Advice Needed - Strut Tower Rot

[TedN]

My car is a 1991 Nissan Maxima SE with 255,000 kms. This morning, I took it in to the dealer for an oil change and received some disconcerting news.

The right front strut tower is rotting at the top. Given the age of the car, the advisor suggested getting rid of the car in the spring. He said that, in theory, it might be possible to fix, but is not always successful and therefore not recommended. Apparently when you get into repairing "structural" problems, you could be playing with fire. Also, the repair would cost more than the car is worth.

In addition, I need new tires (5 years old with 91,000 kms on them). The right from is particulary bad as the steel belt is starting to show. This may be a result of the strut issue and due to camber change. I'm willing to purchase new tires.

I am currently unemployed so money is extremely tight. I was hoping to hang on to the car for several more years, so this discovery has thrown me for a loop.

I plan to get a second and perhaps third opinion. At this stage, I can't afford to purchase a new car or even a used one. Even though not advisable, I'm tempted to get it repaired as this would be a cheaper alternative.

Questions:

1.) Is this problem common for an almost 15 year-old car?
2.) Have you ever experienced this problem or know someone who has? If so, what did you do?
3.) What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Ted

[Dr.Dan]

Rust is a common problem for every car in our climate. But a rotting strut tower is not a common place on that car (as far as I've heard anyway)

If you're going to keep the car you'll have to do something with it... and a proper repair is the only way to get more time out of it.
There's no way I can say just how big a job this will be without an inspection... it might be as simple as cutting out a bit of rust and replacing with patches... or it could be as bad as needing to replace the whole tower.

Take it to several KNOWN good body shops and have them look at it... and tell you what they would do and how much it'll cost.
Report their opinions back here. :)

[Bogie]

Umm, '91 Nissan with 255000 clicks .... hard call under your economic conditions. One of those "caught between a rock and a hard place" situations.

Repairing that strut challenge will also depend on the overall condition of the car, especially in that area. If the rest of the surrounding structure is solid (which is not likely), a good welder could probably reinforce to better than spec.

I'd be looking at the overall condition of your vehicle first. Any other rust that is apparent? Any perforations? Have the other suspension sets been inspected also? If one side is done, you may have to do the other or risk instability.

As far as the "15 yr old car" goes, it is also 255000 kms "old and beaten".

I usually take my vehicles anywhere from 300,000 kms to 500,000 kms. depending on how they survive. As soon as they start becoming a money-pit, then it is time to dump them and get another. A more recent, less km vehicle, may cost less than your upcoming repairs and aggravation.

[Rustynut]

Find some place that sells used tires and that at least should be good enough to get you through the winter, bald tires are recipies for an accident in winter. Check out your local paper for locations that sell used tires, you could possibly get away with spending $100. 00 for a set of 4. > Beats paying for new tires then discarding the car in the spring.

As for the Strut tower rust, the deler is right... too expensive a repair for that car. You could probably buy another used car safetied for the cost of fixing the old car.

[Just Doug1]

When I was tight for cash, I'd look at tires left outside garages on the "for the bin" rack.

I'd often find a pair (or four!) that were good and had decent tread left on them.

[Mouse]

Agreed.

Some people are over-cautious, and they can't sell their old tires.