Rock chip rust

[Fa24wrx]

Hello, I was detailing my car when I noticed this rust spot. I remember something hitting this area and pulled over immediately to check. I didn't notice anything, but metal on white would be hard to see. Well, rust is easy to spot on white. It's tiny. How messed up am I? What should I do from here? Is a polish and touch up paint enough?

 

[joekingcorvette]

Go to Amazon, buy the correct color code touch up paint for about $7.50 and touch it up. Keep the paint in the garage refrigerator if you have one and wait for the next chip.

 

[tbm3fan]

Putting touch up paint over rust is like putting lipstick on a pig. That tiny, were I am, ends up going nowhere even after 20 years. Now since I restore the USS Hornet, and detest small areas of surface rust appearing after painting a splinter shield so I use a rust converter first before prime and paint. Works for me on the ship and would work for me here with a tiny brush.

 

[Fa24wrx]

Putting touch up paint over rust is like putting lipstick on a pig. That tiny, were I am, ends up going nowhere even after 20 years. Now since I restore the USS Hornet, and detest small areas of surface rust appearing after painting a splinter shield so I use a rust converter first before prime and paint. Works for me on the ship and would work for me here with a tiny brush.

So you're saying it's so small I've got a little time before I need to stress? I wanna fix asap. But should I stop worrying it's already permanently damaged?

 

[tbm3fan]

So you're saying it's so small I've got a little time before I need to stress? I wanna fix asap. But should I stop worrying it's already permanently damaged?

I have had one just like that on the roof of my 2004 Focus for close to 15 years and it hasn't changed size one iota in those years. Of course I have no snow, no salt, and minor amounts of rain to deal with.

 

[JWC86]

No need to stress for sure but you might as well fix it. I would hit it with an iron remover spray first and then after cleaning with IPA use the touch up paint.

There are a bunch of techniques when doing rock chip touch ups, YouTube is your friend here. Go watch a few short videos and pick what works best for your level of OCD.

 

[Dadillac]

If it were my car I would use a rubbing compound and try to rub the rust off. It should do the trick. And then use touch up paint to cover it. I like Dr. Colorchip

Don

 

[Fa24wrx]

If it were my car I would use a rubbing compound and try to rub the rust off. It should do the trick. And then use touch up paint to cover it. I like Dr. Colorchip

Don

Yep, I used a small tipped thing and got the rust off easily. Getting touch up paint soon

 

[97prizm]

Hello, I was detailing my car when I noticed this rust spot. I remember something hitting this area and pulled over immediately to check. I didn't notice anything, but metal on white would be hard to see. Well, rust is easy to spot on white. It's tiny. How messed up am I? What should I do from here? Is a polish and touch up paint enough?
View attachment 235117

Use naval jelly rust converter with a fine tip paintbrush. It will neutralize the rust black which is then able to be touched up with paint.

 

[JHZR2]

Use naval jelly rust converter with a fine tip paintbrush. It will neutralize the rust black which is then able to be touched up with paint.

Those converters can swell or lift the paint… ask me how I know…

 

[Fa24wrx]

I was able to gently scrape off the surface rust with a point.

 

[buck91]

Have a ton of these on the front bumper of our 2018. Its silver and they kind of stick out. Drives me nuts but touch up paint blops won't look any better. I figure I'll just wait for some real rust and then tell the wife we need an offroad bumper

 

[Number_35]

Putting touch up paint over rust is like putting lipstick on a pig. That tiny, were I am, ends up going nowhere even after 20 years. Now since I restore the USS Hornet, and detest small areas of surface rust appearing after painting a splinter shield so I use a rust converter first before prime and paint. Works for me on the ship and would work for me here with a tiny brush.

My son and I toured the USS Hornet (CV-12) yesterday. Spectacular!

Thank you for your part in keeping this amazing piece of history alive.

 

[scoot]

As small as a spot as that is to address it the area is going to be more of a size of a dime, to make sure it doesn't reappear

 

[odie]

I would put a very small piece of clear packaging tape over it before it rusts . Clean area before applying . The 2 cars I used this for still had the undercoating , so that helped . One was on the front edge of the hood and another on the rocker panel . Helps keep moisture and oxygen at bay . Want a little of the tape to overlap the edges around the chip .

 

[Nuclear_42]

I would put a very small piece of clear packaging tape over it before it rusts . Clean area before applying . The 2 cars I used this for still had the undercoating , so that helped . One was on the front edge of the hood and another on the rocker panel . Helps keep moisture and oxygen at bay . Want a little of the tape to overlap the edges around the chip .

A Dab of grease will keep it rust free for a couple weeks. I’d just purchase a paint touch up pen from Subaru if they sell them.

 

[odie]

Both cars with the chip went for many years without rusting . Have to change it every few years . The car with the chip on the rocker panel had slight rust that I removed that and then applied the matching O.E.M touch up paint . Waited a day for it to dry and then placed the small piece of clear packaging tape over that . Rust never retuned .

 

[Fa24wrx]

Ive long since taken care of this guys.

 

[odie]

Ive long since taken care of this guys.

Old threads never die . They just linger .

 

[Exhaustgases]

I wonder if folks that live in the salt belt areas, worry this much when they take a car in for inspection and the inspector is scratching almost everything they check on the underside. Then of course the paint removal on the rocker panel pinch welds every time they use a jack or jack stands on them? Yeah nothing like logic is there?