Car Rust Spreading

[RNB11]

Hey guys, I am just noticing some rust spots on my 94 Integra rear quarters. It's pretty small and little right now. I know that rust spreads, but how fast? Is it worth repairing?

Calgary has some harsh winters so I'm wondering if it takes years for it to actually become something I should really be concerned about.


Thanks

[Cooked Rice]

If you drive it in winter here, rust spreads like wild fire.

[Shlade]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice
If you drive it in winter here, rust spreads like wild fire.

Yup.. Sad but true. Unless you plan on future parking this car for winter it is not worth it at all. If its surface rust grind it and toss a bit of bondo on it, sand it then spray it with primer.

Going all the way with replacing the quarter panels if this is a year round DD is not worth it!

[RNB11]

Okay, bondo doesn't sound to hard. Do you think it can last a few years of winter because going really noticeable?

[Kloubek]

lol... if you've never done body work before, it may end up looking like crap. It can be tricky to make it look good- so try it before you say it doesn't sound too hard.

If you leave it, you have the original paint over top - at least until it eats through. If you leave it though, the rust WILL spread quickly. Kinda a catch 22....

[redblack]

The car is 16 years old, IMO its not worth it to fix the rust. Once a car has rust, it will always come back unless you cut it out and replace it with new panels. Bondo is just a temporary repair job and on top of that, you'll have to try to match the paint. I've seen lots of cars on kijiji where the owners "try" to fix rust and it just looks horrible. I'd rather a rusty rear quarter panel than having it look like shitty paper mache.

[kvg]

fighting rust on a daily driver is a losing battle.

[RNB11]

Is por-15 a good solution to just paint over the rust? It's only surface rust ATM. I hear it prevents further rusting?

[Kloubek]

Not sure what that is, but your rust is likely occuring from the inside out. Doing *anything* to just the surface isn't likely going to do much for you.

[Chantastic]

For my 240 I've used something called Rust Encapsulator from Eastwood: http://www.eastwood.com/rust-encapsulator.html

It comes in cans or aerosol and I have covered large sections of my car in this stuff. Only really worth it though if you won't be seeing it after... so what I did was sand off all loose paint (should be pretty easy if there are bubbles forming) and then applied 2 coats of this stuff, and it dries reasonably quick. From there, it is ready to be painted but I plan on slapping on some areo to cover it all up anyways. A autobody guy I know suggested this as it's a one step treatment and it doesn't require much work, I've also used it on a friends Jeep. We'll see how it all holds up but so far I've only heard really good things. And the aerosol covers ground mighty fast.

edit: I don't expect this to solve my rust problems, but it should help at least slow things down and it certainly helps me sleep at night.

[AutoObsessed]

If it is just surface rust, meaning from the top side only and not coming from the inside then a few things you can do to help. This also depends on the size of the spot as well. Pictures would help everyone undertsand the extent of the rust.

- clean the rust out if you can, sand paper, steel wool, rust neutralizer
- cover up the bare surface with primer and paint, even touch-up paint will work on small areas

Rust needs moisture to continue to spread, so having any grime in the area will hold mositure.

This is why it is so important to keep the vehicle clean and the paint protected with sealants/waxes. Any bare metal needs to be prepped and covered. This means a scratch, paint that is coming off of the wheel wells etc..

In the winter time you need to wash the car more than in the summer, in addition to the moisture our roads are salted which obviously is a corrosive.

These are basic things but very important in keeping a car looking new. Age of the vehicle really doesn't really determine if it will get/have rust the biggest factor is if it is maintained properly.