[01wrangler]

I just got back from the car wash and checked things out on the WK. I found small spots all over the back hatch, rear bumper, and both sides. It looks like rust to me. I rubbed it and scraped it with my fingernails and was unable to get the whole spot off, some of it would come off though.
It was pretty dirty and salty but I dont think that should cause it to rust in a couple of weeks with paint that is only three years old. pics are included.
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/01wrangler/DSC02536.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/01wrangler/DSC02538.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/01wrangler/DSC02539.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/01wrangler/DSC02535.jpg

[j_dennis13]

I would say rust... At first I thought maybe tar. But if it is not coming off then rust it must be. Did you ever get hit there or do rock chips hit there?

[Escape]

Looks like rust to me...Take it to the dealer it's covered under the body warranty!

[CEPCNC]

Looks like someone did a drive by with a portable sand blaster and just blasted it, then those pits rusted out. I hope the dealer accepts it as a paint defect.

[Jones]

I would say that looks like rust to me. Looks, to me, like the salt did it.

[z_gilligan]

That sucks. Looks just like rust

[DanF]

It looks like rust in the pictures posted, but you mentioned that it is also on your bumper. The bumper cover is plastic and would not rust, so maybe it is something on your paint. Maybe try a wax or cleaner to see if it comes off.

[johnniebravo]

^^^^^Agreed. Hit the areas with a claybar and see what happens.

[Dr. Internet]

It looks like rust, but it's not your Jeep that's rusting. It actually looks like small pieces of iron or steel that adhered to the body / bumper and are rusting on the surface. Do you live / park anywhere near a facility that does a lot of metal grinding, welding, or mining?

[jerryjeeper]

I'd take a close look with a magnifying glass at some of the spots, I suspect you will find a small particle of metal that has rusted and stained the paint around the particle. I also agree that you should try a clay bar and then polish a small area and check the results. Be careful not to scratch the paint when you remove the particle.
Good luck.

[01wrangler]

thanks for the info. I checked the spots out some more and realized that the bumber was not metal as stated above. The spots are only on the back and sides, not the hood. I do not live or park near any metal grinding, welding places so I do not think that would cause it. I do park on this somewhat busy street for a few hours a day, but that is only one or two days a week.
I will try the clay bar and check with my dealer on Monday, we will see if they try to feed me about it.

[grand poobah]

Keep us posted on what you find.

I also have a white XK and have recently found similar spots on my rear bumper, but to a MUCH lesser extent (less than 5 TINY specs).

Knowing the bumper isn't metal, it didn't concern me too much at the time -I thought, well, it looks like rust but how could it be? After seeing you're pics my concern has grown a bit

[TJJP77]

It's known as rail dust - it happens during shipment of the vehicle. They are fine particles of metal that come off due to the friction between the train wheels and the rails. Because of the heat generated, the particles tend to "melt" themselves into the paint.


There's basically 2 ways to get rid of it - either a clay bar (not always effective) or a acid wash procedure that literally disintegrates the particles. The wash procedure is the most effective, but it's also the most risky since you can damage the paint if not done carefully.

[01wrangler]

Originally Posted by TJJP77

It's known as rail dust - it happens during shipment of the vehicle. They are fine particles of metal that come off due to the friction between the train wheels and the rails. Because of the heat generated, the particles tend to "melt" themselves into the paint.


There's basically 2 ways to get rid of it - either a clay bar (not always effective) or a acid wash procedure that literally disintegrates the particles. The wash procedure is the most effective, but it's also the most risky since you can damage the paint if not done carefully.

So do you think the salt that was on the vehicle for a couple of weeks caused this to happen with the fine particles? Now how do I keep this from happening again? Cleaning it every week seems a bit extreme, my wrangler is lucky to get washed during the winter and nothing like this has happened.
Im gonna talk to a detailer in town to see what he charges and go to the dealer to see if anything can be done also.
Also this acid wash, is that something a dealer would do?

[TonyVideo]

This looks like what happened to my white 99GC a few years back. I was around a foundry and I was parked a couple of blocks away and came home with these. I was down wind of the stacks. Small metal pieces that turned red. Was there a foundry or house fire or other hot source that you were around? You could even be miles away but the particles fall down eventually. It depends on the wind and how hot the fire and how much filtering is done as far as the foundry. I have seen this on house fires as well. If you leave them they will eat the paint quickly. I had to have some paint work done to repair the worse areas.

Another idea is that some localities are now using a mixture of salt and sand to make the salt pile last longer. Maybe their sand chunks are too big. Who knows what type of sand it might be, it might have iron particles and mixed with the salt it will rust quickly. I wouldn't think this would happen but you never know today. Did you follow a salt/sand truck?