Here is a video of rust repair on a LineX covered rocker panel on a Silverado. Unless you can cut, weld and paint it yourself, I don't think it's worth paying to have it fixed. Either trade it in now or drive it until it falls apart is what I would do.

http://www.powernationtv.com/e...st-repair-paint-prep

Find some silver junk yard doors that are good. It may take you some time to find a good set, but then again they don't need to be replaced immediately.

I bet you could find them for well under $100 a piece, and then you don't have to deal with paint. The closest pull a part to me has 6 trailblazers sitting on the lot, and two of them are silver.

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
Here is a video of rust repair on a LineX covered rocker panel on a Silverado. Unless you can cut, weld and paint it yourself, I don't think it's worth paying to have it fixed. Either trade it in now or drive it until it falls apart is what I would do.

http://www.powernationtv.com/e...st-repair-paint-prep

LineX is nothing more than a cosmetic bandaid that will likely gain you 5 years at least. By no means is it the solution for a show car or something you want to rip for a long long time. He likes the truck it rolls great. For about $600 that gets you 5 years of no car payments not a bad idea.

I also doubt that was LineX. It was super thin and broke way too easy with the tap of a hammer.
LineX is much stronger than that, not all spray on bedliners are.

If it has body rust, you'd better check the frame and other underpinnings. A member had a similar vehicle's frame break in half from years of rust, although it was an older one.

Drive it till it dies. Save your money for another vehicle until then. You might be surprised how long it lasts!

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Drive it until your feet start getting wet from the rusted out holes in the pan amd then replace it. If it's the 4.3L Vortec V6 then it's easily got another 135k miles in it.

Definitely don't sink $5000 into it.

This. A mechanically sound vehicle that is paid off is money in the bank.

Drive it until it is cost prohibitive to do so - and - make monthly payments into a savings account for its eventual replacement. $200 / month for 5 years would give you a nice $12K down payment...

--------------------------------------

+1 If you're Ok with it and it's safe- drive it until it dies. Pay the $6,000 you were gonna spend on the truck into your savings account.

Tip:
When washing, open the doors afterward and make sure to towel dry along the bottom and inside the door jamb. You can avoid some rust that way.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
LineX is nothing more than a cosmetic bandaid that will likely gain you 5 years at least. By no means is it the solution for a show car or something you want to rip for a long long time. He likes the truck it rolls great. For about $600 that gets you 5 years of no car payments not a bad idea.

I also doubt that was LineX. It was super thin and broke way too easy with the tap of a hammer.
LineX is much stronger than that, not all spray on bedliners are.

Yes. That's what I was trying to say. Either fix it right or cover the rust and drive it until it falls apart. I just don't think it's worth fixing it unless you can mitigate the cost by cutting, patching, welding and painting by doing it yourself.

A lot depends on your situation financially and your transportation needs.

If I was in that situation, I'd keep it as a winter "beater" and find something new or gently used as a primary, fair-weather vehicle. I'd keep it mechanically sound but not worry about the outside appearance. Get maybe 5-6 years out of it before the rust really starts to show, then sell it for market value at that point.

Funny, I just went through the exact same exercise with my 2007 Trailblazer here in Maine. I also loved the vehicle, and it served me VERY well for almost no repair money beyond brake repair. Mine had 151K miles and needed right front wheel bearings, a cracked windshield replaced, the power steering pump was shot, and the U joint was thumping badly. Electronics were great, there was NO rust, and the paint was just fine. Since we go to PA regularly, we were getting nervous about using it for the trip. If I could have gotten the exact same car new, I would have, but checking around with some folks I consider experts, and using the internet, it was quickly apparent that there was no such replacement vehicle. So, we bought a new Honda Pilot EX L. Love the SUV for sure. Hated to do it, but felt we had no choice. BTW, got $2k from the dealer on trade.

My wife had a similar 2005 Buick Rainier AWD. She got 10 years and 230k out of it. By the time we sold it I was tired of fixing the SOB.

Garage kept and no rust other than a little on the undercarriage.

Drive it as is or ditch it.

Spending that sort of money on those issues on that truck makes little sense.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Price a new Tahoe and you will love your old T-Blazer even more!

Oh, I know that!

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
If it has body rust, you'd better check the frame and other underpinnings. A member had a similar vehicle's frame break in half from years of rust, although it was an older one.

That would have been my wife's 2003. So, yes: I'd check that. Already talked to the dealership about a bumper-to-bumper "health check."

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Tip:
When washing, open the doors afterward and make sure to towel dry along the bottom and inside the door jamb. You can avoid some rust that way.

I've done that all along. This is Michigan winters and the excessive amount of salt they put down, mainly.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:
A lot depends on your situation financially and your transportation needs.

We just bought a replacement for my wife's TrailBlazer. (Frame rusted through and literally broken.) So another new-ish vehicle is not in the cards at this time.

I'm retiring in a couple weeks. TBH: Transportation needs will go way down at that point. I'm mainly wanting to keep this truck as long as I can because I like it.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:
If I was in that situation, I'd keep it as a winter "beater" ... then sell it for market value at that point.

That is one of the alternatives.

quote:

Originally posted by provident:
If I could have gotten the exact same car new, I would have, but checking around with some folks I consider experts, and using the internet, it was quickly apparent that there was no such replacement vehicle.

That, right there, is The Problem. Popular as they were: GM stopped making them, and they don't make anything quite like them any more. (I think 2009 was the last year for them.)

quote:

Originally posted by provident:
So, we bought a new Honda Pilot EX L.

I won't be buying anything new. Looked at used Pilots when I bought this TrailBlazer. Did not like. Also crazy expensive.

Don't know what I'm going to do when the TB finally gives up.

Thanks again for the feedback and votes, everybody!

I have the same exact looking truck but 2003. Runs great but had to replace the coil packs and low side AC hose. I used to live in Michigan so very familiar with the rust issue. I left 27 yrs ago for the great state of Texas.

I would do the Line-X treatment but at the same time I would be looking for doors if you plan on driving it till the wheels fall off.

A. Spend nothing on it other than safety and reliability and drive it till she breaks.
B. Give it to a family member in need...
C. Keep it for a spare.
D...

I got ~300K miles on 00 GRAND PRIX GT. GREAT car BTW.
After 200K I Spent only for tires, battery, spark plugs and carried only minimum required insurance.

A deer caved in the right rear quarter, didn't fix it.

Over the last couple years the AC, radio, fuel gauge all quit. Didn't fix. Filled up by milage.

Finally overdrive went out so no more 100 mile a day commuting in it. Karmaed it to a Grandson to drive who couldn't afford a car and need a way to work. He drove it for about a year, without overdrive. It finally threw a rod one day... I called a nearby junkyard and sold it to them for $300... as is, where is, (still on the side of the road!)

Here's a link to an 08 with 55k miles in Dallas Tx. It probably won't be rusty.

http://m.autotrader.com/cars-f...LZ%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D

quote:

Originally posted by Perception:
Find some silver junk yard doors that are good. It may take you some time to find a good set, but then again they don't need to be replaced immediately.

I bet you could find them for well under $100 a piece, and then you don't have to deal with paint.

There are a couple problems with this plan:

• Any doors I find here in Michigan yards will have a very high probability of suffering the same problem.
  
• Silver cannot be exactly matched. That's why, whenever they replace or repair even the smallest bit on a surface, the entire side has to be repainted.
  

One body shop I stopped at spotted that my right rear fender had been repainted at some point w/in about ten seconds of eyeballing that side of the car. On the shaded side. True: It's something I never noticed in 3-4 years of ownership, but, it was pretty apparent once he pointed it out.

Doors from different vehicles, particularly different model years, would stand out like a sore thumb.

That's just how it is with silver. My Subaru was the same way. Silver is also more difficult to apply and more prone to orange-peeling if it's not done just so. Or so I'm told.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Here's a link to an 08 with 55k miles in Dallas Tx. It probably won't be rusty.

Probably not, but, kinda far to go to acquire a nine-year-old truck . Nice low mileage for a truck that old, though.

I voted save it, but no way would I put more than $1000 into it to fix rust alone. You live in Michigan...I live in northern Indiana...rust is just a part of life. If you fix it, it will just start rusting again, in the same spot or somewhere else. I'd go the LineX route and call it good. Save your money to fix the stuff that really matters, like fuel line or brake line rust.

Like you, I've priced new vehicles recently. No way will I ever be buying one. Between corporate greed, a public obsessed with every whiz-bang and gadget, and a host of government mandated safety and environmental junk, to replace my 15 y/o suburban with a new one would cost more than my house. I like older vehicles, anyway. I don't need my car to have 17 TV's, gps, bluetooth, automatic everything and the ability to carry on a conversation with me. I have arms, legs, eyes, and ears and I know how to read a map. Give me air conditioning, a radio, crank windows, manual locks, and a simple dashboard that doesn't glare in my face at night like the stupid new LCD ones and I'm a happy camper.

Sorry for the rant...I got a little carried away, but the direction of the auto industry is a pet peeve of mine. TL/DR: Embrace the rust. Keep the trailblazer.

In the early 1960's I worked at a Montgomery Ward Auto Service Center. They sold a service which used a perforated rod and some kind of grease mix driven by compressed air. The doors were drilled low at the back edge and the long rod was inserted to the front of the door. The tech pulled the trigger and slowly withdrew the rod coating the inside of the door with this thick grease. I have no idea how effective it was or whether anyone is still doing this today.

Check into some stuff called Fluid Film, get some and stop the rust in it's tracks. Save your money and enjoy a few more years.