I found this SUPER tiny chip on the roof of my car not to long ago and it seems to be browning a little bit so I'm assuming it's down to bare metal. Does anyone know if this is going to turn in to a problem? I got used to seeing chips on the hood and fenders and stopped caring so much because those are replaceable parts but the roof isn't really something i can deal with if it starts to rust out in a few years. I fortunately don't deal with road salt anymore but I am just a few miles from the coast. I don't know how I would even deal with this if becomes a problem.


Dime for size comparison. Like I said it's super small. Don't mind the water spots, I need to wash and wax one of these days.


This is a little closer up, so you can see the oxidization.


I'm sure it's probably laughably small, I just worry about rust a lot because it was a huge problem in Pennsylvania.

 

Well, you are starting to get a tiny bit of surface rust there, and it's not going to get better over time on its own. A chip like this won't in itself compromise the structural soundness of the car, but it will likely lead to a blister and probably eventually a little hole.

It's easy enough to fix at this point--just scrape the rust out and hit it with a drop of touch-up paint. This is a case where a brush or toothpick or something like that is much more convenient than a spray can, if you have the option. (If you really care about keeping the finish immaculate, you would probably want to do a little more, but this is plenty to reseal it and keep the rust at bay—at least for awhile, after which you may have to repeat the process.)

 

Any idea what i would wanna use to clean the rust out? It seems a bit small for sand paper. I've been putting off getting a thing of touch up paint due to money concerns but i guess it might finally be time to pick some up. Would i need to prime or anything?

I was considering letting it go for now and then once i can get a second job or a full time job, maybe saving up to have the roof sprayed, but that seemed like it would be overkill. (and i don't want to get laughed out of the body shop over a tiny chip) I just assumed it would be the only way to really clear up the rust completely and then have a matching paint job. I know once you let it eat in to the metal to much turns in to a losing battle.

 

Something along the lines of the tip of a penknife blade would work OK for scraping the rust out. It's not entirely necessary to get every last molecule of iron oxide away, but rather to remove what's obvious (and especially any that's somewhat loose). A folded corner of sandpaper would also work fine. If you wanted to get fancy, you could find some sort of brush or something on a Dremel tool and go to town.

For a showroom/exhibition quality job, you'd need to do a good bit of prep work (filling and sanding), priming, painting, and clear coating. If you aren't super concerned with a perfect finish, for a tiny spot like this it's fine to just dot a bit of paint there and be done with it. Priming first would make for a better and longer lasting finish, but the effort is all out of line with the difference in results for such a tiny speck in my opinion. I'd just keep an eye on the spot from time to time and add/redo the touchup if the paint wears through.

You should be able to get a small bottle of touch-up paint for a few dollars or less—from your dealer if you want the real Honda stuff, or from some an auto parts store or possibly even Wal-Mart if you don't mind aftermarket paint. I got a little bottle at Wal-Mart for $1 or so, as I recall, and it had a nifty ballpoint applicator that works quite well for little chips like this.

 

Just scrape the rust off and apply touchup paint with a toothpick. Works for me.

 

Yeah same.

Don't worry OP I tripped out on a few nicks on my roof too for the same reason as you, and I don't even have winters here lol I just cleaned it with an exacto blade and used touch up paint, polished it to help blend it a little and waxed the whole roof afterwards.

 

Cool Thanks guys, I'll probably just scrape it out and touch up paint it then. I'd worry less if i was inland more but I'm on the bay so i was worried about the salty air. On the plus side, when i look around i never see really rusty cars like I did in PA. I don't know if it's a weather thing or a factor of people having more money out here. It's weird seeing EF civics with rocker panels, and quarter panels though lol.