Rust repair - what should it cost?

[Va_Powerman]

I have a bit of rust under the rubber strip along the lower passenger side of the vehicle. The visible/exposed rust is about 2x3 inches or so.

I'm in the process of getting estimates; the first one came in just under $1,000.

Is this reasonable? Quoted at 12 hours labor, 5.5 hours paint. Included pulling the rubber strip and repairing the rust (grinding, neutralize, welding in repair panel, skim coat), pulling the exterior rubber off the door, pulling the door panel for removal of the mirror and door handle, and dropping the rear bumper.

[GeorgeK]

ABSOLUTELY no way of knowing before dismantling. If you're lucky it's a single blister. If not, half the car's side could be rotten. Take the moulding off yourself, take a thorough look.

[HawgRyder]

When I first saw my 69S...it looked very nice...paint was 75% but other than that...looked good.
Then...inspect the car after washing....little bubbles in the rear window area...front windshield....rockers...and more.
When I started removing the paint to see the damage...it had one layer of paint...and 2 layers of primer.
The bottom layer of primer was grey...with little rust spots all over!
It appears that the car was primed...and left out in the rain to rust...then just re-primed with red oxide...and painted.
If I had not taken the care down to bare metal...it would have disintegrated out from under me.
There were also several large patches of "bondo" in the sides...no reason...no damage...just there.
So...when you ask if any repair is reasonable....depends...might be...but I would brace myself for more work.
Do it right...do it once...enjoy the car for many years.
Bob

[tharbert]

It's extremely unlikely that little patch is all the corrosion they will find. If you can get out of that shop for under $1k, you, my friend, must go buy some lotto tickets immediately.

Both George and Bob are correct. It will certainly take disassembly to determine the extent of the corrosion and most likely you are seeing the tip of the iceberg.

[Trackrash]

Originally Posted by tharbert

It's extremely unlikely that little patch is all the corrosion they will find. If you can get out of that shop for under $1k, you, my friend, must go buy some lotto tickets immediately.

Both George and Bob are correct. It will certainly take disassembly to determine the extent of the corrosion and most likely you are seeing the tip of the iceberg.

+1

When I bought my car it had no visible rust on the rocker panels. A few months later, when I had the car jacked up I put my finger through the rocker panel. It was totally rusted away, only the under coating remained. Look at how the rain gutter channels water INSIDE the rocker panel. Good luck.

[wayner]

Check out this page of my thread. Specifically the picture mid way down of the drivers door post/ rocker panel area

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/626050-saving-73-crusher-7.html

[jittsl]

I would not take my car to a shop that quotes you a fixed price to repair your rust - he obviously has no idea what he is doing and I'm guessing has never done a Porshe.

Th correct answer is " if that really is all the rust then the price will be X, if however, as I suspect, the corrosion is much worse than what we are seeing on the surface, then I will not be able to tell you until we have stripped the panel."

Rust in old Porsches is like an iceberg.