Do all older Saturns "RUST" under that plastic "THINGY" that sits under the door????

[Token]

I have noticed a rust problem on my 1994 SW2, that is in the same spot on both sides of the car.
It's rusting under that plastic thingy which is the trim that sits on top of the rocker panel. It's under the door when the doors are shut.

My other question is how do I fix this. I was going to just scrape it down with a wire brush and get all the loose flakes off. Then pop rivet a piece of steel on it and try to match it with some paint of the same color.

Does anyone else have this problem?

What can I do to prevent this from happening after I fix it?

What did you do to fix it?

[M.Nguyen]

you really can't do anything about it...and it'll only get worse.

The door sill plate is notorious for rust in snow felt areas.

[Token]

"DOOR SILL PLATE"

Aha, I knew it was called something.
Well, That just freeking sucks. I'm going to get started on this project today.
Hopefully, I can fix it.

I had a similar problem on a 1992 Cavalier. I rebuilt the rocker panels on both sides, using 16 - 18 guage steel (I forget). Supplies didn't cost that much. A 4X3 piece of stainless steel cost about $20.00. Alot cheaper than your local hardware store, mostly because I went to a supplier. I bent the steel by borrowing my buddies aluminum siding bender. Then I put a pop rivet in just about every inch around the perimeter of the new rocker panel. Afterwards I went with some bondo, and put it where the rivets were placed, sanded it smooth, primed it-(one-coat), Painted it-(3-coats), Clear coat-(3-coats). I thought it would very difficult to match and blend the paint, so I ended up painting them black.
I'm not a expert when it comes to body work. Plus I never attempted anything like this before. But I bought that car with 71000 on it off the state of Ohio for $1100 dollars. I put 35000 miles on it and only put about $400 into it. Most of it went into making the car look nice. But, I ended up selling it for $1700.
I knew I wouldn't get what wanted for it if I didn't fix the rocker panels. So for about $75 and 8 hours of labor which stretched in 2 weekends, I did it. I gave myself a that-a-boy.

I'm still in search of anybody who has encountered this problem and how did they solve it for their Saturn on the "Door Sill Plate".

[dcp]

All you can do is slow rust down.sounds like you are going about it the right way.GOOD LUCK!

[lilcraigford]

Find a body shop that'll do it. My Dad had his passenger side replaced, and I know I need to have both of my rocker panels replaced. Unfortunatly it is kind of expensive, it's like $300 per side where we take them. The work is premium though, they do a beautiful job and it usually looks factory fresh... IMO have it done right.

[cazzylee]

I had those replaced for about 150$ per side, but the rust wasn't TOO bad so I got off easy.

In short, yes they all rust there.

[peppermrj]

Is the door sill plate the same thing as the inner rocker panel? The inner rocker is available from saturn for under $50.00.

[93 saturn sl2]

my car is rusted on both of the back sides too. Me and my grandpa are going to grind the rusted are and replace it with some aluminum.

[eRic 02sc2]

is this something that only happens on the sedans and wagons? since they have four doors with the b-pillar in the middle.

[UH2L]

It might be the seals. A crystal type material leaches through and abraids metal leading to rust where the seal rubs. Check with your retailer for a service bulletin. It might be a different issue though.

[turbobuick33]

Mine also has rust, I used some POR 15 to cover up the rust.

[jimpennjr]

My door sill plates on both sides at the rear doors both were rusted and flaking like crazy. I wire brushed the area and then bondo'd it then primed and painted the area black. It did the job for now.

[Applefool]

Mine were both really bad. I spent about a day just grinding rust away. Once it was all pretty much clean (leaving a fairly large hole) I sprayed over it with some rust converter and then primer and several coats of paint. It seems to have subsided for the most part, though I expect I may need to have them cut out and replaced if I intend to keep this car.

[peppermrj]

Originally Posted by Applefool

Mine were both really bad. I spent about a day just grinding rust away. Once it was all pretty much clean (leaving a fairly large hole) I sprayed over it with some rust converter and then primer and several coats of paint. It seems to have subsided for the most part, though I expect I may need to have them cut out and replaced if I intend to keep this car.

Apple,
Somewhat off topic but what brand rust converter and your opinion of its effectiveness?

[twosaturns]

don't our cars have a 10 year rust through warranty?

[Leadsled Coupe]

Originally Posted by turbobuick33

Mine also has rust, I used some POR 15 to cover up the rust.

Mine has rust there too. POR15 on the way!

[Applefool]

Originally Posted by peppermrj

Apple,
Somewhat off topic but what brand rust converter and your opinion of its effectiveness?

Not sure what it was called but the slogan was "convert rust to black primer". If sprayed onto a non rusted surface it goes on and looks clear. If sprayed onto rust it does in fact turn it to black.

[S3aturnR]

mine are rusted, too...


s3aturnr

[billb300]

My 2001 spent it's first 2(?) years in West Virginia and has been living in South Carolina since but im starting to notice some rust right where the seals for the suicide door touch the door sill plate....been meaning to fix that b/c it bothers me.

[M.Nguyen]

I've never owned a car that's had any rust on it...

Hahahaha...I love California.