Rust spots in hood from stone dings on highway.. best repair kit?

[LordJezo]

Touring 2010.

Still pretty new car, only 20,000 miles on it which was just passed in the past week.

The paint job is having a hard time dealing with the rocks and stones that are thrown around NJ highways from all of the trucks, rust is starting to show up on some of the deeper pits on the hood and I even found one on the roof.

What's the best paint match and sealing kit to get? I will sand the rust out of the spots and paint them over but I want to get it from a place that will match the paint code from the car.

Has anyone used any vendors that are decent people? I don't want to get a generic paint kit but something that will match.

 

[jk240sx]

It's really hard to repair chips with any of the available kits without it looking obvious or it being a permanent fix. I'd take it to a paint shop and have the hood repainted.

I invested in a clear bra to save my paint. I share the highways up here with a lot of semis that constantly kick up rocks plus they sand the highways in the winter. The bra has already taken a few hits with no signs of damage. My dodge Dakota does not have a bra and the front end looks like it has been been sandblasted and has chips all over the front. It's on the 2nd windshield in 5 years.

 

[BOOSTR]

I feel your pain and hate Mazda paint. My car was used primarily as a highway commuter when new and I developed the same issues. Fortunately after all this time nothing has rusted through but between the chips and the sandblasted effect on the bumper cover, it really takes away from an otherwise clean looking car.

Most if not all of that rust will come off with cleaner wax or compound. Its only surface rust. You can try to touch it up with duplicolor or http://www.paintworldinc.com/default.aspx but it will not look as good as having it repainted using better paint materials. A fine artist paint brush works better than what is supplied with the touch up paint. Do several coats and plan on taking your time for best results if you go that route.

For now I would recommend simply waxing or sealing the affected areas. Meguairs cleaner wax, Meguairs Hi Tech Yellow or Meguairs Synthetic Sealant are all good. I use all 3 all of the time.

 

[RoadKing01]

I have heard some decent things about Dr Colorchip, but have not tried it myself nor have I seen it in person.
Members of other forums I have belonged to, say that it works pretty well.

It is a little pricey, but I typically go with "You get what you pay for" $50 for a chip kit is a lot less than getting the hood blasted and repainted.

 

[LordJezo]

I feel your pain and hate Mazda paint. My car was used primarily as a highway commuter when new and I developed the same issues. Fortunately after all this time nothing has rusted through but between the chips and the sandblasted effect on the bumper cover, it really takes away from an otherwise clean looking car.

Most if not all of that rust will come off with cleaner wax or compound. Its only surface rust. You can try to touch it up with duplicolor or http://www.paintworldinc.com/default.aspx but it will not look as good as having it repainted using better paint materials. A fine artist paint brush works better than what is supplied with the touch up paint. Do several coats and plan on taking your time for best results if you go that route.

For now I would recommend simply waxing or sealing the affected areas. Meguairs cleaner wax, Meguairs Hi Tech Yellow or Meguairs Synthetic Sealant are all good. I use all 3 all of the time.

Do cleaning waxes need anything special for them to work? I have only used synthetic sealant and never really used a good old compound wax.

Do I need a special type that will buff out rust or anything like you listed help it?

Do I need to prep the rust spots at all before waxing?

 

[BOOSTR]

The compound (Meguairs Ultimate or Ultra Cut) is not a wax. I have machined buffed my hood with both and noticed that it takes away the surface rust initially. Ideally I should prime it and spot treat them but I will just wait to see if I respray the entire car one day.

No you do not need to prep the finish or anything special to use a cleaner wax. Just wash the car first. Meguairs Cleaner wax is a blend of cleaners, polish and wax. You can get it from Walmart for under $6. It is some pretty amazing stuff for what it cost. After applying it you can then use the synthetic sealant on top of it.

My car does see snow twice a year or so and like I said my spots have not rusted through. Unless yours are very bad I doubt they will either. Bad like you can pick or press a hole through them now. The Mazda metal and treatment seems to be good but no so on the paint and clear materials used imo.

 

[LordJezo]

I have machined buffed my hood with both and noticed that it takes away the surface rust initially. Ideally I should prime it and spot treat them but I will just wait to see if I respray the entire car one day.

Machine buffed meaning a wax pad that goes onto a drill or one of the automatic orbital sander looking things with the sponge pad attachment?

Which Meguairs Ultimate product do you use for the surface rust spots? I am looking at the stock now and the whole Ultimate name is a line of products.

List of products at Advanced Auto Parts for example:
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...timate&vehicleIdSearch=-1&searchedFrom=header

 

[BOOSTR]

I have a Milwaukee 5460-6 7/9 in. Dial Speed Control Polisher. I've buffed my hood many times and noticed how it initially cleans up the spots. I used M-105(which is paintable & more aggressive) and G-17216 compounds(paintable & less aggressive).

I'm not advocating that you buff your hood. Just letting you know about the surface rust and that if you keep wax and sealant on the spots they should not develop in to a rust through situation. But stay away from your paint with a drill buffer or sander. Buffing is an art that takes years of experience to perfect.

You can do it all by hand. The cleaner wax is in a maroon bottle. Advance charges more than WalMart does for it.

Should you decided to use touch up paint to address the spots later on then you will need to use wax/grease remover to wipe down the surface so you won't cause an adverse reaction with the touch up paint adhering and curing. Waxes and sealants are not paintable.

If your spots are distressing then I would say go the touch up route or bite the bullet and have the hood professionally resprayed.

 

[table5511]

My personal fav is factory touch up paint bottle and a tiny artists brush from Hobby Lobby, dabbing a tiny bit at a time until the hole is filled. After that, tape (masking tape) around the filled area with fine sand paper to feather it out, apply a little bit of color with a paper towel to the sanded area, leaving the masking tape in place, then wax the area. My personal opinion is that there is no real good solution without paying a good body shop to fix the damage, then buy a bra for the hood, and a bra for the roof between the windshield and the sunroof.

 

[jabba]

My personal fav is factory touch up paint bottle and a tiny artists brush from Hobby Lobby, dabbing a tiny bit at a time until the hole is filled. After that, tape (masking tape) around the filled area with fine sand paper to feather it out, apply a little bit of color with a paper towel to the sanded area, leaving the masking tape in place, then wax the area. My personal opinion is that there is no real good solution without paying a good body shop to fix the damage, then buy a bra for the hood, and a bra for the roof between the windshield and the sunroof.

Griots also sells a paint touch up kit that provides better accuracy for filling up the chip. But I like your technique, never thought about reapplying color with a towel after a light sanding.

Properly fixing a chip AND making look good is tough, I found that it requires multiple applications of a very, very small amount of paint. Then the hardest part is trying to smooth out the paint bubble that will form. You can buy a little sanding block, 2000 grit, that will do that nicely.

I use to follow the following instructions, but it takes infinite patience: http://store.carcareonline.com/repairpaintchips.aspx

 

[LordJezo]

The compound (Meguairs Ultimate or Ultra Cut) is not a wax. I have machined buffed my hood with both and noticed that it takes away the surface rust initially. Ideally I should prime it and spot treat them but I will just wait to see if I respray the entire car one day.

No you do not need to prep the finish or anything special to use a cleaner wax. Just wash the car first. Meguairs Cleaner wax is a blend of cleaners, polish and wax. You can get it from Walmart for under $6. It is some pretty amazing stuff for what it cost. After applying it you can then use the synthetic sealant on top of it.

My car does see snow twice a year or so and like I said my spots have not rusted through. Unless yours are very bad I doubt they will either. Bad like you can pick or press a hole through them now. The Mazda metal and treatment seems to be good but no so on the paint and clear materials used imo.

Got the cleaner today and also the Tutle Wax paste to put on after. I had been using the Ice liquid but I want something a little thicker for the winter.

Any tips on how to use the compound? I am going to do a good complete was of the car prior, let it dry, then put on the compound. I am sure it has directions on it but you have been using it for some time now, what are some best practices for it?