Yesterday I fully refinished the rusty hitch on my Outlander and I'm very pleased with the outcome. Well, not really me to be honest - my friend did the work but I was there assisting, giving direction, QA and more importantly handling the 6-pack....
![Wink ;)](https://www.autos.ca/forum/Smileys/CarTalk/wink.gif)
Anyway, aside from the eye sore, the rust was dripping on my interlocking when wet so I had to do something about it and quick. I had a cheap and dirty job done by the dealer few weeks ago while the car was in the shop for something else, but it was just that - a cosmetic job until I get to it to do it right. They didn't take the time (not that I paid for it or anything) to clean up the rust thoroughly so the rust was still there under the paint especially underneath where you wouldn't normally see.
Anyway, my buddy (who is a skilled steel/stainless worker by trade) cleaned the crap out of it despite the fact that working around it was very difficult as I did not want to take it off to avoid other complications due to rust and there is very little clearance under the bumper. The right tools, skills and taking the time made a whole lot of difference. Sprayed galvanized coating, rust paint and then a coat of rubberized paint normally used on rocket panels (RustCheck can from CT). It's not a smooth finish but it's black and hopefully strong enough to stay that way for few years.