Well shit guys

"JGrabowMSt" (jgrabowmst) 02/16/2014 at 13:28 • Filed to: rust

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I got a rust hole after kicking an icicle off my rocker panel.

Car is about 10 years old, obviously rusted around the edge, but inside looks clean.

Can I just have a buddy weld something into the hole and get it repainted or just put a clear coat over it? It's on the bottom of the body, not the side, so it isn't immediately visible, I'm just concerned about the rust spreading too quickly.

I'm going to talk to a body shop and my welding buddy who works at a garage what he thinks tomorrow (I don't want to bug him on his day off). Any oppo advice?

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > JGrabowMSt 02/16/2014 at 13:41

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Go around and check the rest of the car for rust too. No point in patching up a tiny spot while the rest is falling apart around it. But if it is just a tiny spot, fix it quick.

JGrabowMSt > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 02/16/2014 at 13:45

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Under the car is fairly rust free. The exposed edges of the frame have a little rust, but nothing major, nothing that would have led me to believe this would have happened. I think I'll stop at the body shop first and let them look at it more closely, and depending on what they estimate, I may go to my friend, or let them take care of it right away.

Whenever it used to be up on ramps, it used to get a fresh coat of krylon black on the important bits to prevent this from happening. This did happen under the cars paint, so it wasn't something we would have seen coming. I'm pretty careful about it, and I would have seen something like this coming if it was worse.

Gimmi-Sagan-Om-Draken > JGrabowMSt 02/16/2014 at 13:52

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This is good if it fits your scenario

https://mercedessource.com/problems/rust-…

JGrabowMSt > Gimmi-Sagan-Om-Draken 02/16/2014 at 13:56

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Wow, that's pretty cool. I'll ask about that when I take the car in, if they think it's an option for the car.

Gimmi-Sagan-Om-Draken > JGrabowMSt 02/16/2014 at 14:47

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I have used it on a couple cars and on a Land Cruiser, if its not a large area it works well, its very strong and better than the metal in some cases! You can do it yourself, my friend there in the video was a bush pilot in Papua New Guinea and became a Mercedes nut later in life, he is a good mechanic and anything he tells you should be considered good advice.

JGrabowMSt > Gimmi-Sagan-Om-Draken 02/18/2014 at 00:25

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After getting just one quote on this, I'm somewhat discouraged...this car is the biggest moneypit, words cannot describe.

By chance, could you tell me a little more about the rust repair? What I'm primarily concerned about is how long it will take to cure or harden, and just things that you noticed as you were applying it. I think this is the route I'll take, but I will still need some paint work done to protect the rest of the rocker panel. I can take a better picture tomorrow, but here's what it looks like...I know my potato shot wasn't really that great..

You can see the underbody of the car, and part of the exhaust, which isn't rusting anywhere near as bad as this hole. Every time my dad used to go under the car, he would spray on a layer or two of krylon in an effort to keep the rust at bay. I was just reading on a neon site that the second gens are all starting to show similar damage pretty badly around the edges of the body. I got a pretty serious short straw with this car.

Again, I'm really looking to pick your brain about how to clean the area, best application method in your experience, and whether or not I can get it painted the same color as the car (I'm not concerned in the least bit if it doesn't look pretty).

Thanks so much for the help!

Gimmi-Sagan-Om-Draken > JGrabowMSt 02/18/2014 at 01:24

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Well I wasn't trying to hurry but its not a bad idea to let it cure. I would follow the instructions my friend gives with his kit if you haven't done it before. Spray painting rust like your father makes it worse because it traps moisture inside. Better to let it dry. Youhave to cut out the rust and get the surface stuff off. Naval jelly helps get it off. You want it clean, like with a rotary wire brush before getting started. I have two meters of snow here in japan so I am a bit busy! I would get the kit and do everything he says. You can paint to match after its done. You don't want to get too thick but you can sand it. I used a putty knife.