Frame Rust

[wsgoat]

why would someone pay 50g for a 4runner and not use it in snow is besides me.

as a certified tech and 14 car collector. rust on the underside is pretty common with factory thin black coating they come with. toyota or any one else is not going to spend big money to build a miliion cars with fancy rubber coating underside etc.

plus the rust on the thick steel is not big deal.

if you care for your ride put effort to keep it nice. undercoating and washing underside and then you are just fine for 20 years

if you think you can just drive any car and let the underside pockets sit with water or salt and expect it to look black still then that is silly dream

Road salts/treatments cause over 3-billion in damage to vehicles and roadways every year. Why wouldn't I store my vehicle over the winter especially if I have access to another (4WD) vehicle I can use. I also didn't spend anywhere near 50k, so I can only guess what your pulling that number out of. Sure, cleaning and undercoating the frame will help, but there are areas you're never going to get to.....to each his own.

 

[TomsPro]

Buy a beater Subaru Forester/Legacy/Outback and drive that when it snows. No need to worry about rust or 4WD binding on your TRD Pro.

My new Pro is my winter rat and garbage hauler. I have a little Acura RSX for ramming around in the summer which has never seen salt. Yep, one cost me 47K, the other 10K (got it used from Florida), but I need 4WD for the winter. Do plan to Fluid Film the 4Runner frame for winter...

 

[in_an_instant]

I picked up a 2016 4 weeks ago w/ 25k miles. Rear portion of the frame was already being eaten (I'm in PA). I took the rear bumper off and Por15'd the entire rear portion of the frame using black. I then used clear for touch up treatment along the entire underside. I've got an appointment with Krown in 2 weeks. I use Krown first because for $120 they get inside the body panels using a 360 wand. I then follow up with regular fluid film each year although this time I might just go back to krown.

Had a sequoia rusted out so bad the underside was entirely unservicable. Northeast is no joke with rust, local HOA and counties break the rules with chemicals.

I've found that a simple garden pump sprayer with water helps a ton, I just give my vehicles a quick 1 min spray of they get a ton of salt spray underneath before pulling them into the garage.

 

[WNY PAT]

I’ve never undercoated any of my vehicles but I’m not arguing it wouldn’t help. I was a ski instructor / ski patrol back in the day and drove from the Northtowns of Buffalo NY through the snow belts 5-6 times a week in a 1986 4x4 Toyota regular cab P/U truck (with the legendary 22R motor to boot). It was constantly coated in snow, ice, etc. all winter long. They use a TON of salt in these parts. The bed rusted out at about 330,000 miles at which point my mechanic bought it from me and put a wooden box on it and had it several more years as a parts delivery truck. I’m sure it had well over 400K on the clock when it was finally retired. It was about 16 years old when I got rid of it. Anyway, IMO, the worst thing to do is park a vehicle heated garage every night with the salt on it. So, when it’s going to stay well below freezing for weeks at a time, I make sure to park outside and don’t worry about cleaning it off until the temps change. Then I go through a car wash that has the undercarriage spray. I also wax my vehicles several times each summer and as late as i can in the fall and as early as I can in the spring. My .02 cents FWIW.

 

[in_an_instant]

smart man you are well done:nod: .

after me undercoating 200 cars on my lift. few things to note.

1- wash and let dry fully ur ride before coating
2- under coating is good because it flows into tight areas etc.
3- one issue i would see is it can make rubbers swell etc which i don't like

If you silicon spray your seals/trim before FF it doesn't penetrate and swell them. I just spray a ton of silicon lube on a rag and do 1 pass over them before the film.

 

[JSS16]

Road salts/treatments cause over 3-billion in damage to vehicles and roadways every year. Why wouldn't I store my vehicle over the winter especially if I have access to another (4WD) vehicle I can use. I also didn't spend anywhere near 50k, so I can only guess what your pulling that number out of. Sure, cleaning and undercoating the frame will help, but there are areas you're never going to get to.....to each his own.

54000cnd is what my 2018 trd is costing me

I bought 4Runner for bad weather etc


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[JSS16]

If you silicon spray your seals/trim before FF it doesn't penetrate and swell them. I just spray a ton of silicon lube on a rag and do 1 pass over them before the film.

I have tried that and 303 protectant . The wax based rustproof material still will get to them .


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[in_an_instant]

I have tried that and 303 protectant . The wax based rustproof material still will get to them .


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Gotcha, yeah perhaps I've been lucky or the swelling has been so minimal I haven't noticed.

 

[JSS16]

Plus I guess the type of rubber etc glad your not having issues [emoji106]


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[Hydguy]

Is the gasket swelling an issue that happens even after the fluidfilm has fully dried?

How many rubber gaskets are there under the 4Runner.

And if it causes rubber gaskets to swell, wouldn't it cause the body and suspension bushing, and any other rubber parts under the vehicle to swell/deform?

 

[JSS16]

Is the gasket swelling an issue that happens even after the fluidfilm has fully dried?



How many rubber gaskets are there under the 4Runner.



And if it causes rubber gaskets to swell, wouldn't it cause the body and suspension bushing, and any other rubber parts under the vehicle to swell/deform?

Correct petroleum based stuff [emoji53]


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[Hydguy]

Correct petroleum based stuff [emoji53]


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Then wouldn't something like POR15 be to use to coat the chassis?

 

[JSS16]

I think por15 is for bare metal application


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[17KT4R]

I've never heard of this rubber swell or gasket deformation thing, if you speak to either of the two largest applicators in Canada ( RustCheck or Krown ) I'm sure you would hear the same.

I recently sold two model year 2000 Jeeps (TJ & Cherokee) which were sprayed annually with RustCheck (friend of mine owns a location). These vehicles were both running on original brake / fuel lines, suspension and body bushings, and front end components actually ( pumped grease into them twice per year ). Nothing swelled anyplace other than those joints when grease got pumped in there.

Do newer vehicles have better factory rust protection? I guess that is subjective opinion. In the greater Toronto Area brine spray runs out of body panels and stains my driveway white in the winter. It dries like cornflakes inside places you would never expect to see that stuff but just like driving down a dusty desert road, you see dust in surprising places as well.

Anyway - my point is I think these products are a small price to pay for delaying what probably takes 20 years to occur to other peoples vehicles who do not have to survive driving down a seemingly 'wet' road in winter, until you finally catch up to that brine truck and realize what you're driving over. :faint:

 

[JSS16]

I did rust proofing for a few years and have seen First hand rubbers shrink over the years

But not all cars

My Audi did some of the rubbers and also my sister Corolla to name a few .

But like I said depends on the rubber

Oh also I remember dodge caravan hatch had rubber plugs they all got deformed and next year missing from hatch . Products used were rust check and also dominion sure seal

I learned to be little more controlled around some areas

But either way much needed to protect steel


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[sabertooth5]

Hey All - We're looking at a used 2010 in WI. Our previous 2001 4runner gave out due to frame rust so we're a bit nervous about what we've seen on a 2010. Can anyone offer an opinion as to whether the rust in the images is typical or concerning to the frame elements of this 5th Gen? Thanks

 

[mtnbiker49]

Hey All - We're looking at a used 2010 in WI. Our previous 2001 4runner gave out due to frame rust so we're a bit nervous about what we've seen on a 2010. Can anyone offer an opinion as to whether the rust in the images is typical or concerning to the frame elements of this 5th Gen? Thanks

Um no. Not good. There is clearly pitting on most suspension components and on the bottom edges of the frame. Previous owner must never have rinsed it off during the winter. I would steer clear.

 

[catrains]

well an 8yr old rust belt truck that is normal rust . probably has 110K miles on it and used in the winter when the snow is on...

before / if you buy it , check for frame rust at the welds that is common ..
the sheet metal covers can be replaced ..

 

[Catskill4RNR]

We sprung for the dealer applied undercoat and body panel treatment which gets applied once a year for I believe 7 years. Comes with a rust through guarantee for what it's worth. I'm in upstate NY and between us and northern PA I don't think there is anyplace worse for underbody rust. Gas lines, brake lines and exhausts rot out in 7-10 years. I had the truck on the lift today to mount the new General AT/x's and while it was up there I unloaded a can of fluid film on anything that looked rusty. Headed back to the dealer this fall for the 2nd treatment. Looked to be a good product.

 

[sn_85]

Hey All - We're looking at a used 2010 in WI. Our previous 2001 4runner gave out due to frame rust so we're a bit nervous about what we've seen on a 2010. Can anyone offer an opinion as to whether the rust in the images is typical or concerning to the frame elements of this 5th Gen? Thanks

Fly down south and buy a truck from the CA, AZ, NV or somewhere in the South.