what can i do about rust spots showing thru paint? it almost looks like my truck has acne in certain spots....the truck is a 2001 sd 250 white. the problem areas are on the tailgate, passenger door, and drivers side passenger door.

 

sand it down while it's still surface rust, and respray. I'm sorry to hear that a truck that new is already doing that. Check the article that is stickied at the top of the page, it has good tips on painting.

Ryan

 

White will show the rust. Could it be that you are getting a chemical fallout that is starting the rust. If you park near some industrial sites the pullutants can really cause some problems with the paint.

 

ill second the fallout problem as being the most likely cause, if you are in or near an industrial area or near an electric tram system etc... the fallout will land on the paint bed itself in and then when it gets wet it will rust, a good machine polish will fix this with no problems. On the other hand if it is some sort of chemical it may have gotten through to the steel on the truck and it is the panel starting to rust, not just the fallout on top....

 

sorry just read that it is on the doors etc.. with fallout it will usually show on the top surfaces but this doesnt rule this out, maybe stop past a panel shop and get a second opinion.

 

i bought a 94 f 250 ext cab and i did not relize how bad she was, the owners before had drill holes in the back of the ext cab on the side for antinnas and never patched the hole and it had rust out the bottom of the cab that is all i thought was wrong with it, boy was i wrong. i removed teh chrome fender guards (trim) and the fenders was competely rotted out, the bed skins gone. then i removed the bed to have repaired and the tanks had rotted holes in them. the rear frame hangers was rotted in too also. after stripping the truck down i found the raditor core support was rotten in too. so i had to buy a core support cut in to and weld what was good on mine to the new due to they dont my my model support any more. had to replace the frame mounts also for the support. so i have had to fix the cab, replace the rear hangers and shackles, have to replace the tank strips. fix the bed, the list goes on and on. but i did find that the trucks with the off road guars under the truck like t case shield and the tank shields are bad news, they like to collect salt off the road and are almost impossible to wash out and it collects there and eats the metal away. so i have took all mine down and i am not planning to reinstall them. so if you live where there is alot of salt on the roads then i would do a real good clean in the spring/summer asap taking time to make sure it is all out and repaint any thing starting to rust no matter if it is kinda new,

 

Here in the Toronto(Canada) area in the winter a lot of salt is put down. I have been using a company called Rust Check to spray a special oil in the doors,fenders, hood and tailgate areas once a year . After 18 years I can say that the effort has been worth it, as all the parts are original and in pretty good shape. You have to stay on the stone chips and get at the rust spots before they become a real problem.Generally the seams are the worst area as water will accumulate and rust fairly quickly.

 

How big are the rust spots? LIttle tiny specks? When I bought my 96 F150 new, it started showing little rust specks on the Silver paint. I took it to a auto detailer and he said it is "rail dust". The truck was shipped on a train, and evidently the train brakes give off small hot particles of metal and then they embed themselves into the paint. Since it is metal, they sit there and rust after awhile until you have the vehicle buffed. I religiously keep my truck waxed and these rust spots do not show up anymore.
My boss had the same problem with a while 2006 Expedition. Had the dealer buff it out and problem is gone. But keep it waxed.

 

Try googling rail dust and paint, and see if that is your problem, or you have a similar cause.

 

oh sheet. johaner78 already mentioned rail dust. Missed that. Way back when I worked in a dealership bodyshop, we would get a few cars in with this problem, and they were new, and usually white. There will be many small tiny specks of rust, which is actually metal that gets imbedded in the paint. You have to wipe the car down with a chemical and buff to remedy it, that is if it is not really etched into the paint. Not sure weather this is your problem, maybe its just plain ole rust coming through.

 

A 2000 truck should still be under the rust through warranty from Ford. I think it is 10 years. Worth asking a dealer about.

 

k5ranger

Most of this advise is on target. Industrial fallout (rail dust, jet exhaust, plant stack emissions, etc.) can fall onto the paint and cause the problem. The major difference in the appearance between fallout and body rust is that the former usually starts as tiny specs and body rust looks larger.

Find your best magnifying glass and get down where the spot lives. Pick it out or clean it off chemically and reinspect it. The rust from below can't get to the surface unless there is a "hole", although tiny, in the paint. If after cleaning off the spec the hole is still visible, it's rust through not fallout.

My money is on fallout. That's where clay bars come in. If it's bonded really to tight for clay then use a fine paint cleaner like Meguiars #2 Fine Cut Cleaner.

 

I am going to guess that you have some rail dust. Everybody gets rail dust on their vehicles it just shows up on white faster. The good news is that its very easy to fix. Use a clay bar to pull the grime out of your paint. Mequiars has a good system and so does Wizards, which is what i use. I clay bar and wax my truck two to three times a year, in the spring and in the fall before it snows. Good luck>

 

I am with the last reply, Use a spray detailer and a clay bar. What happens, especially with white and light colored cars and trucks is that tiny specks of metallic materials imber themself in the clear coat. I would never use a machine cutting compund except in an extreme case. Just make sure you wash the truck first, do it in a shaded location and if you drop the clay bar- BUY ANOTHER ONE!