Honda Civic: Rear Wheel-Arch, Sill and Boot-Floor Rust (EK/EJ Civic)
Rear Wheel-Arch, Sill and Boot-Floor Rust (EK/EJ Civic) is a common body & rust fault on the Honda Civic on the 1995–2000 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $500 to $3,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 39 documented faults on the Honda Civic.
- Vehicle
- Honda Civic
- Years
- 1995–2000
- System
- Body & Rust
What you are looking at
No photograph available
What goes wrong
Every remaining sixth-generation Civic is now roughly 25 to 30 years old, and they rust in predictable places: the rear wheel-arch lips where the inner and outer panels are seamed together, the sills — especially just ahead of the rear wheels — and the boot floor around the spare-wheel well, where blocked drains let water sit. Japanese-import cars can look tidy on top and still bubble along the arch lips from the inside out. Rust in the sills or floor near seatbelt anchorages is a Warrant of Fitness failure in NZ, and proper cut-and-weld repair plus paint costs far more than the bubbling suggests.
What you would notice
- Bubbling paint along the rear wheel-arch lips
- Crusty or flaking metal along the bottoms of the sills
- Damp, staining or bubbling around the spare-wheel well
- Fresh underseal or paint on only one section of sill or arch
How to check it
Where to look. Rear wheel-arch lips, sills ahead of the rear wheels, boot floor and spare-wheel well
Crouch at each rear corner and sight along the wheel-arch lip with your phone torch — bubbling, flaking paint or a crusty edge means rust has already come through from the inside. Press gently along the bottom of each sill, front and rear; a solid sill feels rigid, while crackling or soft spots mean filler or rot. In the boot, fold back the floor covering and check around the spare-wheel well for staining, damp or bubbling. Look at the lower door edges and around the windscreen trim for bubbling. Ask whether any rust repairs have been done for a Warrant of Fitness, and whether there are invoices. If a workshop inspection is possible: have the car checked on a hoist for sill, floor-pan and rear chassis-rail rust — surface bubbling on the arch lips is often matched by worse underneath.
What it costs to put right
$500 to $3,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.
Ask the seller
- “Has it ever had rust repairs for a Warrant of Fitness — is there an invoice?”
- “Has it spent its life near the coast?”
Now check the Honda Civic you are actually looking at
Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.
Where this comes from
- EK9.org rust repair and restoration threads
- Civinfo EJ/EK rust discussions
Honda Civic buyer questions
Is rear wheel-arch, sill and boot-floor rust (ek/ej civic) serious on a Honda Civic?
We rate it major and common on the Honda Civic. Every remaining sixth-generation Civic is now roughly 25 to 30 years old, and they rust in predictable places: the rear wheel-arch lips where the inner and outer panels are seamed together, the sills — especially just ahead of the rear wheels — and the boot floor around the spare-wheel well, where blocked drains let water sit. Japanese-import cars can look tidy on top and still bubble along the arch lips from the inside out. Rust in the sills or floor near seatbelt anchorages is a Warrant of Fitness failure in NZ, and proper cut-and-weld repair plus paint costs far more than the bubbling suggests.
How much does it cost to fix on a Honda Civic?
$500 to $3,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.
Which Honda Civic years are affected?
Our research records this fault on the 1995–2000 Honda Civic. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.
How do I check for it before I buy?
Crouch at each rear corner and sight along the wheel-arch lip with your phone torch — bubbling, flaking paint or a crusty edge means rust has already come through from the inside. Press gently along the bottom of each sill, front and rear; a solid sill feels rigid, while crackling or soft spots mean filler or rot. In the boot, fold back the floor covering and check around the spare-wheel well for staining, damp or bubbling. Look at the lower door edges and around the windscreen trim for bubbling. Ask whether any rust repairs have been done for a Warrant of Fitness, and whether there are invoices. If a workshop inspection is possible: have the car checked on a hoist for sill, floor-pan and rear chassis-rail rust — surface bubbling on the arch lips is often matched by worse underneath. Look here: Rear wheel-arch lips, sills ahead of the rear wheels, boot floor and spare-wheel well