Wheel well rust questions

[atomiclightbulb]

I acquired a '95 Accord with about 162k miles on it, with most of those miles driven in the Northeast US. There is rust forming along the rear of the wheel wells and I can see the paint there bubbling and cracking. I did a search here on the forums and this seems to be a common problem with Accords and Civics from the early to mid 90's.

 

My questions are:

 

1) Is this wheel well rust still a problem on recent (2003 and later) Accords? I am thinking about buying a late model used Accord eventually, but I don't want to have to worry about it rusting out.

 

2) Should I repair the rust on my vehicle? I will probably keep it for a year or two. KBB values it at $2400 or so. Several areas of the body are moderately dented and the interior is also pretty beat.

 

3) What kind of problems will this rust cause, if not repaired (other than the obvious eventual destruction of the car's structure).

 

Thanks in advance.

[Velocifero]

no, actually they corrected the problem in the mid-gen 96-97 years. they correct the collection point by some sort of vent i think? my boy with a 97 was telling me about it.

[Jeffro]

My 2000 doesn't have any rust issues around the wheel wells and I have had it for 7 years, and 192,000+ miles so I'd assume it has been fixed. I know the problem appeared on my old '93 before I bought this car though. I wouldn't worry about repairing it unless you're going to be keeping it for a really long time, but that's my opinion.

[Xeryon]

The problems do still exist to a lesser extent. my 98 accord was starting to rust pretty badly at the rear wells. unless you are religious about cleaning out the wheel well areas you will still rust faster then what it takes to wear out the motor. Jeffro: you have two years to go and I bet it starts bubbling up on you.

 

fix your rust if you want to for your own reasons, but fixing it for resale value would be pointless. you will not raise the value of the car enough to offset the cost of the repairs

 

wheel well rust on the body panels would not have an effect on the car at all unless it got extreme and worked its way all the way up the c-pillar or around into the trunk area and exposed the inside of your truck to water and road debris.

[atomiclightbulb]

Thanks for the responses. I guess some 6th generation Accords still rust. What about the 7th generation? Or is it too soon to tell?

[coolcat467]

rust can be a big issue with all cars

 

a lot of it has to do with weather, salty roads, etc.