Little rust spots on Oxford White sedan

[michael714]

Hey Folks,
Just got my new 2011 Fiesta in early August. The first time I hand washed it, I noticed some small spots that looked like little dots of rust. Fortunately, I was able to remove them, but it took a lot of hard scrubbing with the nylon mesh (bug scrubber) side of my wash sponge. Since, then, each time I've washed the car, these spots reappear- I'm not sure if it's the same spots or new ones, but there are lots of them all over the car and they take a lot of effort to remove.

I tried several products to see if it would remove the spots more easily and all of them failed in this regard:
- Tar and Bug remover
- clay
- Wax (paste, but not the heavy duty stuff for swirl removal)

The only way I can get rid of these spots is to scrub really hard with the nylon mesh. It almost seems like the spots are coming up from below the paint. Certainly the clear coat doesn't make it easier to remove the spots. I made an appointment with my local dealer to look at it next Wed. I'm praying it's something simple. I love the car and the finish otherwise. Please let me know if you have some insight about this.

[Swagger]

I have the same issue with my yellow blaze. I have noticed it last year and monitored it since then, it hasn't gotten any worse and feel that it has something to do with the paint. Reply back after your dealer checks it out Wednesday.

[Corvair]

It's might be iron dust from the railroad wheels and tracks from when it was shipped. Had a coworker who had that problem with a white pick up. The car dealer buffed it and it removed the iron/rust.

[michael714]

From what I've read on other sides, ferrous particles can get into the paint and, apparently, they can be removed or re-mediated by using a paint decontamination procedure. I'm going to ask the dealer about this.

By the way, the dealer that sold the car to me is far away. Do you think the local dealer would take care of the problem or am I going to have to drive all the way to the dealer that sold me the car?

[jon56048]

any ford dealer can help out

[6769MOPARS]

Don't run the spots with anything abrasive such as a scrubber. This will scratch the paint. Use a clay bar to remove this kind of deposit. It is likely not rust.

[BRGT350]

It can be caused by a number of factors, including rail car wheel dust and brake dust. I have owned a ton of white cars and I have noticed that changing brake pad compounds can make the problem go away or become very bad. If you notice, the spots are typically behind the front wheels and on the rear bumper, which is where the airflow takes the brake dust. It can also pick up dust from other cars and deposit it on the paint. My Fiesta was at its worse this spring, but a couple of clay bar sessions removed about 90% of the spots. Try and keep the sides of the car and rear bumper heavily waxed to increase surface tension. By doing so, the rust particles will be easier to remove. Also switch to a brake pad with less metallic, such as a ceramic. This happens to all colors of paint, but it is very easy to spot on white.

[SEL4ME]

Originally Posted by BRGT350

It can be caused by a number of factors, including rail car wheel dust and brake dust. I have owned a ton of white cars and I have noticed that changing brake pad compounds can make the problem go away or become very bad. If you notice, the spots are typically behind the front wheels and on the rear bumper, which is where the airflow takes the brake dust. It can also pick up dust from other cars and deposit it on the paint. My Fiesta was at its worse this spring, but a couple of clay bar sessions removed about 90% of the spots. Try and keep the sides of the car and rear bumper heavily waxed to increase surface tension. By doing so, the rust particles will be easier to remove. Also switch to a brake pad with less metallic, such as a ceramic. This happens to all colors of paint, but it is very easy to spot on white.

....But if it was just brake dust, wouldn't it come off in a normal wash??

[aggoodin]

Originally Posted by SEL4ME

....But if it was just brake dust, wouldn't it come off in a normal wash??

Brake dust stains.

[BRGT350]

yes, brake dust stains and can be very corrosive. I have had my white wheels stripped and refinished because brake dust stained the paint and ate into the clearcoat. The wheels are constantly waxed and washed, but over time, the brake dust stains. The rust spots however are caused by the metallic particles in the pad compound as well as bits of the rotor coming off. Brake pads are a mixture of a bunch of different materials to give the right balance of initial bite, coeffecient of friction, fade resistance, ect and metal is one of the items used in the pads. The rotors are also metal, and they wear as well. Each time the brake pedal is pressed, some of the pad and a little bit of the rotor are used up. The dust from the brake application travels downwind from the front wheels and is deposited along the sides of the car and rear. Which, is where 90% of the rust spots show up on the paint. The particles are very hot when they are released and land on the paint. The heat transfer causes the molecules of the paint to open up/expand, allowing the particle to become inbedded in the paint. Once there, they are hard to remove and begin to rust over time. The best way to combat the rust particles, is to keep the car clean and waxed. Rinse away the particles before they can begin to corrode. Wax increases the surface tension of the paint and forms a barrier between the particles and the paint, making removal easier.