so I can fill it for the smooth look. Got the door trim off, and decided to bang out the dent in the passenger's side rear door, so I took off the door panel. While the door was open, I took a closer look at the line of rust bubbles that had formed in the door jamb.

Now, everybody knows, that when someone sees rust they will poke at it. Not me. I grabbed a hammer. Considering the first thing I did this morning was cut out and fab up a new section of rocker panel on a Prius I figured I might as well make it a twofer.

Yep. It's gonna be a twofer alright.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/Bin_jammin/DSCN0746.jpg

***EDIT*** edited because I suck at linking pictures.

[artguy]

That one is worth capital letters! Now you have me sacared for some of the spots I have. :(

[TC535i]

prius, wtf?? they old enough to rust?!?!

[Bin_jammin]

prius, wtf?? they old enough to rust?!?!

Hah, rust knows no age in New England. Seriously though, the Prius had been wrecked within a month of being new (thanks carfax) I think they used the wrong type of wire in the welder when they installed the rocker panel, and the dielectric creep from the different metal (the wire) caused it to rot faster than normal. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what happened to my car too, as that area is sealed off from the outside, there's no way for moisture to get in there 'cept water vapor.

The Prius is a nightmare though (not THAT bad, I just hate driving the ****ing thing) For instance, it's got tons of water stains in the trunk. Also, the door above the area I repair is ... well let's just say it has shadowline on all the doors 'cept one, and that one has black paint instead.

Only thing is, that black paint seems to be the primer that comes on new body panels, and whomever put that thing back together 5 years ago never repainted the primer part, so it was rusting through. That's been fixed now too. I'm really REALLY hoping it either never sells and we have to dump it at the auction, or that I'm not the one that ends up maintaining the thing for years down the road. Usually we don't keep shitboxes like that around, but my boss has taken a shining to this stupid thing, he drives it everywhere now.

[indierthanthou]

Hah, rust knows no age in New England.
+1. Michigan too. I got a quote today to replace my quarter panel, $1000.

[Bin_jammin]

Ouch. Euro Depot wants between 100 and 125 for the section I've got missing. I don't know that I want to spend that kind of dough when I can make the damn section myself and it'll look just fine when it's done. Mostly I just don't want to wait with a gaping hole in my car.

[Ross]

That looks like a prior bad repair. 1/4 panel replaced?

[genphreak]

That looks like a prior bad repair. 1/4 panel replaced?x2

Defiantely bodged up before- the rust would be from normal forces- the condensation from temperature change is enough- if when it was last repaired they left some water in there, or it leaks into the sill cavity from somewhere else, the repaired section would have been rusting from the inside out before anything else... I'd get a new sill section- making all that (last) would be a dodgey way to do it... and'd just repeating the cause of the previous problem.

[Bin_jammin]

x2

Defiantely bodged up before- the rust would be from normal forces- the condensation from temperature change is enough- if when it was last repaired they left some water in there, or it leaks into the sill cavity from somewhere else, the repaired section would have been rusting from the inside out before anything else... I'd get a new sill section- making all that (last) would be a dodgey way to do it... and'd just repeating the cause of the previous problem.

Oh yeah the panel's been replaced, in fact as far as I can tell the whole back of the car's been repaired in some manner. It's been about 10 years since the work was done (at least 7) and I can do the same quality work if not better. Thanks but I'll go with DIY on this one, I'm not taking my car to a body shop to wait weeks while a new panel is stitched in when I'm capable of performing the repair myself.

And believe me, it's just as likely to be from using the wrong wire in a welder if not more so than to be from moisture. This rust came from the inside out, and there's nothing else rusted inside the cavity, it rusted out along the bead that the welder laid when he put the metal in.