Rust where roof meets windshield (B13 SE-R)

I looked at a scruffy 93 Nissan Sentra SE-R today as a winter beater. It runs like a top, the rocker panels are OK, but there is some rust on the upper driver's-side corner where the roof meets the windshield. The seller says it is not leaking but I'm worried that it won't pass safety inspection.

Anyone here know if that's the case, and if so, how long it would take and how much it would cost to have fixed? I have no metal working skills so I can't repair it myself and I'd like any non-road-worthy car inspectable before the end of October.

Crikes, what kind of safety inspections do you guys have going on in MA? To repair - pop windshield out, cut out crusty stuff, weld in new - maybe an hour, but there's stuff like getting the headliner out of the way and time/cost of windshield install. A shop is going to charge $500-$1000 if they paint it - maybe 300-$500 unpainted. Keep in mind my numbers are a wild-assed guess.

pics for a better idea of the prob?

Not to mention that the chances of busting the windshield are well over 50%. Tempered rear glass is easy. Laminated windshields, not so much.

I'd figure a replacement in the cost of the repair.

I didn't get a pic but I will e-mail the seller and ask him to send me one. I will also talk to a couple inspection shops tomorrow to get the straight scoop on the safety aspect. The seller says the Sentra isn't leaking moisture, but on the other hand the headliner is missing (the foam and mounting buttons are still there), so...

I've been told rust along the windshield could make a car fail safety because it affects structural integrity during a rollover. Whether or not that's true I'd have it repaired it at some point to keep moisture out of the car. I've seen that sort of rust before on a Probe about 8 years ago. When I took it to a shop for a pre-buy inspection the mechanic told me about the supposed safety aspect, how it was leaking moisture, and to run, not walk, away from that Probe.

It's not like MA doesn't let anything with rust pass. There's tons of beaters on the road that attest to that. It's when the inspector thinks the rust will affect structural integrity in a crash that causes a fail. All cars must pass safety, regardless of age. Pre-96 cars are emissions exempt.

One other thing: Had the Sentra had a current, good sticker I would have bought it then and there. It also needs front swaybar bushings and maybe a taillight (left one chipped), but replacing those would be cake. However, it had NO sticker which makes it more of a question mark.

Maybe I'm being paranoid and my standards are too high because I haven't owned a beater in a long time. My last and current DDs are newer cars and my FCs were decent.

It's possible the mechanic told you to run from a Probe, any Probe, just on general principle. Probes with automatic transmissions, for example, can be "a lost cause". I used to live in Pa. and rust can prevent a car from passing inspection there, too, but have never heard about rust around windsheild giving a fail....unless it's real bad.

BTW, I found a nice '81 Fairmont in my area a few months ago but had to pass on it because of rust above the door frames...I had never seen that before, on any car. It looked like some freak accident damage.

Talked to a couple of inspection shops. Without seeing the rust spot, they can't tell me if it will pass or not. I've relayed that to the seller. Unless we work something out, I'm moving on.

I had the same repair done for $300 but that was with just house paint slapped over it (and of course labor's cheaper around here...)

RexSeven wrote: I didn't get a pic but I will e-mail the seller and ask him to send me one. I will also talk to a couple inspection shops tomorrow to get the straight scoop on the safety aspect. The seller says the Sentra isn't leaking moisture, but on the other hand the headliner is missing (the foam and mounting buttons are still there), so... I

Missing/nasty headliner is practically a B13 SE-R design point. Usually it's because the sunroof leaks, but the headliner is apparently held up with clown saliva anyway. I've never seen one that hasn't been repaired or needed repaired.

Good move, RexSeven. My girlfriend's 94 Cavalier had a cracked windshield, plus bubbles around the windshield. She tried to get the windshield replaced, but the glass shop refused to do it until she took the car to a body shop and got their opinion on whether bodywork was required or not. It was turning into such a pain in the butt that she got another car instead. We also live in Mass.

The Cav would be a decent Lemons car, though...

Ahh, the joys of living in a state that dredges half the salt from the Atlantic and dumps it on our roads every winter...

Then again, considering some of the rotting, bodged-together, uninsured LeMons candidates I saw plying the roads of St. Louis last year, I can see why MA is such a stickler when it comes to safety.

Bubbling paint or actual perforation? You might get lucky and be able to treat with with just the trim/weatherstripping removed.

I'm facing this issue on the my Volvo. The previous owners never unclogged the sunroof drains and there is bubbling paint at the edge on the top of windshield.

Instead of unclogging the drain . . . they removed the sunroof and [poorly] replaced it with a piece of sheet metal with very little bracing

Can't wait to see what it looks like under there when we remove the windshield.

Got me some pictures:

It's been a few days since I saw the Sentra, and the darker red is (IIRC) where the clear has peeled off of the car.

It's a beater. If you really want the car and the rust in minimal, clean it up and repair it yourself. It'll take a few hours and under $50.

I had a black chevy vega with rust through in the rockers (big surprise) They flunked it on inspection due to the rust through. I covered the area with strapping tape and painted the tape black to match the rest of the car. It passed inspection.

I had a 15 year old Saab with rust under the windshield molding. My windshield guy suggested that he fill the hole with adhesive. Worked great.

Now I live in the PNW. No more rust on cars.

ok, I see a hole, which isn't a good sign. It's probably more critical regarding the condition of the flange below the windshield than a perf above the windshield, but it's not good juju. After my last adventure in rust repair I'm sworn to just buying a ticket to Atlanta or California - so my advice - move on (unless you have a welder and are feeling ambitious).

I've decided to pass. Besides the rust the car also has B15 Sentra front and rear seats in it, which weren't fully secured. I doubt an inspector would have noticed and I could have replaced them with B13 seats, but combined with the rust it's too much of a question mark. The body was not at all rusty otherwise. Good project candidate, but I'm not in the market for another project now.

RexSeven wrote: I've decided to pass. Besides the rust the car also has B15 Sentra front and seats in it, which weren't fully secured. I doubt an inspector would have noticed and I could have replaced them with B13 seats, but combined with the rust it's too much of a question mark. The body was not at all rusty otherwise. Good project candidate, but I'm not in the market for another project now.

Probably your best choice. These rust spot grow on a hurry.

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wheels777 wrote:

RexSeven wrote: I've decided to pass. Besides the rust the car also has B15 Sentra front and seats in it, which weren't fully secured. I doubt an inspector would have noticed and I could have replaced them with B13 seats, but combined with the rust it's too much of a question mark. The body was not at all rusty otherwise. Good project candidate, but I'm not in the market for another project now.

Probably your best choice. These rust spot grow on a hurry. <img src="

Thats some awesome metal working there!