Ford Paint blows birds and chipmunks!

[S204STi]

 

Jeezus...

When I married my wife I married into a Ford Focus, 2003MY with the 8v motor (bleh).  Really not a bad car, hard to fault its dynamics save to say that the seems to occilate a bit much over the rough stuff, and the car is unsettled easily by mid-corner bumps, but today I found the one thing that makes me absolutely hate this car.

I washed the car today and went to clay-bar it and wax it, since it has really not been done to this car, and up till this summer the car has never seen a coat of paste-wax.  Long and fairly boring story short as I keep rubbing with the clay bar I found that there were little spots here and there that weren't cleaning off (silver paint, BTW).  A closer look revealed that they were in fact rust pits in the paint.  For some time I have been fighting paint chips in the leading edge of the hood, and the edge of the trunk as well because some douche decided to screw the bump-stops all the way in so that the trunk rested on the rear bumper for three years, but these pits were prolific and in random places,and furthermore revealed just how thin and cheap the paint is.

That is just be beginning, BTW.

I get down to the rocker panels and find that the thicker "chip-coat" paint on the leading edges of both rocker panels was peeling away.  I could take my fingers with little effort and peel away square inches of the stuff. Now, I will be the first to admit that my wife has no idea how to care for her car, and before she met me she probably had no idea what car wax was, but it seems to me like paint should be more durable than it is.

So now I have two options.  Well, three really.  I could simply trade out of this heap into something with better paint that I can maintain properly from day one, or I can pay a shop to properly repair it, or I can do what I started tonight which was to scrape off the loose stuff, coat the rusty metal with rust-converting primer, hit it with silver, hit it again with rubberized undercoating maybe 4,5,20 times and then touch up the visible stuff with silver so that it looks normal.. Then hide the evidence with mud flaps to keep it from recurring...

Oy!  I have no idea what to do with paint, but this will be a good self-edumacation I guess.

[AutobahnSHO]

coat the rusty metal with rust-converting primer,

What is this "rust-converting primer" you speak of?
My 1992 Detroit-mobile (actually made in Canuckistan) has some bad rust on the bottom..

[S204STi]

What is this "rust-converting primer" you speak of?
My 1992 Detroit-mobile (actually made in Canuckistan) has some bad rust on the bottom..

You can find a variety of products called "Rust converters" that come in either aerosol cans or pour bottles that basically purport to "convert" rust to a black paintable/sandable primer.  May be more prevalent here in New England where vehicles rust to bits 20 feet off the dealer lot.

Gosh, did I mention I hate rust?

You can find them (er, the rust converters) at AutoBone for sure around here.  Not sure about CarQuest or Advance.

But anyway they don't restore structure to the metal, so if it is penetrating the frame or floor pan some more drastic repairs may be required.

[saxonyron]

Rust converter works pretty well at making a rusty surface stable and paintable.  It basically converts the iron oxide into stable compounds that won't oxidize more, and they'll bond well to paint.   We use it on some of our projects involving fire escapes and metal railings.   Of course, it won't be a smooth surface, but when  you're talking rocker panels, they're not too visible.  I'd go with that.

For really bad rust, you can use Naval Jelly.  As tempting as the name sounds, don't put this in your belly button or on toast.  It's phosphoric acid-based and basically does the same thing as rust converter, just more aggressively.  I haven't used Naval Jelly since I did body work on my 71 Chevy about 25 years ago, but I do remember being impressed as it transformed the rust into a stable black surface that held bondo and didn't rust further.

Sounds like you got an unlucky paint job for sure.  Silver paint seems to be the trickiest for car makers.  I've seen a disproportionate number of silver cars with big faded out spots with primer showing through on hoods, trunks and roofs. Good luck with it!

[crv16]

I've seen several Focus's with rust on the lower wheel wells.  I'd recommend fixing the rust then finding some mudguards?

[S204STi]

I've seen several Focus's with rust on the lower wheel wells.  I'd recommend fixing the rust then finding some mudguards?

Yeah, mudflaps are in my future.

[280Z Turbo]

I've noticed that my Focus has some unusual rust. There is some under the hood and on the fasteners, which is odd. There aren't very many Nissan bolts on my car that are as nasty as the average bolt on my Focus. Ford must have not coated the bolts with anything.

The paint also seems to scratch easily.

I'm not surprised by the fact that the door says: "Built in Mexico".

Are Euro-spec Foci this shitty?

[S204STi]

I've noticed that my Focus has some unusual rust. There is some under the hood and on the fasteners, which is odd. There aren't very many Nissan bolts on my car that are as nasty as the average bolt on my Focus. Ford must have not coated the bolts with anything.

The paint also seems to scratch easily.

I'm not surprised by the fact that the door says: "Built in Mexico".

Are Euro-spec Foci this shitty?

Look out for paint chips on the leading edge of your hood above the headlights.  I am constantly applying touchup paint.  It's like the paint has the same brittle qualities as the candy coating of a M&M.

[JWC]

I'm at a Ford dealership and even the cars we "import" from up north, aka bought at the auction, haven't given up any paint problems.  Considering how poorly some folks around here take care of their cars, it is kind of amazing. I did have a Focus come in with a broken front spring from corrosion damage, but that had a policy repair associated with it.  Rust has been a subject of recalls on Focus. Rear door latches have been a problem area, but apparently only on Focus's sold up north.

If she bought the car new, and you live in the area where her originating dealer is, I'd go in and speak to the service manager or body shop manager. If this turns out to be a defect in the paint, then you may be able to get it repaired under warranty.  The usual time frame allowed is 5 years, 60,000 miles from inservice.   But I already have a feeling they are going to say the paint chips and resulting rust are an external problem and are not considered a paint problem.  As you know, most service departments don't want a warranty claim that large to go against them.

[S204STi]

I'm at a Ford dealership and even the cars we "import" from up north, aka bought at the auction, haven't given up any paint problems.  Considering how poorly some folks around here take care of their cars, it is kind of amazing. I did have a Focus come in with a broken front spring from corrosion damage, but that had a policy repair associated with it.  Rust has been a subject of recalls on Focus. Rear door latches have been a problem area, but apparently only on Focus's sold up north.

If she bought the car new, and you live in the area where her originating dealer is, I'd go in and speak to the service manager or body shop manager. If this turns out to be a defect in the paint, then you may be able to get it repaired under warranty.  The usual time frame allowed is 5 years, 60,000 miles from inservice.   But I already have a feeling they are going to say the paint chips and resulting rust are an external problem and are not considered a paint problem.  As you know, most service departments don't want a warranty claim that large to go against them.

yeah, I would imagine they would have a hard time getting that warranty claim paid.

[AutobahnSHO]

Thanks for the info, guys-
I will be looking for some Jelly or Converter next week.
The Voyager has rust forming on the driver's side lower body (where the sliding door is on the other side) and it's rapidly growing out of control. Almost holy now...   

The Grand Caravan has tiny little spots here and there- like the corners of the sliding door or a scratch in the middle of the rear liftgate.  Would a tiny dab of jelly then touchup spray paint work best on these little spots??

[S204STi]

if it's not already rusting I would just put touchup paint on it.  Apply some to these spots repeatedly over time, is what I have done in the past with my subaru.

[AutobahnSHO]

if it's not already rusting I would just put touchup paint on it.? Apply some to these spots repeatedly over time, is what I have done in the past with my subaru.

The little spots are rusted but not rusting.
I used a wax that came with a "waxstick" to cover up scratches and it made the rustspot on the rear a little worse though..

[S204STi]

The little spots are rusted but not rusting.
I used a wax that came with a "waxstick" to cover up scratches and it made the rustspot on the rear a little worse though..

lol...wax cannot stop rust, it simply coats a surface to keep moisture and other crap off of the actual paint. 

[AutobahnSHO]

lol...wax cannot stop rust, it simply coats a surface to keep moisture and other crap off of the actual paint.?

Oh I know, I was hoping to keep the scratch from getting rusted worse.
Instead it seems I knocked enough of the original rust off (maybe alittle paint too) that it rusted just a little more.. 

[S204STi]

Sometimes you can't win for losing...

[sparkplug]

I hear Peanut Butter and Jelly works great.

[The Pirate]

I hear Peanut Butter and Jelly works great.

has to be creamy peanut butter though, the crunchy just doesn't coat as well

[Morris Minor]

Another "Ford Coffin Nail" story. Sad. One would have hoped the company's 100 years of experience would have been enough for it to learn by now how to produce desirable cars, of decent quality, at affordable prices.