Rust spots on fender/hood? Rail dust?

Hey guys,

Washed my 2018 Silver Sky Mettallic today and noticed these spots all over both front fenders and some areas on the hood. Tough to see, but will show itself in a shaded environment. Made me panic a bit. Did some research and appears it could be rail dust? It’s a pain to rub out, having to apply a good amount of elbow grease sorry for the crappy pic, it’s a tough show out in lighted areas. There’s probably close to a good hundred on each side.

Bought the truck last July. I don’t live that close to the beach; approximately 6-7 miles away. I usually wash my car about 2-3 times a month and use more higher end cleaner products coupled with microfiber clothes, so I do believe I rather take good care of my truck. The only thing I can think of that could have done this was when I had taken her in to get a CMC done several weeks prior; possibly caused by some of the metal cutting/sparks?

Just reaching out to TW to see what y’all think. I’m hoping I can find a permanent resolve for this.

 

Clay Bar it

 

You need to clay it and then use an iron remover. A mother's or Meguiars clay kit can be purchased at any auto supply shop or big box store. You saturate the paint surface with detail spray, then just knead and then slide the clay over the surface. Knead it again and then move to another spot. The trick is to use a LOT of lubrication (detail spray).

You don't "rub" or scrub. You simply slide the clay across the surface and it will remove the bonded contaminants.

Then you need to spray it with an iron remover. Lots to choose from. McKees, IronX, several brands available on Amazon. You spray on (no direct sunlight as you don't want it to dry), let it sit, and it will change color as it dissolves the remaining iron (rust).

Pretty simple process. Get some clay, detail spray, and the iron remover. $50 and you'll be set.

Then do a final wash after the iron remover does it's thing.

 

Thanks for the advice! How long do I allow the iron remover to sit for?

 

Oh, maybe 5 minutes. Then spray it again to make sure you got it all. As I said, it will turn color in presence of iron. If it doesn't turn color, it's all been removed. Here's the whole process.

Wash
Dry
Clay
IronX
Wash
Dry

 

You might want to apply a wax or sealant after all that too. (Assuming no correction is either needed or desired.)

 

Absolutely.

 

Never heard of iron remover . Thanks for heads up .

 

It really works well for getting rid of all those little pin point rust spots that will continue to grow if you leave them. You often don't notice them on colors other than white, but they're there.

 

I noticed this on my truck after this winter. I first noticed while washing on metal body parts but then noticed it on painted plastic parts also. Its peppered all over the damn thing even after the dealership did the Zurich paint protection.

This weekend I cleaned the tailgate with microfiber & TurtleWax bug & tar. Too much work with that method. Will get some clay bar & IronX. Thanks for the info guys!

 

Here's the spots on my truck. Hard to see in picture & looks much worse in person covering the whole truck



And here's an article I found that has more info & procedures on how to solve the rail dust issue

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.de...il-dust-with-carpro-ironx-and-a-clay-bar/amp/

 

I think a lot of it is caused by iron particles that are scraped off of snow plow blades in the winter. Then they get splashed up on the paint with the salt and melt water. They begin to rust almost immediately and stick.

So if you don't immediately do a wash by hand, they really get stuck on the paint. And then they sit there rusting all winter.

Key in prevention is a sealed surface and frequent hand washes.

 

I had it too. Make sure you after clay barring that you either seal or wax (assuming you don’t need to compound or polish out any remaining blemishes).

Also— I’ve never ever had this happen to any other car in twenty years of driving. I really think the Tacoma’s clear coat is crappy.

 

That would make sense. Probably crossing a lot of train tracks doesn't help much either.

I've used clay bar before from overspray when a contractor was spraying a silo white over a mile away & got all over a black car I had. A lot of work but I got it all off. I think it was the Mcguire's kit.

What would you recommend using after the IronX & clay bar to seal & wax?

 

Tons of good products out there now. If you want something that's available locally, I'd go with Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax. It's actually a paint sealant (they just call it a wax for marketing). If you want EASY-- Go with Meguiars Ultimate Fast Finish. It's a spray on and wipe off sealant. Super easy and good durability. Both those products should be available at the auto parts stores.

Meguiars has a new product out called Hybrid Ceramic Wax. Also available locally now. After washing the vehicle, while it's still wet, you spray the coating all over the vehicle, then rinse it off with a blast of water from the hose. Then dry as usual. The first application you do by hand like a normal spray wax. But after that first coating is on, you do the spray on spray off method. It's a good product, good durability, but expensive per application. You might get 3 or 4 applications from a bottle. With the Ultimate Liquid Wax you'll get 20 applications. You put it on super thin for an easy wipe off.

If you're open to ordering online, there are lots of other great products. Pretty much any sealant that Autogeek sells is gonna be just fine. I really like their McKee's Hi Def Paint Sealant. McKee's 360 is great if you want an All-in-one (clean and seal in one step). If you like traditional carnauba waxes, Collinite is awesome. Lasts forever and looks great. Easy wipe off if you apply it thinly. It's actually a hybrid wax/sealant.

 

Hey thanks for all the good info!

I'm definitely not a pro at this stuff & I've never sprung for a ceramic coat or anything like that. Living in the rust belt I know it doesn't take much abuse or neglect to ruin a vehicle. I usually take my vehicle to the wash everytime it gets above freezing. Time to be a lil more proactive than that now!

 

I got a bunch of goodies from AutoGeek ordered with the discount code & free shipping including the IronX & clay bar!

Thanks again!!!

 

Another one people are all excited about right now is "Beadmaker". Apparently it's a super glossy spray on paint sealant that lasts a couple of months. But the hype is because it's so cheap, I think. You're supposed to apply it "heavy" and it's pretty inexpensive. Like $30 for a gallon.

 

It often takes them a few days to ship when they have big sales, so if you come up with more stuff you want to get, just call them before it ships and they'll prob let you add it to your order with the same discount if they haven't yet prepped your order. They have great customer service.

I just picked this up on the last sale. Anxious to try the Klasse. Old technology but it's a Autogeek forum favorite.

 

I saw that stuff & I will try it once I run out of the stuff I got last year. Looks like they have lots of good stuff & we have 2 new vehicles that sit it the driveway everyday. The old jalopy sits in the garage cuz it too much of a PITA to play musical cars everyday! I like easy & long lasting stuff