Hey all
just curious, has anyone had an issue with rust on the bottom of your doors? I just bought my SS and just noticed on the bottom of the drivers door some surface rust starting and it concerned me somewhat. I have heard our cars are not rustproofed like the old days, just dipped, like a galvanised steel.
any issues out there?

 

I had the same issue with both of my HHRs. It is somewhat common depending on where you live....if you search for it, there are a bunch of threads.

Some cars have been repaired under a corrosion warranty...

 

Under the doors is a soft spot on our cars, especially if you don't have running boards. Seeing as you just purchased it, I would address this with your dealer and get them to cover it. Buying a fairly new car with rust isn't something anybody should have to go through.

 

Casite or others makes a product that comes in a spritzer bottle. I used it on my S-10 pickup and it dissolves the rust and it doesn't come back for a while. Then I treat it again. It kills rust on the spot and does not hurt the paint. Put down rags to soak up the excess or it will stain concrete, etc.

Boydie Back in the Saddle..................

 

Mine is the same on my 2006 I have running board uts starting to get ugly need to strip it prime and repaint im going to put a coat of plasti dip around the bottoms of the inner door that will take care of it permanently. Pladti dip is awsom

 

Unless you treat the rust to make it inert, or totally remove it, the rust will come back. The rust is very likely not surface rust, but originates inside the panel joints. There are a lot of threads that discuss the problem - try the SEARCH function near the top of the page - lots of good tips on how some have addressed the rust issue.

Stripping the surface, prime and paint will not make it a permanent fix unless you are just dealing with surface rust. Yes, Plasti-dip is an amazing product, but will do nothing to prevent the rust from coming back.

 

When I lived in the rust belt (snow and road salt) all my cars developed seam rust on the bottom of the doors. Even having extra "rustproofing" added failed to prevent it. The only car that didn't have that issue is my 87 Fiero GT (SMC "plastic" door panels). Of course the metal "space age" frame is prone to rust, but I rarely drove it in the winter.

I have no idea how it is preventable unless you don't drive in the snow and salt.

BUt since purchasing my 06 HHR in Florida, I have no seam rust on the doors.

 

I have it-they 'fixed' it last summer and now it's back with a vengeance. Hugely disappointing-I haven't had this situation with any vehicle I've owned in the last almost 20 years, and it started after the first winter.

 

eastwood's got some products that may get you by for awhile. i'll be looking into them myself since i'm starting to get some rust on the front doors folded over pinch weld on the bottom.
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-rust-dissolver-gallon.html

http://www.eastwood.com/rust-encapsulator-27897.html

 

this is not an uncommon problem with the HHR. I actually had 3 of my doors "fixed" so far, under warranty. The dealer told me that the front doors are much more common than the rear[/QUOTE] I have heard our cars are not rustproofed like the old days, just dipped, like a galvanised steel.
any issues out there?[/QUOTE]You are correct that our cars aren't done like in the old days. They are done 100 times better.