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Hey guys. 2006 GS430, 161k miles, love the car and want to keep it forever.
I always keep the car clean and waxed. I just noticed this today, some rust forming under the driver side mirror. What's the best way to repair this and make sure that it doesn't come back? Will I have to repaint the entire door?
Best to take it to a body shop, they will remove the mirror and trim, grind down the rust, if its not too deeply rusted they can just use body filler and paint over it. If it is very deep then they will either cut the section off and weld in a patch trim. Most likely they will spot paint the repaired spot, spray the color just on the primed repair and clear coat the whole door. Some spot repair they can get away with clearing just the repaired spot. Many of the mobile paint repair guys are pretty good at this, you can find them working at the lots of new car dealerships. Maybe they fix it for you for $150-200
Went to Gerber tonight. They will cut out the metal and 2-3 inches around it and weld in a new piece. They will then paint the new area, blend another 3-4 inches beyond that and leave the rest of the paint alone. They'll need to rough up the door because they will clear coat the entire door. Total comes to $572. Does that sound about right?
Seems like a lot of money to spend on such a small issue, have you tried searching for a mobile painter? To find a good one they usually work at new car dealerships or at auctions. These guys fix tiny blemishes before cars get sold. The guys who do the new car/used cars are the ones to look for their work is usually very clean and unnoticeable.
What you can do to stop the rusting and possibly hide it yourself. Grab some painters tape, harbour freight pick set, small rust convertor and a touch up paint bottle. Tape off the edge of the mirror to protect it and the surrounding area. With the chisel away the rust with the pics make sure to fully remove all the rust, then with a q tip grab the rust convertor and dab it in there. Now depending on how deep the rust is, you can just get away with using primer touch, and color directly on top. If there is a hole you can get some bondo fill it and prime and paint over it. Because the blemish is under the mirror it shouldnt stand out as much.
I am definitely a DIY type of person, but when it comes to stuff like this, I leave it to the pros. I just want to make sure it doesn't come back. I guess I also am concerned because I don't know much about Gerber and am wondering whether id be better off going with a small shop versus a big chain.
Just got a second estimate. $875 from a local shop but this place told me that they would NEVER cut and weld the metal because it's too thin and there's nothing to hold the weld in place. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
So I took the door apart today because I wanted to see what was going on behind the mirror. The second picture is where the mirror was and the first picture is a close-up. Not good.
Went to Gerber tonight. They will cut out the metal and 2-3 inches around it and weld in a new piece. They will then paint the new area, blend another 3-4 inches beyond that and leave the rest of the paint alone. They'll need to rough up the door because they will clear coat the entire door. Total comes to $572. Does that sound about right?
Just find a new door from the south.... I bet your whole car is rotted underneath being an Illinois vehicle with the horrible winters there and all the salt use. Rust is a losing battle unfortunately.
I appreciate that but in this case the rust came from behind the mirror, not because of salt, but because moisture got trapped behind the mirror and sat on the backing plate. The rest of the car is perfect.
I appreciate that but in this case the rust came from behind the mirror, not because of salt, but because moisture got trapped behind the mirror and sat on the backing plate. The rest of the car is perfect.
You'll never see stuff like this on a southern vehicle. I can guarantee you 100% it's because of road salt.
LS430s have the same issue with rust forming in that one spot under the mirror AND forming around the clips that hold the lower plastic door moldings in place. Only happens to northern vehicles that are in the salt belt. Salt gets inside and accelerates the rust process 100%. Climb underneath your car and inspect your subframes and suspension. Guarantee you it will have tons of rust everywhere. Keep in mind that body rust starts showing itself much later than the rust underneath your car. I can only imagine what the underneath of it looks like. $200 plane ticket to LA or Phoenix, sell this rust bucket and get yourself something decent. That's my advice.
Take it to another body shop tell them that you just want them to grind that down apply filler and spot repair. The rust isnt too bad and looks like surface rust. But if I were you I would grab a wire wheel to a drill and grind it all down then take it to a body shop since you already have the mirror apart. If they give you a price talk them down $200.
07-15-18, 07:06 PM
Rust under driver side mirror (pix)
