I have some rust forming around my rear wheel wells. No holes, just some bubbling and a couple of small areas (<= 1 sq cm each) where the paint has chipped off. The shop quotes a full repair at $2,000.00. This would involve them cutting out the rust, fabricating new steel pieces to fit, welding them on, then paint/clearcoat over.
I'm reluctant to spend money something that is purely cosmetic, though I know it will eventually become structural if I ignore it. I was thinking it could perhaps be a cheaper option to have some plastic pieces fabricated to fit over the area where the rust would be cut out. Something a bit like those fender flares you can buy, but without the flaring (more flush with the body, or close to it, as it would otherwise look kind of silly without spending a whole lot more money on wide wheels/tires, spacers, etc.). I'm OK with the "bolted" look, but I imagine they could be fastened on with body clips to holes drilled into the panel for a subtler look.
It's a black car, so finishing the pieces could be as simple as plastidip, hydrodip, or really, it shouldn't be too terribly expensive to paint two small pieces.
Is this a reasonable option?
