ALT-2 How to Fix Rust Spots on a Car
If when you look at your car you see brown, orange or even sometimes red spots where paint should be, you know you have rust. Rust is something that is caused when there is an area of the paint that becomes removed; this is typical of scratches, dings and other normal wear and tear on a vehicle. You may not see that there is paint missing, but there just might be. Moisture and other environmental factors will penetrate through this and start to form rust. You will never know that the rust is forming until you see it on the outside.
Fixing rust spots is very easy. You don't have to rely on a body technician to fix it when you can fix it for a fraction of the price. The first that that you want to do is determine is whether or not the rust has spread further than the surface. When you have rust that doesn't go through, it's called "surface rust." However, if the rust goes further than that and has actually started to go through the metal, it is referred to as "rot." In order to determine how bad the rust is you need to see whether or not you can see the other side of the area where the rust is and see if it is visible on the other side. If it isn't visible the next thing that you are going to want to do is grab some sandpaper. There are many different kinds and many different grits. Start with one with less grit, such as 150-180 grit. This will make it easier to get through the rust. Sand off as much of the rust that you can, remember to apply even pressure as you don't want to create uneven levels in the metal. Typically, a DA Sander is used by body professionals, but most people don't have this equipment on hand. So doing the sanding by hand is perfectly fine. Once you have removed most of the rust you can turn to a greater grit sand paper such as a 220. The greater the grit of the sandpaper the smoother the finish you will get.
You want to remove all of the rust. Once you have finished sanding you are going to want to brush off any dust or particles from the surface. Do not use your hand or touch the area with your hand. The oils from your skin will stick to the surface making any paint application difficult. Any oils that touch the surface will produce what is called "fisheyes." This is when you apply paint to an area that contains any oil and the paint doesn't adhere, the paint will move away from the area creating a spot that resembles a fisheye.
If you can't remove all of the rust, you are going to want to use a rust converter. This is a paint type material that will actually bond to the remaining rust and make it part of the metal and instant rust-be-gone. If you were able to remove all of the rust, a rust converter is not necessary. Instead you should use a product such as por-15. This is also a paint-like material that will inhibit any rust from coming back to the area it is applied. Both of these products can be purchased at any automotive store.
One thing that people forget to do is to remove all the rust. If rust is left behind it will continue to grow. You must treat any remaining rust. It is only a matter of time until you are once again removing rust from the same spot.
Once all your rust is removed and coated with either por-15 or a rust converter you must give the product plenty of drying time before you operate or touch the area. Drying times depend on many factor; weather, humidity, temperature, the heaviness of the application. The lighter the application the less of a chance that you are going to have drips or runs.No one wants to leave there car with a big space that doesn't match. If you have done all the work yourself so far you have saved yourself a lot of money. However if you want the car to look like brand-new again, you should have it painted. The spot that you fixed should be primed first before any paint is applied. Priming is easy. Primers can be purchased at any automotive store and come in spray cans for easy application, so you don't need a paint booth or a paint gun. Make sure you use a self-etching primer. This primer will fill in any scratch marks that may have been left behind from the sandpaper. If after application you still have sandpaper lines, use your 220 grit sandpaper. But this time you are going to want to grab some water. Dip the sandpaper in water repetitively while you are sanding and this will give it an even smoother finish. Once you have achieved the desired finish, repeat the priming process.
Paint is your final step. Painting the whole car doesn't cost much more than painting that one area and your car will look flawless. I don't recommend painting the car yourself as it does take a lot of experience to get it right.
