Auckland is hard on car bodywork. Salt air off both harbours, high humidity and a lot of rain mean rust is the repair that quietly creeps up on vehicles here, particularly anything more than a decade old or living near the coast.
Karbase repairs rust properly from our Otahuhu workshop — cutting it out and letting in new metal, not filling over it.
Where rust starts
- Bottoms of doors and the seams along the sills
- Wheel arch lips, especially the rear arches
- Around the windscreen and rear glass, where old sealant has let go
- Boot floor and spare wheel well, where water collects and is not noticed
- Under stone chips on the bonnet and front guards
By the time rust bubbles through the paint, the metal behind it has already gone. What you can see is the smaller part of the problem.
Cut out, not filled over
A filled rust repair looks fine for a season. The corrosion continues underneath, and when it comes back it takes more of the panel with it — so you pay twice, and the second repair is bigger.
We cut the affected metal out entirely, fabricate or fit a replacement section, weld it in, seal the join, then prime and refinish so it matches the surrounding paintwork. It costs more than a cosmetic patch and it is the only version worth paying for.
Rust and your WOF
Rust in a structural area is a WOF failure — around suspension mounting points, seatbelt anchorages, sills and chassis rails. Surface rust on a door skin is cosmetic; rust in a load-bearing area is not, and it will not pass. If you are not sure which you have, bring it in and we will tell you honestly.
Where structural repair is needed we can also handle chassis work and certification together rather than sending you elsewhere.
Catching it early
The cheapest rust repair is the one done while it is still a stone chip. If you have paint damage down to bare metal, get it sealed before winter rather than after.
Getting a quote
Send photos to 027 549 4113 or bring the car in. Rust is difficult to price from a photograph because the visible damage understates it, but we can tell you whether it looks cosmetic or structural before you make the trip.
Find us
Karbase Panel & Paint
2/127 Great South Road, Otahuhu, Auckland 1062
Phone: 027 549 4113
Open Monday to Saturday, 9am–5pm.
Areas we serve
Otahuhu · Onehunga · Penrose · Papatoetoe · Manukau · Papakura
