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Rear o/s wheel arch repair/replacement

T

tunstall

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Messages
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Location
Staffordshire
Car
Honda Accord Tourer
Hi all - some months ago I enquired about removing the plastic inner wheel arch insert (off-side) on my 2005 Accord Tourer to allow me to make repairs to the rusting wheel arch. It proved to be tricky and messy and after a struggle I decided to abandon it. Instead I made a diy repair - removing as much rust as I could and filling with fibreglass and spraying with Tetrosyl stone chip and the correct colour spray paint. That was a temporary bodge and now I want to make an improved effort and give the repair to a professional. A local garage I've used on several occasions has advised to cut out the rusting arch strip and to put in a replacement panel. A quick search on the internet shows that a replacement panel is available on ebay, but the seller is not in the UK and I'm understandably cautious.
I've owned the Accord for 6 years now and I've looked after it and despite its age I enjoy driving it and would like to keep it on the road.
Does any one know of a UK based supplier? Or would it be simpler to have the garage cut out the rusting area and insert fresh metal?
Any advice is welcome.
 
don't get the ones from easyparts, they are rough as hell. Klokkerholm rarely has manufacturing defects but they do use slightly worn out panel presses
 
Thanks for the replies and the advice. I'll let you know how it goes after I've been to a garage that's been recommended to me.
 
At last an update on my August enquiry. I decided to wait until after the Accord's MOT in late October and to see what that threw up. I was chuffed to bits when it sailed through the MOT - no advisories, although I had replaced the two front tyres beforehand as these were close to the wear limit. Not bad for a 17 year old car.
Anyways, the Klokkerholm panel is still not in stock and it looks as if it will be a long wait. I've enquired with a local welder and he can replace the rusty sill, but I'm now concerned about the effect of the welding heat on the plastic wheel arch cover. Having already tried to remove the cover back in the summer, I know where all the screws etc are sited in the cover but the lack of space seems to prevent the cover being removed. Can it actually be removed? Or at least enough to stop any damage when the a new sill is welded in?
The other alternative is a fibreglass repair which I've been told will be good enough for two years. Given that will take the car up to 19 years old I'm tempted to go for this option and to leave it until the spring. By then, hopefully, I will have loosened the wheel arch cover again and cleaned up the inside of the sill, removing any crud and road debris and giving it a generous application of waxoyl. That's my plan at the moment. I like the car and it's proved to be a brilliant load carrier.
I recently came across a Tourer scrapper and both rear sills were badly rusted - so it's a weakness no doubt caused by the accumulation of dirt etc. behind the wheel arch cover.

I would welcome any comments/advice etc.
 
undo all screws front/back and push clips underneath, then on the bottom of your front fender there is a plastic clip that locks your sill cover to the fender. pry the tabs together on the inside of the fender and lever the sill cover slightly out so that the clip clears the fender. there is a similar clip at the top of the sill cover on the rear fender but iirc it has a sliding track. after that the whole sill cover just slides backwards(or maybe forwards, it's been a while)

clip looks like this, you can't miss it
2ISf0Rl.jpg


as for the fender, a retailer has it on ebay
 
Just got my 56 plate estate back from the garage after having the same issues sorted that Tunstall is experiencing , ditto to everything he says about his car , I love mine even though it is 174k miles young . The work cost me 625 , that included both rear arches repaired , back bumper and hatch painted , sills and front bumper painted , few bob but cheaper than a new car
 
OK - latest on the now very rusty o/s rear wheel arch rim. I've booked the Tourer in with a local garage to have the rusty metal sill cut out and replaced with fresh metal. My main concern now is damage to the plastic wheel arch insert (inner) caused by heat from the welding. Yesterday I jacked the car up, removed the wheel, mud flap and all the fixings that secure the plastic insert. Then I hoped that this would at least allow some movement - but no. There was occasional rain yesterday so I decided to put the insert back and try again on another day when the sun appears!
Can the plastic wheel arch insert be removed at all, or at least be manoeuvred to allow something to be inserted as protection when welding?
I've become like a dog with a bone over this rusty wheel arch as the rest of the Tourer body is in very good condition considering its age - 19 in August, and with 120,000 miles it's surely got life to come.
 
On Sunday (April 21) I managed to remove the plastic insert plus all the fixings, along with a 3 inch section of the very rusty rim edge. It was a bit of a wrangle but I got it out. So it can be done.
After a look under the cover the plastic insert was put back in - another wrangle - and with new fixings to secure it in place.
Now I know the wheel arch insert can be removed it will be removed again, a new section welded in and no damage to the plastic, and then, hopefully, the plastic cover can be replaced - hopefully!
Then it's off to have the job finished off - sprayed etc.
 
What you looking at spending on this repair? Got an accord with a similar issue and I'm weighing up my options. It's 2005 with only 102k miles and looks in decent nick everywhere else so would like to keep it alive as long as I can
 
At last - the rusty wheel arch section has been replaced, and resprayed and I'm more than happy with it. I used a recommended garage in Stafford for the welding of a new arch section and was charged £80 for that. I replaced the plastic wheel arch liner plus the various fittings and it went in much easier than I expected. Then I used another garage in Stafford, recommended by the trusted garage I use for the MOT, and he charged me £250 for the smoothing of the welding together with the respray work which went up halfway to the rear window. It looks good and well worth doing. The Accord is 19 years old in October and is in very good condition for its age, and with 120,000 miles I'm hoping it will keep going for some time yet.
Next on the to-do-list is an oil/oil filter change, using Fuchs ***an XTR 5w/30 oil and a Crosland filter. Then a fuel filter change for which I contacted Holdcroft Honda in Stoke on Trent. I mentioned the TypeAccord club and was given an almost 20% discount on the fuel filter price plus free UPS carriage to my home address over 25 miles away from their base - excellent service from Holdcroft Honda. Another job I have lined up is to replace the coolant/anti-freeze using genuine Honda coolant. Is a special tool required for the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator? When I do the oil change I'll take a closer look at the drain plug.
I've had a good look at the information on this site re the fuel filter replacement and I don't plan to do the fuel filter change myself. It looks difficult to access so I'll probably use the garage I use for the MOT.
After the wheel arch repair I treated the Accord to a thorough wash plus an all-over wax and the Indigo Blue Pearl paintwork gleamed in the sunlight!!!
 
tunstall said:
At last - the rusty wheel arch section has been replaced, and resprayed and I'm more than happy with it. I used a recommended garage in Stafford for the welding of a new arch section and was charged £80 for that. I replaced the plastic wheel arch liner plus the various fittings and it went in much easier than I expected. Then I used another garage in Stafford, recommended by the trusted garage I use for the MOT, and he charged me £250 for the smoothing of the welding together with the respray work which went up halfway to the rear window. It looks good and well worth doing. The Accord is 19 years old in October and is in very good condition for its age, and with 120,000 miles I'm hoping it will keep going for some time yet.
Next on the to-do-list is an oil/oil filter change, using Fuchs ***an XTR 5w/30 oil and a Crosland filter. Then a fuel filter change for which I contacted Holdcroft Honda in Stoke on Trent. I mentioned the TypeAccord club and was given an almost 20% discount on the fuel filter price plus free UPS carriage to my home address over 25 miles away from their base - excellent service from Holdcroft Honda. Another job I have lined up is to replace the coolant/anti-freeze using genuine Honda coolant. Is a special tool required for the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator? When I do the oil change I'll take a closer look at the drain plug.
I've had a good look at the information on this site re the fuel filter replacement and I don't plan to do the fuel filter change myself. It looks difficult to access so I'll probably use the garage I use for the MOT.
After the wheel arch repair I treated the Accord to a thorough wash plus an all-over wax and the Indigo Blue Pearl paintwork gleamed in the sunlight!!!
Click to expand...
The fuel filter is not that difficult to replace, though you may end up with scraped knuckles.

The radiator drain - original item - is a butterfly screw, easily undone by hand and easy to get to without climbing under the car.
 
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