That sucks - It is probably from all the salt they use on the roads in the winter...

 

I have a couple spots of rust in those exact places as well. And, not so coincidentally, I'm near Boston too. My guess is that those places inside the rear doors are a weak spot for rusting. For whatever reason, they likely don't get the same rust preventative procedures as the rest of the car.

 

I'm definitely checking my MO tonight after work. We also live in a salted road part of the country!

 

The good news is that what's shown isn't really a "large area", and that it's not in a place where touch-up will show. You can have that fixed and re-painted without changing the exterior appearance.

Thanks for the good photos - they give us all a place to keep an eye on.

 

Thanks Pilgrim my thoughts too and since the metal is still solid I"m hoping its just surface.... my appointment is delayed to next week... I'll let everyone know if I find out anything. I believe it is coming not from the salt but rather water coming down from the top of the body. IF you look at the dirt/water marks in that area they lead right to the top of that rubber seal. If even a little bit of paint is gone thrn its game over.

 

Thanks Pilgrim my thoughts too and since the metal is still solid I"m hoping its just surface.... my appointment is delayed to next week... I'll let everyone know if I find out anything.

Same here, Gonzo. I just scheduled mine in to get both sides sanded down and repainted next Tu (even though the rust on the passenger side is miniscule). My body shop guy also thinks the molding might be holding water there, causing the rust in those spots.

 

Funny Nafddur that we live in the same area and are having work done at the same time.... dare we compare how much each is paying?

 

I didn't get a firm, written estimate, but was told $300-$400. I'll know for sure next week when it's done.

But I'm also getting my rear bumper cover painted as well, something I've been procrastinating on for the last 4 years. I had a new rear bumper cover put on when the car was only a month old, and that set me back $580. About a year later I had that one repainted again for $325 (this time they just repaired a slight raised area and repainted it). That's what I'm getting done again (along with the door rust) because the damage is very slight, but when I popped it back out, the paint cracked badly in several areas. The first damage was when my wife backed into something in a parking lot, the second when it was hit by someone else (we have no idea when or where), and the third was when I backed (at night) into my SIL's truck that I had forgotten was parked in my driveway. Let's face it, Mos are known for that rear blind spot.

The body shop guy forgot completely about doing the exact same repair 4 years ago, and he started talking $500-$600 to repair and repaint - and almost $300 more if he put a new cover on (which we both decided wasn't necessary). He shrugged when I told him I thought it was less the last time, and he just shrugged and smiled. If he tries to charge me much over $400 (let's face it, the $325 WAS almost 4 years ago), my old receipt from 11/04 is going to appear VERY fast. I might even just show it to him before he writes me up.

Combined, I'm looking at around $800 for both jobs.

Strange thing is, the guy sat at his computer, searched a bit, and gave me a price of almost $600 for a new bumper cover (without paint). That was when we decided it really isn't needed - especially since the car is almost 6 years old and the mechanical (non-paint) damage is so slight. The invoiced price for the new `rear fascia kit' when I bought it 11/04 was $226.04. Has plastic gone up that much in 5 years?

 

I think my guy is charging $200-$300 for the repair... funny any thing in common about 3 months into my new MO I rear ended... new rear bumper cover as well.

 

I think my guy is charging $200-$300 for the repair.

It's pretty hard these days to get any body work (no matter how slight) done for less than $300. And those rear bumper covers are just the price we early Mo - i.e. without rear cameras - owners pay for our stylish, huge C-pillar design. Oh well. Mine goes in tomorrow.

 

I will have it sand blasted wed and painted.... I think I caught it early enough so its mostly surface.

I thought the same thing, about catching it early enough while the rust was only on the surface, Gonz. How wrong I turned out to be.

It turns out that the entire body panel along the front edge of the rear tire wells traps and holds water (and, worse yet, salt and slush) in the seam where the outer and inner metal layers join. Maybe some Muranos received better rustproofing in that area than others, and that's why not all of us with older Mos - especially those of us in ice/snow climates - are seeing this problem (yet). I took some pictures to show how bad the rusting was on the underside of the wheel wells, even though only a few spots were visible from the outside when the rear doors were opened.

I'm afraid the surface repairs I had done (for just under $300, but they do look fantastic) are only going to be temporary. I did pull the rear wheels and gave the rusted seams a good coating of 3M rustproofing when I got the car back, but that's likely too little, too late. It might slow up the future rust spread in the same areas, however, and that's the best I can hope for.

Once rust has begun, the only way to properly fix it is to unbolt or cut out the entire rusted section and replace it with a new body panel. Where this rust is occuring on our Mos, this just doesn't seem practical. It's not like unbolting an old, rusted out fender and bolting a new one in it's place. That rear quarter panel on Muranos is a pretty substantial body piece!

 

Here are a few more pics of the inside rusting, the finished repairs when I got the car back yesterday, and the rubberized undercoating (rustproofing) I sprayed on. I didn't take any before pics of the rusting that was visible from the outside, but it looked similar to what Gonzo posted in the original post of this thread. I find it hard to believe lots of other mo owners aren't seeing this, but I guess those with CVT/floppy visor/broken seat/etc. issues are thinking the same thing!

And the body shop that did my work (closely affiliated with the Nissan dealer right down the road from them) insisted that this is the first Mo they have seen with this rust problem.

 

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).

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

Thx

 

I've just noticed rust in the area referred to in this thread. I'm wondering how well the repairs have held up for you guys now that its been five years.

 

5 years later, the rust is back - almost exactly the way it was before I had it fixed in 2010. Oh well. The body shop guy told me that without cutting the rusted panel out and fabricating a whole new, rear quarter panel, the rust would return. He was right. I still say this is a design defect.

 

My 2012 has one spot in the same area

 

does anyone have the part number to this moulding piece around the wheel?

 

You should be able to find it with an online parts breakdown. Try Courtesy Nissan Parts Online.