Rust Bubble - advice wanted

So I've had the bus just coming up to three years now and over the winter she's developed a little wart just at the bottom of the lower offside front arch. It's about an inch and a half across.



So I'm wondering what is the best way to approach this. Never really done any bodywork before and the paint finish on the bus is very very good so don't want to make things worse.

What do people think? Looks like surface rust under the paint to me. Gentle grind back with a dremel, treat the rust then light skim of filler? Can I blend in using a matched rattle can?

Mobile dent/scratch repait man? Not sure which way to go. Feel the need to address this ASAP to prevent it getting any worse.

JS

 

Thats going to reveal a lot larger hole once you start picking at it
Its not surface rust it starts behind the panel and shows through the paint last

 

yeah, as para said. Its gonna be rusty metal underneath. welding is gonna be required.

 

anywhere else i would agree with above, but on the front arch( assuming its genuine) the metal is much thinker so i would say you may well get away with blasting and repainting

 

There's only one way to find out...
I guess pinholes at the very least.

 

Bugger. Will make a call to my VW sympathetic garage who recently gave her a service. I'm not about to go at this without a way of getting it completely fixed. Hopefully its only pinholes - bus is an Aussie import and I have the pics to prove she was a good un (bare metal respray)

 

I'd say it's caused by moisture coming through the seam from the rear. You can see how the paint has cracked along the seam. It will need exposing and sealing somehow from behind. It may be possible by drilling into the rear of the arch and squirting in some waxoyl. I'm just doing a similar repair but mine hasn't rusted right through so you may be lucky.

 

Have a good look around your bus. If you find bits like this on most panels it may be time for repairs and a bottom half respray. Just saying.

 

Only panel affected so think a bottom half respray may be a bit drastic. Thanks for the view peeps.

 

Just got my bus back. Same guys who sorted out my volvo. They found no nasty holes - just surface rust that had obviously not been treated properly before the paint went on. Got them to do the door as well as it had been chipped when my wing mirror came off at speed and slammed into it. Paint was lifting so I decided to sort it. Have to say I was very suprised by the amount of filler on the door (as were they). They took it right back though and checked it out - all good.











Shiny Shiny!!!!



Now I have to fix the horn and my intermittent indicators....

 

My indicators are intermittent as well. They keep going on and off.

 

That was lucky

 

You can say that again.
Mine ended up like this.

 

That actually made me laugh out loud! (i do hope it was supposed to be joke)

 

That'll be coming through from behind I reckon. The seam sealer goes hard and cracks and water gets in. Like Zed said, check the rest of the van, it'll be slowly happening everywhere there's old seam sealer. Particularly check the sealer between the battery tray and corner.