Spring Auto Body Rust Repair Tips

Auto body rust repair is a very common problem with older vehicles in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Dents or scratches can wear away paint and expose metal to the weather. Living in a snowy environment like what there is in Maryville, Collinsville, Troy, Glen Carbon, and Highland, Illinois may also increase the possibility for rust damage, as road salt and other ice removal accelerants can result in rust damage in the long run. However the rust formed, keep these rust repair tips from Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center in mind to restore your automobile body to like-new condition:

Inspect Your Vehicle’s Surface Carefully

The initial step in properly dealing with auto body rust is figuring out the extent of the damage. If you have a vintage car, you might think about going over all surfaces of your vehicle with a fine tooth comb. The reason being that rust won't always manifest as dark-red discoloration. Rather, what you ought to be looking for are small bubbles in the painted surface of the car. If such bubbles are present, it is likely that rust is hiding underneath.

Removing Rust

Auto body rust repair is nearly always best handled by the auto body professionals, like those at Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center in Maryville, Illinois. However, if you have some auto repair experience and the patch of corrosion is no greater than four inches in diameter, then it could be feasible to get rid of the rust yourself. To do this, you will want to use a sanding disc with 100-grit sandpaper on the affected region. Working gradually, sand away the rust, in addition to the immediate area encompassing the corrosion. This will produce an even plane for paint adhesion.

Additional Sanding

Once the rust has been eliminated, make sure you sand the region with sequentially finer grit sizes. For example, another pass may incorporate 120-grit sandpaper and a third pass might benefit from a 150-grit sandpaper. Once sanded carefully, tack cloth is suggested for getting rid of any metal or dirt debris.

Priming and Painting

Three or four light coats of self-etching primer are recommended for auto body rust repair jobs. Prior to priming, block off the surrounding body paint by using newspaper and masking tape. Wait about 5 to 10 minutes before you apply every successive coat. Then, hold off until the day after to put on the paint. Apply the paint in a similar, light-coated manner. After five or six coats, leave the paint to dry overnight, then come back and take away the newspaper and masking tape. A wash and wax might be helpful whenever the repair is finished.