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33 Posts
BTW, I didn't see any damage further under the car.. Just there on the sides. Wonder if it could happen while turning out and cutting over curb or something.
New to me 12 Eco
Picked up an Eco with a stick today and 85k miles. I didn't look underneath for some reason (idiot) the car and later noticed that the side skirts or whatever on both sides are slightly dented and paint peeling. One side is a little in front of back door and other is under back door somewhere..
Anything to be worried about? Did the person possibly curb the car somehow towards the center of it? Car drives fine and picked it up for under 8k. Think I should have it painted down there at the very least.
Anything to be worried about? Did the person possibly curb the car somehow towards the center of it? Car drives fine and picked it up for under 8k. Think I should have it painted down there at the very least.
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552 Posts
Where do you live? It may be more prone to rusting. There's an outer layer which is part of the quarter side. It's pretty thin and not structural. One of my '12 Eco's has a dented driver's rocker panel. I touched it up with a brush to prevent rust. The damage is so low on a low car, so it's not noticeable.
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33 Posts
I'm in Iowa.. After reading more, it sounds like it's the rocker panel.. I'm just hoping it's not structural, but everything I have read said it is.. It feels very hollow when I knock there and it's bent in just a bit.. Just doesn't seem like something with a lot of structural integrity..
I'd prefer to get it fixed and painted. Not sure I would have bought the car if I had seen it. Poop.
I'd prefer to get it fixed and painted. Not sure I would have bought the car if I had seen it. Poop.
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8,257 Posts
That's Nice that ya got a deal on an Eco Manual .. that seems to be the prefered cruzen of the many models ...
Good to read some from ya and you do not have to be a stranger ..
We all like to chat with each other here Daily ...................
Good to read some from ya and you do not have to be a stranger ..
We all like to chat with each other here Daily ...................
Rocker panels are a key structural component of unibody vehicles. Ran into situations where you could not even jack up a vehicle with poor rocker panels following the manuals instruction. Jack goes up, car doesn't, really a major problem with body lifts, the kind that go under the rocker panels with arms and a four point lift.
They can be replaced, parts are cheap, but the labor is extensive.
2011 Chevy Cruze Replacement Rocker Panels – CARiD.com
Around here with all this dang road salt, not only the rocker panels are shot, but so are the body parts they weld to. Unibodies were designed to crush on impact, theory being to absorb that energy slowly. But another way to look at it, the entire unibody is one very large throwaway part. Labor is so extensive, vehicles are considered totaled.
Considered replacing the rocker panels on my old 04 Cavalier, badly rusted out, have the tools and knowledge, but nothing left to weld them to. So another nice runner went to the wrecking yard. Been my history with unibody vehicles, whats yours?
This job could run you around 5,000 bucks.
They can be replaced, parts are cheap, but the labor is extensive.
2011 Chevy Cruze Replacement Rocker Panels – CARiD.com
Around here with all this dang road salt, not only the rocker panels are shot, but so are the body parts they weld to. Unibodies were designed to crush on impact, theory being to absorb that energy slowly. But another way to look at it, the entire unibody is one very large throwaway part. Labor is so extensive, vehicles are considered totaled.
Considered replacing the rocker panels on my old 04 Cavalier, badly rusted out, have the tools and knowledge, but nothing left to weld them to. So another nice runner went to the wrecking yard. Been my history with unibody vehicles, whats yours?
This job could run you around 5,000 bucks.
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33 Posts
That's unfortunate. Really bummed out. It was a private sale and I don't think there is anything I can do.
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33 Posts
I'm taking it in for an estimate today.. So, this should be just cosmetic, right? That's what I'm hoping for.
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