Another Honda Civic X Rust issue (pictures)

[Xulfiqar]

Karachi seaside vehicles, DHA, clifton etc, they would be rotted out at structure joints too.

Also happens to vehicles owned by people not living there but working there.

You should see the condition of airconditioner outer units there, they are completely rusted to dust in a few years

[2_blue]

Xulfiqar, Question is: does this happen to all vehicles? this fast? This bad?

[xenerking]

same happens with cars and appliances in Japan? which is an Island after all

[capsat]

@Spano @hash4u another HONDA

[Xulfiqar]

when washed with brackish water - yes they can rust at this rate. The window regulator mounting tabs and the door side armor is evident - the window regulator is coated and only rusts there if moisture is left to sit. (brackish water will leave salty deposit which keeps moisture which then eventually eats metal to rust.

The alarming part are the panel drains, use a dentists mirror behind them and see if they are primed from the there, looks like the primer didnt adhere to the metal (same issue as the very early W210 mercedes E class when they started to use water-borne paint)

[Xulfiqar]

of course. The EOL of appliances and vehicles there is extremely short, specially in the northern parts of Japan.

[2_blue]

I had a W211, 2008. No rust. Someone I know has a 2015 corolla, daily parked at chundrigar road during office hrs and after that in dha Phase V. Not a spec of rust.

The point I'm trying to make, and the reason I posted pictures of my civic is that Honda Pakistan has shoddy built quality. I liked Honda, that why I bought it. I would still prefer it over a Corolla any day. But this level of rust in 4 yrs is unacceptable no matter what the conditions. Next yr when I replace my vehicle, I would think twice before opting for a Honda product. My money is hard earned, and this is unacceptable. The corrupt practices in Pakistan need to change.

[Xulfiqar]

W211 has excellent corrossion treatment and excellent paint quality, the early w210 (mid 90s) was the one with the bad paint and rust issues. It would rust from the middle of the doors.

I agree with you that a japanese brand car shouldnt rust out this bad, this level of rusting is reserved for older italian cars only.

Btw, honda civic here too have had recalls for new ac condensers and some even had missing spot welds which were causing clicking noises.

[hash4u]

out of words

hopefully one off case here from khi

[waqar747]

My Civic X has had some possible urban flood (rain) damage with the previous user in 2020. I am also in Karachi but not working or living near the sea side.
I have some small rust spots at 4 years (2018 model). I will share pictures tomorrow but looks like the small spots are going to expand like it happened with this car. What to do now to avoid such a situation? The rust I can see is on the boot edge, but there may be other hidden areas as well. Should I get an inspection done at the service Center for this?

[2_blue]

Honda Service center won't help you much. Even if they do, the quality of their work will be questionable. I always take my vehicle to Honda for mechanical work.

I would imagine that the small visible rust spot that you see is the tip of the iceberg. The damage will be much bigger in hidden spots.

Take your car to a good trusted body shop where someone can give you personalized service who will pay attention to the work.

I got my work done from a friend who owns a shop. He cares more about our relationship than the money he makes. He supervised the work himself and got the job done carefully. All rust was removed/sanded down. Patched where required and coated with rust inhibitor. After that in the hidden areas, they sprayed thick undercoating spray which itself has rust inhibitor. The visible parts got primer and paint. The key is to find all rust areas and treat them as best as you can.

[2_blue]

There are many examples on pakwheels if you search. Many of them aren't in Karachi either. They have rust in the exact same spots as my car. Different model years as well. So my car is not one-off.

[hassaan.shakil1]

Regarding the transmission failure you mentioned, did the car have it's CVT gearoil replaced at 40k kms by dealership?

Yes, the car has been regularly maintained through Honda at the recommended intervals. So, lack of maintenance was not the issue.

[omaruser156370259465]

Seriously these CVT transmissions are the worst, laggy as hell and unreliable as hell too. Uper se Honda ki quality tho phir alag hi level ki hai.

[ali454]

Another common reason for early rusting is washing the car too often.
I see drivers in my neighbourhood giving full ghusal to the same car every day.
Whereas its been more than 2 months I have washed my car.

Unless I drive in rain I dont wash it and for everyday cleaning use waterless wash, lots of microfiber towels.

Only wash the wheels.

But here the reason is poor anti corrosion by Honda. I have had the same issue on my 7th gen civic from the time it was 5 years old. Stopped washing my car and the rust is under control till date. The car is too old for me now to complain.

[2_blue]

Which waterless cleaning product do you use?

I dread getting the car cleaned with dry microfiber as Karachi has more sand than dust and it would absolutely wear the paint down like a sandpaper. I also hate the swirl marks that are left behind after dry cleaning.

Waterless cleaning products have chemicals which may be harmful for the environment. So whichever way you cut it, there's a downside.

I think my next new car will get the paint protection film. Perhaps that would save the paint from swirls and it can be cleaned/dusted off with a simple microfiber cloth.

[ali454]

I am using the cheapest available in market. Bullsone. Microfibers from my local grocery store. No fancy stuff.
You cannot avoid swirls no matter what u do.

I never rub on a dusty car.
Use a large semi wet towel and glide it over the car. It will pick up the dirt under its weight.

The rest of the sticky marks can be cleaned with another towel.

Use a seperate one for the glass.

I have 5 towels for each car. All at different levels of how wet they are.

[2_blue]

So a massive amount of swirl marks as a tradeoff for less rust.... I guess that's the reality. Unless..
My paint protection film theory works...

[Xulfiqar]

Also make sure that you are not washing the car with a strong soap as it can remove the body cavity wax too.

E.g. dishwash and clothing wash detergent will cause such specially when rinsing with brackish water afterwards (khaara pani)

You can buy some body cavity wax and apply it to the cavities where water drains from.

[ali454]

No. If u follow the technique waterless wash doesnt cause much or same amount of swirls as with washing the car.