My Car Has Terminal Cancer

"Suuuubaru" (suuuubaru) 10/20/2014 at 19:24 • Filed to: Subaru, Outback

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I saw the signs early.

That little rust spot on the quarter panels. The tiny dent that exposed sheetmetal. The little places where paint bubbled near the wheel well.

I knew what they were.

But I couldn't bear to accept it.

So I hid in the lies I gave to my friends. "It's only surface rust, It's nothing to worry about for now," I told them. They believed me. I came to believe it myself. I accepted the lie: I had to. Winter was coming and I knew that things could get worse. Much worse. But I couldn't afford the treatment.

I had to weather the storm.

But it was worse than I could have imagined. Worse than anybody could have imagined. The icy chill of a polar vortex cast a long shadow upon the eternal gloom of this backwater city. As the mercury dropped, the Subaru soldiered on. Coughing to life in the frosty bite of arctic mornings, the heart of the Outback beat steadily without falter. But it's body was too old, too vulnerable, for this job.

Visibly, I watched in horror as the oxide slowly consumed the quarter panel. I wanted it to stop. I wanted the salt and the rain and the snow and the potholes to go away. That was all I wanted for an automobile that has stood beside my family for 11 years. But I couldn't leave the area. And neither would the winter. It seemed the subzero temperatures never would rise, as winter continued to knock on the front door of spring.

Eventually, Spring trimphed, with winter uttering its last desperate sigh in April. Finally, like like a hurricane survivor wandering a leveled neighborhood, I could assess the damage. Although I knew that the rust had grown, and that it would grow again, I still hoped it hadn't hit any vital components.

I was wrong.

First the two rear MacPhersons went, succumbing to the potholes of early Spring. Then a front strut. I made believe these were isolated incidents: that Old Man Winter had only graced the shocks with his frigid kiss of death.

But as I changed the oil one day, I began to take a closer look at my control arm. With alarm, I slowly realized that the cancer had metastasized. Once hiding behind the false facade of "surface rust" one arm was already lost.

As summer moved on, the cancer appeared in new places. It was under the headlights, in the doorjambs, and on the rear hatch. I began to realize that the quarter panel rust was the tip of an iceberg. There was more to the cancer than my eyes could ever observe from the outside.

So with winter on the way again, I understood I needed to take action. It might already have been to late, but I knew that waiting around would guarantee such a diagnosis. So with flathead scredriver in hand, I decided to chip out the loose paint and unearth the bubble rust. It was time for the extent of the damage to be known.

I went for the most hopeful corner first and found what I was looking for. There was metal. Underneath the chipped paint, the sheetmetal remained. Although the plastic bumper hid a tragic loss, the quarter panel remained intcact. Lucklily, the cancer had not yet fully attacked.

I continued to pursue another patch of bubble rust in the same manner, and unsurprisingly, the paint chipped away to reveal nothing more than light surface rust.

With spirits high, I continued on to the worst area of the car.

I cried for about ten minutes. The diagnosis was fatal.

Then I pulled the bumper off and cried some more

There was no choice. I had to operate to save this faithful machine before the disease grew. The car may never look the same again. It may no longer be the same attractive shiny wagon-ish thing that came home from the dealership 11 years ago. But looks are only skin deep. Beneath a weather torn body sits a ticking head-gasket time bomb heart of gold.

But seriously. That 2.5 has never broken down in 11 freaking years. You have to give it some credit.

Also, please note that this is purposely written rather dramatically. There are Dodge pickups around here that are more rust than metal. However, my point is that I'd hate to lose such a reliable car because of rust, so I'm trying to stem the problem with some redneck ingenuity before the repair bills get any higher.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:29

4

The feels...

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:29

1

Good luck saving your subie.

T5Killer > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:33

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WOW 11 year old car with rust? that is Classic car problems here in NM.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > T5Killer 10/20/2014 at 19:36

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Cars rust in New Mexico?

Suuuubaru > T5Killer 10/20/2014 at 19:38

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Lolz. Welcome to the Northeast, where nobody's seen one of these since the year 2000

Sweet Trav > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:38

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I keep my spirits up by referring to them as speed holes.

Dusty Ventures > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:40

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I know that feel. My Outback now has two rusty holes where the rear grab bar used to be.

Zach Campbell > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:40

2

Wow. Halfway through I almost forgot we were talking about a car and the sniffles nearly began.

Best of luck on saving your faithful Subie!

Boxer_4 > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 19:41

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Maybe I should start thinking about repairing the various stone chips on the Forester that have begun to rust...

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Sweet Trav 10/20/2014 at 19:45

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They make the car go faster.

Suuuubaru > Dusty Ventures 10/20/2014 at 19:50

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Ahhhh yes, I had that start too, so I pulled out the bar and totally resealed that whole area with things I bought at Lowes . While I was at it, I also sanded and refinished the bar with rustoleum so that it wouldn't leave those rust stains people always seem to get.

Dusty Ventures > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 20:00

1

Mine has so many other issues I don't want to put the time and money into fixing anything because I know the car is on it's way out* (not financially worth fixing all the problems). I'm nursing it along until the inspection sticker runs out at New Year's, then I'm either selling it, junking it, or parking it and parting it out. I want another so parting it hast the appeal of being able to put the current car's new good stuff** on the replacement.

*List of problems: Cat is junk, wheel bearing is going, CV boot is torn (whole axle needs to be replaced), right rear caliper is seized, left front caliper bleeder valve is snapped off, engine is leaking oil (head gasket?), car has a shimmy in the steering wheel (easily controlled but very noticeable) from about 58-68 mph, rust holes in the rear hatch from the handle, rust bubbles at the rear wheel wells, belt squeals for first 5-10 minutes the engine is running,

**Replaced in the last year: Struts, tires, radiator, oil pan, power steering pump. Also it has a bitchin' aluminum skidplate.

Autofixation > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 20:10

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Can I have the wheels for my Impreza? Also, the phase 2 SOHC 2.5 is a great engine.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 20:20

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Ah, that good old Blue and White NY plate. I miss that plate. But I know too well the hardships of that long, arduous Upstate winter. Pot holes, salt, too much lake effect, frigid winds. Hmmm, it's coming so quickly now. It's only mere weeks before that long, tiring winter comes upon us once more. Nights around freezing and days peaking at mid 40's. I do wish you luck with her though, I know how amazing the Subarus are for here. We have a 2012 Impreza with 53,000 on the clock with little rust yet but give her a few years and she'll look like every Subaru in the state.

Suuuubaru > Autofixation 10/20/2014 at 20:23

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Honestly, if you want those wheels, a pull apart junkyard is not a bad place to start looking. Also I love my 2.5, but the 4EAT automatic is just urgrgugjhgjsfglj

Suuuubaru > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback 10/20/2014 at 20:36

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I agree, love those old plates. I'm pretty sure those are actually the orignal plates from 2003. Still on the car, but in pretty rough shape.

Also, not looking forward to winter. But I am looking forward to burning calories playing pond hockey so that I can eat copious amounts of warm Italian food.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 20:39

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Yeah, hockey is always good. Do your plates start with the letter E? Lots of the EXX-#### plates are peeling. We got gold plates when we got our Ford 500 about 3 years ago.

RallyWrench > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 20:51

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I have a rust free one in the same color I'll sell you. All it needs is, um, head gaskets, a clutch, all the struts, and brakes. For you buddy, we make good price, yes?

I don't actually want to sell it, it's a great car. Good luck resurrecting yours!

Captain_Spadaro > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 21:00

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I know this feeling. Th lower rad core support on my car has rotted away, but I won't have the money to pay for the repair until December (and the left rocker panel has rust that needs to be addressed as well).

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 21:01

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That was brilliant writing. 10/10 would grace my eyeballs with again.

Autofixation > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 21:09

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Yup, the pick n' pull near me is one of my favorite places on Earth, going to get a mint shifter assembly and driveshaft with a good carrier bearing this weekend for my 2000 Impreza OBS. Still trying to track down a good rear subframe, though. Also, I work in the parts department at a Subaru dealership and I priced out a few transfer clutch jobs for the 4EAT and they end up being a good portion of the car's blue book.

Suuuubaru > RallyWrench 10/20/2014 at 21:14

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This reminds me of a friend that bought a complete basket case of a truck "because it was rust free." The thing was stolen and stripped in Tenessee, totalled twice, and currently has 237,000 miles.

Suuuubaru > T5Killer 10/20/2014 at 21:16

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case and point

Tohru > Suuuubaru 10/20/2014 at 22:55

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It's cause of that new liquid de-icing shit they spray on the roads. They use either liquid Calcium Chloride or Magnesium Chloride, and that stuff just sits there and eats away at the metal. Every time it gets wet, it reactivates. Unless you do a full car wash with the underbody spray, you can't get it off. My dad works at a body shop and they're seeing 2008 and 2009 cars that are worse than your Subaru was.

Of course, they make a neutralizing chemical they can spray on the roads just like the de-icer, and it's pretty cheap. Not that any city or county government is going to do that.

Pictured: Terminal cancer (aka: this kills the car.)

T5Killer > Suuuubaru 10/21/2014 at 10:32

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My god that is crazy. I would assume due to salt on the roads in the winter?