Getting Rid Of Rust On Your Car

If you are a do it yourself kind of guy or gal than here are some basic steps on how to repair rust on your car.  The first thing that you will want to do is to identify all your areas of the car that are infected with rust.  Whether the rust is the result of chips and dents in your paint that have been left exposed for tool long or maybe surfaces of your vehicle where water has been allowed to gather and settle.  Your goal is going to be to prep those exposed metal surfaces, as well as, repairing and reshaping any defects so that when you finish repainting is shows as close to flawless as possible.

To begin preparing a surface you can use a 150 grit sanding wheel to begin smoothing out the surface and removing the rust.  The sanding wheel is good for leveling out the surface between the rusted/ unpainted area and surrounding painted surface.  All of the rust will not be removed this way alone, so you will need to go behind your work with a 150 grit hand sandpaper to get the last of it and to insure that where the painted edge and the bare metal meets is perfectly smooth. ( If you don’t have a sanding wheel than try starting first with a sturdy wire brush and rust removing solvent before going to the hand sandpaper )

Side Note: If you find yourself with any dents or deep pockets that can’t be smoothed out without damaging the metal than some minor body work may be required.  If so, just stop by a local auto parts store and purchase anyone of the bondo or body filler products designed to fill in pits, dents and gaps.  Don’t worry normally these products will come with detailed instructions, simple enough for any beginner to follow.

Finally, once you have perfected and smoothed your repaired surfaces it is time to paint. Let’s go ahead and tape off all the areas that are going to get painted.  It may seem minor but you will find that most professionals use the blue painter tape, any home improvement store will carry it, because it doesn’t leave any sort of residue behind  after removing. 

The first step will be to apply a high quality auto body primer.  You need to apply the primer in very thin coats because it will build its strength in layers. You will want to apply at least three coats of primer in 10 to 15 minute intervals and after the third coat let it sit over night so that the primer can completely cure and form a protective barrier. 

From here you are ready to paint!  When applying paint, just like the primer you want to do it in very thin layers.  At least three coats but adding one or two more coats will lead to a much richer and deeper looking shine especially if you have matched the paint exactly to your existing color.  But if you haven’t than just stick with three coats in order to be safe and not to create a drastic contrast between the original surrounding paint and the new paint.  Between each layer of paint that you apply give at least two hours to sit and again let the car sit over night after your final coat is applied. 

Your last step, after curing overnight, is to wash and wax the entire car in order to help blend your repaired areas into the over all car finish.  And to keep your car rust free from this point on, routinely do inspections of your vehicle for rust and corrosion from the obvious places to the inner door panel, hood and trunk.  Also your local auto parts store will carry products like surface rust protectants and touchup paint that will be useful in preventing rust from ever developing.