HI everyone,
I was taking a good look at my 1996 Maxima yesterday to take a rust survey. My car has spent it's entire life in NJ, so it has seen it's fair share of road salt. At this point I have rust starting to form the the lower edges of each rocker panel, and a small amount on the wheel wells. Also my rad core support has rust. How about your max? If it has been rusting, how did you treat it?

Thanks,
Zack

 

Under The Hood - Where the latch to open the hood is
Both Rocker Panels - Where you put the jack
Radiator Support - Has very little

My entire underside had rust at one point. Since I have my own personal lift at home, I sanded the underside down (with air tools) and put 6 coats of 3M Rubberized Undercoating on. It's been good since.

 

Mine's rusting on rear quarter, each end of rockers, and various spots from road rock dings.

The biggest trouble spot however is the passenger side mount point for the rear spoiler on the trunk. I am waiting for that to start leaking. It still solid, but the clock is ticking.

It used to be my wifes daily driver for years. She bounced it off of a parking garage and also got mildly (if that's possible) sideswiped by a tractor/trailer on the interstate many moons ago. Those two episodes were the root cause of much of the current rust on the quarter. Visible damage at the time was minimal so she just let it go.

As of now, I'm just hoping the trunk holds out for one more year so I can have the other car paid off and get into an 09 Max used next summer. This is my second 4G Max. My 99SE got totaled at 100K without a rust spot anywhere. She got the replacement, I got her 96. It's lasted 13 years between us and about 300K miles so I have no complaints at all. Been a beast of car. Doing daily commutes in the heavily salted Chicago area for it's whole life. With periods of really long (30-40miles each way) commutes. Hence the high mileage. It's probably averaged 20-25K/yr over it's life (odo died at 100K a long, long time ago). If it drops dead prior to being able to get a used 09, I'll probably buy a used late 4G. I still marvel at their reliability.

-DPF

 

recently bought mine but so far i've seen some on the front passenger side just outside the wheel well on the bottom.

also noticed a few things getting rusty under the hood close to the bottom.

from nj also so i could imagine its all mostly because of the winters. i'm hoping to spend a good weekend or so taking care of a bunch of little things when i get a chance.

 

I have rust inside the wheel well as well. Its exactly on the lip. Like when people roll fenders, that lip.

 

No rust, FTW!!!

 

I had the underside of my car treated for rust and coated with the undercoating last year. Its been good but I have rust comin through on the rear wheel well. I had the Drivers side fixed already, but its starting to bubble on the pass. side now.

Ive also had the Rad support done which was really bad.

-matt

 

From the damn spoiler. Either from the screw or where the wiring for the light comes thru the trunk. Will need a new trunk soon

 

just purchased oct 07. but my 95 has rust in a place i have no idea how to fix. while putting my hand inside the oem jack space i brushed my hand against idk what its called but i say the antenna drain and its completely rusted out. not showing through the exterior skin but who know how long thats gonna last... any ideas?

 

oh ive had my max for about 5 years. but i think its whole life its been in minnesota who i might add, salt the **** out of their roads. i have a tiny rust spot in the rear quarter panel but its from a dent. i also have some acrossed the whole part of the hood where it latches. also radiator supports. overall though i am pretty impressed on how it looks for a car that is close to 13 years old that is in minnesota.cause i see alot of the old hondas and toyotas with a huge hole in their rear panel or in their front quarter panel or in thier door.

 

very slight rust on my rad suport but thats all I have seen so far
95 se

 

Hood Latch so far.

 

Living in WA ftw. No rust...well except on certain parts of the exhaust.

S

 

I just recently had the radiator support replaced, all rusted out.

 

-small spot on my hood(good excuse for a CF??)
-front fenders at the bottom bubbling because of rust (replacing both of these just because of this rust)
-rad support( just minor surface rust but i have heard horror stories so im going to sand it down and apply some rustolium and rustproof)


btw my car is winter driver, parked outside, and in canada

 

Well now this post is just making me depressed...

First we had to weld a plate underneath the core/radiator support because it was rusted so bad (about a year ago)
The hood has this nice little patch of rust bubbling through by the latch.
There is a small small bit of rust on the front fender by the passenger side tire.
Then thanks to the idiots repair whoever owned the car before me (he said he had gotten hit in the rear quarter in a parking lot) never sealed things up right so the bottom panel is rusting now where it meets with the front half panel (I don't know how else to describe what those pieces are called underneath the doors) as well as rust just recently bubbling through on the wheel well on that left rear quarter.

Despite all that I still wax it 4 times a year and try to keep her as shiny and good-lookin as possible. The imperfections suck and stick out like a ***** on a black car too, clean or dirty

 

all over the trunk and front of the hood i've got developing rust spots, from the winter.

 

so i just took a good look under my car and it seems that most of it is rusting away, not horrible rustiness, but it's getting there

 

everywhere. . .rad support is basically gone.
i bought a 5spd 1997 SE today. 139XXX miles. $800.
why cant i start a new thread?

 

You have to post 15 replies first. I'm new as well and have to do the same...

 

Would you believe I'm starting to see rust on the rear window trim that divides the main window and the small fixed window? Weird. Also have some rust on the jack points and a little on the rad mount. Really not looking fwd to replacing that, so I'll probably sand & repaint this summer.

 

CA car = no rust

 

a couple specs on the hood, but that's getting replaced relatively soon

 

Any ideas on fixing a major dent that involves almost the entire rear quarter panel below trunk level without inducing rust after next winter? (I live in CT)

 

very very small amounts on the underside in some areas

GA car

 

No rust, on both cars living in the south FTW

 

front of rad support at biggest part of bumper opening, rocks at high speeds made nicks which started the rust.

 

My 97 SE is rusting on the bottom of the passenger side quarter panel, and the lower radiator support has some rust, but other than that it has none that I've seen.

Florida weather FTW!

-Matt

 

Rust free as my car has been in Georgia for all it's life but I now live on a dirt road in Vermont and it's only a matter of time before she starts taking a beating. Poor thing....

 

Everywhere!!! I can't stop it and its making me crazy!