Please help me with some advice. My 97 Honda Accord EX Wagon had a soft brake pedal. My brother tried to bleed it but was unable. I towed it to a garage that works on Hondas and they put in a new master cylinder and brake booster. A few days later they called and said all the brake lines were rusted and needed replacing. A few days after that they called again and said all the fuel lines were rusted and need replacing. Then they told me they were taking my car out to their lot and I needed to tow it away because they could not repair it. The owner said everything underneath was corroded and it would cost between $3000 to $4,000 to repair.

​​​​​​Towed it home and it now sits in my driveway.

This is my third Honda and I've never had such a thing happen and I am not sure whether to sell it for salvage or if I just ran into a garage that doesn't want to do the work.

A few details: I don't live anywhere near saltwater. There was no smell of fuel prior to taking it to the garage. I've had the car for about 3 years and had both the master cylinder and some of the brake lines replaced 2 years ago.

I'm not a mechanic, just a Honda lover. But I really need some expert advice. Is this something that occurs with Hondas? Does the $3-4,000 repair cost sound reasonable? Any other thoughts are most welcome. I'm really in a quandary, and not sure the best way to proceed.
​​​​

 

@florida, unfortunately what you are describing is not at all unusual with Hondas. My 2001 Accord succumbed to the same fate, coming out one day seeing it leaking from the fuel lines, the fuel tank, the brake lines, the power steering lines, the transmission cooler lines, and the radiator, all at once. It would have cost me over $3,000 to have the car brought back to a driveable condition, and that would not have included the extra work necessary to correct water leaks into the interior and trunk. Yeah, the old girl went to the scrap yard.

 

@shipo Thanks for your bittersweet reply. I sure wish it was a different answer. I've been told that the best I can get from a junkyard is a few hundred dollars.

Is this a situation that would appeal to a home mechanic? The engine and transmission are fine.

 

I'm thinking probably not, one of the things home mechanics hate the most is rust (back when I was flipping cars in college, I'd look for a car with a bad motor or tranny, but an otherwise clean body, I wouldn't give the reverse even a second look). My Accord was mechanically in good shape (engine, transmission, and drivetrain wise), very comfortable to drive (even though it had an autotragic transmission), and for the right investment, could have easily delivered another 100,000 miles (she had just over 200,000 on the clock), but the 2006 TL Sport (which means, among other upgrades, Brembo brakes and a 6-Speed manual transmission) I replaced the old girl with is just soooo much more car I haven't looked back even once.

 

Seems like the engine & transmission would be viable to sell. But then you'd be stuck with the shell. Parting out a car is a bigger project than many people realize - plus you'd need the space to keep the shell while trying to sell the parts. And you need a patient spouse.

I had an Integra that began leaking from the fuel lines under the car. Brake lines looked like they weren't too far behind. I got it fixed, but in my case the remaining chassis structure wasn't too bad. Rust sucks.