'I’ve Never Repaired Rust In My Life': How Do You Fix Rust On a Car? Car Flipper Shows It’s Pretty Easy

A first-time car flipper takes on a challenging project that requires fixing rust from the rear bumper. Did he learn a valuable lesson, make a huge mistake, or both?

TikTok user Jackson Kessler (@captain.crankshaft) posted a video with his latest project earlier this week. “Turn $500 into a supercar,” he says to start the video. “So I’m flipping cars until I get one. This is my first flip, but it has quite a bit of rust on it.”

Is This How You Fix Rust on a Car?

Kessler acknowledges this is a stretch project for his skill level. “Now, I’ve never repaired rust in my life, and, honestly, I have like two brain cells,” he says. “But I think I’ll be able to figure it out.”

Kessler and his first mate—aka a friend named Will—decide to start by disassembling the vehicle. “First up, I think just take the rear bumper off so we get unfiltered access to the rust area,” Kessler says.

Once the rust is exposed, Kessler busts out the sandpaper. “We got lots of grit,” he says. “My lovely friend Will is gonna sand that. Isopropyl this spot.”

After the area is sanded, the duo prepares the resin that will fill in the hole left behind by the rust. “Will is mixing up chemicals,” he says. “Sanding the bondo. See? No more rust. The hole is filled. Now we just need to do the painting part so it actually blends in.”

How Did the Rust Repair Work?

The paint job doesn’t exactly look as good as new, however. It’s clear that the duo’s patch does not match up with the rest of the car.

“So obviously it doesn’t look great right now, and it probably won’t be perfect, but we do need to wait in order to wet sand it and really meld it to the other paint,” says Kessler.

Sadly, the finished product isn’t much better. “It’s like nothing ever happened,” Kessler says sarcastically. “Imagine this at night? And like 20 percent darker than that?”

How Do You Fix Rust on a Car?

According to a guide from New England Rust Defenders, Kessler and Will followed the basic procedure for minor DIY rust repair. First, you sand the rusted section until it’s completely shiny. If the sanding created any hollow pockets, you fill them up with a resin. Once the area is dry, you sand again, apply a coat of primer, and then repaint the area.

Some common pitfalls include not sanding the area evenly enough, skimping on the primer, or not letting each layer fully dry before moving on.

It’s unclear exactly what step Kessler and Will messed up on, but then again that’s the journey of learning DIY car repair. In a Reddit thread posted to r/CarTalk about seven years ago, commenters said the job is possible but that beginners should expect less than perfect results.

“Be advised,” wrote one person. “Your rust will be fixed and it will look better. But it will not look perfect and disappear. If you want it that good go to a body shop.”

Motor1 contacted Kessler via email, TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll update this if he responds.