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2010 maxima bought it in 2013 used with 40,000 miles currently has 87000. Over the past year i have been keeping a close eye on my rear wheel wells. At first both driver and passenger sides started to look wavey ,or warped I guess you could say which definitely got my attention but wasnt really bad at first so i decided to let it ride and keep an eye on it. the past few months i started to see paint bubbling and chipping off and of course just as I suspected....rust. I have had an open case with nissan north America the past few months and just today they called to let me know they will not be offering any assistance with the repairs. I was quoted 8,000 bucks to cut, weld new panels, and repaint. Unbelievable! Anyone else have this issue????
Body work was done one that and struck with a hammer which exposed the metal and now causing the rusting issue. You can see the multiple striking points from the hammer.. this is just my assumption obviously but for as of right now I suggest you take it to a body shop and have the fixed because when the rust goes through the metal then it will really become a problem.
8k is crazy, it can be straighten with a flat hammer sanded with 80grit up to 400, wet sanded primed painted and clear coated. Take it to an independent shop.
For the time being I suggest hit it with cleaner and a fine brush dry it and make sure it completely dry and get a can of clear coat and spray the area.. Make sure you tape off the rest of the fender so it don't travel on the the body panel. This will at least stop or slow down the rusting so it does not get worse. It can rust under your paint and travel up and that is when your problems will really begin.
Keep us posted.
The odd thing about this is the same thing is slowly happening on the other side. I'll get some pics of the driver side up later today after work. Thanks for the input.
Body work was done one that and struck with a hammer which exposed the metal and now causing the rusting issue. You can see the multiple striking points from the hammer.. this is just my assumption obviously but for as of right now I suggest you take it to a body shop and have the fixed because when the rust goes through the metal then it will really become a problem.
8k is crazy, it can be straighten with a flat hammer sanded with 80grit up to 400, wet sanded primed painted and clear coated. Take it to an independent shop.
For the time being I suggest hit it with cleaner and a fine brush dry it and make sure it completely dry and get a can of clear coat and spray the area.. Make sure you tape off the rest of the fender so it don't travel on the the body panel. This will at least stop or slow down the rusting so it does not get worse. It can rust under your paint and travel up and that is when your problems will really begin.
Keep us posted.
I would have to disagree with you regarding the cause of the rust. Being from Canada I have seen this EXACT situation numerous times. Once you get exposed metal, you are going to get rust. It always seems that even when you repair the effected area and cut out large parts of the metal, the rust always returns.
Washing your car more frequently helps prevent rust. I have unlimited car washes up here in NE Ohio and I wash mine 1-2 times a week. No rust has ever shown up on any car I've ever owned.
I know that the 5th gen Maxima's are notorious for this. Washed the car once a week and it still started to rust on one side. Also, I have used Loctite Extend Rust Treatment on the Maxima to stop the rust as well as used it in the inside fender wells of my 66 Mustang to prevent any rust. Works like magic!!!!1
Believe me I have kept this car very clean. Always washed thoroughly. Not to mention it's not even my daily driver I have a beater jeep for winter and most of the other seasons are spent on the motorcycle. Im really starting to think it did have body work. I spoke to a buddy who has been in the business for 18 years over the phone today and he's betting any money when I go see him Friday he's gonna break the news that both panels were replaced. This really sucks, but I am tackling this problem asap. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks.
Last edited by Dchmura123; 03-09-2016 at 04:17 PM.
Alright, today I had the max checked out by a very knowledgeable, trustworthy auto body guy that was recommended to me by a friend. Both panels are original with factory paint. He agreed with me completely that it's a manufacturer defect. Plain and simple they ****ed up is what I was told. I'm definitely pursuing this further, I'll try Bbb and see what happens. Any suggestions on how I should attack this? Oh and he quoted me 1500-2 grand tops to cut the Rust out, weld, repaint all that good stuff. Which isn't bad but why the hell should I be responsible for this when the car is extremely well maintained, no damage, I practically baby it.
How can this be a manufacturers defect when it is obvious that someone tried to do some repairs, probably with a hammer, attempted to repaint and failed miserably. The panels in my 09 are straight and rust free. That rust has been then for come time.
The best way to attack this is to replace both panels instead of cropping out and welding in new metal. It is by far the easiest way to go and give you the best results.
I'm like you I wash my car every week sometimes more if it gets dirty in the winter. That's exactly one of the areas I pay special attention to when I'm washing it because salt and grime will collect there and once it gets behind the panel you can get rust like you have. I haven't bought it yet but I'm going to get a Metro Air Blaster to help dry my cars quicker. Water collects under our spoilers, mirrors, door handles and rims. I hate having a clean car with numerous water streaks on it after driving a block or two.
I couldn't imagine paying 2000$ to get that fixes up, my drivers side is doing something similar, however its just surface rust at the moment not rusted all the way through, i'm getting the inner lip sanded down repainted to the bend and cleared for 100$, to me its a 7 year old car, its inside the wheel well and hardly noticeable as long as it stops rusting and the paint matches the car i'm happy.
Last edited by ParkviewFarmer; 03-18-2016 at 02:02 PM.
I couldn't imagine paying 2000$ to get that fixes up, my drivers side is doing something similar, however its just surface rust at the moment not rusted all the way through, i'm getting the inner lip sanded down repainted to the bend and cleared for 100$, to me its a 7 year old car, its inside the wheel well and hardly noticeable as long as it stops rusting and the paint matches the car i'm happy.
Surface repairing rust will only guarantee that the rust will return
When you live in a area that salts the roads during the winter you can expect to have a rusted out vehicle. Add to the fact that most people don't park in a garage at night or they don't have a chance to wash their car. Living in those types of climates is a definite tradeoff between what you can tolerate and what you will put up with.
03-08-2016, 07:55 PM
