Just had Safelite replace my windshield due to a rock chip, and during the process we discovered some decent rust damage on my A pillar. Anyone else having rust issues like this?

The cause of the replacement


Picture during the replacement with the old windshield removed


A pillar damage




Close up from the under side

 

odd.

i just had my windshield replaced and had no rust there. but i only have 49k miles and don't drive her in the winter...

 

You dont live overly far from me. I can't see that spot on my car (no windshield replacement), however I do have issues with rust. And I rinse and wash a LOT during winter. Salt = death. My guess is that the salt spray from window washing/driving seaped past that seal. Kinda disappointed in the body longevity from Nissan.

Mine is just under the hood lip by the right headlight, and the weld seams in both rear fenders around the wheel. Concentrating at the "square" in the lower front.

How bad do your AC lines look just in front of the motor behind the rad?

 

Weld seams in both rear fenders around the wheel. < that would be me.

Mine seems to show up around the wheel wells more than anything, besides the peskey chips in the paint from rocks on the road. If i remember correctly i have some somewhere around the rear passenger doors but cant remember where. most of all this crap is from the winter for sure. I dont have a garage so every car that i get suffers greatly. Is the only way to get rid of it sand paper and paint? If so that sucks because i will never get to it. lol

 

I'll have to look, but I know the leading edge of my hood above the driver's side headlight is splitting like you mentioned as well. Yay!

 

Thats pretty nasty.Car hasn't been repaired around the area has it?

The only place Ive noticed rust is inside the lip of the passenger inner quarter where 245 45 18 rubbed the paint off.Gotta fix that soon.Thanks for reminding me.

 

holy crap....tim, I had a windshield replaced on the max about 4-5 months ago IIRC, and I didn't see any rust (and I checked).

As for rust, for those of you who live in "rusty" areas....CHECK CHECK CHECK the front lower crossmember behind the bumper (where the engine mount longitudinal crossmemeber bolts to in front). That piece on mine had actually rusted THROUGH in a couple places (and that's some thick metal). The new owner of my car is goign to have a new piece welded in...

 

nice rusts buddy.!!

 

That sucks man.

 

That can be removed easily with sandblast but once done you will see if the metal sheet is perforated, then> metal sheet works > welding > bondo > sanding> priming> painting
etc.

My advice to you is to not put the windshield unless you repair the pilar, if the pillare is perforated then it can have a negative effect on the structural integrity of the car.

 

Ouch! That is bad! I would definetly clean that up and patch it up. Not sure if the new windshield seal will take to that rust........

 

yea not good...

 

Hello, My old 2001 Nissan Altima had an identical problem except it went all the way through the pillar, so the roof leaked everytime it rained. I would deffinitely repair that because it will only get worse. Believe me, take it from me before it gets any worse.

 

Probably not, I had a small spot in this area on the passenger side when I bought my car, had it repaired by a "friend of a friend" who merely slapped some bondo on and called it a day...bubbled back through in a matter of 2 weeks. Took it to a real shop and they welded in a whole new piece, looked perfect for a few months then I noticed ever so slight bubbling that has not rusted through. I brought it back to see what the guy thought, he said there isn't really a guaranteed way of preventing it in this area without doing a complete rear quarter.

To the OP, I had the same type of rust condition long ago in an s10 pickup I had...they voided the warranty on the windshield replacement, did they do the same for you?

 

Y'all need to move to Seattle. Rarely any salt used here...maybe once or twice a year. The rain isn't so bad.

How was the condition of the windshield seal that ran along the a-pillar? I'm thinking your might have been cracked or comprimised that allowed salt and water to get in there.

S

 

The only way to avoid rust from emerging, is to sandblast or cut the pillar, once done check what left and see if the metal is perforated, if so you will have to cut and remove all the metal that have rust on. Most of the time a good technician will cut the metal at least 1 or 2 inches past the rust section. You don't want to leave rusted metal under the new welded metal sheet, first if you do so it will be very difficult to weld and the job wont last very long before you see paint bubble reappear.

If you are not absolutely sure on how to do this, well then it's because it is not a job for you to do. Contact a good body shop in your area and ask for an estimate, then go to a second and third body shop and compare their prices but foremost their works.

This is the kind of jobs that you want to be done by a qualified, reputable body shop technician otherwise it will reappear and will cost you way more money. Trust me, I've done so many job like this myself in the past and for the non experienced it's not a good job for you to learn how to do it, really.

If you have questions feel free to PM me, I'll be more than happy to help you.

Cheers

AA

 

i had my windshield replaced about 7 months ago (FOR THE 2ND time) and i have YET to notice any rust in my windshield

 

any update thus far?

 

I had rust above my windshield that I had fixed when I had my windshield replaced.

 

You didn't drive the car into the water did you? lol

 

The windshield was replaced. The installer cleaned up the area as best he could with a wire wheel, applied some heavy sealant. The rust on the under-side is still there. I'm talking to some local people to see about having it repaired.

As in the rain/puddle/snow/creek/lake/ocean? Are you trying to be funny or just make a useless post? I'm not following.

 

Are you the 2nd owner of the car? I'm thinking that your rust has to be related to the damage here:



The passenger a-pillar looks completely fine. I'm pretty sure whatever is up with that damage, it's related to your rust problem.

S

 

The car was originally owned by Enterprise.

 

That probably would explain the damage.

 

ouch......

 

Ouch what? I've had VERY few issues with this car (outside the normal items we typically see) in the 90k+ miles I've owned it.

 

Aside from the odd bit of damage, the car looks great to me.

 

Thanks man. Just cleaned it up after removing the roof rack for winter.