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I recently had the rusted doglegs on my 07 9-5 Aero repaired at a body shop. Took forever, cost a fortune, but I like the car and I'm pleased with the result. When I asked the guys who did the work why 9-5 doglegs all rust out here in the Northeast, the told me that they had found (and patched) significant rust holes in both rear fender wells, above the plastic fender liners, where you might not think to look. It was their opinion that the dogleg rust-out problem begins there with water getting in and running down into the dogleg cavity. They further said that these fenderwell rust-holes were probably caused by the way the plastic fender liners are attached to the car, such that they chafe thru the sealer or undercoating and leave bare metal which inevitably rusts thru over time.
I had supplied the body shop with the stamped steel plate (32022052) for cut-out dogleg replacement, which they said helped a lot in the repair, but that the problem (both sides) was still a bitch to fix (their words). They shot wax sealer into the cavity, and pronounced themselves confident that that area will stay rust-free for years. We'll see.
I was interested to learn about the rust-holes in the fender wells. I am familiar with two other 9-5s that got dogleg repairs, and the rust was back in a few years. Bummer. So, I advise anybody fixing the doglegs on a 9-5 to remove the plastic fender liners and have a good look. I also liked the sound of the wax cavity sealer.
On the Ziebart topic, they have no stores anywhere near me, but I know a guy with a beautifully preserved Toyota SR5 pickup, built sometime in the 1990s. These things are famous rustbuckets, but his is immaculate. Not only did he have it Ziebarted when he bought it, but he takes it back to a Ziebart place in Maine once a year, for a Ziebart refresher course. Maybe that's what you have to do - Yikes !!
posted by 66.31.190...
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