How to Repair Small Rust Spots in Your Automobile

A car can look really bad when starting to rust. The bad part is if you don't take care of it while it's a little problem it will become a bigger problem. Taking care of small rust spots on a car is very easy and a lot easier than most people think.

Rust usually occurs when metal is exposed to a material that causes erosion such as water, wind, friction and so on. If just so happen to bump into your car at the store with the grocery cart you most likely just scratched the paint. Scratches are the main sign of exposure. A scratch is removal of the paint and most likely makes the base metal visible or vulnerable. Once rust has started it won't stop. It will keep deteriorating until there is nothing left of the car.

To start out use an electric sander with 150 grit sand paper. Get the loose paint off the vehicle. Now take a circular sander and sand away the rust. Make sure you sand into the actual good paint to make sure all of the rust is gone. Work on getting the surface smooth as possible. Once you are satisfied with the surface texture you can now prepare to do the painting. Now this is only for smaller rust spots, this doesn't include if it were to have gone all the way through the body of the car. That would be a whole different story.

Now that you have your surface area smooth you need to apply primer. Primer is a grey looking color and is put on underneath the actual finishing paint. Make sure you set off a certain area to primer. What I mean is tape off the area that you are working with so you don't paint over the original paint or non affected area. Once you have sprayed on a thin coat of primer you should let it dry. After it has dried you will need to add another thin coat of primer. Add about three or four layers of primer. Then let it sit for a day or two. Now that the primer is completely done its job you need to go back to the 150 grit sand paper, or maybe you could use yet a finer grade of sand paper, and lightly go over the primer just to ensure that you have the smoothest surface possible and that when drying there were no bumps or rough areas.

The primer is done and now it is time for the finishing paint. Look underneath the hood of your vehicle or some times in the drivers side door there will be a color code that will match the cars exact paint color so when you go to buy paint you can get the exact paint that was originally put on the car for a better and more professional appearance. Ok now that you have selected the paint you will just do the same thing you did for the primer. Take it nice and slow and add several layers of paint. Letting each layer dry before applying the next coat is essential to the process. If you don't let each layer dry, the paint could tend to look heavy or even get a rough texture. So take your time, even if it takes you the whole weekend to do, it will be worth it when you're done.

The paint has been applied and you can remove the tape. Now buffer out any unwanted marks and polish your vehicle when done. Now you need to add some five star shine to your vehicle. It is a paint protection spray that has been tested and tried and is said to guarantee five years of paint protection. Take your car for a wash and realize what a great job you've done and how much money you just saved. It beats spending a ton of money at a body shop especially when if it looks worse then before you took it to the shop. All you need to do is be smart and work hard.