How to Touch Up Rust Spots on an Auto
If your car has small rust spots, you will want to treat them immediately so that the rust is not able to spread to and damage the rest of the body of your car. Repairing small rust spots does not require the work of an auto body mechanic; you can easily remove your rust spots yourself which will save you a lot of money.
- By hand - For minor rust spots, you will often be able to scrub them away before they are able to spread and cause further damage to your car's body. Use a steel wool pad or a wire brush to effectively scrub away any small rust spots that have formed on your car's body. Use should use a circular motion when scrubbing away the rust spots to effectively remove the rust spots.
- Commercial Cleaners - Commercial rust removers will make the job of removing small rust spots from your car's body easier. Simply purchase a commercial rust remover and spray onto the affected area. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for application of the product. You will want to wear protective gear such as a respiratory mask and rubber gloves when working with these harsh chemicals. Allow the product to sit on the rust spot for around 20 minutes, and then remove. It is best to do this in a well-ventilated area when using a product that contains harsh chemicals.
- Primer - There are rust proof primers on the market that prevent rust from forming on your car. Unfortunately, over time they lose their effectiveness in preventing the formation of rust. After you have completely removed the rust spots from your car, you may want to apply a rust proof auto primer to the area so that rust does not develop again in these spots.
- Finishing Touches - Sometimes during the rust removal process you may remove some of the paint around the area of the rust. You can easily touch up these spots using a touch-up paint pen from your dealer, or a fine tip sharpie in a color that is very close to the color of your auto body paint. Apply car wax to the area that you touch up and allow the wax to sit for 30 minutes before buffing away the excess wax. This treatment will leave your car looking as good a new.