Is there Rust on your rear axle?

[T4Fun]

hi folks. just wondering if you have any rust underneath yet. I have rust on my gx and its very disturbing. I will be talking to lexus about it. Since the 4runner/gx basically similar i thought id ask here. here are some pics..

Rust under the GX pictures by T4Fun - Photobucket

 

[1engineer]

Of course there is rust underneath my 4Runner. I contemplated not answering this post as I thought you must be joking as all vehicles have rust under them. Here is why:
The components underneath a vehicle, such as axles, brackets and drivetrain components are not refinished like the body of a vehicle. Some components are rust resistant (material) or are refinished with a rust inhibitor for safety reasons. The underside of a vehicle takes a severe beating during it's life with salt, gravel, dirt and dust sandblasting all the exposed components. Could you get the underside refinished to not rust? Sure you could except the expense would be astronomical and it would not last because of the abuse the underside takes. Actually the factory finish they put on it will last as good as anything. If you are really concerned you could take a can of rustoleum and spray it again but that will not last either. I am not worried about it at all.

 

[smkied]

I just got my 4Runner a week ago, and they were trying to sell me on the undercoating spray for like $600. I didn't go for it, I wasn't sure if it really mattered since so many older cars never had them and worked just fine. Would it have been worth the money? I really didn't want to extend my budget.

 

[T4Fun]

well technically there shouldnt be any this soon. i can understand in 4-5 years, but only 1year! there is only 5k miles on this and its hardly driven

 

[Jtraskell]

I just got my 4Runner a week ago, and they were trying to sell me on the undercoating spray for like $600. I didn't go for it, I wasn't sure if it really mattered since so many older cars never had them and worked just fine. Would it have been worth the money? I really didn't want to extend my budget.

Undercoating is not bad, but it is not the end all undercarriage protectant. Like 1engineer stated above, not much anybody can do down there to totally protect the underneath of your vehicle. It will help with salt caused corrosion and some sound deadening, but that is about it. 600.00 is very high. A good undercoat can be sprayed on in less then an hour for about 200.00 in most parts of the country.

 

[smkied]

Undercoating is not bad, but it is not the end all undercarriage protectant. Like 1engineer stated above, not much anybody can do down there to totally protect the underneath of your vehicle. It will help with salt caused corrosion and some sound deadening, but that is about it. 600.00 is very high. A good undercoat can be sprayed on in less then an hour for about 200.00 in most parts of the country.

$200 is much more reasonable, need to see if I should really do it though. The ride is already quiet, and if everything can't be protected it's kind of like "why bother" I would think, keep everything on the same level But I'll look into it regardless, for $200 I can see it being beneficial.

 

[rickwol]

$200 is much more reasonable, need to see if I should really do it though. The ride is already quiet, and if everything can't be protected it's kind of like "why bother" I would think, keep everything on the same level But I'll look into it regardless, for $200 I can see it being beneficial.

Unless you undercoat on a clean undercarriage before the rusting process has begun, I would say that you may not be doing yourself a favor at all. I doubt that the shop where you are looking to have this done could actually remove the existing rust so that it's perfectly clean. So if they simply apply the undercoating over existing rust (which is a tar-like substance) it could actually make things worse. To begin with you would simply be hiding the rust that is already there as it continues to do its damage. Additionally, a crack in the applied undercoating (would not need to be large) could allow more moisture to enter making things worse down the road.

 

[smkied]

Oh, don't get me confused with the OP My 4Runner is just about a week old, I would hope there is no rust on it yet!

 

[<<<<]

There is NO rust under my 2004 Runner :thumb3:

 

[smkied]

How many KMs? Is that with undercoat or without?

 

[<<<<]

No undercoat there. Wheelwells is the only place where I've that goo. Frame is all plain automotive paint. If you keep welds on frame from rusting the rest stays clean. Just touch up any rock damage and bare spots to keep O2 away from steel and your rig rust-free. Undercar wash in the winter often @ local automatic.