Detailing Q: Claybar or no?

[Adrian_Visser]

I'm wondering if a detailing guru could give me some advice.

My '89 Alpine II was given a cheap quality respray before it came into my possession. The window trim wasn't even removed and rust is showing through in several places.

This paint job is about 5 years old now and has some rust staining on it where the paint has chipped.

What is the best way to remove the small rust stains and give the paint some depth?

I know basically nothing about detailing. Would a claybar be able to remove this or will I have to cut and polish away the staining?

[reelizmpro]

I'm no guru but I have been learning a lot about detailing. Claying is a good idea but don't know if it's intended for what you're trying to use it for. Either way I think it's a good idea prior to cutting and polishing. However, if the respray was that poor, then cutting and polishing could cause more damage. I'd be very careful.

[TexMed]

A clay bar is meant to remove things sticking to your paint. Like tree sap and that sort of thing. You basically spay water on the spot then rub it with the clay.
A "rust stain" that is under your paint and showing through a clay bar won't do anything as it doesn't remove paint.

Car polish removes some paint. That's what you use to take out swirls, scratchs and oxidation.

The only way I know to fix the problem as you describe it is to sand it down, paint the spot with a rust killing primer and then repaint it.

Rust will be eating away at your car until you stop it. If you want to cover it up you can do what it sounds like the last owner did and just paint over it. But sooner or later it's just going to eat through the metal and you'll have a hole.

[Adrian_Visser]

Good points all around. A full on cut and polish might be a really bad idea. After going out and documenting all the rust spots I have on the car I think I'm gonna have to live with it and maybe POR-15 some stuff.

This shell isn't what I wanted it to be at all and I feel kind of ripped of by the PO for withholding the hidden rust areas like the cowl which was painted over to hide it and the driver's floor pan which is completely fibreglassed over. Kinda wanna choke the fucker out for lying to me to be quite candid.

The cancer:

[iwantspeed]

at least you have black door panels

[dvck]

im happy i live in california and have a california raised e30.

that looks like youre going to have to sand, rust kill primer, and paint if you intend on saving
this car, or as stated before, you can cover it all up like the PO did only for it to rise again.

[Adrian_Visser]

Fuck it it has obviously been exposed to road salt, probably several winters worth. If I were to fix it I would have to strip the car completely and media blast it of ALL paint, basically a ground up rebuild.

This is no M3 and I will end up paying more than the car is worth in time and money before it is good enough for my taste. I would rather drop my s52 in it and enjoy the car for a year or two and search for a perfect body from a rust free area maybe California, Texas or Arizona.

[z31maniac]

Not sure why you are pissed at the guy you bought it from. All those places are easily visible with a quick look over the car.

It's not like when I bought my bronzit and then later found a golfball sized hole through the floor and few more spots in the driver door sill.

[daniel]

It's not like when I bought my bronzit and then later found a golfball sized hole through the floor and few more spots in the driver door sill.

those damn golfers

[Adrian_Visser]

Not sure why you are pissed at the guy you bought it from. All those places are easily visible with a quick look over the car.

It's not like when I bought my bronzit and then later found a golfball sized hole through the floor and few more spots in the driver door sill.

Well it wasn't the small easy to see shit that pissed me off obviously, it was the floor pan, trunk and cowl. The cowl rust being covered with the cheapo paint job which quickly rusted right through. that and the fucking bondo'ed over hole under the driver's door, the bondo fell off 6 months after I bought the car revealing the hole. Still I should have known.