How to fix small rust spots on a car yourself
Small rust spots often appear as bubbling paint where moisture has gotten underneath the metal. Treating these spots early prevents the corrosion from spreading further across the body panels, saving you from expensive professional repair bills on your first car.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 59.9× more often in r/autorepair than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Taking the car to an independent body shop instead of a dealership to reduce repair costsDid this help you?
- 2Using an online paint match markerDid this help you?
- 3Using a generic white paint markerDid this help you?
- 4Applying rubbing compound and polishDid this help you?
- 5Wire brushing the rust, spraying with rust oleum, and putting sheet metal over itDid this help you?
- 6Using sheet metal and rivets, seam sealer or roofing tar, and rubber undercoatingDid this help you?
- 7Cutting out the bad floor pan and welding in a new oneDid this help you?
- 8Buying a flux core welder and doing a DIY fixDid this help you?
- 9Cutting out the damaged section and welding in a mild steel sheetDid this help you?
- 10Using old license plates, tek screws, and aluminum insulating tape as a temporary patchDid this help you?
- 11Taking the car to a dealership for regular oil changesDid this help you?
- 12Inspecting the underside of the car for further damageDid this help you?
- 13Taking the car to the dealership for professional wheel and paint repairDid this help you?
- 14Using DIY wheel repair kitsDid this help you?
- 15tapping around worst areas with a screwdriver to check metal solidityDid this help you?
- 16watching videos on how to remove surface rustDid this help you?
- 17using an angle grinder with a wire brush attachmentDid this help you?
- 18using chemical converters and sealants like Duram RustbusterDid this help you?
- 19patching up the rust with sheet metal and a welded rigDid this help you?
- 20replacing doors and trunk with rust-free partsDid this help you?
- 21Poke it with a screwdriverDid this help you?
- 22Spray some undercoating on it and call it a dayDid this help you?
- 23Applying an epoxy primer followed by a specialized polyurethane top coat.Did this help you?
- 24Leaving the zinc spray as-is if the spot does not see mechanical wear.Did this help you?
- 25Spraying a basic top layer paint like matte black directly over the zinc to protect it.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hi! I brought this car on friday and its my frist one and I wanna learn how to maintain it myself. My dad said I should get these rust spots fix. Any tips on diying them?”source ↗
“Do y’all think I can get away with using an angle grinder with a wire brush attachment to remove this? Or should I bring this to a professional to do and/or replace some of these parts?”source ↗
“I don’t want to assume that I can or should do it, and risk fucking it up, so I figured I’d ask”source ↗
“I just noticed some rust on the wheel arch of the right rear wheel of my 2020 Ford Fiesta 1.1 C&C with around 45,000 km. It also seems like the paint at this particular spot is starting to lift away from the body, forming a gap/bubble.”source ↗
“Since this is my first car (and, actually, the first “real” issue I’ve had with it), I wanted to ask for some advice on how best to handle this and roughly how much it might cost to fix.”source ↗
“When I felt the screech I had in the back of my mind this would happen 😭 Does anyone have tips for fixing this I know there’s diy kits but I don’t know if there’s paint for this specific wheel color”source ↗
“Rocker panel is rusty af but the car’s too nice to scrap — what do I do?”source ↗
“Should I buy appropriate gauge sheet metal, rent a rig welder and just patch up old reliable?”source ↗
“While at the mechanic, they spotted a couple of spots with rust flaking. How bad does it look and should I fix it immediately?”source ↗
“theres rust on inside of car when you open the back door (i’ll insert the picture) please tell me what is the best solution”source ↗
“Noticed my carpet is much wetter than it should be after rain and found this underneath.”source ↗
“No i recently saw it, i dont know much about cars”source ↗
“Not sure never checked under, but the car goes to dealership for oil changes every 6-8months average”source ↗
“What should I do now? I removed the rust with a wirebrush and afterwards I Sprayed a zinc Spray to prevent Rust Building Afterwards. Should I Spray on a clear coat or maybe a sealer? Or is it okay like it is now?”source ↗
“Epoxy primer straight on the zinc spray? ( would use silicone remover before though) then the paint and no clear coat?”source ↗
“Just bought a zinc aluminum epoxy spray paint. If that’s gonna rust again imma burn the car down xD”source ↗
“Got this scratch on the front of my wife's car. I'm trying to see what the best way to go about fixing it is. Is it better to fix it or will that make it worse? Please advise.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Mechanic refused to fix rusted control arm and subframe
- 5How to fix rust on home appliances
- 5Can you fix a deep car body crease yourself?
- 5Do I need to wire brush surface rust before applying Fluid Film?
- 3How to fix a paint scratch on someone else's car without a shop
- 3Can you use JB Weld on a cut sway bar or metal car part?