Paint and Body Ft Pierce | Total Auto Painting and Collision Center
How is rust repaired?
At Total Auto Painting and Collision Center, Auto Body Repair Ft Pierce, we offer two types of rust repair, cut and weld or grind and fill. Cut and weld, although more expensive, is the better repair. With this type of repair, a section surrounding the rusted metal would be cut out of the panel. The section would be made larger than the rusted area to ensure that there is good solid metal to weld in the new metal patch.
Grind and fill is an economical method to make a vehicle presentable, but it certainly isn’t our recommended choice because the repair will not have the longevity that we desire. Due to its low cost, this method of repair is commonly requested by used car dealers and companies with a fleet of work trucks that take a lot of abuse. With a grind and fill type of repair, a grinding disk is used to grind off the rust until the repaired area is clean shiny bare metal. This will most certainly expose small holes which is where the rust penetrated the sheet metal. This is a perfect time to apply a rust inhibitor to the affected area. Allowing the rust inhibitor to dry overnight is recommended.
For rust repairs, short-strand fiberglass body filler would be applied to provide strength and durability. After the proper cure time and sanding, Bondo would then be applied and sanded so that the repaired area is perfectly contoured and shaped to match the rest of the panel. Once any pinholes or imperfection in the Bondo are filled, primer will be sprayed over the repaired area. The last step will be prepping and refinishing the entire panel.
If performed correctly by an expert auto body technician, which we have on staff at Total Auto Painting and Collision Center, the rust repair will be undetectable. It will also be impossible to determine if the rust repairs were cut and weld or grind and fill. The real difference comes with time. The cut and weld rust repairs will last longer…guaranteed!
Grind and fill is an economical method to make a vehicle presentable, but it certainly isn’t our recommended choice because the repair will not have the longevity that we desire. Due to its low cost, this method of repair is commonly requested by used car dealers and companies with a fleet of work trucks that take a lot of abuse. With a grind and fill type of repair, a grinding disk is used to grind off the rust until the repaired area is clean shiny bare metal. This will most certainly expose small holes which is where the rust penetrated the sheet metal. This is a perfect time to apply a rust inhibitor to the affected area. Allowing the rust inhibitor to dry overnight is recommended.
For rust repairs, short-strand fiberglass body filler would be applied to provide strength and durability. After the proper cure time and sanding, Bondo would then be applied and sanded so that the repaired area is perfectly contoured and shaped to match the rest of the panel. Once any pinholes or imperfection in the Bondo are filled, primer will be sprayed over the repaired area. The last step will be prepping and refinishing the entire panel.
If performed correctly by an expert auto body technician, which we have on staff at Total Auto Painting and Collision Center, the rust repair will be undetectable. It will also be impossible to determine if the rust repairs were cut and weld or grind and fill. The real difference comes with time. The cut and weld rust repairs will last longer…guaranteed!
What is a rust inhibitor?
A rust inhibitor or rust converter is a product that, when applied to rusted surfaces, causes rust (iron oxide) to chemically change to iron phosphate, which is an inert, hard substance that turns the metal to black.
Rust inhibitors and rust converters do not remove rust. They mix chemically with rust to create a black inert substance that can be painted over, concealing the existence of any rust and preventing further corrosion of the metal.
Rust inhibitors and rust converters do not remove rust. They mix chemically with rust to create a black inert substance that can be painted over, concealing the existence of any rust and preventing further corrosion of the metal.
