Rust forming on 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL. Can this be stopped?

[Chicagoil135]

Hey All,

So I am getting very interested in detailing my car from lurking on this website and forum for a few weeks. I recently spent some time thoroughly inspecting my car just to see what I was dealing with as far as paint correction and noticed this small rust spot on the rear bumper. It looks like there is a small chip right where the body of the car meets the metal trim by the license plate.

Some pics: Rust forming on bumper - 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL - Album on Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/B9uOO)
Close up of chip: Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet (http://imgur.com/iQf2dBi)

Any idea on how I can mitigate/stop this? I bought some Iron X and I've read a little about Rust Converters like Corroseal. I asked another forum this question and was basically told to clean paint the area.

I am hoping that this is so small I could take care of it on my own. Thank you in advance for any help!

[natewood70]

Welcome to AGO! :welcome:

Since that seems so tiny at this point, I would clean out the chip that is there really well to remove any of the surface rust to expose the bare metal.

From there, I would add some touch up paint to fill it so that it will stop from potentially spreading. Seems to be in a corner so if you want to minimize marring or impacting the surrounding area while you clean (you may need a stiff brush), I would tape off the surrounding area with painters tape to be safe.

[Setec Astronomy]

As Nate stated, you need to clean that to bare metal, and put some touchup paint on there. Just keep in mind it won't look perfect but at least it won't be rusting anymore. And yes, you'll want to tape off close to that so you don't damage any good paint.

You'll want to scrape the rust with the corner of a razor blade, or with a "sanding pen". They used to sell those pens at Griot's but I don't see them anymore. These applicators are good:

Griots Garage Touch-Up Paint Applicators, 25 Count (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-paint-applicators.html)

Griots Garage Fine Tip Touch-Up Paint Applicators, 25 Count (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-fine-tip-applicator.html)

You can also find those in bulk, as well, as the sanding pen, elsewhere on the internet. When you get your paint, you may want to consider some primer if there are deep pits...just make sure to apply the primer really thin, you want to leave room for the paint without leaving too much of a blob. Honestly, when I touch up rusty chips I don't usually use primer, but, again, it depends how deep you have to go to clean that up. Also consider getting some thinner when you order the paint, sometimes it's just too thick out of the bottle (or may become that way the next time you go to use it, although the last little bottle of thinner I got came in a plastic bottle and seemed to permeate through the bottle and is almost gone even though I haven't used any of it).

And remember...thin is in...in regard to how much paint you are putting down. Make sure to wipe the area with some IPA after you're done scraping.

[WaxMaster1]

It looks to me as if one of the panels was repainted because the paint doesn't appear to be uniform in color. So, who knows what's going on, but I would just scuff up, clean out the area and lay some touch up paint down. From the looks of your name, seems like you're in a snowy area so I'd monitor it closely this winter and maybe touch up again in the spring if necessary.

[Chicagoil135]

Thanks everyone for replying and thanks for the welcome Nate!

I plan on taping off the area, using a sanding pen to scrape away the existing rust and then depending on the severity of the pitting, go over it with touch up paint or primer & paint. When using the sanding pen, should I wet the surface like in wet sanding or is that not necessary? Would it be beneficial to use a Rust Converter? I've read a little about them, but not sure if this is the best application for that product.

Thanks again for all the help!

[natewood70]

I don't think a rust converter is necessary for something that small. As long as you can clean the area of any residual rust to bare metal, following with touch-up should be fine.

[Chicagoil135]

Awesome, thanks for the tips. I'll post some before and after pics once its done. It's a minor correction, but I have never done anything like this before. Hope it all goes well!

One more question, should I try and get paint from the dealer or pick something up from my local auto parts store?

[DaveT435]

I can't see the pictures for some reason. I used a dremel to clean out some small...and some not so small rust spots on a '72 VW. You actually remove a little metal, but with rust if you don't remove it all it's going to come back quickly. I tried a rust converter but in the real small spots it proved to be pretty worthless. It may just have been that particular product though...

[Chicagoil135]

53692

Let me know if you can view this one. This is a close up of the spot.

[natewood70]

Awesome, thanks for the tips. I'll post some before and after pics once its done. It's a minor correction, but I have never done anything like this before. Hope it all goes well!

One more question, should I try and get paint from the dealer or pick something up from my local auto parts store?

I would usually go to the dealer unless the price is astronomical. You can get stuff from auto parts store with the same color code, but it will sometimes be slightly off shade. Won't really be noticeable in that spot, but might as well get the best match possible IMO.

[Setec Astronomy]

I've never been able to find touchup paint in an auto parts store. I mean sure they have touchup paint, but there are so many colors, I have never been able to find the one I needed in the store.

You can go to the dealer, buy Dr. Colorchip here at Autogeek, there are also sites that specialize in touchup paint, like paintscratch (add your own suffix) and another one that I can't think of right now.

[DaveT435]

I agree Dr. Colorchip is definitely the way to go. On my Red Jewel Tint Camaro I bought touchup paint from the dealership and it wasn't even close. Dr Colorchip was a perfect match. I would take some solvent...mineral spirits or something similar and clean up the area. Then take a dremel find a small attachment, clean it out and if you can find a small container of metal prep at an automotive paint supply store put that on to help prevent future rust the cover with Dr Colorchip. It may take a couple coats to make it level. In that spot I would think your the only one that will notice it and that's because you know it's there. I've had greT success using this method.

If you decide to go with this method you want to order the Dr Colorchip so you have it before you start. Also I can help you with a little better method to use with the Dr Colorchip as a filler so you can get it level with the rest of the paint.

[Chicagoil135]

Sounds good. I'll check out Dr. Colorchip.

When I am sanding/prepping the area, do I prep only the area where I can actually see pitting, or do I have to sand down the areas that are only discolored by the rust?

Basically, do I sand everything within the defined area in this pic? Or more so just on the area where I see the pitting?

53704

[Setec Astronomy]

I think some of that is rust staining on top of the surrounding paint. I'm guessing you don't have any polish on hand; if you are ordering the Dr. Colorchip from here, pick up a bottle of this and lightly buff the area before you start, that should clean up the rust staining so you can see the actual chip (or you could use an iron-eating cleaner):

Optimum Polish is a swirl remover, finishing polish & paint cleaner in one for the optimum shine! swirl remover polish, fine grade polish, final (http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-polish.html)

I'm going to guess that this may remove the rust also: Optimum MDR Mineral Deposit Remover, water spot remover for paint, water spot remover glass (http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-mdr-water-spot-remover.html)

I'm just suggesting those two because they come in small bottles.

[Crispy]

If it were my car I would do the following:

Dry sand with 800 grit to remove surface rust and level the area.

Apply Corroseal primer/rust converter.

Dry sand with 800 grit to level surface.

Then apply paint and let dry 1 day minimum.

Now level with 1500 grit and buff/polish to high shine.