Rust
 

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...82223b3467.jpg
Rust undercarriage
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...7e8d424b0a.jpg
Rust on passenger seat rear hinge
I am off of the extended warranty and onto the rust!

Attached are two pictures.

I will start with the rust on the undercarriage. Do you feel this is a normal amount of rust for a 2016 CPO RDX?

The other picture is of the rear hinge anchoring the front passenger seat. My question here, is why would there be rust on this hinge? Prior to purchasing the RDX, I reviewed all the history, including the Carfax, and there was no indication that the car was in an accident or a flood.

I am sorry that I do not know how to resize the pictures.

Unplated steel will rust for sure. How many miles on your vehicle? Do you live in the rust belt , North east / North central ?

The undercarriage looks normal to me, especially the exhaust hardware. They use a lot of unplated steel in non critical locations. it doesn't look pretty but will last longer than the car. Now those seat track would bother me. I would look up under the seat with a flashlight at the foam and connectors to see any dirt or debris. My seat tracks are not visible like yours, did you pull the protective covers. I would guess that if somebody washed the carpet and got those seat tracks wet they would rust or wet feet back there could get that steel wet.

Thanks for your post!

The car is a CPO and came from the northeast. 37,700 miles were put on the RDX in that environment. It now has 41,500 miles.

I am not with the car right now but will post again later or tomorrow when I look under the seat with a flashlight at the foam and connectors to see if there is any dirt or debris.

Regarding your question on the protective covers, the answer is a bit embarrassing. The car was purchased in December and just the other day I had a few people in the back seat and one asked why the hinge and nut were exposed. I never noticed this! On further inspection, while the door side track behind the drivers has the protective covering over the hinge, it too is missing the plastic covering for the nut. I spoke with the dealer and they are going to replace these three plastic pieces (track on the passenger side and nut cover on both sides), but I did not get an answer as to why they are missing. They really detail these CPO's and the carpet is very clean. Possibly they removed the plastic pieces in the process, the hinge got wet and this is the end result. But I would think that they would take the carpet out to clean it.

I will post back.

Missing all the seat track covers tells me those seats have been out of the car before. I have heard stories where people leave the sun roof open and it can flood the interior. On the front passenger floor there is a there is a plastic cover labeled Frame Number, open that cover and see if there are any signs of water or debris intrusion. My 2015 is clean and shiny.

Attached is a picture of the Frame Number and from under the driver's seat. Again sorry for the large size pictures.

There are no signs of water or debris intrusion. The foam, connectors, bolts, and tracks are clean, shiny and rust free.

The only issue is the hinges.

Go figure!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...da8d205447.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...1747acf15b.jpg

That looks good, I feel better now. Does Acura have any service records showing if the seats may have been removed? That seat track is just unplated steel down on the floor where it can get wet...

I have all the service records and none indicate that the seats were removed.

Would any more pictures help?

Depending how close to the ocean the car was located unplated steel will rust. I had a 2006 Audi that came from New York, Long Island, every little clip bracket and bolt was rusted, but not the seat tracks. I would rub that rust with some steel wool and call it good. If the previous owners had kids... it is amazing what a pissed off 8 year old can do in the back seat. I'm gonna kick that till it breaks !

Sound good to me, especially because I see no other option.

The dealer will put the plastic protective covers on next week. Prior I will take some steel wool and get the rust off. Should I spray WD-40 or Silicone on the hinge to protect it from more rust (if that even protects it)?

WD 40 is not a rust protectant.. If you want to lube your hinges, use white lithium grease

As for rust, it depends where you live.

Rust on your exhaust pipes, especially the flanges is normal. Rust on bolt heads and nuts is normal.
The seat rail looks like someone forgot to paint it at the factory.

If you live where you are exposed to severe winters, your car should be rustproofed and even that takes knowing what products work best.

I use Krown which is normally applied by them, except I prefer not to drill holes so I buy a pail and Krown it myself. Very rarely do holes need to be drilled; it just makes it quicker for the shop. I just remove the numerous rubber plugs, spray and reinsert the rubber plugs. It is work and messy, but I look after my cars.

My last Honda CR-V that I had for 14 years went through the harshest of winters with plenty of salt on our roads on daily drives to and from work.

These pics are after 14 years and 152,000 miles...
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...ed78f3e8c7.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...b613ebb45f.jpg

The spray which goes on thin and gets into cavities and then thickens in a matter of minutes.

Tech,

Thanks for your post and all the information!

One sentence confuses me:

"The seat rail looks like someone forgot to paint it at the factory."

I assume that you are looking at my first post. What I would call the seat rails are painted black. It is the "flanges" (pieces that are bolted to the floor) on both the drivers and passengers side that are not painted. Are you saying that these should have been painted black at the factory? If so, when I am at the dealer next week getting the plastic covers put on, I will ask them to show me another 2016 RDX.

Never really looked at them in my car. Just went out and there is a plastic cover on the front outside rail; the inside rail is painted. At a minimum, Acura should have at least done a conversion coating on those bare strips of metal to keep them from rusting.