Scotty-
We have a 2002 Honda Accord SE with 97,000 miles auto transmission. Runs great, however the rear cross beam is really rusted and cracked. The quote to fix it is $2,470 which is fine but…according to Kelly Blue book the car is worth less than $5,000. What’s your thoughts? Worth fixing or not? Thanks so much!
Have you checked for other rust damage? Inner and outer rockers? Unibody frame rails? Fuel and brake lines? That rear crossmember is a warning.
We replaced the emergency break cable already. The mechanic didn’t mention anything else rusting enough to need replacement.
Before putting a $2500 rust repair into a 20-year-old car I'd get underneath and start banging away with a hammer to see if there are other significant rust problems.
Thanks!!! I’ll do that.
Also pay close attention to condition of brake and fuel lines to see if they are flaking rust. They can be expensive to replace and if a brake line bursts at the wrong time it could cause a serious accident.
DUMP
Seriously considering it
Where did you get the quote from?
A local car repair place. The part itself is $1,595, labor $750 and tax $126
Price around to see if you can find a better deal. How about the other parts of the car? I think you may have rust on other parts as well. Considering that the transmission on those cars are problematic, I would not spend that kind of money on it.
One place my husband took it wouldn’t even give him a quote since it’s such a big job lol!! Thanks for your input.😁
Rear cross beam rusted? Or the mounts (where the cross beam attaches) on the formed floor pan? In my experience (in the rust belt) , rear suspension parts in general will see a lot of surface corrosion and they can be replaced. Large body panels , floor pans, and sections are signs of other corrosion. While I've personally driven a lot of old rusty Hondas and got great service out of them - large sections of structural rust can be a concern - especially if they are at stressed points where multiple suspension parts attach. Total miles seems low so that would prompt me to get another quote or two and basically go for it - if it's removable parts.
Thanks!! I’ll check into a second opinion.