Hi,
I have an '03 and I just noticed that I have rust at the bottom of the front doors where the sheet metal folds. I never noticed it because on the '03 there is a gasket attached to the bottom of the door panel that covered the seam. Has anyone fixed this and is there a good method that will work to stop the rust from getting worse?
Other than this the Expy is in great shape with no body rust or major problems so far (100k miles). Other minor problems so far:
- Blower motor resistor replaced due to no fan on position 1 of switch
- Repaired IWE vacuum line which had a hole worn in it (rubbed against tranny dip stick tube). The hubs would rattle when accelerating.
- Need to look into rear HVAC blend door since I can only get air from the roof mounted vents and it won't switch to the floor vents. Not much of an issue though.
Any suggestions to deal with the rust would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

That problem was supposed to have been resolved for 2002+ model years. Here is the TSB anyway for the earlier years.
04-18-11***BODY-CORROSION AT BOTTOM OF DOOR OR TAILGATE HEM FLANGE - REPAIR PROCEDURE

 

Thanks. Looks like it wasn't fixed in early 2003 models. I am going to take a closer look and see if it is actually rusted inside the seam or just at the edge. I guess I will look up the rust warranty.

 

rust warrenty requires sheet metal perforation

 

I had the same problem on a bunch of vehicles I had. I found some stuff called Bill Hirsch Miracle Paint. It completely takes over the rust and prevents it from coming back. I tried it on my other car, which was a very rusty Oldsmobile and it stopped the rust immediately. The rust never came back. It isn't that cheap but it still cost less than having the dealer fix it. The paint will work as long as there is the metal it is being applied to it still strong.


Here is the website I found the paint on:
-Hirsch Automotive Products

Here is the paint:
Miracle Paint Rust Killer