Body Rust!

[Gonzo]

Hmmm interesting.... Mine wasn't as bad as yours..... its come our nicely $350 w/ parts. I will have to keep an eye on the area to ensure it doesn't come back or appear on the other side.

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by Gonzo

Hmmm interesting.... Mine wasn't as bad as yours..... its come our nicely $350 w/ parts. I will have to keep an eye on the area to ensure it doesn't come back or appear on the other side.

I should have taken before pictures to better compare our rusting, Gonz. But, looking at the pics from your original post again, I'd say neither of my sides were as bad (in total) as your one rusted side. My driver's side had one fairly large rust spot (that I've been watching for 2 or 3 years) in the center of the weather strip, probably the size of a quarter. But there were zero other surface spots visible on that side. My passenger side had 2 or 3 miniscule spots just starting to show from the edge of the weather strip. Upon taking the moldings off, however, the rusting could be seen in a number of more places on both sides.

In any case, the surface rusting is (in my case and, apparently, in yours as well) pretty easy to grind off and repaint. More of a concern is the rusting all along the seam on the back side of the body panel, which could only be properly repaired by cutting that entire seam out and fabricating a new body panel section (I'm assuming, an expensive proposition). I'd be surprised if any Mo owner seeing the type of surface rusting we both saw doesn't have that entire seam rusting out from the back as well - as my pictures before I sprayed the rubberized rustproofing on show.

I'm hoping the undercoating I sprayed the seam with slows the rusting so I can get many more years of life out of this car before more drastic repair measures in those spots have to be taken. Surface rusting can always be sanded down and painted. But once rust has started, unless it is all cut out completely it will return and the metal will just keep getting thinner and thinner.

It also looks like we paid about the same price. But I also had my rear bumper cover repaired and repainted, and that set me back almost $600 on top of the rust repair. Because the shop had to prepare a much larger quantity of paint for the bumper cover, that could have actually reduced the cost to repaint the rear door panels. Either way, I am happy with the way the 2 jobs came out - the car looks fantastic (again).

[zebelkhan]

Have either one of you guys checked to see if Nissan's Rust Warranty covers you?

[bob1]

Originally Posted by zebelkhan

Have either one of you guys checked to see if Nissan's Rust Warranty covers you?

Never crossed my mid but......yeah!

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by zebelkhan

Have either one of you guys checked to see if Nissan's Rust Warranty covers you?

I've never used the corrosion coverage portion of the warranty for any of my Nissans, so I had to dig out the warranty information booklet to check this coverage out. Without using an extended warranty (which I don't have) for corrosion coverage, the standard Nissan coverage is 60 months/unlimited mileage. That means it expired last Oct. for my 04, and likely one year earlier for Gonz's 03. It was worth checking, though.

[Gonzo]

Way out of the rust/corrision warranty for that to even be a thought.

[mlizzi]

I would like to replace my moldings but the Nissan dealership can't find them in the system. If anyone has bought them can the check on their bill for a number I can give them

Thanks in Advance

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by mlizzi

I would like to replace my moldings but the Nissan dealership can't find them in the system. If anyone has bought them can the check on their bill for a number I can give them

Thanks in Advance

If you're referring to the rear door moldings that have to be removed to fix the rusting inside the rear doors, they are called `door parting seal rubber(s),' and there are likely both unique left (driver) and right (passenger) side ones. I say likely, because both of my original moldings (or rubbers as Nissan refers to them) were reused after the rust was repaired. They are just a press fit, and pop right off and then press right back on. There should be no reason to ever have to replace them.

I found them - or at least the driver's side one, because that's the only one shown - on page EI-25 in Vol. 3 of my 04 FSM.

[jdlandry]

Hello everyone. I just came across this thread. I own an '03 Brown Murano SL AWD and noticed over the weekend the rust in the exact same area on the passenger side though. It extends for a length of about 12-15 inches. I called the dealership body shop and was told about $1,600.00 appx. as they would have to replace the quarter panel. Is this what it cost you guys total?

Thanks

[jdlandry]

I forgot to mention, I live in Southwest Ohio in the Dayton area.

Thx

[njjoe]

Originally Posted by jdlandry

I called the dealership body shop and was told about $1,600.00 appx. as they would have to replace the quarter panel.

Try an independent body shop. Their rates may be cheaper.

-njjoe

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by jdlandry

Hello everyone. I just came across this thread. I own an '03 Brown Murano SL AWD and noticed over the weekend the rust in the exact same area on the passenger side though. It extends for a length of about 12-15 inches. I called the dealership body shop and was told about $1,600.00 appx. as they would have to replace the quarter panel. Is this what it cost you guys total?

Thanks

Gonz stated (earlier in this thread) that he paid $350, and I paid almost exactly $300 (it was part of a $900 job, that also included a new rear bumper cover) to get the surface rust repaired inside our rear doors. Since we both caught ours early enough, surface grinding and repainting was the logical repair. But had we waited longer, and the rust gotten significantly worse, cutting out and installing a new quarter panel would have been the only other way to have fixed our cars.

Realizing that even the most miniscule rusting will (most likely) eventually return if a rusted panel isn't completely replaced, I asked my body shop guy what it would take to replace that rear, quarter panel on a Murano. Having never (at least 1 1/2 years ago when I had mine fixed) done that, he merely rolled his eyes and wouldn't even venture a repair cost. With what's involved - and, assuming they can get it to look decent, of course - $1600 to replace the quarter panel actually doesn't sound too bad to me.

All the more reason for all Murano owners to check those spots periodically and, if any rusting is seen, at least get the surface rust fixed right away.

[njjoe]

Originally Posted by jdlandry

I own an '03 Brown Murano SL AWD...

A brown Murano? Brown?!? It's actually called Sunlit Copper, and was one of the more popular colors when the MO was first introduced. I would bet that more than half of all marketing promos included a photo of a Sunlit Copper MO. Unfortunately Nissan discontinued that color shortly after the MO's debut.

-njjoe