Your car takes a beating from ice, rock salt, and extreme weather conditions that often strike the East Coast. Fortunately, you can reverse the damage and avoid future rust formation by taking proactive steps to maintain your vehicle. Rust repair to your vehicle can cost between $400 and $2,000. That’s a huge range, but you can minimize the damage with regular maintenance by a trusted professional. Framerite Auto Repair in Baltimore, MD, specializes in rust repair and bodywork that can improve the appearance and safety of your vehicle.
Identifying the Type of Rust
To determine the severity of rust damage, it’s important to understand the different types of rust that can form on your vehicle. In order of severity, this includes surface, scale, and penetrating rust.
- Surface Rust: Rust that penetrates the first layer of paint is easy to identify and remove. Often, vehicle owners use WD-40 or similar rust remover products to remove orange rust from their vehicles.
- Scale Rust: surface rust evolves into scale rust if not immediately repaired. Symptoms of this level include bubbling or flaking paint. You will eventually see bare metal as the paint continues to corrode.
- Penetrating Rust: This is the final and most difficult level of damage to repair. The exposed metal frame of your car takes the full brunt of harsh conditions. Penetrating rust eats away the bare metal, sometimes rendering vehicles unsafe to drive.
How to Repair Rust Damage
Framerite Auto Repair has developed a four-step process to restore your vehicle. Once our technicians identify the type of damage, we’ll perform the required rust repair to revive your vehicle’s beauty and structural integrity. Here’s an overview of how we do it.
Identifying the Type of Rust
Iron and oxygen combine to create rust, also called iron oxide. This usually takes place when iron is exposed to water or moisture. Over time, rust can undermine the structural integrity of your vehicle. Our technicians locate and identify the three types of rust that can appear on your car. This gives us the information needed to perform effective repairs on rusted vehicles.
Removing Rust and Damaged Paint
Our experts start by applying poly sheeting around the damaged areas. This protects unaffected areas of the vehicle. With a delicate touch, our technicians crack blistered paint and then remove it with a scraper. This exposes the bare metal, allowing us to begin the restoration process.
Welding New Metal to Restore Safety
When rust has eaten away the metal, we sand the paint around the affected areas. Then, skilled welders replace the damaged metal, giving your car back its structural integrity to protect drivers and passengers.
Painting and Blending for Full Restoration
We start by applying a base coat and then build up the paint to blend the repaired areas into your existing paint job. This typically takes two to three coats. Our technicians take their time, ensuring that the new paint blends smoothly into the undamaged areas.
Benefits of Rust Repair for Your Vehicle
Rust can ruin your car’s frame, suspension, and brake lines of your vehicle. Repairing rust, on the other hand, can restore structural integrity and keep occupants safe. Because rusted parts are more likely to fail, it’s essential to address rust damage as quickly as possible. Additionally, you can extend the life of your vehicle by repairing surface and scale rust before it penetrates the lower layers of your vehicle.
To avoid costly bodywork, we recommend bringing your vehicle in for an inspection as quickly as possible. Removing rust can also improve the aesthetics of your vehicle and may preserve its resale value.
Get Top Vehicle Rust Repair in Baltimore, MD
Rust can wreak havoc on your vehicle, shortening its lifespan and costing you more money in future repairs. Whether your car just has a few orange spots or extensive damage, our pros have you covered. Contact us today for trusted rust repair in Baltimore. Our friendly staff will answer any questions you may have about our services at 410-324-6438.
