The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Schwartz on August 29, 2014, 02:47:00 PM
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I have a 2007 Honda Accord EX-L that has recently begun to rust in a couple of places. Specifically, the metal divider between window panes on the rear passenger side has very bad rust and the same divider on the driver's side is beginning to show small bubbles. Also, there are 3 quarter-sized spots that are bubbling near where the hood meets the front bumper. As far as I can see, there are no other signs of rust on the vehicle. I took it in for an estimate and it would be almost $800 to make the repairs. From what I can gather from the estimate, that would break down to about $250 for the metal window pane dividers and the balance for the hood. The car has 117,000 miles and is in good mechanical condition. My questions are as follows:
- Does that estimate seem reasonable?
- If left alone, will this rust spread to other areas of the car?
- Should I fix the rust now?
- Does the answer to #3 change if I reveal that one year from now I will be changing jobs and possibly locations and may either go car-free or switch to a more fuel efficient model?
Hit me with your Mustachian auto body wisdom. Thanks!