I'm in the process of priming my car this weekend. I looked at a couple different one's but do not know the difference between them.

1. Rustoleum - epoxy primer
2. Rustoleum - filler primer
3. Rustoleum - primer sealer
4. Rustoleum - self etching primer

 

Make sure before you shoot a hot solvent top coat on any of the above products that the primer won't re wet and bubble underneath the top coat. The label should say somewhere that it will except catalyzed products and give a time period or window that it will work.

Generally a epoxy primer will take catalyzed top coats.

A primer sealer generally is fluffy in nature and is met to be sanded so it will fill in the grain of a wood surface, may or may not be a metal type product.

A primer sealer is generally designed to give good hold out on porous surfaces may or may not be aa metal type product.

A self etching primer is designed for bare metal and may or may not hold up with a catalyzed or hot solvent top coat.

It would be best if you pulled up Rustoleum product information specks on the net and check it out by product number not name otherwise it's just a guess. Rustoleum makes a product for most any occasion and problem abound if you choose un wiseley...Tedd

 

Good info but one small typo:It sounds like you are asking about rattle can primers. Here is my limited knowledge of them:

1. epoxy primer = kind of a combination self etching primer and sealer
2. filler primer = used to fill in light sanding marks, etc., to help get a smooth surface; is not water proof so underlying metal may rust
3. primer sealer = used as a layer over body filler, incompatible paints, etc. to "seal" it so a subsequent top coat doesn't peel, bubble, etc. Typically is water proof so underlying metal won't rust.
4. self etching primer = used on bare metal, etches the metal for adhesion

Here's a link with more info on the different types of primers and their uses:
http://www.learnautopainting.com/undercoats.htm

 

Thanks guys for your comments. Here is a picture of my car after priming.

 

rustoleum has a can with a car on it, i believe it says automotive primer. May be another to look into.

 

I wouldn't use anything rustoleum but I know people have budgets. The cheapest primer I trust and I have had great results is from transtar. Recently at my local autobody supply was 75 bucks for the set up . I bought the euro primer it can be used as a high build then reduced to seal. On the expensive side I like 275ncx I think from ppg. I have not used it in years but for that set up its over 300.