Excessive Corrosion?

[spencerb]

I looked at buying a used VUE at my retailer today. It's an 06 RL with 33K miles.

One thing I noticed was a lot of corrosion. The door latches in the door jams had rust, the finish on the engine cover was flaking off, the brake calipers were solid orange rust, and just about anything that could be exposed to the elements had signs of corrosion. I know it wasn't in a flood (the inside was fine and nothing in the carfax or Saturn's history had any mention of it).

This VUE came from the New York area. Being in the south, corrosion is not an issue. Do you think that what I'm seeing is normal for a car from the north? Should I be concerned? What could have caused it?

[djhhjd]

Road salt. Being from MI and now IN it seems like when we get even a dusting of snow the plow trucks are out salting It is terrible on a vehicle. The one that your looking at seems to be a bit much though, is it a private seller or a dealer? Maybe you could find out who the previous owner was and get the skinny on it. JM2$

[VTchemist]

Corrosion is a big problem. For all the rust you can see, there is a lot of corrosion going on in the "innards" of the body. You really can't see what's happening behind the fenders (on the space frame) and in other key areas.

If the salt expose has been that severe, I'd pass on the VUE. The corrosion is not going to stop, even if VUE is driven in areas that don't use road salt.

There is simply no way of stopping all the corrosion.

IMHO, I'd pass on this VUE.

[spencerb]

I passed on it. In fact, I found another VUE on the internet that I'm about to pull the trigger on. It's a lot cheaper, and it is in much better shape. It's a local one owner trade-in from an older couple who got a new Lincoln.

I'm glad I didn't make the mistake of buying the rusty VUE. It was really bad.

[chillin05VUE]

Originally Posted by spencerb

I passed on it. In fact, I found another VUE on the internet that I'm about to pull the trigger on. It's a lot cheaper, and it is in much better shape. It's a local one owner trade-in from an older couple who got a new Lincoln.

I'm glad I didn't make the mistake of buying the rusty VUE. It was really bad.

Smart move. Just because Carfax didn't mention it, doesn't mean that it wasn't in a flood. Someone could have cleaned it up and not reported it. I wrecked my Cutlass back in '01 and had it repaired ( close to $4000) . Did a Carfax on it la year later and the accident nor repair work was ever mentioned.

[far2grumpy]

Originally Posted by chillin05VUE

Smart move. Just because Carfax didn't mention it, doesn't mean that it wasn't in a flood. Someone could have cleaned it up and not reported it. I wrecked my Cutlass back in '01 and had it repaired ( close to $4000) . Did a Carfax on it la year later and the accident nor repair work was ever mentioned.

chillin05VUE ... your Carfax comment is interesting ... in my state if cost of repair exceeds 50% percent of vehicle value the owner must check the appropriate block when signing over the title. The next owner is issued a non-standard title and the vehicle permanent record will reflect the damage.

If the damage is handled by insurance, they generally use the same criteria to determine if repair is feasible, and based on cost, may or may not update the record for the applicable VIN.

I suppose this is one reason you see some really neat vehicles with salvage titles ... even with no frame or serious structural damages, once you replace grill, fenders, lighting, hood and two air-bags the cost could be 7 to 10K and half of vehicle book value is eclipsed in a hurry.

[chillin05VUE]

Originally Posted by far2grumpy

chillin05VUE ... your Carfax comment is interesting ... in my state if cost of repair exceeds 50% percent of vehicle value the owner must check the appropriate block when signing over the title. The next owner is issued a non-standard title and the vehicle permanent record will reflect the damage.

If the damage is handled by insurance, they generally use the same criteria to determine if repair is feasible, and based on cost, may or may not update the record for the applicable VIN.

I suppose this is one reason you see some really neat vehicles with salvage titles ... even with no frame or serious structural damages, once you replace grill, fenders, lighting, hood and two air-bags the cost could be 7 to 10K and half of vehicle book value is eclipsed in a hurry.

I checked Carfax and it mentioened nothing about the accident. They replaced my hood, rad support, headlights, and left fender (I hit a Subaru from behind) and repainted the entire front half. Airbags didn't go off thankfully. Had they, the car may have been totaled.

I bought an '87 Cavalier from a wrecking yard back in '94. All it needed was a tranny and clutch. The mileage was low but it did have some minor body damage, nothing serious. In fact, I fixed most of it in my front yard with Krylon paint and parts from the junk yard. After having it inspected by the State of California and passing, it had a savage title. I driven that car everywhere and traded it in at a car lot. I asked why I wasn't told about something about the car (can't remember what) and I was told because I didn't ask. After signing the papers, and getting ready to drive off in my new car, the sales manager asked me why I didn't tell them about the savage title. I told him he didn't ask.

So, I think it depends on the state that you live in. Here, they report EVERYTHING. I had a tranny service done and it was reported to Carfax