You probably take good care of your car, making sure to wash it regularly and keep it protected from unnecessary damage. It can feel heartbreaking to find chipped paint along the bottom of the door or a brown speck on the fender. You know what it is right away when you see it: rust. If you don’t take quick action, it could lead to serious bodywork and rust repair later.
The Common Causes of Rust
The most common cause of paint bubbling and brown spots on the metal is moisture. Rain and snow are the primary culprits of red rust on your car, and it can strike most anywhere on the vehicle, such as on the transmission, the hood, or the wheels. Prevention is the key to fighting rust, so always make sure to wipe down your vehicle and dry it completely after it’s washed or rained on.
Three Types of Rust
- Surface rust is the most common type and is easy to fix. It shows up in cracks and crevices, including in spots where the paint has chipped.
- Scale rust affects exposed steel on your car and eats away at the surface, causing weakness in the metal.
- Penetrating rust happens when the metal has been exposed for long periods. The chemicals within the metal break down and turn into fragile iron oxide, causing small and large holes in the surface.
Rust Repair: A Quick How-To
If you’re unfamiliar with bodywork, it takes quite a few steps to repair rusting on a vehicle when you do it yourself. You’ll also need some tools and supplies such as masking tape, poly sheeting, sandpaper, filler primer, and base, as well as clear coats, buffing compound, and cloth. The most logical steps in repairing corrosion on your vehicle include:
- Locating the problem
- Masking the area
- Sanding and cleaning the surface
- Priming the surface with epoxy primer
- Spraying the base boat
- Finishing off the clear coat
- Buffing the target spot
If your rust is beyond DIY repair and you require bodywork for your vehicle, Kennedy Transmission is here to help. We provide numerous automotive services, and we’ll find out the cause of the problem and take care of it quickly, getting you back on the road in no time.
