My 2008 Fit is beginning to really show the effects of many years spent in the snow belt of upstate NY. The body has been penetrated below the gas filler door and things look scary inside the door as well but I really need to remover the door to get at the bubbled up paint/rust. There's one obvious Phillips screw that's easily accessible but there must be other less obvious fasteners that hold the door hinge.

Do any of you more experienced folks know how this comes out and while we're at it how would you attack the rust once I've got it out?

Thanks for any informed replies.

Hugh

Rust in need of urgent remediation

 

 

 

 

Wow, it really appears to be as simple as could be. I didn't realize that the door and hinge were only attached to the door adapter with the whole shooting match held together by a single screw.

Thanks so much for posting this Breezer!

Hugh

 

You are welcome Hugh.

 

This answear is nonsense....You need to remove the inside access panel...if you attempt to remove that plastic thing like pics show you will destroy..break hinge mechanism...you may aswell buy whole new assembly if you attempt to remove like pics show as you will destroy it.

 

Is there a video anywhere for removing the door to access rust behind?

 

It's a little-known secret that automobile service manuals are written by invisible clowns who love nothing better than watching unsuspecting noobs destroy their cars during failed attempts at DIY repairs. In fact, when you buy a Fit service manual an invisible Honda clown is immediately dispatched to your home so that they don't miss a second of your upcoming tears and misery.

I'm not sure what you mean by removing the inside access panel. Are you talking about the large plastic panels that line the inside of the rear of the car? I can assure you that when you remove those you don't see the back side of the fuel filler as there are additional layers of metal.

 

Yes I agree, that with my very limited knowledge of car maintenance etc,removing the inside access panel does not make sense to me, as well!

 

Back to the second part of the original question of this post: "how would you attack the rust..."

There are many posts on FitFreak about rust. I think I have commented on at least a dozen of them. There are also hundreds or thousands of videos on Youtube if that's more your style.

A few brief and general points:
1) Rust can start from the outside of a panel, such as when a rock chip damages the paint and underlying primer on your hood. This is relatively easy to deal with if you catch it early.
A) Remove all loose paint from the damaged area as well as a bit of a buffer zone.
B) Remove all grease, oil, dirt, etc. from the bare metal and allow it to dry.
C) Repaint - start with a primer layer, then color-matched basecoat, then clearcoat. If you're working in a less visible area (e.g., underbody or behind fuel filler door), you might not be concerned with a perfect color match, in which case you could use basic Rustoleum primer and paint. Conversely, if you're working in a very visible area and you care about appearances you'll want to watch some videos about how to blend with the surrounding paint.

2) Rust can also start from the inside of a panel where moisture, dirt, and/or salt can get trapped. This is harder to recognize (early) and therefore harder to deal with because you often don't know anything is wrong until most or all of the thickness of the panel is compromised. You see this sort of rust in rocker panels, fender lips, or in the hole beneath the fuel filler in your picture. If a panel is compromised as in your picture, your choices are to:
A) Attempt to stop the rust as best you can, using either the methods above or liberal application of something like Fluid Film or PB Surface Protect. Note that you'll still have a hole in the side of your car but you might be able to keep it from getting (much) worse.
B) Cut away any compromised metal and fabricate a replacement metal patch, which you weld in, grind smooth, and paint as described above. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that if you're asking how to deal with rust this level of repair isn't in your DIY toolbox. Luckily, there are shops that do this kind of work every day. Unfortunately, it's not cheap. A few years ago I had a smaller area than in your picture (fender lip) repaired and repainted at a local body shop and it cost $1250.

Do you want to drop that sort of money into a 2008 Fit that probably has other underbody rust based on your location? What if I tell you that my $1250 repair lasted less than 18 months before the paint started bubbling up in the same spot, despite my best efforts to keep the underbody clean during the winter and application of PB Surface Protect to the entire underbody.

My advice:
1) Figure out why the panel rusted through in that location. You probably need to wash the undercarriage more frequently in the winter. Yes, that sucks.
2) Ask yourself what the car is worth and what condition is it in? If the entire underbody is getting rusty you have your answer. Spray everything with Fluid Film or PB Surface Protect and get a few more years out of the car.
3) If you want to go farther, remove the fuel filler and follow the steps at the top of this post to clean and DIY paint the areas with bubbled paint. For the hole, clean up and paint the rusty edges and then try to ignore the gaping wound in your soul. As above, spray the underbody and inner fenders with Fluid Film or PB Surface Protect.
4) If you're absolutely rolling in money visit a paint and body shop for a repair estimate. Be aware that the repair may or may not be a long-term fix, especially if you continue to drive in the same conditions without remedying whatever caused the rust you have now.