Member - Roachie (SA) replied:

By the way, I've now lifted the roof rack off so that I can get a good go at the roof. Perhaps I need to get some sort of polishing disk for the drill?

Member - Stephen M (NSW) replied:

Mate I think your up for a respray. You can try a little wet and dry but as said above I think its burnt itself in. Forgot to cover eh doesnt that piss you off when we forget some thing as simple as that when fixing some thing. See how much its going to cost you cash up front or you will have to go through the insurance. Regards Steve M

Axel [ the real one ] replied:

You could try a cutting compound such as Kitten no2 , if no joy then a trip to the respray booth is the only way ,

kimprado replied:

Roachie

Similar thing happened to me not so long ago. Here is what you do.....

Take the car back up north. Choose a hard route and ensure you get run off the road by a cattle rush. The latter is very important.

With a bit of luck the car will need a complete repaint. LOL.

Seriously though, I'd be having a go at the people who caused the problem in the first place.

Regards

Kim

Member - Nick (TAS) replied:

You could try a cutting compound, G3.Spray painters use it to cut back runs and orange peel paint.If useing on a wheel,you have to keep it wet otherwise it will burn the paint.With lots of elbow grease you can cut paint back hard.
I use it on the Cruiser if I get a bad scratch, only by hand and only gently but gets them out well.

DIO replied:

Simple, wait for the next hail storm, park the car outside and hope to hell you suffer some impact damage. Then......

Oldsquizzy (Kununurra) replied:

If it's rusting its burbt through paint and primer. Only one cure. bite the bullet and get some quotes before rust starts pitting roof.

bloosted replied:

try a clay bar,you should be able to get one from autobarn or such,it may only be the foriegn bits of steel rusting worth a shot b4 spraying it

Member - Warren W (SA) replied:

Before getting too excited, try the cutting compound as suggested. Had this happen once on my new XY Fairmont - some time ago eh! - and the cutting compound cleaned it up as the rough rusty bits were filings that had rusted in situ. Never recurred again - still good until sold many years later.

Warren

Motherhen replied:

Something similar happened to our Cruiser Ute a few years ago. My husband was using an angle grinder on a grain bin he was making on the tray, not realising that the spray of sparks was landing all over the door and bonnet. The sparks were embedded in the duco and the window; too deep to sand off. Our son-out-law broke the window when wood cutting out in the bush and replaced that, but the spots in the duco started to rust, but it never got any worse after that. I don't suppose we've had enough rain since then.

Gramps (NSW) replied:

Much too late I'm afraid Roachie. Sounds terminal. May as well pack it up and ship it East to me. I'll look after the Chevissan in it's twilight years.

p.s. Mailing address on it's way via MM

Member - Barry (NT) replied:

Roachie all may not be lost.

As I see it you MAY have 2 options other than respray and you may eventually decide you have nothing to lose in trying them.

Based on a similar incident on my old Paj you could check the following.

IF the steel specs are just burnt lightly into the paint you may be able to recover and as its the roof the look is not always conspicuous and could very well be acceptable like mine turned out.

Method 1- use a paint scraper to scrape the surface and see if the specs of steel are removed, and if the specs are removed, ie they were lightly embedded in the paint, then use some very fine wet and dry paper on the area (suggest 150mm test area 1st) to check result. Methodology in this - paint scraper takes the "head off" the steel specs and allows the wet and dry to do it's job rather than being cut to shreds by the hard steel specs. If this works cut and polish, very carefully.

Method 2 - eventually the steel specs will rust out completely and disintegrate ie time will soften them. You could then try softer methods ie cut and polish.

Hint if using a paint scraper use one that has been worn in first say 30-50mm wide blade and if this doesn't "grab" the steel specs and dislodge them,,, very carefully try a new scraper with sharper 90 degree edges.

This can work especially if the steel specs had time to partially cool before hitting the paint.

If you decide repaint is required try this as nothing to loose.

Good luck Baz

Member - Jeff H (QLD) replied:

Strewth Roachie, stay off the flamin ladder!!! Simple!
I dunno: true.These young fellers, eh.
(And I never, ever imagined that I would be able to tell you anything about vehicles).

Mate am going ahead with a 2.75 exhaust, + dieselgas depending on finance. Thanks for encouragement. Best wishes with paint.
Jeff H.

Mr Fawlty replied:

As a temporary fix Herr Roache I suggest you get some deoxidine 624 from an auto paint shop and apply it, this will kill any rust. Then do the cut and polish and see what happens. It may only be the minute little bits of spatter from the groinder that are rusting.

goingplatinumcomau replied:

Hi
The best Cleaning pad I have ever seen was at a car detailers there called

Balbo Cleaning pad you can get them at Bunnings that will do the job for you.

I have used them to get rust of a security grill and did have any effect on the paint..

Regards John