I have a 2001 Honda Accord. I am the 2nd owner with 121,000 miles on it. I bought it from my dad for $1,000 3 years ago when I was 16. I love it! I live in San Diego, California and it rains periodically here. How do I stop the car from rusting and fix the existing rust? I have an inch of rust on the corner of the roof back driver side as well as a streak of rust on the passenger side above door. Any tips on how to fix it and keep it from getting worse? I don’t have a garage to park in so it’s not like it’s a simple answer for me.
At this point, live with it. If you're fussy then cover up with some paint every so often.
Save your money for your next car.
If it's just surface rust you can sand the loose rust off and use a product like POR-15, Zero Rust, or even Rustoleum to slow it down, then topcoat with matching paint. On the other hand if you are dealing with weakened, perforated metal the only real fix is to cut it out and weld in good metal. (Though I've done my share of quick-and-dirty pop rivet repairs in non-structural areas. Used to use old license plates to "fix" holes in the floor back in the day!)
