How can I fix this body damage

I got cornered in a high speed police pursuit yesterday and the criminal blew past me doing 100+ and a piece of metal flew off his car to the side of my truck. I don't really mind the look but I'm concerned about the rust. Would a touch up paint/buff/clear coat fix this or do I need to bring it to a body shop? New to body repairs and of course don't want a rust so I'm not sure what to do here. Thanks in advance!

 

That pic is not really good

 

Try using a rubbing compound.

 

Sorry - how's this? Can't get any closer with my potato phone camera quality

 

Take this with a grain of salt, but if the scratch disappears if you get it wet than it means the scratch didn't get through the clear coat. If the scratch is deeper than the clear coat, you may need to take it to a body shop. If not, you may be able to buff it out with some compound.

Looking at that scratch, I'd say it went through the clear coat.

 

Absolutely not - especially if one has never used it. In over 25 years of detailing, I've used Rubbing Compound exactly never. It's just too aggressive and can do too much damage. First rule of polishing / detailing: Least aggressive method first.

Getting back to the OP's question, can you feel the scratch with your fingernail?

 

Yes I can feel the scratch with my fingernail. Here's a pic of it wet. I already ordered a touch up paint couple days ago for other tiny rock chips - just to clarify I don't really care if the touch up paint looks a bit off. If I apply it myself to this area with clear coating will it prevent future rust?

 

Little brush touch it will be fine.

 

Rubbing compound is fine. Just be gentle with it. So much misinformation online. What do you think a body shop will use to polish that out? They will go straight to rubbing compound. 20 years body shop experience.

OP a rubbing compound or other polish will likely get the scuffs out. Then touch up paint and just keep an eye on it. Or raise your insurance rate with a claim and pay your deductible.

 

If you can feel it with your fingernail, it's not going to polish out all the way. You should be able to minimize it somewhat, but the deepest parts will still be there.

Will touch up paint prevent it from corroding? That's a more complex answer. Technically, the majority of your corrosion resistance is not in the basecoat or the clearcoat, but in the primer. You have clearly not breached the primer. That said, the corrosion resistance of the finish has technically been compromised, so someday (years) down the road, that area will rust first. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it though.

 

I had some sap damage on an old vehicle of mine and this is the information I was given from the body shop with regard to corrosion resistance and the function of each layer. Clear = UV protection, paint = looks and primer = corrosion resistance.

On an unrelated note, some saps will eat right through your clear coat if left on the paint. Detail your vehicles folks!

 

Got it. Thanks guys! Appreciate it

 

Body shop,nothing else is going to fix that .