Minor Rust Repair/Prevention

[Seth]

Hi all – first time posting! I love the YouTube channel.

My wife and I recently bought a 2006 Hyundai Elantra in great shape. I noticed that some small rust bubbles were starting to appear over the back wheel arches so I decided to do some preventative maintenance. I ground down the paint to the bare metal, taped off the area and cleaned it. Then applied primer and the closest paint match I could get (which unfortunately looks awful). A few days later I was frustrated to see that the paint had bubbled up once again, not with rust this time but with actual WATER inside the bubble. No idea how it got into a pocket like that.

So….now I have questions:

1. What should I do to get a best paint match? Paint code is “NW” for Nordic White, I believe and AutoZone does not have it in stock/cannot order.
2. How should I blend the paint once I put new on there? Wet sanding, etc.?
3. Is there something additional I need to do to make sure the rust doesn’t come back?

Thanks in advance,
Seth

Topic

[Richard Kirshy]

This may help:

[Bernadette Nabulneg]

Does it have dents or some deep pock marks that are left over from the rust?

[Ben]

W.r.t to #3 I recommend buying some rust converter (google ‘rust converter’) and applying it to both the front AND back of the affected area and all along the wheel well lip. What this will do is convert the exiting rust into a more solid compound and also hopefully seal the area off from moisture getting in.

What might be happening is that the moisture is collecting where the panels join at the wheel arch lip. Water can get in there, then it rusts, then the wheel arch gets deformed because rust takes up more volume than steel, then more water gets in due to the deformation. So unless you seal that up it may continue to rust and get worse.

[jonathan]

Grind rust from front and back of panel, fill with fibreglass, sand, even out with Bondo, sand again, prime it, paint it and clear coat it, Now from the back of the panel fiberglass it also and prime it then use rubberized undercoat on it( the black stuff I mean) after the last coat of clear coat spray a bit of ‘fade out spray’ on the edges of the repair and it will blend the area with the old paint, keep in mind that if the paint is old it might not match exactly

[Wyr Twister]

I agree , give it a good treatment with ” rust converter ” .

After all the treatment is done , could you drill a tiny weep hole to let water out ( treat the inside / bare steel of the hole , too ) ?

Any way spray undercoating could help ?

God bless
Wyr

[Author]

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