Car Care (outside of regular maintenance)- spending money now worth it later?

[matrix82]

Hey guys,

This a debate me and my husband are currently having. We have a 6 year old honda civic with 95,000kms on it. We bought it second hand 3 years ago. Just now we are starting to experience some issues with it.

I've kept up with the maintenance. We have three more payments on it and then we own it. Our plan is to keep the car basically until it is no longer any good. Just recently about two months ago my husband was driving on the highway, something fell off a truck, and scratched the windshield. Took it to apple, the guy told me it wasn't a fixable problem, basically it left three small stains on the windshield. It wouldn't have an effect on the strength of the windshield etc, so it doesn't need to be fixed either.

Just yesturday I noticed a small section on the hood of the car that was scratched, the paint is bubbling and the exposed metal is starting to rust. It must have been from what flew off a vehicle on the highway that damaged the windshield. I took it to a local shop, and he will strip, prime and paint the entire hood for $250 (the hood is marked with quite a few rock chips which I have been fixing with touch up paint as we go). This estimate is reasonable considering a national autobody shop wants double the price.

It is a lot of money, but my thinking is that if we get it fixed now it will save us problems with rust later. My husband disagrees and just wants to let it go. Keep in mind we are hoping to keep the car another 5 years.

$250 is a lot of money to us right now, but I have a little savings that I could use to pay for it and get it done. What would you do?

My husband says it's just the appearance, but I think that yes it's the appearance but it's also our first defense against rust, especially since we want the car for another 5 years.

[newb]

Touch up paint wont stop the rust.......scratch it good with wire brush or sandpaper..get to the metal...then coat the metal with a good rust converter(rust is micro at that point)...it wont look good but you will stop the rust...I use the liquid from CT. you can paint after that...keep it off the paint tho...penetrating oils will wear off...hope the bubbles arent too wide spread ...about the windshield...scratches mean nothing but remember it is an integreal part of car saftey..so if it spreads ?? keep an eye on it. OOOps just reread ...stains ?? never had that happen

[matrix82]

Apparently, there is a small amount of metal in automobile glass. Whatever fell off the truck must have been metal, and it basically etched three brown marks into the glass in about a two inch area. It doesn't interfere with visability and the autoglass guy said it won't have an effect on the structure etc. The only way to get rid of it would be to replace the whole windshield. It's just an annoyance rather than an safety issue. It's been about two months now and they haven't changed in size, they are about half the size of a pencil top eraser.

Thank you for your advice about the rust.

[marstec]

Are you in Ontario? I've heard that the salt is brutal on the cars there. With that in mind, I would most likely bite the bullet and get the car fixed. Even if you change your mind and want to sell it, any rust issue will severely devalue your car. We just replaced a 1995 Honda Civic that we bought new in '94 with a 2011 Civic that was purchased last Spring for our daughter's use. I drove this car for at least 13 years! These cars are very reliable and you will get many years out of it, but if the rust starts on it, the integrity of the body is compromised. My husband does a lot of the car repairs himself; I actually dread having to take it in for work because I never know whether I'm getting a good deal or not (so I understand your dilemma).

[matrix82]

Well, we are going to get it fixed at the shop, that way I know it will be fixed right. I've talked to a couple of people, including a mechanic aquaintence, and the consensus is that guy who owns the shop does an excellent job and it's fair price for the job.

It will make for a bit of a tough month, but it does need to be fixed. My husband looked at it closely today and he agreed that we should get it fixed, as we want to keep the vehicle for as long as we can. Ugg, cars are such an expense, if only my employment didn't require so much travelling.

I should get my travel reimbursement soon, which will cover this repair, I guess that is what mileage is for, gas, wear and tear, right.

@Marstec, I am in Eastern Canada, where salt is a normal part of winter, and the rest of the year is salt spray from the sea. It is encouraging to hear about cars like yours that last for 13 years. It's part of the reason why we bought the civic at the time, as I know they are pretty good cars with a good reputation when it comes to long lasting cars.

[sweet sparrow]

Car maintenance is one of those horrible necessities. Someone stole the emblem off of our car and DH paid $65 for another plastic shiny emblem. It drove me nuts that it seemed so frivolous, especially as it could get stolen again, but, he argued that it was still a newer vehicle and he wanted it to look nice. We don't have an expensive car by any means. It's a little Toyota. The thought of some kid wearing the logo around his neck made me laugh, but it annoyed me that someone scratched up our car just to wedge it out.

$250 doesn't sound that bad at all to fix the hood. I would have said wait until the car payments are done to fix the hood and there shouldn't be as much danger of snow now, but if you live in a very salty area, it may be best to get it done now. You can't avoid the salt spray and sometimes expenses come up that just can't be helped.

[MortgageQueen]

That price is TOTALLY worth it. Rust is insidious and darn ugly. I would consider rustproofing under the car too. My parents always did their cars and NEVER had rust problems. My Mom still drives her old Oldsmobile (they don't even MAKE them anymore! lol ) and barely a speck of rust.

[MortgageQueen]

I believe you can also get a clear film that you can put on your hood that protects it from chips in paint.

[Minou]

I wouldn't bother. By having part of the car repainted, you expose the metal and end up with even more rust. I have an 11-year-old Honda (Acura). My SIL has a 10-year-old Honda. She's been in a few fender-benders, and has had to have parts of the car repainted after work was done. I've had one door ding and one very small stone chip that are showing slight rust, but the rust hasn't spread beyond the small chip. My brother the mechanic says his wife's car is rusting right out and he wants to buy her my car to replace it!

Unless things are really damaged, don't bother.

[matrix82]

I ended up getting it fixed, and all I can say is wow. The guy did an excellent job, it matches perfectly, and the hood looks so much better than it did even before the rust started.

It also helps that he washed the car so she is gleaming. I am very satisfied with the work

[newb]

I ended up getting it fixed, and all I can say is wow. The guy did an excellent job, it matches perfectly, and the hood looks so much better than it did even before the rust started.

It also helps that he washed the car so she is gleaming. I am very satisfied with the work

Excellent then...tho I try to keep my cars looking as good as I can...after when they b/c beaters I would do my fix...I didn`t realize your circumstance.