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

[Spider77]

Ah corrosion. The best thing to do would be clean the surrounding area, cut out the infected spot(s) and replace with a non corroded piece of similar metal, then apply some sort of "barrier" (paint, undercoating, etc...). In some cases that can be a pretty involved process (especially in the rear areas). If it was just a fender Id say replace the fender. The most cost effective method would be to clean the corrosion (if its not that bad), apply an inhibitor, and the a protective coating. Now obviously the more money you spend the better off its going to be.
Corrosion is one of the main parts of my job, and nothing in the world will ever stop it (or so it seems), all you can really do it try to prevent it, and take care of the problem as soon as you notice it. Since corrosion happens on a molecular level, the slightest chip in the coating can start the spread of the process.
The pic is kind of small and its hard to tell what is rust and what is dirt. I can see some rust on the bottom.