Thread: Help! Found Rust on rear QP 99 SE-L!!

*sigh*

found some rust right under the gas door while trying to get the car ready for some roadtripping in the upcoming weeks. It's just a tiny bubble that I can see. It is the size of a pencil eraser at most, but that is all that is visible from the outside. I am a little bummed. I do have some questions though for those who have knowledge of body repairs:

- should I have a body shop repair or should i source a new rear panel and have it installed? I have a salvage yard connect here, and it's a salt free zone so I should be able to find a new QP just fine.

- should I replace both rears while I am at it? I know these cars are super prone to rust and I might be moving back to Chicago (salt belt) for work, so I would want to nip it in the bud.

- Does anyone have an estimate or general guess as to how much this is going to cost. For now, I am just referencing the repair/replacement on the drivers side.

- how much would a body shop charge me to see how bad the rust is on the rear of the car? what would be a reasonable amount of time for them to check if they are charging by the hour?

Thanks all in advance

Post a photo of it then you'll get a lot more replies

In my experience, once you have a rust bubble (depending of course how extensive and deep the rust actually goes), the cancer can be slowed down but not stopped.

At one time we had a big rust bubble (about the size of a baseball) on my dad's former 1994 Dodge Caravan (white car) and the paint had not YET flaked away so we thought it could easily be fixed by a body shop. The body shop we went to had a 'lifetime guarantee' policy so it inspired confidence that it could be fixed properly. When we got it back, it was beautiful, they did a fantastic job and you couldn't even tell it had been repainted or repaired (how it should be at a good body shop). BUT about a year and a half later, the bubble came back (smaller this time, about the size of a marble -- but it quickly increased to a golf ball bubble)... so the body shop repaired it again 'under warranty' and again it was perfect again. ...fast forward 2 years later and the same thing AGAIN... We had it fixed a 3rd time (under warranty) BUT this time they said they can't fix it a 4th time and that the rust is too deep into the metal and it will indeed return in about a year. The suggestion was made to 'sell it now' before the rust returns (so we did).

Later we had rust cut out and new metal welded in place to properly 'cut out' the rust cancer. Learned our lesson after the 1st time.. just how it is.

Will do ASAP. Tonight likely.