Fixing Paint Chip/Rust

[dblevitan]

Hi.

I have an 06 CR-V that has a small paint chip on the front of the hood. The problem is that the there's now rust in that area (about 1 mm diameter) and I want to get rid of it before any further damage happens. I'm hoping that someone here can answer a few questions for me:

On all the other cars I've had, paint chips would expose a gray surface underneath that didn't rust. However, I don't see any evidence or a primer or any kind of undercoat on the CR-V and the chip is all the way down to the metal. Is this normal?

How do people recommend painting? Should I get any kind of primer, or just use Honda's touch up paint? The dealer's body shop just told me to scrape off the rust and put on several layers of the paint, but I feel that a primer should be there, especially since there's been rusting. I was also planning on using a dremel to grind away the rust and expose metal so that there was no further damage.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
David

[sprig]

I've had good luck with products from:
http://www.paintscratch.com/

[dazzman]

David,

After years of bodywork repairs may I make one firm recommendation, that you use a proprietory rust inhibiting base before any application of subsequent coats, whether these be by pen, brush of spray. There are many such products available, however I have had excellent results using 'Rust Bullet', using the automotive metal particulate version.

Using a rust inhibiting base will ensure your current rust is treated, and the metal is sealed from future moisture ingres, providing also a good adhesion surface for further top coats. Even if metal is showing with no percieved rust present, sufficient moisture may have been present to have started the rust process, therefore I would not just use 'touch up' directly on a rusted or exposed metal area; - it seams that your chip has had sufficient impact to fracture away all paint layers, even the primer.

In your case, with the chip being sufficiently small, then application using a fine artists brush can produce good results for the base and subsequent colour coats; However if your were to use your dremmel carefully, I would recommend using a micro sprayer to give the area a smooth integrated finish.

Lastly, please refrain from using a wax polish/sealant until the paint has had time to fully cure. Depending upon enviromental factors, I would recommend a month.

Some may say 'overkill', but living in such a wet part of the UK, taking the above initial step to specifically treat the rust/metal surface with an inhibitor has proven valuable every time.