Chelsea is rusty. What do I do?

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 08/25/2017 at 18:03 • Filed to: chelsea

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While taking this pic of her I noticed a two teeny slivers of rust a little forward of the wiper motors. Thankfully her rust spots (common on W450 smarts of this age and spending most of their lives outside) are only on the surface and so little they’re barely noticeable.

Well, I love this car a lot and don’t want her to turn into a rusty mess, so I ought to kill this rust now while it’s relatively tiny.

Is this something I can do myself? Should I do it myself? I want a lasting fix so a part of me would rather have a pro do it. When I fix the windows I should be able to see if anything else is rusty on her too.

Random picture for your time!

Kiltedpadre > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 18:12

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If that ends out being all there is you can definitely handle it yourself. If you find more while working on it you may need to call a professional.

Is there flaky paint in the area? If so the rust may be spread farther than it seems. If not get to work. Clean the area really well, use a rust encapsulater and good primer, and proper touch-up paint.

PS9 > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 18:13

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It’s time.

Mercedes Streeter > Kiltedpadre 08/25/2017 at 18:19

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Seems easy enough! The paint in this area isn’t easily seen so I can get away with not having a 110% factory-looking job. I’m more concerned about stopping the rust dead in its tracks. It looks like the rust sprouted out of rock chips, which makes sense. Thankfully no bubbles, it’s all surface!

Mercedes Streeter > PS9 08/25/2017 at 18:20

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Nooooooooooooooooooo! :)

Kiltedpadre > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 18:23

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Good, before getting started with the cleanup mask the area off well. I like to go really wide with masking so you don’t need to worry about damaging good paint in the process. Also, clean, prep, and paint an area larger than it looks like is needed just to be sure you get it all.

Steve in Manhattan > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 18:30

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After trying a small bit of bodywork on my ‘97 SHO, I realized that money spent at a good body shop is money well spent. Especially if you plan to keep the car.

dogisbadob > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 18:55

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Hi

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 19:12

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Lie down, try not to cry, cry a lot.

Realistically I don’t know enough of these to know where exactly the rust is. Is it a removable piece?

crowmolly > Mercedes Streeter 08/25/2017 at 20:14

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Can you post a pic?

FWIW, painting directly over rust, even slightly rusty metal, can cause paint failure down the road.