Not everybody appreciates how much trouble rust can cause. At the same time, not everybody realizes how much value the rust removal market provides. In fact, the rust removal market is worth about $500 million every single year!
You are going to have to deal with rust sometime, so it is important to learn how to fix car rust. On top of that, you should know how to prevent rust as much as possible before it happens.
So how can you manage rust on your car? Read on to learn all about how to prevent rust and manage it when it happens!
How to Fix Major Rust on a Car
The first thing to know about how to fix rust on a car is to know whether not something needs to be repaired or replaced. To repair rust on a car, you need to know that the rust is not too deep. That way, you can remove the rust from the surface.
In contrast, if rust reaches all the way through your car body, then you need replacement rather than repair. At that point, the only way to manage car rust is to replace parts of your car.
If you need to replace parts of your car buddy, then you will need to go to professionals. They can find the right parts to fix your car and install them.
However, hopefully you can fix your rust on your own. The more you know about your car, the less you have to rely on professional services to help you. As long as the rust does not go too deep into your car body, rust removal is a relatively simple job.
- The first thing to do is apply tape on either side of the rusted part of your car. You don’t want to accidentally damage the rest of your car when removing rust.
- The next thing to do is to scrape off the largest pieces of rust. You can use a fairly intense instrument at first. A rust scraper can get the biggest pieces of rust out.
- After that, you will need to use a somewhat gentler tool. Moving on to a rough sandpaper can help you get most of the remaining rust. You will then need to use gentler and gentler sandpaper to remove whatever is left of rust.
- Finally, you can clean the area with detergent. If the bare metal of your car is dirty, then it will be hard to apply primer and paint to it. It is essential that your metal is as clean as possible before you move on.
How to Prevent Future Rust on Car Bodies
Once you have removed rust, you will want to prevent any future rust. An epoxy primer can create a strong seal over the top of your car body. It will also prepare your car for painting.
It is important to start with something like epoxy because it will bind thoroughly to the bare metal of your exposed car body. If you try to put paint on first, it will not stick very well to your bare metal. You can expect it to wear off very quickly when it is exposed to wind and rain.
Before you apply paint, you should sand the primer until it is smooth. Once your epoxy primer is smooth, you should move onto filler primer. These extra layers help to protect against rust.
On top of that, it is important to use filler primer so that your car paint will go on smoothly and last as long as possible in general, you will want to use at least two full coats of filler primer before moving on.
You can even use three coats of primer. The more coats you use, the stronger the protection against rust. Between each coating of primer, you should wait 15 minutes at least to let it dry.
Once you have applied all the primer that you are going to, you will need to smooth it over as well. A fully painted car has an extremely smooth surface. The surface of your primer should be at least that smooth as well before you move on to painting.
As with the epoxy, he will start with rougher sandpaper and then move onto smoother sandpaper’s to get smoother and smoother. Between each sandpaper in, you should rinse off your car to get rid of the dust.
Applying Paint for Extra Protection
You can then use proper paint on your car. As with the primers, you will want to apply two or three layers. Also like the primers, you will want to wait between 10 and 15 minutes between each coat of paint that you apply.
However, unlike the primers, you will want to avoid sandpapering your paint. Of course, if you accidentally create a rough spot, you can sandpaper it, but your paint does not generally need to be sandpapered.
The last thing to apply to your car is the clear coat. You will want several layers of it, with a time to dry between each coat.
Once you’re finished applying the clear coat, you will need to wait a while before driving. And you will need to wait at least 48 hours before you can buff the clear coat.
And then you are finished! A full layer of paint is a strong defense against future rust.
