How to prevent rust from damage?

ALou19

Looking for abit of advice..

I came out of work the other day to find some idiot had hit my car! :mad:

Ok, so it's not major.. they have hit just above my wheel arch on the rear driver side which has left small dint and took some paint off. Just angers me that they didn't have the decency to leave a note or anything.

Anyway, where the paint has come off is on the join of the body work and underneath already looks a little rusty. It's an old car so maybe it has been patched up before however I don't want it getting any worse before I can get it fixed. Spending money on car bodywork isn't really my main priority at the min.

Can anyone suggest anything to prevent rust? Just with the cold weather setting in and the recent rain we've had I can see it making more of a mess to sort in the long run.

Thanks in advance.

Gloomendoom

If you don't care what it looks like, just spray it occasionally with WD40.

karlos_the_jackal

Rubbing some grease on it with your finger will keep the moisture off until you get it sorted.

Strider590

Paint with hammerite, it'll look crap, but it'll stop any rust.

When you come to repair, just use a wire cup brush in a power drill to strip away the paint back down to bare metal.

ALou19

Thanks guys!

Do you think vaseline would be effective?
Would WD40 effect the paint?

TrickyWicky

ALou19 wrote: »

Do you think vaseline would be effective?

Yes. Have used it myself and it works a treat. You can also use anything else waxy that stops water / oxygen getting to the metal.

Don't bother with WD40, it'll wash off in the next heavy shower.

force_ten

The suggestion to cover the area with grease/Vaseline will stop surface rust in the area where the paint has been removed

You said the area underneath looks rusty already well if the panel already has rust in it due to age then you will not stop that spreading by doing what was suggested above.

The only way to stop rust that has already set in is a proper repair, by cutting out or grinding out the rust, treat the area using a proprietary rust treatment on the area and then getting paint on for protection will cure the problem in the short term but chances are it will come back in time

Stompa

Perhaps something like:

http://flagpaints.co.uk/product-browser/2013/5/30/rust-converter

Retrogamer

Strider590 wrote: »

Paint with hammerite, it'll look crap, but it'll stop any rust.

From my experience of Hammerite rust treatment products, it will do no such thing. I treated some rust on my car by removing as much loose stuff as i could with a cordless drill and wire brush.
Treated with Hammerite Kurust then painted with Hammerite direct to rust paint.
3 months later rust was back.

Done it again except used Dinitrol rust treatment and Ronseal no rust.
Lasted about a year before car was wrote off and no sign of rust returning.