Car Cancer, My celi has rust =( Options

[wjhoffman]

I'm not an auto mechanic by any means so I'm asking for input on an economical way to fix this rust. I figure if I take it to a body shop they'll charge me an arm and two legs. I don't need it to look perfect I just want to stop it from spreading, fix the hole and make it black. This picture is right behind the driver's side rear tire. Thanks guys.

*EDIT* fixed image size



This post has been edited by wjhoffman: May 2, 2010 - 7:23 PM

[yarik83]

Are you talking about the plastic in the wheel well or are you talking about metal that is on the other side of plastic? If you do not have a plastic liner there it would explain why your car is rusting.

Considering that wheel wells are there for a reason it will be a good idea to investigate extent of damage. I would advise using a metal brush and getting to metal surface. Based on what you find it will be easier to proceed. You can do a ghetto patch with body fillers then sanding/painting/protecting with chemical treatment then sealing or you may have to cut out effected part and either weld a piece there or rivet a piece of sheet metal in place. Rust is something that happens to all cars and unfortunately the longer you postpone solving the problem... the worse its going to get. I have seen and driven cars that have rusted out floors. Very fun driving on a highway when you can see asphalt only inches away from your rear end.

For starters clean the area and get to the metal. Remove fender and see if damage spread past that part. Most auto shops sell a special paint thing that temporary seals and stops rust. The keyword is TEMPORARY. That should give you a couple of weeks to figure out how to solve your issue.

Now here is the important bit of information. There is really no way to stop rust from spreading without cutting out effected piece and replacing it completely (what many body shops do). There are countless kits on the market that let you "patch" the hole but on a molecular level you are literally patching the metal with another kind of metal or plastic or gypsum or whatever it is they use nowadays (such as fiberglass). Patching something will give you another few months to few years before problem starts creeping up again.