I just noticed today that there is a long crack in the passenger rear wheel well. What would cause this? Is this normal for our cars? This crack worries me because I think water could get in there and start rusting out the metal. What is the best way to repair this?

 

lmao. You're fine and so is your car. Take a deep breath and say theres nothing wrong. That is just the seam between your quarter and inner sheet metal. The factory puts a substance called seam sealer to prevent rusting between sheet metal where it is welded. It's nothing major. Just remove the chipping and flaking stuff and replace with a good rust protector.

 

I'm looking forward to hearing a response to this question too since I have a similar problem. I don't have a long "crack" in the wheel well like you do, (although for some reason I think what you have there isn't really a crack at all. Looks more like a seam to me but what do I know) but I do have a gaping hole 1.5-2" in diameter

I'm going to be dropping off the car to a guy I know who does body work so he can look at it and tell me what he'd suggest. I'm assuming that patching up cracks/rusted areas in the wheel wells, is similar to patching up floor pans. Just a matter of cutting out the rusted areas and welding in some new sheet meatl in their place. Not terribly difficult. (Atleast, I HOPE it's not )

 

*breathe in* *breathe out* *breathe in* *breathe out*
OK, I think im better now.

So just sand away or scratch away any material near the crack and then repaint it with rust protector? What rust protector do you recommend?

 

Yea i have a hole not a small one a huge one what can i do? dont they sell like plastic wheel wells or something?

 

Wire Wheel brush on a drill worked for me. I actually redid my entire wheel well with a truck bed liner. It's not the hard gritty type but more of a rubberized. Covered the rust and sheetmetal and will keep those stones from chipping it away again.
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I actually have a tear in my wheel well right on that seam. Someone before me got hit and an incompetent repair was made. They just welded up the tear or crack and called it good. No coating, no paint, no nothing. Just asking to rust through but I took care of that. I'd recommend putting a good underbody coating so it won't rust through. Underneath that seam sealer it's just bare sheetmetal. Not a tough fix at all.

 

To answer LT1's question that is basically all you can do and about the only way to do it without cutting out a whole brand new panel and patching it in or replacing the entire panel. I'm highly in doubt they make a plastic wheel well liner except for the front tires. Check further behind the hole to make sure no more damage has been done. Do this by taking some of the hatch plastic out to examine the sheetmetal in the car to make sure it hasn't affected anything that can't be seen from the outside. I'm sure if you take it to someone knowledgeable on rust repair he'll do this but never hurts to remind him you want your car around a long time.