Hello, I am new to the forum.

I went to 2 years of auto body in a vocational school, and graduated from UTI's Auto Body Program in Houston. This was more than 7 years ago, so I'm a little rusty at the auto body business when it comes to my question.

So I have a 2000 Honda Civic EX that is my absolute "baby". It was rear-ended and totaled about 4 years ago and I actually got it repaired. The first body shop did a horrible job and made me lose trust in them. I had to take it back and after realizing they just weren't going to do a proper job I took it to another shop to be properly repaired. They seemed to do a good job from what I can tell...These guys actually used weld thru primer for one! Well, the car has been suffering from trunk leaks ever since the first shop repaired it. I've been taking it back to the shops and also took it to a "water leak professional" and wasted money on that.

I have now decided to stop wasting money and take it into my own hands. I am very, very detail oriented and do things by the book. I've realized today the seam sealer someone laid down over the repair job was put over fresh paint, paint not primer. When I decided to take the seam sealer off (water was coming from underneath out) it pulled cleanly off. This worries me that a shop did this practice as I am sure seam sealer should go over primer at least. (Again, a little rusty). Anyway I want to start fresh and fix these leaks.

My issue is that there are two open seams in the trunk channel. The shops have tried to seal these up by ramming seam sealer in there (AGAIN, over fresh paint..) and also the water leak shop decided to glue the trunk weatherstrip on, which didn't sound right to me. Neither of these practices have worked. I have some pictures to show but am wondering could I possibly weld the open seams up? I was certified before as a welder and could probably do it but don't know if it'd be cheaper to get a pro to do it or rent a machine. How about something like JB WELD as an alternative? The water is leaking in at these open seams and I want them sealed properly.

Any suggestions would be a great help!

Also, I plan on going down to bare metal, priming the metal and using a higher quality seam sealer like a 2K product from 3M, possibly Automix?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/shdixguex5fjmqu/2014-09-09%2010.28.16.jpg?dl=0


https://www.dropbox.com/s/qiafplo2olr3adv/2014-09-09%2010.28.34.jpg?dl=0


https://www.dropbox.com/s/ujoulj2r3o39kwg/2014-09-09%2010.27.26.jpg?dl=0

Did you see this article, it might help with some of the basic questions.

http://www.autobody101.com/content/arti ... am-sealer/

You could weld but will likely burn off whatever is behind the weld, opening up the opportunity for rust to set in. The best fix is to re-do the job correctly. I really don't know if JB weld or any other "topical" application will work to solve this.

I did read the article I am confused on if these seams are supposed to be closed with welding or with seam sealer. I'd prefer welding and using weld thru primer but would have to practice somehow or get a shop to do it and I don't feel comfortable getting any more shops near my car. Do you or anyone else happen to know which is the proper way to sealing this seam? Currently I have cleaned up the area of the sealer and have laid down just plain old silicone to see if it will indeed stop the leaks and if this is the source of the leaks. This is just a test run I have ordered some Duramix and am waiting for that. I have other stuff to order just waiting on a really good rain again which should be Friday through Sunday. Thanks for any help or suggestions!

Water test it with a hose and find exactly where its coming from and go from there. Seam sealer will fix any seam large or small. You may have more then one leak. Make sure the weatherstrip has no cuts and tears. Glueing it down does nothing. The rubber keeps the water from running under
the trunk shell.

I cleaned up the open seam some more today. Really just took old seam sealer out from inside and around it. I used an eye dropper to put water around it and it's definitely where the leak is coming from. So my question is do I need to completely close this seam tight somehow or will cleaning, prepping it and using a high quality seam sealer a good approach to this problem? I am worried that seam sealer alone will not hold the seam tightly shut and this will make it fail down the road. I took another picture today.

Look at the bottom of your seal and check to see how it is supposed to fit over that area. Does it bridge the entire gap or is there a portion of the seal that fits into that gap?

Either way I would get rid of the old adhesive (with adhesive remover), clean and dry the area. Then depending upon how the seal is meant to fit:
1. Use a quality seal adhesive which works like contact cement and carefully glue the seal in its proper place or;
2. Fill the gap with a quality seam sealer. Allow it to set and then glue the seal in place as above.

Sometimes the pressure on the seal when closing the trunk lid will cause it to slide out of place.

I looked at the picture. That gutter lip is supposed to be spot welded. Drill the outside lip with a spot weld bit. Do not drill through the second lip. Clean the seam sealer between the two. Vise grip and weld. Grind it but stay small. Then tape off the seam 1/8" on each side with 3/4" tape. Apply a small amount of seam sealer and wipe smooth with your finger. Wipe a little on your ground weld for corrosion protection. Peel the tape let it dry and water test. No more leaks! Looks like a hack repair. I wouldn't take my vehicle there again.

I figured it should of been spot welded. Do you think I should rent a welder or trust another shop to spot weld it? I wonder if that's even possible to ask a shop to do. I know of a shop that hasn't let me down so far.

Anyone know how much does it cost to rent a small welder for a day?

Its not worth renting a welder. A shop should only charge you an hour labor. Im not sure where your at but our labor rate is $44 an hour.

Okay I will try to stop by tomorrow and ask how much. I am just worried that they won't use weld thru primer that's what happened with the first shop they nixed the primer and the welds all rusted out and I had to get it redone elsewhere cause they just refused to do a correct job.