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2003 Honda Civic Hybrid completely rusted out
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marijoli
New User
Jun 25, 2009, 2:13 AM
Post #1 of 6
(3746 views)
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2003 Honda Civic Hybrid completely rusted out
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I have a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid with 111K miles on it. It spent the first 5 years of its life in Iowa (where they often salt/sand the roads in the winter) and the past 2 years in Charleston, SC, where there is occasional flooding with ocean salt water. I took my car in for a regular oil change last week and they said that my car is completely rusted out on the bottom to the point where it has become a safety issue and that I should trade in my car (they offered $2K). The mechanic was holding a small piece of metal from the bottom of my car that had fallen off while he was working on it. I have taken my car in for regular maintenance with the same Honda dealer in Iowa and now in Charleston and this is the first time they mentioned a rust problem.
1) This car is only 6 years old - Is this be normal wear and tear or could this be a factory defect (like forgetting to put on a coating)?
2) Should I be suspicious that they waited to tell me about this after my 100K warranty expired?
THANK YOU!!
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 25, 2009, 2:33 AM
Post #2 of 6
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Re: 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid completely rusted out
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I'm a little surprised that you even ask this question.
Take any piece of metal and dip it into the ocean and sit back and watch what happens to it. The fact that you know the bottom of your car was exposed to sea water and you didn't immediately do something to counter that shows how concerned you were with your car and you shouldn't be surprised it's has rusted away now.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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marijoli
New User
Jun 25, 2009, 5:34 AM
Post #3 of 6
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Re: 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid completely rusted out
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I am a customer who does what the mechanics recommend and no one ever recommended that I do anything about the rust nor did I know that I ever had a problem with rust until now, when it is enough of a problem that the mechanic is telling me to get rid of my car. Neither I nor no one that anyone I have talked to about this have heard of a car rusting out after so few years. The only car my parents (who have lived in Iowa their whole life) have heard of rusting out was built in the 1960s. I still think that something is not right.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 25, 2009, 5:43 AM
Post #4 of 6
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Re: 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid completely rusted out
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You really have to be kidding.........
You really believe that dipping a car in salt water is OK and it must be the car's fault? Come on. You have no one to blame for that but yourself. Nothing survives salt water except plastic.
When a car gets flooded with salt water and an insurance claim is made, the car is immediately totally and cannot be re-titled.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jun 25, 2009, 5:17 PM
Post #5 of 6
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Re: 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid completely rusted out
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Hammer Time is exactly correct in what he is saying about rust.
I won't go thru all that again cuz he pretty much covered rust & metal.
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This is just my opinion but I think it's best not to offer an option to purchase the in car where repairing the vehicle is far too costly, for the exact reason of this post.... Now you are having second thoughts about the diag. I've been in that position before & I'm sure it's a bitter pill to swallow. It usally plays out where the car sits for a few days while the customer tries to do something with it and when they can't & comeback & offer me the car for a couple of hundred dollars, I just tell them to call a wrecking yard & they'll take care of it for them..... That way I don't have to worried about a few weeks down the road when they start second guessing my diag & then thinking I gave them a bogus diag just to get the car.....
With that being said. I'm sure the tech seen something he felt was unsafe. Not every car is going to do the same thing. So you can't go by your parents car, maybe they didn't drive as much in the snow as you did. There are plenty of variables. Just take it to a different shop & get it checked out. If they confirm the orginal diag & it is a safety issue and you can go from there....If there is a safety concern with the car you don't want to be driving it around.....
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