Had to choose between bondo or full panel replacement on a rusty fender

I picked bondo (like a fool) on a 1992 Civic in Denver last Tuesday and now I'm looking at a crack already. Has anyone else gambled on filler and regretted it immediately?

3 comments

3 Comments

graceprice17d agoOG Member

Yeah that whole "grind it to clean metal" thing is the part everybody skips. People think they can just rough up the rust and slap the bondo on top. But moisture creeps in from underneath and then you get that crack. Happens every time. You have to go way further back than you think. Like a good inch past where the rust looks like it stops. Otherwise you're just hiding the problem.

wright.kevin17d ago

Nah man you're looking at this all wrong. Bondo is fine for 90 percent of fender rust if you know what you're doing. The problem is people slap it on over rust and don't grind it back to clean metal first. I've got a 94 Accord in my driveway that I did the same thing to three years ago and it's still solid. You probably didn't etch the metal or skim coat it thin enough. A crack just needs a little sanding and a fresh layer, not a whole new fender. Full replacement is a huge pain for a 92 Civic that's probably worth like 800 bucks. You saved time and money by going bondo, just gotta do it right.

casey39317d ago

Three years is about the limit before the moisture finds its way in around the edges no matter how clean you grind it. Same logic as painting a fence quick and hoping the rain holds off.