Many would argue or assume that the best way to repair non-structural rust out on old cars is to weld in new sheet metal. As I will show you in these pictures, welding in new sheet metal can actually cause more problems than it solves unless both sides of the weld are coated with a PERMANENT protective coating. Many body shops just coat the weld with regular paint, bondo, or body undercoating once the welding has been done. This 280SL had numerous welds done on the underside of the car - most were coated over with a flexible body sealer - and a few years later look what Kent found. Rust was showing up again all over the place due primarily to the increased oxidation of the metal caused by the heat from the welds (and all these welds were not treated properly).
Problem & Solution
Common among these chassis:
In order to repair this Mercedes - to halt the onslaught of the rust - Kent had to remove all the coatings to expose all the weld joints and then clean and treat them with Miracle Paint
It proved to be a lot of work. If only the job had been done right in the first place! Any sealer must be able to prevent ANY oxygen or moisture from getting to the weld. Paint, undercoating, and body filler can not do that. Miracle paint has proven to be the best sealer for body welds.
Along with the rusty welds all other areas showing rust had to be scraped open, sanded or wire brushed and then coated with Miracle Paint.
What is the moral of the story? Owner beware if you are having some rust repair work done for you. Buyer beware is you are purchasing an older Mercedes Benz. Fix it yourself to make sure it gets one right using our Miracle paint products.