Rear arch rusting

"Echo51" (echo2047) 05/04/2015 at 03:19 • Filed to: None

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I see this mentioned in most for sale ads on cheaper cars, and they all seem to peg it on “it’s normal for all X models”. Is it just a general rear arch thing to start rusting the second they’re gone off the factory floor? Is there a car model which is rarely plauged by rear arch rusting?

GhostZ > Echo51 05/04/2015 at 03:33

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Salt and dirt kicked up by the rear tires during takeoff will wear down the paint and any coating, exposing the metal to salt and rainwater that causes rapid rusting. Not sure why it happens to FWD cars too though.

That, and since I don’t think a lot of cars have safety requirements necessitating a very strong rear quarter panel, they tend to rust through easily.

Echo51 > GhostZ 05/04/2015 at 03:41

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Being from EU i can attest that all FWD’s suffer from it too. The rear quarter panels are actually more load bearing the the front “wings” which is just a thin shell, but those are normally protected by the inner plastic arch, which the rears are as you said, just whatever body coating that happend to exist. Kickup sucks tho, my rocker panels are back to silver now due to rubbing the paint off :(

pip bip - choose Corrour > Echo51 05/04/2015 at 06:20

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never had a rust problem ever.

LongbowMkII > Echo51 05/04/2015 at 07:02

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I know on A LOT of 80/90s honda/acuras the first spot of rust is usually on the corner of the rear fender/bumper/wheel well or the top of the rear arch. Im guessing that the paint just wasnt quite as thick in those areas.

jariten1781 > Echo51 05/04/2015 at 08:05

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I always assumed it was due to the static position of the real wheels. Since they stay in-plane the gunk always gets kicked up in the same spot where the fronts turning provides a modicum of scrubbing action throwing up the gunk at different angles. That's not to say front arch rusting isn't a thing...it is, just a bit delayed from the rears.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > GhostZ 05/04/2015 at 08:18

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The rear wheels still spin, so FWD vs RWD is irrelevant in this case. I have noticed that cars are more likely to have a plastic lining in the front arch than the rear arch, possibly since the fronts turn, but that could be a coincidence.