Should I do anything yet?

[IBZINYA]

So I have this delema... If you look at the pics you will see the only rust on my car is on the back hatch below the glass. My paint is in pretty good shape and I dont have plans for a repaint any time soon. At the same time I dont want to have a visable patch job showing... my hood is bad enough, but livable... looks race inspired- my wifes words-. So do I fix the rust now and live with unsightly repair or wait 4-5 years and fix at repaint? What would you do?

Thanks for inputs

[Rif]

A black hatch would match.IMHO, dont let it go or it will be a bigger spot to fix later on. You can fix it and paint a 2in strip just below the window. If you get the line straight it will look better than just a blotch sitting there.

[Arne]

It needs to be dealt with, yes. I think you'll find that it is much worse under the window rubber.

[a7dz]

I agree with the guys. Fix it and repaint the hatch.

[bobc]

I think everyone's giving you good advice. This is definitely a case of "pay me now or pay me a lot more later!"

If resources are scarce, you could alway go on the back side and put some POR 15 on it and do your best to keep any future moisture from getting to it.

But, if you're going to wash it, or it gets out in the rain, even POR 15 would probably not stop the rust unless you did both sides and that might not do it and wouldn't look good. So, go with the repair now.

Bob

[IBZINYA]

Thanks for the response folks.. I have sealed it from the inside with POR 15.. The problem I really have with a current fix is that the few body shops that have looked at it all say the same thing... They cant match the color. They all want to repaint the whole car to the tune of $4500.00 to $7000.00... I dont have that in the whole car. My point is this, if I leave it as is the worst that can happen is to eventually need to replace the hatch or at least need a more intensive repair. I do plan to do a major restoration in a few years. I do not drive it in winter but it still looks unsightly to me. I am having a hard time with the thought of a black hatch so for me it comes to leave it for now or repaint it now(ie.. start the major resto sooner than I want.) Wish it were an easy decision to make.

[Zak's Z]

You should find someone with the resources to match the color. It really shouldnt be out of reach for a good body shop. A little shopping around might be able to save you from having to get the whole car painted, or worse - just leaving it because it costs too much for a complete respray.

[hls30.com]

As pointed out earlier,

fix it and paint is black to match the hood-if no one there can match the hood color-have both the hood and the hatch painted-or drive to an area that has paint and body shops that actually know what they are doing.

Will

[five&dime]

It's a red car. Have them take a UV reading of the color. Then get the rear hatch fixed and painted. Then have the whole car buffed. Once you buff the car, it should look pretty close. Nothing buffs out better than red

[DougN]

I agree that you should have it fixed and painted. You should be able to find a shop that can match the paint. Just be prepared to pay for it. The issue is probably more of them not wanting to take a small job like yours compared to a collision job that pays much more than their ability to actually match the paint.

I just did the same to my car a couple of months ago. I had a couple of small bubbles in the passenger side dogleg, and wanted to put different mirrors on the doors. My front valence was bent up from hitting the spook on a curb, so that needed straightening and repainting as well. So I finally found a good shop that would match the paint, and had the work done.

Glad I did it and the match is as near perfect as it can be. No one has been able to identify which panels were repainted and which were not. I told the shop manager that I was very anal, and the paint had to match perfectly. I told him that I would not accept the car until it matched if he took the job. The cost was not cheap, but I would rather pay for quality than look at mis-matched paint for the next several years.

In today's economic environment, you should be able to find a shop that can do the job and will be glad for the work. Good luck!

Edited January 13, 2009 by DougN

[beezee]

I would look for a clean rust free hatch and colour match to your red. Repair costs probably wouldn,t be much different from clean rust free to a patched repair,painting the hatch costs the same either way.