Mine was rusting in the same place on the rear fender and also the front fenders when I bought it. I told the dealer I would not buy a 06 that was rusting. I had them write into the sale they would repair the rust. They "fixed" it by doing a light repair which essentially amounted to them painting over it.

heres a picture of the rear inner fender after they re-painted it you can see some of the rust is still there

here is a picture of the front fender rust after it was "repaired", I covered this up with the GM splash guards


I believe the front fenders begin to rust in this area because dirt gets stuck between the rocker panel and fender, accumulating inside the bottom of the fender you can see here


Then the insulation in the fender acts as a big sponge and hold any moisture and dirt that accumulates causing rust on the inside as well.


I have the car parked in the garage all winter it won't see any more salt or snow as long as I own it which will at minimum slow the inevitable.

 

Yep my 05 SS started bubbling in the same place - sold it before it got bad.

 

So there is an issue with some type of coating that GM sprays inside the quarter?

I still think some of my issue is from the liner touching the quarter panel. It's localized but, where it touches, the liner holds a small amount of any water that gets up inside the quarter against the body, not allowing it to run down and exit like it's suppose to. That water is held there until it evaporates. Like I said, it's not much now but that's the only spot I have an issue with any rust.

 

Yes, he said it wasn't just GM. Some type of foam layer they put on them and it retains the moisture, hence rusting out. I was lucky mine was still under warranty. Their metal guy fabricated the piece himself and I do have to say they did an outstanding job. Couldn't tell it at all. Perfectly matched paint. He said they had a dodge truck that was completely rusted out from the same stuff. Kind of makes you wonder about keeping it huh? I traded mine in but not for that reason.

 

Thats what the body shops are telling me too. the dealers wont go near the car, and gm has been calling me everyday "trying to investigate"......as a chevy owner my whole life....i hate to say it but if gm doesnt resolve this problem they lost me. i work too hard to buy a nice car, keep it nice and have it rust out from under me in 6 years

 

Won't hurt to at least put in a claim for now and see what happens.

After I take the car out of winter storage this spring I should go talk to the body shop at the dealership I had the front end repainted at last year, just for the hell of it. See if they are aware of this issue and what they have to say about it.

Is anyone aware of this same problem on the Impala or is it just the Monte Carlo?

 

I have not noticed any rust on my Dale Jr so far. The underside is actually very clean. I don't drive my car in the winter when there is a chance of snow or when there might be salt on the road. I'm lucky that I have other vehicles to drive when the weather is bad.

I do know that the original owner's kept the car garaged but I don't know if they drove it during the winter or not. I'm going to assume so since it had 87,600 miles on it in Dec of 2009 when I bought it.

Wayne

 

I take very good care of mine and the underside is very clean too. When I bought mine, it was obvious that it was taken care of by the previous owner as well. I'm going to assume the previous owner drove it throughout the year, during the winter, but that still doesn't mean the body should be rusting. A 4 year old vehicle should not have body rust, even if it's not taken care of on a regular basis.

 

How much did you pay to have it repainted. I'm looking at having my car touched up a bit and have some litle rust bubbles taking care of. just looking to get an idea on what I will be paying haha

 

$1,000 at a Chevrolet/Cadillac dealership. Included repainting of the hood, fenders, and front bumper cover, as well as a new upper grille and lower ground effect insert.