Hey Scotty,
I've seen your videos on using touch up paint, but I've got a dilemma. We've got a 2003 Honda Odyssey with about 130,000 miles and the paint is flaking in a lot of places - the color layer's gone in some spots but I think the primer's still there. The car drives and shifts great and I'd like to keep using it. Would waxing it a couple times a year help prevent rust or do I need to paint all the affected parts? (it's never been waxed before, I suspect that's why the paint's flaking)
I don't really care much for appearance but I'm worried about the road salt in the winters.
Thanks!
Also, I found this photo on CarComplaints that shows what's happening:
Preventing rust is not an "either or" situation, the protection goes from bad to best. No primer - bad. Primer - paint - clear coat - wax - best.
If the primer's there, it wont rust - for a while, depending on how salty it is where you live, or if kids scratch it. The paint protects the primer from rust and damage, and the clear coat and wax are more about making it look good.
It's not that hard to get color matched paint from a parts store, and unless you failed 3rd grade art, it will look better than primer only, and the next time the paint gets hit by a Frisbee or salt spray, it will probably stand up better. It will look "10 foot good".
Been there,done that, got the receipts.
TLDR; Depends on your climate, amount of saults around you, and the quality of metal in your car.
It depends. Back when I had a corolla (built in japan) and was living in a desert it would rust like mad if any metal was exposed.
My Volvo has some metal exposed for the last couple of years and it's still shiny with 0 rust.
If you don't care about appearance, but spray it with a coat of primer to cover the metal from corrosives.
