I recently found this on the bottom of my door, and I'm really concerned about it especially since winter is creeping in. It's not that big at all, and was wondering if this is something that Audi can fix under the rust warranty.

But if not, what would be the best procedure for me to go with if I DIY it.






Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

for starters clean your car!! kind of hard to even see the rust..

 

It's not you're typical DIY if you don't have experience painting. Check with your dealer to see if it's covered under the warranty.

But in a nutshell....you have to sand off loose paint, prime, and re-paint.

It doesn't look that big so if the dealership jips you then just put some touch-up paint over it so atleast the bare metal is not exposed and oxidizes.

P.S - the only way you're going to get some sort of action from the dealership is if you walk in angry and are very adament about getting this fixed.

 

If Audi isn't able to honor the 12 yr warranty, how much would a job like this cost?

 

The whole area has to get re-prepped and painted and in this case since it's your door, the whole door would have to get done I would estimate something like that to be atleast $300. Likely they will remove the door, tape it up, re sand, prime then paint.

Make sure you take it to a good body shop that is reputable and you KNOW they do a
good job. Bad paint jobs suck!

A good paint job has:
- paint that does not peel
- little to no Orange peel
- no holograms
- reflection is like a mirror (especially for black).

A bad paint job has:
- peeling paint
- orange peel
- holograms
- slightly different colour

Incase you're wondering, orange peel is a fuzzy reflection. If you think about the skin of an orange its very bumpy and certain bad paintjobs will have a very blurry reflection. This happens when the body shop doesn't wetsand because the guy that was spraying sprayed too much paint on that one area.

It is recommended to not apply any waxes or polish your vehicle until 30 days after it has been resprayed.

cheers,

-W

 

I'm pretty sure the Audi warranty is "rust through" and does not cover surface rust. I take meticulous care of my A6 but stone and salt dings on the left side are starting to show a little rust. I compound off what I can and wax repeatedly and the damage slows, but it will never go away without a strip down and re-painting. That may be a future expense, but it is not warranted right now.

 

I do have rust bottom of both front doors ... I think it is not DIY project and has to be handled by body shop ... am I right?

What can I do to stop the rust process before sending to body shop?

 

First: correct...no rust "through", no Audi warranty.

Second: Simply painting over it will not slow it down, in fact it may actually accelerate it...rust is a "living thing" and a process that does not stop till it's removed completely...often spreads faster when not exposed to open, drying air...depending on climate.

I've had a little luck with other cars (and appliances), by grinding/wire brushing (Dremel) off all the rust I can see....then spaying with "rust-converter" (specifically!) primer...then painting. Not always permanent, but beats the hell outa just sealing in the rust with paint to let it keep growing.

A pro job truly is the best bet for long lasting results, though.

 

As I recall back to my gr.12 chemistry class rust is a process through which oxygen comes in contact with a metal to chemically form a bond and displaces a metal oxide (rust).

By applying paint over it you are slowing down this process because the affected area is not exposed to the high levels of oxygen prevalent in the air - not accelerating it.

Yes, I agree it is not a permanent solution and that a "pro job" is the best bet for long lasting results but pro jobs are not always a cost-effective solution. I know I wouldn't pay $200+ to respray a panel over a little bit of rust when I could lightly touch it up for $15. That's just me.

 

Active rust contains large amounts of moisture, which in large part is what keeps it active. Moisture = oxygen supply.
Apparently dry rocks of some varieties are a large percentage water. Even pure emerald is a large percentage moisture and can literally shrivel up in dry climates if not treated...ask a jeweler. Sealing rust in assures no chance of drying out...by the time it uses up the oxygen, it's probably bubbled through the paint again. Haven't you ever witnessed this? ...I certainly have.

Plus, even though air contains oxygen, things don't tend to rust very fast with in zero humidity air...look at Arizona, now look at south Florida, now look back at Arizona Direct contact with moisture is infinitely more corrosive than open air.

Your chemical principal is sound, but a blow dryer would probably slow down rust faster than simply painting it (unless it's on a boat hull below the water line). The more you remove, the more fuel you've removed.
Kinda the same principle (in a way) allows some things to burn under water...they either contain or produce their own oxygen OR actually form a vapor bubble around the flame that can draw oxygen out of the water around it.