How To Remove Small Rust Spots From Car Paint?

Rust Spots On Car Paint

So, your car is getting old with time showing signs of sickness (rust) that needs to be cured, or maybe you didn’t get the chance to care for your car for the past couple of years. Now you’re trying to make her as happy as possible! Whichever reason you may have, rust on your car may be your primary enemy in the quest to give your car a nice and shiny look again. Rust on a car can occur for many different reasons and on various levels. But your goal should be to stop the rust as early as possible. Otherwise, it can catch up to the car’s frame and become irreparable.

Causes Of Rust On A Car

Car rust can occur for various reasons and is a normal phenomenon in every car’s life cycle. Every car that gets on the road gets attacked by this “rust” and happens to lose its once-cherished shiny look. But if we know the primary reasons for car rust, it will become very easy to stop it from happening.

Mud and Dust

Cars get dirty when they run on the roads. Mud and dust get stuck in places in the car that we can not possibly clean or are too lazy to care about. These substances cause oxidation over time, and rust appears on the paint and the primer.

Salt

Sea water is very good at producing rust because salt simplifies the corrosion process. Electrons must move around for the chemical process that results in rust, and they can move more freely in salty water.

Not Caring Enough

Car rust is unavoidable if you don’t take enough care of it. Leaving the car outside for a long period can cause rust to occur. Poor weather conditions also contribute to the rusting process.

Types Of Rust On A Car

Rust can start from the inside of the frame and gradually come out to the exterior, i.e., paint/primer. It can start from the outside, like a normal scratch, and gradually enter the frame. Small rusts still only on the paint or primer and haven’t reached the car’s frame are pretty easily curable.

But once the rust has reached the frame/body and has made holes inside, it is not curable anymore. The only solution, in this case, would be to replace the part of the frame where rust is present to stop it from spreading more.

Tools Required For Removing Small Rust Spots From Car Paint

It is a simple task. So, you will not be using any heavy tools to do it. The tools are :

• Eye protection, Mask, and Gloves.
• Sandpaper.
• Rust Converter.
• Tape.
• Primer.
• Paint.

How To Remove Small Rust Spots From Car Paint?

Rust that has already reached the frame is not repairable. But we can only rescue our cars from small rust spots on the car paint or the primer. So, we’ll be focusing on that only. These simple steps have helped me remove small rust spots in my car paint.

1. Clean the area thoroughly before starting to remove the rust spots. Ensure there is no dust or mud on the exterior and even inside the rust spot.
2. Get a rust converter chemical and sandpaper from your nearest auto dealer. Ask them to give you one of 400-grit size. You can have rust converter chemicals of any brand; they all work the same. The converter helps to apply primer and paint it gently.
3. Apply the chemical over the rust spot and let it be like that for some time. Once the chemical has dried out, you can move on to the next step.
4. Gently sand the spot with the sandpaper and make sure you haven’t only removed the rust spot and the paint. Removing the paint that has already been infected by rust is necessary to ensure they don’t appear again.
5. After you’ve successfully cleaned the rust and the paint, cover the area surrounding the rust with paper or tape.
6. Spray primer over the sanded area and put two coats of paint.
7. The spot should be gone now.

Remember, this process will only be beneficial if the rust is still at its primary stage and hasn’t already reached the frame or hasn’t got two big. I’ve used this process to clear out small rust spots on my car’s paint, which works every time.

How to stop rust spots from occurring on your car paint

Corrosion on car paint is quite annoying and can be time-consuming to remove. So, taking precautions to stop rust before it starts is preferable. Some measures that have helped me are :

1. Parking the car under a shade and keeping it inside the garage while I’m not driving it.
2. Curing rust spots as soon as I spot them. I have built this habit of thoroughly checking every part of my car at least once a week to mark any spots with rust and clean them up as soon as possible.
3. Cleaning the car every time I drive it through any muddy area or in the rain. I ensure no water or mud is on my car’s body before parking it inside the garage for the day.

FAQ

How Much Does It Cost To Remove Small Rust Spots From Car Paint?

If you do it yourself, the whole process can cost up to 100 USD. You’ve to purchase the tools only; there are no additional costs.

Is a little rust on a car OK?

No, rust on your car is never OK. You may not care enough because it is a tiny spot, but it won’t take much longer before it spreads to other regions. So, make sure to clear those tiny spots as soon as possible.

Is it easy to fix rust on a car?

Although it can be time-consuming, removing rust from your car is fairly simple. You must follow every step outlined above and wait for the rust converter and paint to dry out. It doesn’t take much longer once the chemicals have dried out.

Conclusion

The ideal thing to do about rust is to spot them early. Small rust spots are easy to remove and don’t cost much, whether it’s a DIY project or you’re hiring a professional. But once the rust spreads out or makes its way onto the frame, the scenario completely changes. It will cost you more if the rust has spread out already, or you can be forced to change the frame if the rust has made holes.