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No one wants to drive around with rust on their front bumper. To start with, it is unsightly and makes the rest of your car look like it is not in good shape. Additionally, left untreated, rust can spread and cause real damage to your vehicle. Here is what you need to do if you spot some rust on your front bumper.

Inspect Your Front Bumper

The first thing you need to do is very carefully inspect your front bumper for signs of rust. Rust does not always appear as a reddish brown color on your bumper. Often times, when it is just taking hold, the only sign that there is rust is tiny bubbles in the paint. These tiny bubbles generally pop up because rust is hiding under the paint. Make sure that you look for these bubbles as well as visible rust as you inspect your bumper. 

Also, don't forget about the underside of your front bumper; be sure to get on the ground and inspect your bumper where it curves under your vehicle for rust.

Sand Away The Rust On Your Front Bumper

The second thing you need to do is sand away the rust. You will want to use a 100-grit sandpaper; this type of sandpaper is very fine and is designed for precision work like this. Although you can sand away the rust by hand, using a sanding disc will allow you greater control over the speed and pressure that you apply to the area.

You will want to sand directly over the rusted area as well as the area immediately surrounding the rusted area. Sanding a little beyond the rust will help to ensure that you get all the rust and that you have some space to work with as you repaint the area. 

Once the majority of the rust has been removed, you may want to go over the area again with finer sandpaper, such as 120 or 150-grit. This will help smooth down the are where you are working.

When you are finally done sanding, use a tack cloth to get rid of any little particles left behind by the sanding process.

Prime & Paint Your Front Bumper

Now you need to apply the primer and paint your front bumper. This part can take a while.

First, you are going to want to apply at least three coats of self-etching primer to the area that you sanded. Make sure that you allow the primer to dry in between each coat that you apply. After you apply the last coat of primer, just to be safe, you should wait until the next day to paint the affected area. This will ensure that the primer is not just dry, it has had time to set. 

Second, apply the paint. You should apply light, thin layers of paint. Allow the paint to set for at least a half hour in between each coat. It may take anywhere from four to six coats of paint for the new paint to blend in with the old paint on your bumper.

When the paint has had time to dry for at least a day, you may want to wash and then wax your front bumper to get the best overall effect.

If re-painting your rust spots sounds like too demanding a task, consider hiring a company like AutoMedics to do it for you.