I swear. I see the same rust spots on every mid 90's Accord I lay my eyes on... mine included! Is it a factory defect? I see this sort of rust spot (picture below) on the rear fenders right above the wheel well.

Have you had the same issue?

IMG_4151.jpg?t=1251487455

 

Not a factory defect, but the result of small debris impinging the fender (wheel slings them off at high speed) creating small penetrations through the protective paint coating. I think I see a few incipient failures nearby (bubbles in paint).

Fender splash guards or perhaps a clear protective film as used on hood and front end might help.

This doesn't happen down south where road salt is never used. We get the little dings but they never progress to rust, pitting, and rust-thru.

good luck

 

I was bold enough to deal with this myself years back. My rust got to the level were bits were falling off, so... I scraped, sanded, bonded, sanded, primered, and painted the spot. Unfortunately, a bit of a mis-match on the paint so there are two pancakes of different color on each rear fender. I didn't see any rust for quite a while until again starting about a year back.

:-)

 

I think another thing contributing to this is the structure of that part of the car. The wheel arch along the door is a kind of hollow channel that can collect moisture from condensation. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to vent that & allow it to dry out. Once the perforation starts, it seems like saltwater can get trapped in there.