Rust in GP1

firstgear · September 5, 2023

Guys, I’m in the process of buying a car here in Europe. I checked a Honda Jazz (GP1 in Lka). I find some rust in the engine compartment and underneath the body.

is it normal?

car mfg year is 2012

mileage is 90,000km.

iRage · September 6, 2023

Well..so far you seem to only have surface rust. But seems like it has quite a lot of it.

Yes..it is normal for surface rust to build up (especially on things like control arms, beams, etc....) and how fast it develops depends on factors like how well you take care of the car, where you drive/park, etc..). In modern cars the paint technology is good enough that regular washing will suffice to slow down the process.

In countries where they use salt to de-ice roads surface rust can form quite quickly so it is important that the undercarriage be washed regularly during the winter season (or even coated if one chooses to do so).

The rusted nuts and bolts and piping on the other hand is not very normal. Yes they oxidize with the excessive heat and stuff but looking at where the rust is in the engine bay (albeit...again surface rust), it does seem unusual.

It seems like the car was parked/sitting in a very humid environment and only used occasionally.

As for the undercarriage rust...surface rust but still not the best (although depending on where you are at this level of it might be quite normal). Again, it can be a combination of driven on salted roads and being parked in a humid/damp area/spot. As long as the undercarriage body is nice and clean (you still might get a few specs of surface rust here and there as paint gets chipped off) you can get some use out of that car. At the stage the arms are at right now you can either wire brush it and paint it and everything will be fine or just use it for some time and replace the part. Both options might actually cost you more than the car so it might be time to dispose of it. This is exactly why cars depreciate. Just make sure to hit it with a mallet to make sure that it is all surface rust. If there are pieces broken off or holes, walk away.

What would worry me is if the car is an occasional runner and is left parked in a damp area for extended periods of time how are the electronics ? especially with the hybrid system ?

firstgear · September 6, 2023

On 9/6/2023 at 12:19 AM, iRage said:

Well..so far you seem to only have surface rust. But seems like it has quite a lot of it.

Yes..it is normal for surface rust to build up (especially on things like control arms, beams, etc....) and how fast it develops depends on factors like how well you take care of the car, where you drive/park, etc..). In modern cars the paint technology is good enough that regular washing will suffice to slow down the process.

In countries where they use salt to de-ice roads surface rust can form quite quickly so it is important that the undercarriage be washed regularly during the winter season (or even coated if one chooses to do so).

The rusted nuts and bolts and piping on the other hand is not very normal. Yes they oxidize with the excessive heat and stuff but looking at where the rust is in the engine bay (albeit...again surface rust), it does seem unusual.

It seems like the car was parked/sitting in a very humid environment and only used occasionally.

As for the undercarriage rust...surface rust but still not the best (although depending on where you are at this level of it might be quite normal). Again, it can be a combination of driven on salted roads and being parked in a humid/damp area/spot. As long as the undercarriage body is nice and clean (you still might get a few specs of surface rust here and there as paint gets chipped off) you can get some use out of that car. At the stage the arms are at right now you can either wire brush it and paint it and everything will be fine or just use it for some time and replace the part. Both options might actually cost you more than the car so it might be time to dispose of it. This is exactly why cars depreciate. Just make sure to hit it with a mallet to make sure that it is all surface rust. If there are pieces broken off or holes, walk away.

What would worry me is if the car is an occasional runner and is left parked in a damp area for extended periods of time how are the electronics ? especially with the hybrid system ?

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Thanks for the reply mate. I think I should pass this car. The hybrid systems work ok. I didn’t feel any lack of power and the economy was showing 4.8l/100km.