HELP! Car paint problem - 100's of pin sized rust spots

[DYI hunting]

We purchased a 2002 white Mustang last weekend. Drove it into my shop this afternoon and in the shade, you can see hundreds of pin-head size rust spots. Looks like the previous owner was pelted by sand or something that left the the entire car with pin sized pits that are barely visible (they look like hundred of specks of dirt). Most are on the top, hood and trunk.

Now what do I need to do? I hate to repaint but, won't the rust just spread and pock marks get bigger?

Is there any options other than repainting? Will a good coat of wax keep them from spreading?

Will the car need to be sanded to bare metal to remove all the tiny rust spots before repainting? What is something like this going to cost me? Will it cost more to change the color instead of painting the factory white color?

I tried to rub the rust spots off and they don't come off without digging on them with the tip of a razor. They are indeed rust spots. Most of the rust spots are so small they look like tiny grains of fine dust.

 

[captainc0x]

I had this happen on one of my old chevy trucks. It may seem odd but I had always used this Turtle Wax crome polish on exhaust tips to get rust out so I pretty much rubbed the whole truck with the stuff and almost all of them came off with the exception of some bad rust areas. It took some elbow grease but it did work. I must admit it was a cheap alternative to a paint job.

If you did do this be sure to wax it when you are done because it will strip off all of the wax or whats left on there from the last time it was waxed.

Just what I did, I couldnt tell you if it was a permanent fix or not because I sold it about a year later.

Hope you get it worked out,

Roger

 

[LAKOTA]

Happens to many cars/trucks all the time. Sun damage. That is why you see it on the Top surfaces. As far as I know there is no permanant solution except for repainting. Unfortunately, they will only get worse. Especially if the car isn't kept in a garage.

 

[DYI hunting]

I tried to buff them out Saturday. Not much luck but I did get some of the worse ones looking smaller.

Oh well, I wasn't too fond of white anyway.

 

[LAKOTA]

ALWAYS get a vehicle in the shade somewhere if possible to check for "crows-feet" in the paint - roof, hood and trunk. A dealer can buff it to where most customers cannot see it in the bright daylight, especially white paint. Then, a week later, or after a few showers or washes it starts to show through. I've saw it happen 100's of times. I was in the body business for over 10 yrs.