How to Fix Rust on Car – Without Spending Much

Rust that we can’t trust, right? One of the greatest fear of our car is rust. So don’t panic because it is curable. How much you can lessen depends on your care. As long as you ignore them as much as they will spread out. So what you need to do is deal with the rust as early as possible.

It is possible to squeeze rust for several years and your favorite vehicle will survive from throw away. You took a deep breath, didn’t you? That’s because you love your car.

So now you will know how to fix rust on the car and the after prevention.

Identifying The Rust

First of all before buying anything from preventing rust you need to identify how much damage happened. Some areas are vulnerable to rust like lower door corners. So check out everything you know like a bubble in the paint.

So the first sign you may get is the surface rust in the paint like scratches or small nicks. Secondly, you may find the scale rust. It is hard you couldn’t find any holes at this stage but it is brittle. Never wait for the rust that turns into holes.

Things to Buy for Getting Rid of The Rust

Vehicles waxing and cleaning the daily dirt from the street is good but for the enemy rust, it is not enough. This is how you can fix rust on your car by some investments to buy the necessities to take the prevention.

You need sandpaper, sanding blocks, masking tape, primer, poly sheeting, tack rag, polishing compound, touch-up paint, and clear coat. Safety gears for yourself. You don’t need so much money for buying this. So you can say it’s a budget work.

But how to fix rust holes on a car? , In this case, you need fiberglass filler and body filler Bondo for the car if you want to avoid welding.

Our 7 Easy Steps for Fixing Rust From Your Car

1. Prepare the area

The first preparation is to mask off the repair area with masking tape and poly sheeting with an over-spraying area. By doing this you will be able to fix up rust without having worried.

If the affected area is your door then you need to cut the poly sheeting adjusting with the door. A good deal is if you remove the tire then the working process will be easy. If the affected place is fender then removing the tier is a must.

2. Sanding Rust

The next process is rubbing. Sanding blocks help to hold sandpaper most easily. Rub the area affected by rust. The darkest the rust the more you need to sand it. Silicon carbide sandpaper is good for rust removal.

For heavy rust you need to use 40 or 50 grit sandpaper. After that for the finishing process, you can use 400 grit sandpaper. All you can do before sanding is using the scraper for removing dirt. You also need to use a tack rag to remove particles from the unmasked area.

If there is a circle you need to fill them by using fiberglass filler and body filler and need to sand them as well for finishing. This is how you don’t need to welding.

3. Clean Rubbed Area 

Now you are all set there is no dirt in the affected area. But before using a primer you need to clean the area for further dust. The area which was rusted before you need to clean it with water.

You can also use detergent and cleaning cloth for more safety. Because there may be some grime.

4. Applying Primer

Wear your protective equipment and it’s time to apply the primer. If you want to freeze the rust from your car primer is a good solution. When the cleaning is done and it’s dry use the epoxy primer. Spray it on the area which is unmasked. Make sure you use a paint primer exterior. If you continuously hold the trigger down, you’ll get a continuous spray of primer.

We are using a primer because the paint will stick much better to a car with primer than to a car that has not been primed. When spraying you also need to cover up any exposed skin, wear eye protection and wear a dust mask so you do not inhale any primer.

It usually takes two or three medium coats to cover a surface. Wait one hour for the primer to dry. Your primer must be fully dry.

5. Sanding Again

Many times applying the primer can cause dips in areas and you want to smooth these out as much as possible. You can use wet 1,000-grit sandpaper. If the area is much deeper then you can use 2000 grit sandpaper.

You can wash it with clear water. You can wipe down the primer and cure the surface with a rag slightly dampened with thinners. Don’t use too much thinner. How to fix rust on the car is based on your follow-up to the steps.

6. Applying Base Coat

Based on your car color code now you have the color base coat. It is likely the same as priming. There are three types of base coats you can use in your car. These are solid, metallic, and pearlescent pigments.

After spraying you need to wait 60 to 70 minutes to dry it. You never do sanding on a base coat. You can wipe it with a clean cloth. After applying the last and final coat of paint, wipe the car again and you must keep the distance from the car when spraying.

It’s recommended that you don’t need to sand if you are using a metallic base coat and keep in mind the drying time between coats. If you messed up with the base coat then lightly sand and respray the ruined area.

7. The Final Process  

Clear coat gives a car a new and fresh look. The long-awaited and hardest period for every car guy is the clear coat. Because after this you fix up the rust. The area needed to be dustproof and dry. Spray it gradually because the old paint and new paint mix up finishing depend on this part. So if you mess the things the car will look odd.

The thing to do after using a clear coat is waiting. After that buff the dried coating with a lint-free cloth. Now your car is protected from rust and you have your beautiful glossy car.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is rust on a car bad?

Answer: It is always bad for having rust on your car. From simple bubbles on paint to holes on rust all that did not come in one day. So whenever you see the symptoms like rust it is bad mostly rust on the frame can cause parts to snap.

2. Can you rustproof a car that has rust?

Answer: Definitely yes! but it depends on how much damage it has. You can fix it from the beginning. If you are late the process is hard but fixable. 

Simple Tips:

You restored your car so don’t wax the restored area for at least one month.

Rust can be anywhere like on a car roof, door, frame, hood, floor, rims but the process is the same.

Final Thoughts

Rust from your favorite things is over. After 48 hours you can drive it. The process is easy but keep calm and patient for the time. If you have a garage this work will be more comfortable. You can do this outside also but inside weather problem doesn’t matter.

Never do this if you think you can’t because there are so many experts from different garages doing this works for a long period. So they have this good experience than those who have never done this.

Now you know the process of how to fix rust on a car and let us know how it works. If you think we didn’t cover the whole thing please let us know.