08 Rust Bubbles

[metall0099]

Does anybody know a way to stop this from spreading? I'm trying to diy prevention from spreading. It is on the upper part of the rear hatch in the window pinch well. I went to the body shop and got an estimate for $3,000+.


Thanks,
Metall

 

[jonesmw10]

Mine is rusting there on both sides as well, but nowhere near as bad.... 7 years in the northeast didn't help it. I had it touched up once but it came back. I think that it is rusting from the inside out. Any good body shop should be able to repair that for way way less than $3k, but the question is how long will it last.

 

[wadle5]

$3000?!?! That is absurd. Better off buying a new hatch and having it painted. In regards to preventative. There is nothing you can do to stop rust, and most places that repair rust do not issue a warranty. You can do two things, either just let it go, or you could attempt to sand it all down, bondo, prime, paint, seal it?

 

[metall0099]

Mine is rusting there on both sides as well, but nowhere near as bad.... 7 years in the northeast didn't help it. I had it touched up once but it came back. I think that it is rusting from the inside out. Any good body shop should be able to repair that for way way less than $3k, but the question is how long will it last.

Yeah I bought it used last summer. The orginal owner had it up in Buffalo for 7 years before that. It's in Wisconsin now, I'm sure that's not making things better.

The $3,000 estimate was for a new hatch and paint job, sorry for the bad wording. So, sand paper and rustolem is my best bet?

 

[Mike07SE]

Seems way high. New tailgate should run you about $630 from Partznet. Body work shouldn't be much more to finish it off.

 

[wadle5]

Seems way high. New tailgate should run you about $630 from Partznet. Body work shouldn't be much more to finish it off.

Even if bodywork was double the parts cost, including R&I of everything and prepping and painting the new hatch it shouldn't even be near $3k.

 

[Gatafly]

You could try removing as much rust as posdible then liberally coat with fluid film and respray it twice a year. That should keep it at bay.

 

[jonesmw10]

Yeah I bought it used last summer. The orginal owner had it up in Buffalo for 7 years before that. It's in Wisconsin now, I'm sure that's not making things better.

The $3,000 estimate was for a new hatch and paint job, sorry for the bad wording. So, sand paper and rustolem is my best bet?

Ah that's funny. I moved to CO from Buffalo. My .02 (not a pro at body work by any means), I would be worried about how pitted that metal is. I planned on just letting mine go and replacing the hatch when it got bad enough. But if you were to diy, a good sanding to clean metal, body filler and paint is best bet. It will come back pretty quick though imo. As mentioned, it seems like it rusts from the inside out.

 

[wc11]

If your mechanically inclined, you could buy a new lift gate shell for a grand.
Then get it pained and transfer over the mechanical yourself.

Genuine Toyota Parts - OEM Toyota Replacement Parts

 

[Erkelbot]

I think you're too far gone to really fix it well. You could invest the time and clean it up, but as others have mentioned it would likely come back pretty quickly (unless you're really good at that stuff). Instead, I would just wash out out really good as often as you can and replace the hatch instead -- once it's dead.

Instead, maybe call a salvage yard and see if you can source the same color too... Check out car-part.com and source one local to you. I feel this site is one of the best kept secrets for sourcing parts... A quick search tells me that they're out there for $600-$1000 and you could get one with a spoiler, w/o a spoiler, with a backup cam, or w/o backup cam.

That'd be the way i'd approach it. Just inspect it good before you buy anything to make sure you don't run into the same issue.

 

[rancho66]

Make an offer for this one. Has free shipping and is in TX so probably is rust free.


Rear Trunk Lid Tail Gate Hatch 03 09 Toyota 4 Runner White w Spoiler | eBay

 

[NuclearN8]

I try not to inspect behind the weatherstripping... when the rust start to run out is when it's time for a new suv in my book... haha

seriously though, if you remove the gasket/ strip and then prep it properly and apply some POR-15, you should be good to go... reinstall the gasket once it's dry and you're done.

 

[metall0099]

I think you're too far gone to really fix it well. You could invest the time and clean it up, but as others have mentioned it would likely come back pretty quickly (unless you're really good at that stuff). Instead, I would just wash out out really good as often as you can and replace the hatch instead -- once it's dead.

Instead, maybe call a salvage yard and see if you can source the same color too... Check out car-part.com and source one local to you. I feel this site is one of the best kept secrets for sourcing parts... A quick search tells me that they're out there for $600-$1000 and you could get one with a spoiler, w/o a spoiler, with a backup cam, or w/o backup cam.

That'd be the way i'd approach it. Just inspect it good before you buy anything to make sure you don't run into the same issue.

Thanks Erkelbot! I think I'm gonna go that route. I really appreciate the source that will come in handy down the road.
[MENTION=112003]jonesmw10[/MENTION] lol those aren't pits. I took the photo at the gas pump before I went into the car wash. It was flakes of salt from the road. Thanks for the help.