Car Rust

[Phoebe]

I've looked into this a little bit but am curious what actual people I know and trust have to say on the matter. I have one pretty old vehicle which has one really bad spot of rust about the size of my foot. Apart from a few tiny edges here and there, otherwise no major rust, except for that one big round nasty spot where everything is peeling away like layers of skin just falling apart. I feel that it would be desirable to cover the spot up somehow, with some sort of paint or paint like substance. Yet there is little chance of matching the paint exactly to the vehicle itself. Still it seems I need to do something to ensure that this rust spot does not expand. Anyone ever dealt with a rusty spot on their vehicle? I don't need this vehicle to be perfect, because its next stop after me is probably going to be the dump or some even less glamorous role than it plays in my life. However it's a really nice and useful vehicle and I want to keep it as long as I can, without a rust spot.

[Tahlvin]

Unless you're a good DIY pro, trying to fix a rust spot yourself is pretty futile. Covering the rust with paint won't do anything to prevent the rust from spreading. To prevent the rust from spreading, you really need to get down to the bare metal, remove the rust, patch the metal, then cover it all back up. And matching paint exactly is a pipe dream for an older vehicle; usually you'll have to repaint the entire body panel where the spot is, and it' won't exactly match the rest of the vehicle. If you can afford it, I'd take it to a body shop and let them have a go at it. Otherwise, if you're just looking for a short-term fix and don't care about the paint peeling off fairly quick and the rust continuing to spread, then just take a wire brush to the rust spot to smooth things out, apply a little primer, then cover that as best as you can with the original paint color from the manufacturer (the color code is usually hidden somewhere on the door frame).

[Stan]

If you did it yourself, it wouldn't be good but it would be better. And it would be cheap. Start with steel wool and then sandpaper made for metal. Then paint it with the closest paint you can find - it won't match so it will stick out but less so than a rust patch.

If it's bad and there's not much metal underneath, there's not much you can do other than get a new piece from a junkyard - if you can find one that's not rusty.

[Kyle]

I'd do exactly as Stan says-- it's cheap and not too difficult to get the rust off- and that will at least stop the deterioration.

Because its not going to match anyways, I say that you paint a smiley face (or deadpool face or whatever) on it.

[bralbovsky]

One added step: After the steel wool, or drill buffer or whatever you do to expose the metal and remove most of the oxidation (like infection in a wound, the bandage won't fix it and it'll continue to rot, and the car doesn't have an immune system). You'll likely miss some around the edges. At the car parts store they have some vile stuff (use gloves) that will stop oxidation and basically make a scar. This will help get the parts where there's still bad chemistry going on that you can't see. Your local shop probably only carries one brand. Some can be used as primer.

Come close on the color, then cover the whole thing with some terrifying cthulu decal. If you decide to sell it eventually, you may have to deal with it, but in your part of the world that should hold for quite a while.

[Phoebe]

Thanks, this is all very helpful advice. I am weirdly fascinated by the rust as if it's a nasty scab to pick.