temporary fix tho would be like what i said, i hit a van in my truck when i had it and he was able to blend in about a 4 inch long area with the rest of the truck, so i think you should be fine, it cost me 250 bucks for the spot and that was removing a dent also so if you look around or know someone im sure you can get it done for under or close to a hundred bucks

 

yeah i'll probably do the temp thing that you stated earlier for now and then try to eventually find a body shop who would take it out completely for a cheap price.

 

You also may want to check the bottom of the door seams. That area is notorious for rusting on these cars. When I was shopping for my 05 earlier this year, I found almost every one I looked at had bubbling starting at the bottom inside edge of the door panel. My 05 isn't bad yet....but when I get the paint chips addressed next spring (getting the front bumper and hood painted), I will be getting the door panels fixed too - rust proofed and all.

 

That spot can easily be fixed by a body shop without painting any other panel but the one that the spot is on. If you are for sure getting your whole car resprayed, I wouldnt bother having them fix it though. Just get some 320 grit sandpaper and some masking tape. Mask off around the spot real neat and sand the rust out of the spot. A little dab of black rustoleum paint should keep it at bay, but if its going to be a while until you get the car resprayed, I would put a dab of primer, a dab of paint and a dab of clear in it to give it some added protection. Just be sure when you take your car in to have it sprayed to point out that you want that spot fixed so they dont just scuff and spray right over it.

Rustproofing is a waste of time IMO. It wont get down into the area that the rust begins on the bottom of doors. The real problem is where the door skin folds over the door shell, they use an adhesive to help bond them together. The adhesive isnt really waterproof and they dont use enough of it to make a good seal. I just cut a door skin off of a 2008 ford ranger and there was rust in between the door skin and the shell already. It had a rustproofing job done too. The best way to prevent rust IMO is to wash and dry the jambs every time you wash your car and to make sure the drainage holes arent clogged up. Also, if there isnt rust bubbles already, you could have a body shop spray some epoxy primer/sealer down in the bottom of the door. Its thinner than rustproofing so it will get down the the door better and when it dries, it is 100% waterproof so if you get a good coat down in the door, you should have better luck with it preventing rust. It still wont keep rust from forming in between the door skin flange and the shell, but it will help keep rust from forming inside the bottom of your door.

 

yeah i see what you guys are saying. i clean around my doors every week and i haven't noticed any signs of rusting there. that's why i was so shocked that the roof was rusting first bcuz i always thought the doors rusted first. i'm guessing that when i lived in the country in missouri that a rock hit the top and chipped the paint and then when i moved down here to florida where the air is salty i guess caused it to start to rust =/ but now i'm really gonna start keeping an eye out for rust everywhere, especially the doors