Dealing with small rust spots on car paintwork

[happypeter]

Hi,
I have a few small rust spots (about 7mm) on my car door. I don't need a perfect finish but just want to make sure it doesn't get any worse.
How to go about it?
thanks

 

[Mottie]

You could put some rust stopper on it or sand it off and paint it but without spraying a larger area, it will be noticeable, more so if its a metallic finish.

 

[robinbanks]

Or if it's really small, clean any loose material and dot in a few coats of touch up paint to stop degradation until you want to get around to having something done about it proper

 

[carmanmemoranda]

This time of year, outdoors. Next to nothing.

see a body shop or wait for warmer and drier weather

 

[Avocet]

You need to scrape out any rust first, otherwise anything you put over it, will just keep the existing rust nice and warm, but it will carry on, because oxygen can still get through the paint. Maybe post up some photos, so we can see what we're up against? You can buy fibreglass "rust pens". They just have stiff, glass bristles, and are good at grinding loose rust out of small areas. Once you're back to bare (but still slightly brown) metal, put a drop of rust converter on there. Again, places like Halfords sell it. Lost of manufacturers, but basically, all the same stuff. You only need a tiny amount, so one of those "Tip-ex" type bottles would do it.

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Then when that's dry, some primer and paint. Again, if it's a relatively common car, Halfords might well have a double-ended, touch-up pen, thing with primer in one end and the right coloured paint in the other. You might also need some clear lacquer to go over the lot, depending on the paint finish for your car.

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[AkiraDIY]

If you don't mind how the rust spots look you can just use clear nail polish for a quick and dirty "fix". Just apply it over the rust spot and a few mm of the surrounding area and job done. Probably better to buy some cheap stuff than use the wifey's though!

Seals the rust spot from water and oxygen and stops it growing, tried and tested on many junkboxes that I've owned over the years with reliable success. The nail polish reflects the sun differently so it's slightly noticeable but no more so than spots of rust or DIY attempts at paint matching and feathering.

 

[JohnD]

Hi,
I have a few small rust spots (about 7mm) on my car door. I don't need a perfect finish but just want to make sure it doesn't get any worse.
How to go about it?
thanks

What is the car, and how old? Most are made of Zintec these days, which is less troublesome as rust is not prone to spread under the paint.

For small spots or scratches, I find a tiny dot of paint with a fine artists paintbrush is less eye catching than a larger repair.

P.s.
The brushes in Halfords and similar paint kits are awful.