Rusted Chips on 2009 IS 250 Paintwork

[JT88]

Hi All,

I was washing my car and noticed a few rusted spots on my paint. I know these can be very costly if i let them be and it spreads. Wondering what my options are -

1) I tried to locate OEM paint repair pen for my model and only found Chipex products. I will call the local lexus dealership see if they can locate/sell me one.

2) Chip repair service ( Car Doctor or Chips Away)

3) Detailer who may possibly do this as part of their service

4 Body shop (I assume will be the most expensive out of the list)

I want to know what would be the best option. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg but at the same time I don't want a really bad job done (risk of it if i DIY it?)

How difficult is this?

Ideally I want to protect from further damage first. I had good advice from reddit where the person advised me to just clear the rust, use OEM pain corrector first to protect and can sand it down later on. Which makes sense since I have lack of experience.

 

Appreciate any help,

Thanks,

 

J

[steve2006]

They look quite advanced given the spread, are they all on the same panel?

A touch up pen would be no good, sure it would make the areas looks better cosmetically for a short while but would not prevent the rust from spreading under the paint and would soon flake off.

A “Smart” repairer may do better but by the time the rust has been removed down to good metal the size is going to increase significantly. Applying filler and smoothing down will again increase the area and then you need to get a perfect colour match and finish.

I would get a few quotes from reputable body shops, you may be surprised by the price but the job will be good and permanent.

[JT88]

1 hour ago, steve2006 said:

They look quite advanced given the spread, are they all on the same panel?

A touch up pen would be no good, sure it would make the areas looks better cosmetically for a short while but would not prevent the rust from spreading under the paint and would soon flake off.

A “Smart” repairer may do better but by the time the rust has been removed down to good metal the size is going to increase significantly. Applying filler and smoothing down will again increase the area and then you need to get a perfect colour match and finish.

I would get a few quotes from reputable body shops, you may be surprised by the price but the job will be good and permanent.

That's what I was thinking. I got a few smart repair guys who advised not to fix it. Rather touch it up with an OEM touch up paint as it won't be worth repainting the whole thing. It's on a few panels around the car. 

A detailer said the detailing would get rid off the rust but not recover the paint and the wax finish will provide protection to prevent the spread.

I'm going to go see a body shop and have a look at some quotes.