Are 3rd gen Maximas galvanized?

I'm looking for an older early 90's, late 80's midsize car. A 3rd gen Max looks like a fine choice. However, I will be keeping this car outdoors so I don't want a car that will develop rust holes like my sister's 93 Accord or the Mercury Sable I used to own.

Anyone know the answer? If it's not officially listed anywhere, has ever wrecked their car and exposed bare metal? If so, how long did it take to rust?

 

I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Rust on the lower parts of the doors, and wheelwells can be a problem. If you keep the paint in good condition, and make sure there is no water build-up you should be OK tho.

 

I dont think any car is rust proof.

 

Delorian

 

Delorian? huh?

 

Deloreans are made of stainless steel, that's why they don't rust. They are usually unpainted as well. The car in the Back To The Future movies is a Delorean.

Anyway, thanks for the answers! No car is completely rust proof except for the Delorean, but cars that are 2-sided galvanized come pretty darn close. The cars I own now are galvanized, I was sorta hoping the 3rd gen Maximas were too since I'm used to not worrying about rust.

Shawn

 

Actually I think all cars ARE galvanized - it just depends on how thick the coating is (and thus how well it stands up to scratches and nicks).

 

Thanks for the spelling correction.

I'm usually such a great speeler....

hehe

 

I am a steel buyer. All car body parts use galvanized steel. Anyone who knows about coating thickness - - - All American built cars use G40 coating which is a minimum when talking about coating weights. In comparison, Japanese steel that goes to car companies mainly uses a G90 coating weight. MUCH BETTER. The fact is, if you keep your car clean, rust will not be an issue on ANY car. Just watch out. Oh, and FYI, Delorean WILL rust. Stainless steel will "pit" rust. It actually eats through the steel if not cleaned. Galvanized spreads out and affects more area. It does take alot longer than galvanized steel, but it will rust through. Just look at exhaust systems, they are stainless and DO rust.

Damn, I have taken way too many classes on steel!

 

NSX!
yes alum will "corrode" but it's not unsightly rust..it's more of the white powdery looking spots.

 

Move to California and 99 percent of your rusting problems will dissapear There's other states to of course. Just stay away from the coast though because anything over there usually turns to dust in a couple of years. Since this is obviously unpractical I thought I've heard of companies that will spray a good anti rust coating under the car. This doesn't take care of the doors which usually go first but it's a start at least.

 

Yeah, but NSX's are UGLY!

 

Very interesting (well, to me anyway ), back in the 80's Japanese cars, especially Hondas, tended to rust quite easily. (One case of not washing road salt off my dad's Accord turned it rusty almost overnight!) This led me to the general impression that US cars had better corrosion protection, but you're saying it's the other way around now right?

BTW, can you explain this early rusting in Japanese cars? Was it because they used inferior galvanizing?

 

This might not be true for all Japanese cars that were produced, but I do know that the economy cars - which is what came here - used steel that had NO galvanization. They used cold rolled steel which is chemically the same as galvanized and just as strong, but it much cheaper due to the lack of coating. Basically they relied on the primer and paint to cheap rust away. Well, as soon as the paint chipped, the rust started and had nothing to slow it down. Old import cars are "rust buckets" because of this - especially if they are from up north or near the coast.

You would be amazed at how plentiful Aluminum is and how cheap it could be if there wasn't a monopoly by the Alcoa corporation. They are to aluminum as Debeers is to diamonds. But then again, if cars were bulit with aluminum (suspension, more engine components, body, etc..), cars would last longer and automakers don't really want that.

Key to a car with minimal rust on the body is to check everywhere twice a year when the seasons change and have small spots fixed before it spreads. AND - don't buy a Dodge. They seem to rust sooner than most. Maybe they are using cold rolled steel to cut costs like the Japs did?????

 

Thanks! Yeah, monopolies and cliques suck! Just like how I've heard people say they could make 20,000 mile engine oil no problem and widely available, but oil change places and the oil manufacturers themselves (I imagine) don't want that to say the least!