Hey guys, just wondering if this is rust,paint, or something i should just not worry about. Thanks:



And couple bolts under the hood and all that, on that little pully on the bottom and such:

Again, if its not a problem or just like some kinda paint or something then just let me know. That would be great, other than that everything else is fine, I just took pics of the worst of the worst areas. Thanks in advance

 

It's normal surface rust on non-plated steel parts.

 

ah so everybody has it?? reason Iv been so paranoid is cause this guy at honda put my car on a lift and said wow where was your previous owner? and I said Arizona. and he was like no, no it wasnt it had to be by the beach because of the rust. Its way worse than you could get from anywhere but from the beach . So well I was pretty worried.

 

totally normal. An 07 on the lot with no miles has that rust.

 

On the bright side you got an excellent picture of the ABS pulser and sensor in the middle shot.

EDIT: I'm in California, bought my car new. What you have pictured looks similiar to the condition mine is in also.

 

Rust on a bolt can be a PITA if they have to come out for some reason.
If he was reffering to body panels this could be bad.
Pull up your carpet on the inside and in your trunk. Check fender wells nooks and crannies . Mechanicals can be cleaned up and painted but unnecessary.

 

okay, no he was just referring to under the car as being rusty, but I figured it was normal as well. He just had me worried. Ill check out under the carpet and such but I think thats about the only rust to speak of is those pics I took. Thanks for the reassurance guys


oooh and thats how abs works! very cool, thanks for pointing that out

 

I live at the beach. I don't like rust either, even surface rust. .
I use Boeing T9 spray. It works.

I also carry a magnet in my pocket when looking for non rusting SS stuff.

fltsfshr

 

Rust is not always a bad thing. Nearly all metals oxidize to some extent. Even some lower grades of stainless will show signs of oxidation (the magnet test is only good for high grade stainless).

Exposed ferrous metals will form a surface rust that soon becomes a barrier and slows further rusting. Hence the unpainted drive train components (like in your pic) will not continue to rust significantly. Generally these parts are out-of-site and appearance doesn't really matter.

Prior to the blueing process for firearms a controlled rusting technique called "browning" was used to protect the barrel. Once the metal was browned, polished and lightly oiled it could withstand the rigors of hunting. However, touching the metal with dirty, sweaty hands was sure to cause further rusting.

Painting over rust is the worse thing you can do. It will hide the rust but allows moisture to be trapped and will indeed cause some extensive rusting. This is the main reason that fenders and other body panels tend to rust out. Moisture is trapped under the paint or sealant or in a cavity like inside a door.
Rust must first be removed, then the bare metal primed and painted. I prefer to use Ospho after sanding as a rust remover and primer.

Anyway, I guess my point is "If you can't stand to look at it, remove all of it and do a good paint job. Otherwise, it's not going to matter. Rust, on some things, is not all that bad."

 

Having lived in San Diego (on the beach) for a number of years, I will tell you that when cars rust, they rust at: Roof, hood, trunk, NOT underneath. This is due to condensation, at night, settling onto the horizontal surfaces & being heavily salted air, it's very corrosive.

More importantly for you: Your note suggests you don't know alot about cars or maintenance (little pulley thing..). My guess is that your Honda mechanic was doing a test on you to judge your knowledge base. You failed, BTW.

Next time you go in, I'd expect that he's going to try and sell you on additional maintenance, or repairs that will be TOTAL . My suggestion is to learn fast, or find a mechanic you can trust: This guy just failed my test!!

Good luck.