Pinprick rust spots..

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FlyingAGasoline
I have a few pinprick rust spots appearing on my car. All total, the areas add up to a little less than a penny, I think. No individual spot is bigger than a pencil eraser, but it worries me. They're not all in one area. Instead, they're spread about the car. What's the best way to deal with them?

I'm in a dorm and I have no access to an indoor garage, if that matters to any possible solution.

I realize that a 1994 E320 is built like a bank vault, but I'm still worried. It may be the Fargo road salt...?

Thanks,

-Chris
 
Could we get some pictures?


I'm not quite sure what to say, here - I guess it's best that we figure out why they're forming.
So, are they developing from rock chips/missing paint? Does it look like the 'cancerous' rust (bubbling up), or just some surface stuff?
 
It's surface stuff from missing paint, I'd presume. Thankfully, It's not the bubbly cancerous kind. Road salt is everywhere up here. Plus, It's probably been chipped as well. I'll get pictures tomorrow.
 
Wash the car. Often. Undercarriage included.


Next time the car is warm, dry, and clean take some sandpaper on the end of a Qtip and get any rust out of the paint chips. Clean the area well, and prime and paint the chip. Use a touch up brush, or even a toothpick (gets less paint but is more precise).
Afterwords, when the paint is fully dried and cured, you can buff out the area, or even wetsand and buff it to level out the touch up with the other paint (If it stands proud of the rest of the finish).

Then it's just a matter of keeping up with new chips, and cleaning the car regularly.
 
Thanks. :)

I don't think it will be warm anytime soon in Fargo, though.

How exactly does one get sandpaper on a q tip? (It doesn't flex well) Can I get away with using the general auto sandpaper?
 
You can get adhesive-backed sanding discs. Use an exacto knife and cut out a little circle and stick it to the end of the Qtip.

(The reason for using a Qtip/sandpaper being that it's much more precise - You wouldn't want a stray edge of normal paper going across your car's finish, and this should be prevented quite well - Just spin the qtip, and it should work well).
 
Cool! thanks, Slicks!

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*Bookmarks thread for warmer temperatures*
 

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