How to Fix Surface Rust on Your Car
As you use your car, salt, sand and water slowly wear away at the car's metal. Rust spots appear as the metal oxidizes. While your car will certainly still run with rust on the body, its value will decrease significantly and the rust can continue to penetrate past the surface causing you to have to replace whole panels. Keep your car looking sharp by repairing surface rust as soon as it appears.
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Things You'll Need
- Gloves
- Safety goggles
- 150-grit electric sanding wheel
- Metal grinding wheel
- 150-grit sandpaper
- Body filler
- Tape
- Auto body primer
- Paint
- Paint brush
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Prep the rusted area with an electric 150-grit sanding wheel, preparing the metal to accept paint and making the surface smooth and free of defects.
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2
Sand until you see bare metal or painted metal. Create a level surface between the area of repair and the area immediately surrounding it.
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3
Use a metal grinding wheel to remove as much of the rust as possible without taking off too much extra material.
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4
Detail by hand with 150-grit sandpaper, working out any tough spots.
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5
Use a body filler to fill in any gaps or dents that are visible.
Prime and Paint
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6
Tape off the area you will be painting.
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7
Apply three thin coats of quality auto body primer, waiting about 10 minutes for each coat to dry. Allow it to cure overnight after the third coat.
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8
Gently hand sand the surface smooth once again.
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9
Apply three to four thin coats of paint, allowing about two hours for each coat to dry. Let everything dry overnight when finished.
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10
Remove the tape. Wash and wax the entire car to help blend the repaired area into the rest of the body.
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1
Tips & Warnings
See your car dealer to get an exact match of paint for the body.
If the rust isn't very bad and you don't own an electric sander, you can just sand it down by hand.
