Hey Everyone,

I'm currently experincing an issue on my 2019 Honda fit sport that I would like your advice on. It's related to the side skirts that come on the car with the sport trim and damage caused by rust proofing. The problem I'm currently experiencing is that the side skirts are no longer attached to the car by the seal. I took the car to Honda and was told that because the car was rust proofed, the oil destroyed the seal holding the top of the side skirt to the car. The bottom of the skirt is attached by clips but the top is no longer flush with the car. Appartently Honda said the type of seal they use on the side skirt could be destroyed by rust proofing just like the door seals.

I'm in contact with the rust proofing company (Krown) but they have been dragging on the issue for months currently. You cannot order the seals separately so they do not want to pay to replace the whole side skirt. I will attach a picture in this thread for more context showing the issue. Any help on this will be really appreciated. Sorry for any spelling or grammer mistakes as English is not my first language.


Photo that shows the side skirt and the door seals that were affected by the rust proofing

 

I would carefully investigate the language the rustproofing business uses when advertising their services. Does it make any claims about "safe for all cars" or conversely does it note that potential issues such as the ones you've experienced may occur?

In briefly looking at the Krown website, I noted the following (emphasis mine).

1) "Our promise to you. We care more about people than the vehicles they drive. We radiate integrity in everything we do. Customer satisfaction is more important than profit. We are driven to help our customers save money, provide them with the best products, warranty and service in our industry..."

2) "The best warranty in the business. Krown has protected vehicles from rust since 1986 and we work hard to create the best customer experience we can. That means standing behind the best warranty in the business. Whether you have just purchased a new vehicle and want the best rust protection possible, or have been a Krown customer for years, Krown has got you covered with both our new and used vehicle warranty program."

2) "What is Krown? Krown is designed to slow down or inhibit corrosion on vehicles. It is a petroleum based product with rust inhibitors containing no solvents. In fact the Krown product is environmentally safe, contains no toxins, is non-flammable, is non-reactive, is non-corrosive, can be sprayed in any weather, remains active, and is not WHMIS controlled."

I don't see anything directly speaking towards your issues, but I also don't see any warnings saying that a product meant to be sprayed inside doors and rocker panels might be detrimental for the types of seals and two-sided tape common in these areas.

If you're not getting the response you're looking for from the location that did your application ask for the contact information of someone higher up the corporate ladder. Eventually you'll likely be talking to someone high enough that his/her time is worth far more than the cost of your new side skirts and that person will approve the repair.

I would, however, ask some serious questions about why your issue occurred and if it will occur again if you repair your car, either at your own cost or with help from Krown. There's no point in installing new skirts if they're going to come off again if you maintain the annual application schedule.

Good luck.

 

Hey Drew21,

Thanks a lot for the reply. It really means a lot.

In terms of what I've discussed with Krown, they told me that it's normal for the door seals to deteriote due to the product they use because of the rubber material they use. Often they have to replace door seals for customers because of this. That's why in the picture I posted, the door seal can also be seen in pretty rough shape. The issue with the sport trim is that the seal on the side skirt is using a rubber material just like the door seals which the krown product will deteriorate over time. Both the door seal and side skirt seal seem to show the same side effects because of the rust-proofing (Not attached to the car anymore and snake pattern going the lenght of the seal). This is what Honda has told me when they checked it out.

I'm speaking with someone from Krown head office currently for the issue, they are okay with replacing the door seals for me but they do not want to replace the side skirts. They told me since the only thing wrong with the side skirt is the seal, that's the only thing they would consider repairing. they first requested time to research on their own to find a solution other than buying new skirts. They first wanted to buy a used side skirt and reattach it to my car or find a mechanic to glue the original side skirt back on the car. They asked me to go to a few mechanics but all of them refused to do work on the car for that specific solution. Saying it would be expensive (300 plus each side) and not worth it/ not look good. So currently I call Krown and they tell me to give them more time to figure something out as replacing everything is to expensive. This has been going on for a few months now.

 

When I bought my 2018 I considered getting rustproofing but when I found out that the solutions they use could damage rubber parts like weatherstripping I dropped the idea. Sometimes it's better just to leave things alone.

 

Door seals, sometimes hood seals, maybe trunk seals in vehicles that I've Krowned have experienced this wrinkling.