How much to fix this rust spot on my Mercedes? PICS

[Accumulator]

Heh heh, some of us might argue that the last good Benz was the old W126 line



ProV1- If you do that repair carefully it might not look all that bad. I'd go with touchup paint from Paintscratch (it's something like paintscratch.com) and I'd apply it with a size 000 artist's brush. Use a *good* rust converter after removing as much rust as possible. Use Meguiar's Unigrit paper for the wetsanding, it really is better than cheaper stuff.



David Fermani- If the painter's good at it, he wouldn't even need the whole panel sprayed. I have a *lot* of spot-in on our silver vehicles and most of 'em don't show. A painter who knows his way around an airbrush oughta be able to do that repair pretty simply. The latest Spiess-Hecker clears (made for this) are great, they really do just melt into the OE finish all nice and smooth. As long as the color is tested and found to match a little spot like that shouldn't show.



Of course it took me decades to find painters who can do this right

 

[ProV1]

ProV1- If you do that repair carefully it might not look all that bad. I'd go with touchup paint from Paintscratch (it's something like paintscratch.com) and I'd apply it with a size 000 artist's brush. Use a *good* rust converter after removing as much rust as possible. Use Meguiar's Unigrit paper for the wetsanding, it really is better than cheaper stuff.



David Fermani- If the painter's good at it, he wouldn't even need the whole panel sprayed. I have a *lot* of spot-in on our silver vehicles and most of 'em don't show. A painter who knows his way around an airbrush oughta be able to do that repair pretty simply. The latest Spiess-Hecker clears (made for this) are great, they really do just melt into the OE finish all nice and smooth. As long as the color is tested and found to match a little spot like that shouldn't show.



Of course it took me decades to find painters who can do this right

David, you sound like you know what you're talking about. I found a guy on craigslist who operates solo and claims to be as good as bodyshops but without the cost. He says rust spot this size will need 8"x8" repair, and wants $225 for trim removal, rust repair, repaint and corrosion protection.



I was worried that if only a part of the trunk gets repainted it'll show up, but from what you're saying it won't matter.

 

[ProV1]

BTW, I also own a 1997 MB E420, and I just found one of the spring perches RUSTING!!! #%)(!@*&%)(!#%)!!!



*** is with Mercedes cars & rust???? How can a frame weld rust through and break on any car, no less a Mercedes? If I understand this correctly, if the perch breaks while driving, the compressed spring will just fly off and the entire suspension will disintegrate, possibly injuring or killing the driver.

 

[Accumulator]

All this talk about suspension rust is making me glad I spend so much time cleaning/inspecting the undercarriages at each wash Also reminds me that I need to order some more of Eastwood's Black Heavy-Duty Anti-Rust.

. I found a guy on craigslist who operates solo and claims to be as good as bodyshops but without the cost. He says rust spot this size will need 8"x8" repair, and wants $225 for trim removal, rust repair, repaint and corrosion protection.



I was worried that if only a part of the trunk gets repainted it'll show up, but from what you're saying it won't matter.

Noting that I've had a *lot* of silver cars spotted in over the years, there are repairs that *nobody* will ever see and ones that stand out from far away. It all depends on how good the painter is (and, well, how lucky you are). Note that the exact same color/paint code but from different paint manufacturers can look completely different, and whatever's on the car originally isn't always the best choice for the repair- might take a few tries just to find the right brand of paint to use.



On the size of the repair, different guys will approach it differently, but 8" x 8" is certainly as big as I'd expect anybody to go for that one.



I believe it was David B. who airbrushed in a spot repair on his silver Porsche, that thread might be worth searching for to see what's involved and how well it can turn out.

 

[David Fermani]

David Fermani- If the painter's good at it, he wouldn't even need the whole panel sprayed. I have a *lot* of spot-in on our silver vehicles and most of 'em don't show. A painter who knows his way around an airbrush oughta be able to do that repair pretty simply. The latest Spiess-Hecker clears (made for this) are great, they really do just melt into the OE finish all nice and smooth. As long as the color is tested and found to match a little spot like that shouldn't show.

Just for clarification: You would just be spraying color on the primered area, but you would have to clear the whole trunk lid. Spot refinishing exterior body panels can and does get done, but it's not the proper way to refinish a panel without a break line. I've actually been to a 3 day refinishing training class at Spies Hecker and they (and all other paint manufacturers) will not allow or warranty the partial clearing of any panel unless it's cut off at an acceptable break line. Shops burn clear on 1/4's all the time and eventually over time, it breaks down and shows. Here in Florida with extreme sun, paint breaks down much faster and I see cars driving around everywhere showing improper refinishing techniques. For example on Mercedes S-Classes, every time you refinish a 1/4, you have to clear the whole roof panel and both 1/4's!!!

 

[Accumulator]

David Fermani- Interesting, especially about S-H not warrantying the repair unless the whole panel is cleared; I've had so many more spot-repairs done with *not* reclearing the whole panel that I never would have expected that. The painter (this is the paintshop at Stoddard Imported Cars in Willoughby OH) was very emphatic about how well the S-H clear was working for this. Noting that they'll redo anything forever to keep me happy, the fact that S-H wants the whole panel cleared is something that does get my attention.



My blended (clear not redone on whole panel or to break line) repairs are, in some cases, 7 years old now and are fine, but that's just my experience and if/when any of them start having issues I'll be the first to say something. I always enjoy hearing your side of these things, even when our experiences are so different.



Heh heh, it'd be a hard sell to convince me to reclear that whole Benz trunk lid over a 1" repair though With so many such repairs holding up OK, I'd take my chances.

 

[Woob]

Just for clarification: You would just be spraying color on the primered area, but you would have to clear the whole trunk lid. Spot refinishing exterior body panels can and does get done, but it's not the proper way to refinish a panel without a break line. I've actually been to a 3 day refinishing training class at Spies Hecker and they (and all other paint manufacturers) will not allow or warranty the partial clearing of any panel unless it's cut off at an acceptable break line. Shops burn clear on 1/4's all the time and eventually over time, it breaks down and shows. Here in Florida with extreme sun, paint breaks down much faster and I see cars driving around everywhere showing improper refinishing techniques. For example on Mercedes S-Classes, every time you refinish a 1/4, you have to clear the whole roof panel and both 1/4's!!!

Where did you take the Spies Hecker refinishing course? Worth the money?

 

[Quickstrike]

I'd go with touchup paint from Paintscratch (it's something like paintscratch.com) and I'd apply it with a size 000 artist's brush.

I'm looking at repairing some paint chips on my Black BMW E36. Would ordering paint from Paintscratch be better than buying some from a BMW dealership?

 

[David Fermani]

David, you sound like you know what you're talking about. I found a guy on craigslist who operates solo and claims to be as good as bodyshops but without the cost. He says rust spot this size will need 8"x8" repair, and wants $225 for trim removal, rust repair, repaint and corrosion protection.



I was worried that if only a part of the trunk gets repainted it'll show up, but from what you're saying it won't matter.

That's too cheap?? The emblems alone are almost $125 and the materials are atleast $50. I don't see how anyone can properly do it for that much. Like the old saying goes: cheap isn't good and good isn't cheap. Please beware.

 

[David Fermani]

*** is with Mercedes cars & rust???? How can a frame weld rust through and break on any car, no less a Mercedes? If I understand this correctly, if the perch breaks while driving, the compressed spring will just fly off and the entire suspension will disintegrate, possibly injuring or killing the driver.

That's exactly what happened to me except I was going about 25 mph in a residential area. Thank god.

 

[David Fermani]

Where did you take the Spies Hecker refinishing course? Worth the money?

I took it at their training office in Plymouth, Michigan. It was a joint training class with Ford Motor Company and my company paid for it. I thought it was very informative and they did a "hands on" training approach where the students actually sanded down and sprayed body panels. Really cool.

 

[David Fermani]

David Fermani- Interesting, especially about S-H not warrantying the repair unless the whole panel is cleared; I've had so many more spot-repairs done with *not* reclearing the whole panel that I never would have expected that. The painter (this is the paintshop at Stoddard Imported Cars in Willoughby OH) was very emphatic about how well the S-H clear was working for this. Noting that they'll redo anything forever to keep me happy, the fact that S-H wants the whole panel cleared is something that does get my attention.

For base coat/clear surfaces, think of it this way:

Before you shoot paint onto a panel, you 1st have to sand and prep the prepainted surface so that the paint can stick to the surface. On a spot repair, you are basically just sanding a partial area and hoping to apply the new paint to that sanded area. If you don't, you run the risk of it not bonding to the un-prepped surface or you don't layer paint over an area that just got sanded with maybe 800 grit sandpaper. Doesn't really sound like the right thing to do? Just my thoughts. This might be ok for an interior surface like a A-pillar or a rocker, but not on an exterior panel that's oxposed to the elements. Maybe you've had good luck because your vehicles are properly maintained and are garage kept?

 

[ProV1]

That's too cheap?? The emblems alone are almost $125 and the materials are atleast $50. I don't see how anyone can properly do it for that much. Like the old saying goes: cheap isn't good and good isn't cheap. Please beware.

valid point.



i think i'll tackle this rust spot myself. I just ordered the basecoat, and I already have painting supplies, clearcoat, sandpaper, etc.



I will cut little pieces of sandpaper and tape them onto pencils to gain more control.



but once i sand away as much rust & bubbling paint as possible, should i hit it with a rust converter? I bought a rust converter spray from autozone that turns rust into black stuff, but i'm not sure if it works or not.

 

[tom p.]

i think i'll tackle this rust spot myself.

Pro, before you start, can I pose a question?



If the spot looks worse and is far more conspicuous once the "repair" work is complete, how will you feel?

 

[ProV1]

Pro, before you start, can I pose a question?



If the spot looks worse and is far more conspicuous once the "repair" work is complete, how will you feel?

good point. i figured the basecoat cost me $19. it'll be a fun weekend project, and if it turns out decent, that's great. if i f##K it up royally, then i will drop it off at the bodyshop and i would've wasted $19.



i'm not very enthusiastic about throwing away perfectly fine trims, emblems, and repainting the whole trunk lid for a tiny rust spot.



so my dilemma is: leave the trunk lid intact and preserve the factory paint job and live with noticeable rust spot touchup job, or get it repainted. i'm sure a repaint wont look perfect either, it's almost impossible to 100% match 5 year old paint. when i have to sell the car, i'll have to explain why the whole trunk had to be repainted.. etc

 

[tom p.]

i'll have to explain why the whole trunk had to be repainted.. etc

Not an issue at all. You have photos of it and you could show the repair bill. No big deal.



I keep looking at the 2nd picture you posted. I can't see the problem in that photo... maybe it's the grain-y-ness of the photo??



Personally, I might live with it for a while and see if it still bothers you in a month or two. Also, it's likely you're going to see rust in other places as time goes on - - it's been a major issue with these cars and it's what we've experienced with our silver '02 We have a couple more spots developing on our car. I've asked about having them corrected. The numbers quote me are far in excess of the numbers you have. Fixing this the right way is not cheap, I don't care who does the work.



I don't think there is any way you're going to end up with anything but a big blotch next to the trunk handle. Proper re-finishing of modern paint costs real $$$ today and silver is tough.



Our car has some spot touch-up repairs, probably lacquer, and it starts to fail and look like crap after a few years.

 

[Accumulator]

I'm looking at repairing some paint chips on my Black BMW E36. Would ordering paint from Paintscratch be better than buying some from a BMW dealership?

I never tried the BMW dealership stuff so I don't know. I was pretty happy with the PaintScratch.com stuff for my Byzanz metallic M3 though. I was less thrilled with the GM Pewter for the Blazer, but it wasn't *bad* or anything.



David Fermani- No doubt in my mind that the somewhat pampered existence our cars lead contributes greatly to how long the repairs hold up.



Even repairs spotted in on the hoods (unsanded blending right up over the leading edges) and front bumper covers are holding up great. I sure wouldn't complain if I needed to get any work redone, but so far these have held up just as well as the "taken to the break" repairs. Even when they blended into the S8's door after the deer-incident, they didn't clear the whole door (it was easy to tell until the paint finished hardening, had to adjust my polishing).



As I bet you already know you and I aren't :argue we're just exchanging info- I'm saying that in case others are wondering. This is one I can walk right out and check on four of our vehicles and confirm that OK (*so far*) there haven't been any problems.



Regarding the required pre-paint prep, I had been thinking of it as you did; I always sanded to ensure good adhesion. I was told that due to new paint technology the rules have changed. The idea (as it was explained to me by Mike, Stoddard's top painter, (800) 342 1414 ext. 5; I want to give references here) the particular S-H clear in question does not require the underlying surface to be sanded, that's the big special thing about it. Time will tell, huh? I sure can't argue with 7 years and counting, but we'll see if problems develop down the road (heh heh, not like we'll be selling them any time soon).



ProV1- While I certainly don't underestimate the difficulty of doing that sort of repair right, IMO a reasonable match with the touchup paint won't look worse than the rust and at least it looks like you're trying to keep it under control. I'd sure hate for it to be let go so long that it results in perforation. Not like bubbled paint looks good to me I think that *I* could do an *OK* repair and I don't consider myself very good at this stuff. But FWIW I'd just pay somebody good to fix it; IMO it's one of the responsibilities of owning a car like that.



But I would check that the touchup paint sorta matches (it'll never be perfect) before putting it on the car.