I have just noticed on the body galvinising thread somebody else has little rusty metal particles in their paint. I have them too, noticed them when the car was a bout 2 weeks old. It is exactly like an angle grinder has been used near to the car. Whats going on here? How many more 500's have this paint problem? I am presuming you will only notice it on a white one. And it is mainly on the boot and rear bumper.

Avanti500 said:

I have just noticed on the body galvinising thread somebody else has little rusty metal particles in their paint. I have them too, noticed them when the car was a bout 2 weeks old. It is exactly like an angle grinder has been used near to the car. Whats going on here? How many more 500's have this paint problem? I am presuming you will only notice it on a white one. And it is mainly on the boot and rear bumper.

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mine has it also, its totally confined behind the numberplate

Have your dealers both drilled your tailgate to fit the numberplates? If so I bet the wasters have left the iron filings behind instead of cleaning them off. I just replaced my plates and under the old ones the tailgate was covered in metal filings, just pure laziness by the person fiting the plates

yep mine was re- drilled by the:tosser: who fitted them. even after specifically saying i wanted them stuck on not drilled i even offered to supply the plates and sticky pads

I bet thats the rust spots then, my dealer even fitted the little plastic bits in the existing holes so why they didnt fit the plate properly is anyones guess. I suppose they just dont care?

try and clay them out

Yes, it appears the very popular Bossa Nova white is suffering from, shall we say, industrial fallout!

Having never owned a white car before I was convinced it was the other half using an angle grinder somewhere near the car.

Not the case................
Spots have also appeared on our brand new upvc windows etc, just the way the world is, sadly.


Seriously don't think FIAT can be blamed for this one.

The remedy:- catch spots quickly before they get too ingrained and (especially when paint is so new) give several coats of a good polish and wax for protection.

Just taken the number plate off and sure enough they have drilled the tailgate. Why do that when FIAT put the proper holes there? Not sure what to do now. Does anybody think it's worth going back to the dealer?

Yup got them on mine too,

Had them on my last car also when it was new, they vanished after a couple of months and never came back, i just assumed it was metal particals from the factory or travelling over on the boat.

Keep polishing they'll go.

Noticed them in mine last night, I haven't polished for the last 4 weeks ( have been polishing quite regularly as it's so tiny (sorry, not meant to be double entendre))so it would appear regular polishing would keep them at bay ?

every time you polish you remove a layer of paint/clearcoat, clay them out

What do you mean by clay them out Dave? Not heard of that before.

have a look in the car care section, clay is talked about lots in there, its not clay that you make pottery with,
its automotive clay you use it with a lube after washing your car, and it removes contaminates ( Insects, Tar, Stubborn Road Grime, Brake Dust, Exhaust Soot, Oxidation, Surface Rust, Paint Overspray, Factory Fallout and more. )from the paint and leaves it as smooth as glass, meguiars sell a kit of clay and lube that you can get in shops, or there are other makes that you get from places like www.cleanyourcar.co.uk after clay you wax it then seal and it will stay like it for months

dave said:

every time you polish you remove a layer of paint/clearcoat, clay them out

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nah no need, the particles are that tiny and they are on the surface, they completely oxidise away within weeks, the polishing just removes the stain left.

I've had them now on a black punto, a silver punto and a yellow stilo
got use to it.

Avanti500 said:

Just taken the number plate off and sure enough they have drilled the tailgate. Why do that when FIAT put the proper holes there? Not sure what to do now. Does anybody think it's worth going back to the dealer?

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The guy at my dealer obviously was more switched on and my rear plate is stuck on, top marks

Will take Dave's advice and buy a clay bar and lube, already bought a big drying cloth from cleanyourcar (brilliant firm, no pun intended) after he recommended it in another thread.

muttleysdad said:

nah no need, the particles are that tiny and they are on the surface, they completely oxidise away within weeks, the polishing just removes the stain left.

I've had them now on a black punto, a silver punto and a yellow stilo
got use to it.

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polishing will still remove paint/clear coat thats how it works, shouldnt need to polish a new car just clay, wax an seal

dave said:

polishing will still remove paint/clear coat thats how it works, shouldnt need to polish a new car just clay, wax an seal

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i think what you call polishing and i call polishing are slighly different -i just mean the old slap on the turtle wax or mer on a sunday morning after a good wash - nothing over the top

muttleysdad said:

i think what you call polishing and i call polishing are slighly different -i just mean the old slap on the turtle wax or mer on a sunday morning after a good wash - nothing over the top

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oh dear you really need to visit the car care section mer is very abrasive polish, you need wax not a polish

I'd just like to thank everyone for their advice on this subject. I think I have found the problem. I googled it last night and it looks like it is "RAIL DUST" particles from the railway and as i park with the back of the 500 facing a track I think that could be it.

I forgot about rail dust.

TFR can remove that.