[nash1234]

Hello all,
What would you recommend to do with this rust in the wheel area? I used to get by with using the white liquid that turns black when it hits rust but this is now a large area. Here are some photos.

 

[thscott]

I don’t have a recommendation for you. Sadly, this is a very common rust spot on the Odyssey. I have it really bad on both sides of my 2010. I’ve seen many others with the exact same issue.

 

[bbrages]

I think the best fix would be to cut out the rust and weld in some metal to replace it.

You might be able to buy a front fender (aftermarket or junkyard) and cut a piece out of it... it should match the radius and the flat face around the wheel opening.

Or maybe even find a rust-free odyssey in a junkyard and cut a bit out of the rear fender, but it's a common rust spot.

 

[jackrabbit000]

I don’t have a recommendation for you. Sadly, this is a very common rust spot on the Odyssey. I have it really bad on both sides of my 2010. I’ve seen many others with the exact same issue.

It’s not just the Odyssey that rusts in this area, it’s every single Honda.

 

[mitka]

Sad news. Nothing much you can do with this short of shelling $1.5K on a proper fix at the body shop and mind you, not many even will agree to do the work as probability of re-appearance of rust is high and they don't want to deal with unhappy customers.

IMO this is a bad design. There is this spot welded and seam sealed seam that connects quarter panel and wheelwell sheet metal. So eventually seam seal deteriorates being exposed to road debris and salt flying off the wheel and is starts to rot from the inside. No amount of effort trying to remove the rust spot from the outside and painting over it will produce any lasting results. It will be just frustration.

Mine has fender flares installed. So what? it has rusted right there in the small area that fender flares did not cover (or I do not want to think about what is the condition of metal under these flares).

So I would leave it alone. You can go to a body shop and have a chat about that a PITA these Honda/Subaru trademark rust spots are (Subaru was even worse). I used to have an '04 Subaru and it had rusted out rear quarters.

The guy I spoke with said that to fix this "properly", they would need the whole rear quarter panel replaced. Which makes it ridiculously expensive. The $1.5K -2K fix I mentioned in the beginning involves cutting out the rusted area and welding in piece of good fender, plus some creative welding from the inside of the wheel well to seal it up. Probability that it will fail in 3-5 years is high.

So the lesson really, these spots need to be taken care from day one the car was new. Not that it helps you much now, but hey, I bet almost all Odys of that generation in the rust belt have rust spots in this area.

 

[nash1234]

Thank you all. What gets me is that I’ve been very careful with dealing with the rust spots over the years but this must have rusted from the inside so I didn’t see it. Oh well.

 

[bestia]

My 07 LX has zero rust in those areas. The trick is you need to clean every spring and fall the inside fender lip from all the mud that accumulates in that area. I usually use a plastic scrapper and carefully remove most of the debris and then with a rag and compressed air for the remainder. After that, I spray a product called Fluid Film all along the inner lip. Guaranteed to prevent rust or at least slow it down if it’s already there. I’ve been doing this to all my cars with great results. I also spray Fluid Film into the doors drain holes, door hinges, heck even coat the rear subframe! Great product.

 

[bluecivic107]

That will take some work, but can be done DIY:
1 Grind off rust
2 Treat with Rust Inhibitor
3 Fill in with Fiberglass then sand
4 Prime
5 Basecolor paint
6 Clear coat paint

 

[thscott]

That will take some work, but can be done DIY:
1 Grind off rust
2 Treat with Rust Inhibitor
3 Fill in with Fiberglass then sand
4 Prime
5 Basecolor paint
6 Clear coat paint

I did all that a couple years ago. Rust returned a year later. Very frustrating.

 

[thscott]

It’s not just the Odyssey that rusts in this area, it’s every single Honda.

No amount of effort trying to remove the rust spot from the outside and painting over it will produce any lasting results. It will be just frustration.

So true. Been there, done that.

 

[marvinstockman]

I can't say for sure, but most areas like you show are double-wall areas and water is getting between the panels.

Don't spend a lot of money fixing this with external patches. You can drill holes on the lip to allow any water that gets between the panels to drain out, and then you can using touch-up paint, to paint the area that is visible.

Also, remember, that this area is not structural and is not a safety issue.

 

[rbhollabaugh]

Years ago in my 99 Ody I took the plastic interior panels out to get access to the inside of the rear quarter panels. I sprayed fluid film inside and it worked. Except for 2 spots that rusted from the outside. So I cut the rusty metal out, made new sheetmetal pieces and welded them in. Ground down the welds, body putty and several coats of paint. Applied by brush. Paint looks rough but the rust is gone.