GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I jacked up the front side of my 04 vibe this evening to change to winters and on the driver side I just couldn't get it high enough. Dropped the jack (not the scissors jack, but a hydraulic jack) and looked underneath. The jack point had collapsed completely, I assume due to rust, and I saw just forward of the failed jack point a rusty hole. I want to know how dangerous this is, what the part is called, and how much its going to cost me to fix if I have to fix it.

Hard to tell from those pics as they are pretty zoomed in. But they look to be the pinch weld of the rocker, especially if it is at the jack point.

Since these cars have a unibody, the rocker panels & associated pinch welds are kinda considered structural. Your best bet is to take it to a local shop and have them put the vehicle on a hoist to see how much other rust the vehicle has.

thanks

I agree with zbyers, you're going to need a pro body shop to look at that.

zbyers wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:04 am Hard to tell from those pics as they are pretty zoomed in.

Yeah a zoom out pic would be helpful to see where this is located on the car. I'm pretty sure I know where BUT better pics could verify

okay here's better pics. DRiver side, at the jack point. I"m not super concerned about the chassis unless you guys tell me i should be concerned. i'm more concerned about the hole in the un dercarriage just ahead of the jack point. please take a look and let me know. i have no money these days, can't do body work. Need to know what i may face down the line. I bought this car in july to help me get a job, and it hasn't worked in getting me ajob yet. thanks much.

I think you know that is pretty advanced corrosion (rust) and will be expensive to repair. At the least you need to treat it now to slow the spread. You can spend some time reading up on the different options depending on how much you value your Vibe.

I would recommend this product for something like that: CRC 06026 Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor. You can get a 4 can pack for under $40 that would treat the underside. There are many other products as well that you could also use, but at least do something now to try and slow that down.

Your post serves as a reminder that we all need to be checking the underside once a year and treating it for any developing corrosion.

Jbenrod wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:11 pm I think you know that is pretty advanced corrosion (rust) and will be expensive to repair. At the least you need to treat it now to slow the spread. You can spend some time reading up on the different options depending on how much you value your Vibe.

I would recommend this product for something like that: CRC 06026 Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor. You can get a 4 can pack for under $40 that would treat the underside. There are many other products as well that you could also use, but at least do something now to try and slow that down.

Your post serves as a reminder that we all need to be checking the underside once a year and treating it for any developing corrosion.

Jbenrod pretty much nailed it. Definitely need to address it sooner than later using some sort of corrosion slower-downer.

If the hole is in the floorpan itself, then you should be able to poke through it to the carpet. In that case, your best bet is going to be to cut out the bad spot and have a replacement piece welded in. That is what I did with this spot that is directly under the drivers seat.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BThH24bguVj ... f2a6q8xecf

Good luck on the job hunt. It's definitely a difficult battle. I have several friends and family who were laid off and/or let go through this pandemic stuff; some recently got called back and others are still hunting.

Depending on your location, this could still pass inspection if you have it; or if no inspection not be an issue. It IS a safety issue, but is still drivable in the interim.

Okay I'm going to stop messing around. I have an appt next Friday with a mechanic to get the car up on a hoist and have pros look at it. They're not going to charge me anything to look at it. Thanks for telling me it's potentially serious.

Update: you guys were right of course. I brought it to mechanic, who said that the car can't be safetied, can't be sold except for parts. Recommended I bring it to autobody shop and see what they say. They recommended a good shop. Just came back from autobody shop. He said to fix it will cost minimum $1500, almost half what I paid for the car in July, and he said he wouldn't be able to get to it before next Spring at the earliest. He said I should get some spray expanding foam, fill the holes, cut off the excess and spray it with rubberized undercoating. When he stuck his head under the car his firm response was "Wow!" This is a guy who looks under cars all the time. expletive deleted.

just brought it to another body shop who will fix it for $400. He's going to cut out the rotten part and weld some 22 guage steel in there. He said I wouldn't be able to jack it up anymore by the side because the 22 quage steel can't support the car, but hey, getting it fixed for $400 is *a lot better* than losing the $4000. Thanks everyone. Now that hood latch I ordered to replace the failed one on there will not go to waste.

Glad to here and that sounds reasonable too. Hopefully that will help you go a few more years.

If it were me I would at least check with him and see what he thinks about using a thicker grade like 20 or 18 gauge. The incremental cost increase (for the material) may not be much to get the thicker and stronger steel (the labor cost will not change much).

It might depend on his welding equipment and skills, etc. but you may want to have the conversation to see what additional information or comments he may have on that.

Precisely my thoughts I’m going to ask him if he can use heavier steel thanks very much

I think 20 or 22ga steel is what was used there.

just want to say that after visiting three body shops I got a nice body guy to weld three pieces of steel to my underbody, fixing the holes for $400. Feel really good about it. He said that I shouldn't jack it up from there anymore, I should use the strong rail further in, but there are no more holes in the bottom.