Let's talk about the R-word.... Rust. (and how to fix it)

Hi folks,

I've been taking my Micra through hell and back, and I think now she needs some love and attention.

Plowing through 70 000 km in 24 months doing mostly highway i noticed some paint chips on the hood that I kept procrastinating upon... now that things are getting salty, I'd need some advice on how to fix it.

(in-before saying that my car is dirty, i know)

Open pictures in new tab, they are high resolution so they might not show the rust.


Pictures:
Attachment 3920

Attachment 3921

Attachment 3922


And also if anyone has an explanation on this... I got some chipped paint on the driver handle.... and it looks like they painted a coat of white on top of the Caspian Sea color. Picture:

Attachment 3923


Cheers !

CMM

i thought it was underside rust ... which the option for that is "por-15"
but paint rust has to be un rusted.. either thru sanding or possible electrolysis and primed and painted

warrenty only covers a hole created by rust

the Caspian sea green under is kinda funny... was this a used car? or new off the lot. i dont understand. unless.

do you see the green anywhere else on your car? under the carpets? door jams engine bay?

the demand for white may have been higher then nissan expected so they repainted some car?s

thats some cool rarity points there !!

My Caspian Sea has no white painter under it, I don't think.

that is odd that the color is different, and also a little alarming the car rusts so easy, there should be a primer coat underneath (but i live in vancouver where its not salty alot so maybe its normal for any car there)


i pumped a can of rust preventer into the rocker panels and under the car at suspension points when i got it. only time will tell..lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrMicra2015

(but i live in vancouver where its not salty alot so maybe its normal for any car there)

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Back east, a 10 years old car is basically a rust bucket on wheels. Compared to here in vancouver... Cars do not rust away very much. My 1968 volvo had zero rust on it. Some primer was showing but otherwise intact.

Its the sodium they put on the roads to melt the ice. It ruins the cars. If we keep getting winters like last year. This will happen here too

Quote:

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Originally Posted by callmemister

I'd need some advice on how to fix it.

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For stone chips, just touch it up with a dab of paint. Even if there's a little rust in the chip, it'll be fine.

I would also HIGHLY recommend doing an annual anti-rust treatment like Krown. The worst rust (the kind that sends cars to the junkyard before their time) rarely come from stone chips - it's going to come from the inside out. If an eastern car is regularly rust-treated by a reputable technician, it can last as long as a west coast car. (I picked up a 2000 Metro last year which lived its entire life IN MONTREAL -- as bad as it gets for rusty locations -- and the original paint body is pristine because it was anti-rust sprayed multiple years.)

With one exception: check underneath your rocker panels, near the back. The paint is prone to "sand blasting", and if you get a hole under the rocker that water can be blasted inside, that's going to be a serious problem.

See:
Thread: Sandblasted / chipped rear rocker panel and dogleg (potential rust problem)

PS: very strange on the hidden Caspian Sea door pull cap. Can you tell whether the entire door was painted?

These cars were sold with the option of different colour "caps" on the door handles & mirrors so people could change up their cars. Maybe someone put that colour on your car & changed their mind later.

Definitely don't procrastinate on touching those spots up! Overall not a huge issue but I had the exact same thing happening to the 93 Golf I sold for the Micra. It had the clearcoat flaking off in areas and surface rust developing and I kept telling myself I'd get around to it. By the 3rd summer of owning it (it was a winter beater primarily) the slight surface rust had turned to full on rust bubbled areas.

I also didn't clean it as often as I should and areas that held dirt over said surface rust really started to rot the panels from the outside even though the wheel wells and undercarriage were rust free.

I'd suggest trying a scratch restoration kit as they're relatively cheap and come with the different levels of abrasive pads and lubricant and gently rub the rust off, then fill it with a matching paint pen and use the clear coat that comes with the scratch kit. When it's all dried and you've smoothed it out, give it a nice buff with some wax and it should come out pretty good. The kit + paint pen should only run you about 40$.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/tu...-0391022p.html

Cloud White available at CTire appears to have the same code (QM1) as the Micra Fresh Powder touch up paint:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/du...5131p.html#srp

I recently fixed up a scratch and minor dent from my Micra getting doored in a parking lot this way.

Thanks for all the responses and the tip, I'll keep you posted on the rust fix progress, and I might get some wax and rust proofing. As mentioned above.... Montreal is a real destroyer for cars, it took my 99 audi away with potholes and rust.


The car was bought new from the lot, so the door caps are something odd, i ordered the car white, I did not find any other colour around the car, but i'll try to give a once over again to be sure.

Cheers !

CMM

CMM: any update on your progress/plans?