RUST REPAIR
Stop rust before it eats through your car
Rust doesn’t fix itself. Find shops that specialize in stopping active corrosion and repairing rusted panels — before small spots become structural failures.
Get Free Quotes →When you need a shop vs. when you can DIY
Small surface rust is a DIY-able job. But once rust has scaled, eaten through a panel, or reached structural components (frame rails, floor pans, unibody sub-frames), it’s shop-only work. Rust repair is a specialty — most general body shops will do it, but the best results come from shops that market rust repair as a service line.
✓ Shop-only rust repair
- Rust-through holes larger than a fist
- Structural rust (frame, floor pan, subframe, rocker inner panel)
- Rusted quarter panels that need welded patches
- Classic-car restoration with heavy sheet-metal work
- Any rust on a modern aluminum-bodied vehicle (specialized process)
⚠ Red flags on rust repair estimates
- Shop plans to “just paint over it” (rust must be removed or chemically converted first)
- No mention of cavity wax or undercoating on the back side of the repair
- Estimate seems too cheap — proper rust repair is labor-intensive
- No warranty offered on the rust repair specifically
Rust repair cost ranges
| Repair type | Cost range | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Small surface rust spot repaint | $225 – $500 | 1–2 days |
| Rocker panel scale rust | $550 – $1,100 | 2–4 days |
| Quarter panel patch (welded) | $1,100 – $2,800 | 4–7 days |
| Floor pan replacement | $1,500 – $4,500 | 5–10 days |
| Frame rail repair | $2,000 – $5,500 | 7–14 days |
| Full underbody restoration | $3,500 – $12,000+ | 2–6 weeks |
Get a rust inspection quote
Rust always looks worse once shops start digging. Get 2-3 quotes so you know if one estimate is padding the scope.
Get Free Rust Repair Quotes →Rust-belt cities where this service matters most
Preventive treatment worth asking about
Any decent rust repair shop should offer preventive services too. If your car is 5+ years old and lives in a salt-belt state, ask about:
- Annual undercoating renewal — $150 – $350 per treatment, extends underbody life 5+ years
- Cavity wax spray — $75 – $200, coats door skins, rocker panel interiors, and quarter panel cavities where rust starts from the inside
- Fluid Film application — $200 – $400, temporary but very effective sacrificial coating for one winter season