Paint Surface Rust

Washed the old girl today and discovered this on the roof

Was pre-owned and has 20,000 km. Any suggestions on how to repair this rust? I was planning on getting a overlay put on the roof in the future but want to ensure that this doesn't turn into something more serious

No I don’t have any detailing experience. Yes the answer may seem obvious to you but it is not to me. Yes I searched the forum prior to creating this thread and didn’t find an answer that seemed close to this problem

Thank you for any advice or guidance on fixing this issue, TW and all its members rock

 

I barely see anything there.

But if you are concerned about rust, use some touch up paint?

 

Hard to tell from the picture.
But it looks almost like the rust is “above” the paint.
Maybe some rubbing compound, followed by polishing compound.
Then some wax?

 

Looks like rust particles sitting on the clear coat. If so a clay bar will take that right off. Otherwise something like carpro iron x helps remove rust from the clear coat. Wife used to park under metal pipes at work and would have rust particles that look very similar on her roof.

 

Thanks for the responses. It is a small patch but I want to make sure I fix it properly. Ill find some of the carpro x and see if that fixes the issue

 

If you are paying someone to do the roof overlay they should clay bar it before installing the wrap. Might save you from having to buy anything. If not, I would probably clay bar it first. Tons of YouTube videos and it is the cheaper route.

 

Is a clay bar necessary? Wouldn’t rubbing compound or even some paste wax potentially take it out?

 

Might be worth a shot if you have polish but I’d personally rather pull that off the surface with a clay bar and then apply polish. Compound has some grit to it and is usually used for paint correction/removing swirling. Given it’s on the roof and going under a wrap it likely won’t matter either way. Definitely not an expert here.

 

Clay bar and or iron remover spray for bonded contaminates, polishing compound for removing swirls and scratches after the clay bar.

I prefer mother's clay bars over meguiars as the clay is better quality.

$21 P&S Iron Buster Wheel & Paint Decon Remover (16 oz.)

https://www.amazon.com/Buster-Wheel...673845088&sprefix=iron+buster+,aps,156&sr=8-5

$17 Adam's Polishes Iron Remover (16oz) - Iron Out Fallout Rust Remover Spray for Car Detailing | Remove Iron Particles in Car Paint, Motorcycle, RV & Boat | Use Before Clay Bar, Car Wax or Car Wash

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Iron-R...5088&sprefix=iron+buster+,aps,156&sr=8-6&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/CarPro-Remov...69&sprefix=iron+removal+spray,aps,133&sr=8-10

If the paint is gone you'll have to sand, prime, paint and clear. Toyota Corporate should pay for repairs if that's the case.

 

I'd use an iron remover spray first and see if that washes off. Hard to say if that is sitting on top or coming through the paint.

 

rail dust, or semi-metallic brake residue, on top of finish, it is not "rust" per se. as stated above, clay bar, and clay bar lube, is a lot better than polishing compound. Polishing will thin the clear coat, if you get too aggressive with it, you could breech the clear coat, and open the finish to even more contaminants, and finish issues. clay bar, just removes surface contaminants. Ski

 

This is what I was unsure of as well. Cant tell if its under or on top of the paint. Heres a closer shot

 

Yeah that's surface rust from iron sitting on top of your clearcoat.

 

Definitely clay bar would take care of that!

 

This, clay bar pulls the metal out of clear coat.

 

Is there an advantage one way or another using a clay bar vs an iron dissolver/cleaner?

I pick up specs of road iron in front of my rear wheel wells from the crud that's kicked up from the front.

 

I don't know if iron dissolve actually removes the actual metal filings, just de-rust them. Clay removes them. Never used discover. You would have to try both and then the sandwich bag test. I know with clay bar and sandwich baggy test, you can feel the difference.

 

On detailing new cars, you dissolve the surface rust first with an iron remover, then move down to claybar etc. You are trying to get as much gunk off without scratching the paint first. Kind of like you spray mud off a car prior to hitting it with a sponge lol.

 

Get a clay bar kit at Walmart or target. $22-25 and you can use it when you wax your truck. May as well do the whole roof too as there are likely other spots as well

 

This. And clay bars are cheap and really easy to use. Google a video if needed. You’ll likely find other opportunities to use your clay down the road, like for road tar.