Rust Prevention..or delay

[pag04]

I am about to take delivery of a 2004, 8 cyl, Limited with Nav, Stratoshpere Mica, 4Runner. The reason I bought a new vehicle is because my 12 year old Explorer with 147K on it,that runs perfectly, has rusted out from under me enough so that it won't pass inspection. I keep cars for a long time and want to prevent a repeat of this. What can I do from a maintenance perspective to make the body last as long as the rest of the car? By the way. I live in New England where salt is just another paving material.

 

[peter78]

Well you are certianly planning ahead. Living in Atlanta we don't have much problem with rust, but two thing that seems to help is wash often and check under your car every so often. I change my own oil and one big benefit is I can see what is going on under my cars. I noticed bolts on the engine oil pan comes loose at around 100,000 miles. I also notice some rust on my bumper area already. I sanded and put rustoleum on it. Here are some links to rust prevention on 4Runners that may help:

http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?threadid=18887&highlight=rust+prevention

http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?threadid=21487&highlight=rust+prevention

http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?threadid=19623&highlight=rust+prevention

 

[Woodbert]

If I lived up there I would invest in a Ziebart undercoating.

That, plus regular washing and keeping a good coat of QUALITY wax should do the trick.

I have never seen a car with Ziebart done that rusted.