How to Repair Rust on a Car

As long every bit vehicle trunk panels are made from steel, they're going to rust.

Introduction

Sooner or later, rust on cars is inevitable. Nevertheless, if you bargain with rust early, you can stop it from spreading and squeeze a few extra years out of your vehicle.

Rust repair isn't hard, but information technology is fourth dimension-consuming (mostly waiting for primer and paint to dry between steps). Plan to spend about $100 on supplies like sandpaper, primer, masking tape and poly sheeting, a tack rag, polishing compound and touch-upward paint and clear coat. Choose a calm, overcast day and block out the total solar day to fix the near mutual rust spots on the hood and doors.

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Project footstep-by-step (9)

Footstep 1

Go Shopping for Supplies

  • Outset, find the car manufacturer's paint code.
    • Annotation: The pigment code tin can exist in a multifariousness of places on the body, in the engine compartment or trunk, or other places. Use either of these online resource to detect instructions on how to locate your paint code: automotivetouchup.com or duplicolor.com.
  • Purchase automotive touch on-up pigment in pints and quarts to utilize in a spray gun, in droplets cans, or in roller ball applicators.
    • Pro tip: Fifty-fifty if you know how to use a spray gun, mixing automotive paint with a reducer to match the temperature and humidity conditions can be mighty tricky. Nosotros don't recommend it. Instead, buy aerosol cans for larger repairs and rollerball applicators to fix scratches.
    • Note: Most late-model vehicles were painted with base coat/clear coat pigment. The base coat contains just the pigment and binding resins-the clear glaze is simply the gloss.
  • Purchase equal amounts of both base coat and clear coat.
  • Y'all'll likewise need an epoxy self-carving primer to bite into the blank metal and a lacquer primer to agree the pigment.
  • Buy forty-, 600- and 1,000-grit sandpaper, a sanding block, grease and wax remover, poly sheeting, painter's record, a tack rag and a microfiber cloth.

Step 2

Mask Off the Repair Area

  • Tape the leading edge of poly sheeting a few feet away from the repair so yous'll have room to blend the bear upon-up paint into the practiced areas.

Mask Off the Repair Area Car Repair 4

Step 3

Remove the Rust

  • Crack off any blistered pint with a scraper.
  • Sand through the rust spots down to the bare metal, using xl-grit sandpaper.
  • Enlarge the sanded expanse and so y'all'll have space to feather the edges.
  • Switch to 120-grit sandpaper to feather the edges of the repair area.
  • Complete the feathering with 220 dust.
  • Use a tack rag to remove particles from the unmasked area.

Remove the Rust Car Repair 2

Footstep four

Clean with Detergent

  • If the rust has created pits in the metal, y'all can fill them now with body filler or wait until the epoxy primer dries and apply multiple coats of filler primer.
  • Clean the unabridged unmasked surface area with a grease-cut dishwashing detergent, followed by clean rinse water.
  • Let information technology dry out.
  • Wipe the area with a lint-free cloth to remove any remaining dust or lint.
  • Apply the paint manufacturer's prep solvent.

Clean with Detergent Car Repair 3

Step 5

Utilise Epoxy Primer, So Filler Primer

  • Spray the filler primer in heavier coats to cover the entire repair area.
  • Move the can away from the surface slightly and blend it into the surrounding painted area.
    • Pro tip: Self-etching epoxy primer provides a stiff bond to bare metallic, then use it as your first glaze.
  • Spray ii to iii medium coats, allowing the recommended wait fourth dimension listed on the label (commonly xv minutes) between coats.
  • Look a full 60 minutes for the epoxy to dry to the affect (longer if it's humid exterior).

Apply Epoxy Primer, Then Filler Primer Car Repair 5

Footstep vi

Sand the Primer

  • Starting with wet 600-grit sandpaper, shine the primer and feather the edges.
  • Switch to wet ane,000-dust sandpaper to terminal-sand the unabridged repair, including the composite areas.
  • Launder with clear water and let dry out.
  • Wipe the stale epoxy primer with a lint-free material.
  • Apply ii to three heavier coats of lacquer filler primer, allowing drying time between each glaze.
  • Let the lacquer primer dry until information technology's dry to the affect—at least one hour—before sanding.
  • Sand drips and sags with 320-grit sandpaper.
  • Then last-sand the entire repair area.

Sand the Primer Car Repair 6

Step 7

Apply the Colored Base Glaze

  • Holding the spray can nigh 12 in. away from the surface, spray the repaired area.
  • Showtime at the bottom of the repair and apply the colour coat in left-to-right rows, overlapping each pass by about ane-tertiary.
  • Build the colour slowly into the repair and surrounding areas in two to three coats.
  • Permit nigh 10 to 15 minutes betwixt coats.
  • Allow the base coat to dry, until it's dry to the touch on, at to the lowest degree 60 minutes.
    • Pro tip: Don't sand the base of operations glaze (peculiarly metallic colors) unless you've created sags. In that instance, sand lightly and then respray the touched-upward areas.

Apply the Colored Base Coat Car Repair 7

Step 8

Spray on the Articulate Coat

  • Apply several coats of clear glaze, allowing the recommended drying time between coats.
  • Gradually work the clear coat into the surrounding painted areas to achieve a shine blend line.
    • Notation: This is the hardest office because all clear coats run easily and that will ruin the expect of your paint task. If yous create a run in the clear coat, you'll have to let it dry for at least 48 hours earlier attempting to set it with fine-grit sandpaper and polishing compound. Then you'll have to respray the sanded area. So practice spraying on a fleck piece of cardboard to become a experience for the nozzle and the speed of application.
  • Let the articulate coat dry for several hours before driving the vehicle and at least 48 hours before buffing.

Spray on the Clear Coat Car Repair 8

Step 9

Vitrify the Repair

  • Using an old cotton fiber T-shirt or microfiber cloth and buffing compound, hand-buff the repaired area.
    • Pro tip: Don't use a polishing car for this step. Wait at least 30 days before waxing.