odd blister on car roof

[usefulidiot127]

Ever since I have had my car which I bought used there has been a blister type bubble thing bulging outward from the paint on the roof of the car. Its pretty tiny and it took me a long time to notice. I don`t really mind the blister type thing itself that much since you would never notice it without looking specifically at it. I am just worried that it could cause problems with rust or something down the line. My mechanic covered it up with some touch up paint last year and said it shouldn`t give me any problems, do I have anything to worry about? Should I throw some more touch up paint and clearcoat on there?



I have been told by a couple people to smooth it out so it doesn`t flake and rust, how would I do that? I have a bottle of fresh rubbing compound, clearcoast, and basecoat as it is now.



http://home.comcast.net/~usefulidiot127/RoofDing1.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~usefulidiot127/RoofDing2.JPG

[JasonD]

Hi, welcome to the board. You drastically need to resize those pics.



As far as the blister, it was probably a rust spot from a defect under the paint. Poor prep?



You could wetsand it VERY lightly to smooth it out, and then retouch it up but I would probably say to just leave it alone. You might open a can of worms if you mess with it, and it`s probably only noticeable to you at this point.

[usefulidiot127]

yea sorry I wanted to keep the detail ill just crop them up.



I know its not that noticeable but I`m really worried that it might start flaking and rusting. As it is now I think I might see a very think line of orangish coloring that might be rust.

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by usefulidiot127

......I know its not that noticeable but I`m really worried that it might start flaking and rusting. As it is now I think I might see a very think line of orangish coloring that might be rust.

The only way to do it properly is to sand the chipped area down to make sure you remove all the rust, then prime and touch it up again. Here is a how-to article and also links to a kit and a small tool that will help you clean it out:



http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=27



http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1802&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=touch



http://www.griotsgarage.com/search.jsp?searchtext=50875

[usefulidiot127]

Thanks for the guides and products, they all are pretty helpful. Most of them are dealing with just chips though so I am trying to figure out if I would have to do it much differently since my bubble is bulging outwards.

[Ben Z.]

I think the principal would be the same.

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by usefulidiot127

Thanks for the guides and products, they all are pretty helpful. Most of them are dealing with just chips though so I am trying to figure out if I would have to do it much differently since my bubble is bulging outwards.

You`re going to have to get under that paint and find out what is the root cause. My guess is you`re going to fing some rust, and unless you remove all of it properly it will come back.



Be warned, as Jason mentioned, you may be opening up a can of worms. On the other hand, if there is rust under there the sooner you (or a body shop) address it the less damage it will cause in the long run.