I noticed some bubbling paint above the wheel well, just at the start of the rear corner panel. I ignored it but a friend of mine told me that's evidence of rust. Sure enough when I looked closer there is a touch of visible rust at the edge of the wheel well. I also have some deep scratches on that same corner panel from hitting low branches. I also have paint chipping on both the rear and front bumpers.

Anyone have any advice on these conditions as far as dealing with a body/paint shop? Can anyone recommend a shop in the Baltimore area that does reasonably good work at a fair price? What kind of cost am I looking at to repair the rust area and scratch area on the same panel and to touch up both bumpers? As my RX went in service in 1998, I don't need an elite service, I just want to make it more presentable.

Thanks in advance for any input.

The good news is that the front and rear bumpers and the bottom side cladding are plastic and aren't going to rust.

I get my share of paint chips from rocks on the front grill and front hood area. I go around and touch everything up with touchup paint once a year.

The standard body shop approach is to repaint entire body sections (e.g., front bumper, door, fender). This gets expensive very quickly.

I know a shop in the Fort Lauderdale FL area (where I spend my winters) that can do spot repaints at a much lower price. You can't tell where it was done. The owner claims he started doing this for used car dealers, so maybe they know of a place in your area.

I had a car in the past where you almost had to chip paint every year like on a ship, to control the rust. There are products that you can apply to neutralize/stabilize the rust before painting, instead of having to sand down to bare metal.

I hope that helps.

Some smaller shops or independent painters will spot-paint as the poster above says. Their work varies in quality but will likely look better than your own paint - they charge about $100 per small spot here where I am.