My recently acquired Silver Mk3 ( sunlight silver I believe ) needs some TLC, and there are a few very small rust bubble areas on the body, which I was going to attempt to fill, rub down , spray prime and spray with a matching paint spray, and finally a gloss lacquer spray.
The problem is that on the MX5 parts paint section, there are several reviews saying the paint they now supply is a bad match , can any recommend a paint supplier that would have a good match spray paint, I only want one can to use/try out on a small area, but it needs to be a very good match all the same, or maybe I should just go to a main dealer?
Don’t be put off, have ago. If you are ‘good with your hands’ you will get a good result. A friend did this very area and you would be hard pushed to see the join. He used Halfords for his cans.
Depending on the size of the scars once you’ve treated what’s under the bubble, you may be better off just touching in locally with a brush. That way you keep the new paint to an absolute minimum, and don’t need to worry so much about matching or blending in.
Patience is key - you need to build up the paint layer by layer until it’s slightly proud of the surrounding original paint. Then carefully flat it back using wet and dry. Then a couple of coats of lacquer - if you think the touch-ups need it. You’ll need to leave at least a couple of days between each successive layer - and use a decent quality artist’s brush
As I said, depends on the size of your pock marks.
I’ve used their paint, it was a pretty good match although I’ve not had to match a whole outer body panel. I used the true red, under the boot lid and up around the rear wheel arch lip, you’d be hard pressed to notice it’s been sprayed until really close up.
One thing I did come up against, they use poor quality spray nozzles, I changed them out for some I had spare in my tool box, they sprayed more evenly.
I would really advise against taking on any paintwork that involves spraying. This is a really tricky colour to match and very difficult to get a consistent finish and successfully lacquer.
Are the small areas of rust stonechip or similar, so disturbed paint covering exposing metal? Important to work out if this is surface rust rather than the far more destrructive penetrating rust.
Hopefully small areas of surface rust which can be scraped clear of rust, rust killed, primed, painted and lacquered with small brushes. This is be far more effective and less invasive that spraying assuming small surface damage.
Chipex might be worth a go, if it is small areas that need repairing. They guarantee the colour match according to their web site. It is an expensive option but they look to have 10% off for first orders.
Edit: actually they have 15% off currently with a code for the Christmas period.
I have photographed the affected area of rust bubbles , but do not know how to upload the image from my computer pictures gallery.
The rust bubble area is on the bottom right corner of the boot lid, just below the silver MX5 badge, so its going to be seen whatever I do, so I either have rust bubbles or an area of miss matched paint if I cant get a good match ,
This doesn’t seem to be working, I,m doing something wrong, I’m not exactly a whizz on the computer, the image has downloaded on the post image site, I am pasting and copying the blue link onto the URL box which comes up when I press the tree symbol next to the smiley face. What a palaver
That won’t be rust on the boot lid if you have the soft top, the bonnet and boot lids are aluminium. I’d be trying to touch that in first with a brush after preparing it first of course. If it looks unsightly then spray it instead. Have you looked under the boo lid around the number plate lights, the paint usually lifts off there?
Yes, as above - looks like classic lift of paint on aluminium where water has got under the paint, oxidised the metal underneath.
Assuming it is aluminium but check with magnet to be sure, you need to remove the bubbled paint. There will be a white powdery oxide deposit underneath that need to be removed completely. Once sealed with appropriate primer and touched in will be a good repair. As with rust scrape/dremmel/sand to a clean metal edge.
I have one exactly like this on the leading edge of my bonnet.
A body shop local to me said that he would have to paint a huge area to blend it in, he was talking about half the bonnet, half the bumper and half the wing.
He suggested that I should maybe consider living with it.
Five years on, it still bugs me, but I appear to be living with it.
If that scab is winding you up, then the colour mismatch (which will be bigger than the scab), is sure to do so.
