Rustproofing/Undercoating-opinion

[scarface]

I read a lot of opinions on the value of RP and UC on used vehicles. Generally everyone says it is a waste of money and not worth it. This is my 3rd T4R and the previous two had rust issues that made me get rid of them earlier than I wanted. They both had 110k and 145k miles each but the vehicles were solid otherwise.
I want this one to last and I want to increase my odds while not wasting money in the process. I wash regularly and wax periodically. Any experience, ideas or opinions will be appreciated. Jeff

 

[zerowkul98]

Im interested in this as well.

I have 2 T4R's and there's some surface rust on the frame underneath, and id LOVE to get it all cleaned off and back to black.

 

[CelticRunner]

I inquired about this because of the severe rust on the underside of my jeep cherokee (prior to buying my used 06 TR4 last July.)

I was told that if its been driven and there is even a little water on the underside you cant do a regular undercoat because it would just seal in the water. You will need to get a thick grease like undercoat sprayed on the undercarriage.

Hope this helps but im sure someone here can provide more insight

 

[zerowkul98]

Is this a service that any body shop normally offers, though?

 

[chaz]

for a diy, not sure if it would help u guys farther north, ( im in NJ) but what i do /done when i first bought mine was wire brushed what i could reach & sprayed on VHT rust convertor. bought a case, so every now & then respray any spots that i feel need it. seems to help. http://www.jegs.com/i/VHT/322/SP229/10002/-1?parentProductId=1215320

 

[Eastcoastrunner]

do it, it works....i live in basically the worst part of NA for salt air/humidity/snow and they salt to clear the roads to boot! Keep in mind, it's not a rust inhibitor, but it slows down rusting...keep in mind that the vehicle should be washed and waxed to seal the paint whenever you can.

 

[Mellow77]

I have some rust and I'm going the chasis saver route. It's not cheap at $100 per gallon but it's good stuff. You might check into that as an option.

 

[renep74]

RP and UC is good to have in places where it snow's, both will help to prevent rust due to the salt that is put in the road during winter season to prevent the road from freezing.

 

[rockwall]

I've heard about undercoating the bottom with a rubber bed liner like material. I plan on looking into it.

 

[scarface]

Thanks for all of the replies and great info. I didn't mention it but I do have, what I think, considerable surface rust already. I want to try to keep it from shortening the life of rig. Thanks again, Jeff

 

[stanleybb50]

I read a lot of opinions on the value of RP and UC on used vehicles. Generally everyone says it is a waste of money and not worth it. This is my 3rd T4R and the previous two had rust issues that made me get rid of them earlier than I wanted. They both had 110k and 145k miles each but the vehicles were solid otherwise.
I want this one to last and I want to increase my odds while not wasting money in the process. I wash regularly and wax periodically. Any experience, ideas or opinions will be appreciated. Jeff

Just a quick question on your old rigs. Did you need to get rid of them due to frame rust? Or was it body rust? Or just general rust all over the under such as on the suspension/steering parts/etc?

Just got me curious, because just like you, I want to have my T4R for YEARS to come. Mine's an '06, so similar to you, I want to stop and prevent anything rusting before it's too late.

I did stop some rust on my old 2001 Accord using some paint that converts the rust to black and it seemed to work pretty well. It was the rust that forms around the rear quarterpanel on all the Honda's in the world.

I had experience with the Accords and knew where to look and stop rust. I don't know of any "prone" areas on the t4r's besides just the frames? Just wondering where to spend my time to keep the body in good shape for years to come as well. We all know that as soon as your ride starts to lose it's looks after years, we start to lose some interest. I don't want that to happen!

 

[4RunnERD]

Just a quick question on your old rigs. Did you need to get rid of them due to frame rust? Or was it body rust? Or just general rust all over the under such as on the suspension/steering parts/etc?

Just got me curious, because just like you, I want to have my T4R for YEARS to come. Mine's an '06, so similar to you, I want to stop and prevent anything rusting before it's too late.

I did stop some rust on my old 2001 Accord using some paint that converts the rust to black and it seemed to work pretty well. It was the rust that forms around the rear quarterpanel on all the Honda's in the world.

I had experience with the Accords and knew where to look and stop rust. I don't know of any "prone" areas on the t4r's besides just the frames? Just wondering where to spend my time to keep the body in good shape for years to come as well. We all know that as soon as your ride starts to lose it's looks after years, we start to lose some interest. I don't want that to happen!

My 06 has what I consider mild surface rust underneath on the frame and a few other metal bits down there. I plan on scraping off what I can with the wire brush and then hitting what I can reach with the rust converter. On the body I'd open the rear lift gate and pull off the rubber gasket on the bottom and look there if you havent yet, water pools and gets trapped behind that gasket. I'd also check the edges on the plastic trim piece on the rear lift gate that has the Toyota emblem and the key hole for the rear lift gate in it. Mine was on there so tight that the plastic piece dug in and wore through the paint on the car.

 

[stanleybb50]

My 06 has what I consider mild surface rust underneath on the frame and a few other metal bits down there. I plan on scraping off what I can with the wire brush and then hitting what I can reach with the rust converter. On the body I'd open the rear lift gate and pull off the rubber gasket on the bottom and look there if you havent yet, water pools and gets trapped behind that gasket. I'd also check the edges on the plastic trim piece on the rear lift gate that has the Toyota emblem and the key hole for the rear lift gate in it. Mine was on there so tight that the plastic piece dug in and wore through the paint on the car.

Excellent advice. This is actually good to hear. Sounds like the body should be expected to remain "mostly" rust free for some time. I did notice what I would consider mild surface rust on the frame and part of the diff pumpkin as well. I also noticed a tiny spot of rust around that trim piece on the hatch.

I think I'll do what you suggested and likely remove the trim piece on the hatch and stop the rust. When I re-attach the trim piece after touch up spots of inhibitor and touch up paint, I was considering sticking a tiny bead of clear silicone caulk or RTV sealant around the trim piece before attaching. I figured this would do two things: 1.) stop any direct plastic to paint contact, while acting as a "cushion" of sorts as well and 2.) prevent any water from getting behind there. Otherwise, I'm worried it could potentially come back with time.

Good call with the gasket on the bottom of the hatch. I'll check that out. (I was wondering where all the water goes that likely gets in there from around the window. I'll also just continue to monitor the body as the years pass. I am a big fan of the plastic fenders/door bottoms on these rigs.

Thanks again for the quality advice.

 

[matthewy03]

I live in Iowa and we get quite a bit of snow and ice, which means lots of salt!! I used a product called Fluid Film before last winter, and another coat during winter and i think it helped a lot. Its not a paint or a coating so to speak, more of a waxy gel that you spray on. I just wire brushed the bad spots and sprayed right over most other spots. You can actually see it bubbling on the rust and penetrating it.

Here is a link: Fluid Film® | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor

I order mine from this site: McMaster-Carr
Product number: 12055K74

Or you could get it from a John Deere Dealership.

Best of luck with the rust thing, mine is a 09 i bought used and already had a fair amount of rust under it.

 

[stanleybb50]

Excellent. I had never heard of this stuff previously. I'll probably toss this on after like a POR 15. Looks like something I could just throw all over the undercarriage including frame, suspension and all just avoiding the rotors.

Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk

 

[Maritimer]

I'd go with Rust Check, where they spray inside the panels as well as put a gel/grease undercoating on.

It kept my under carriage in good shape this past winter.

I'm going to slowly clean, sand, and paint portions of my frame and such, I think, just to keep the rust at bay.

 

[RyanMcCarthy]

I'm from Ohio and the winters have been brutal on my '99 Runner. In June it grew so bad that my rear axle rusted through and I had to have it swapped. My springs were almost rusted through and my shocks were in terrible shape so I had those changed out too. After one month, my beloved Runner was back on the road and I was out $4,000. But this wouldn't have happened if I had rust proofed it earlier on. So I had it sprayed with a quarter inch of rubbery bed-liner-like coating. It cost me $250 and I am very pleased with the results. I also recoated the inside of the frame with 3 cans of Eastwood Internal Frame Coating. The application was very easy and the coating came out nicely. I highly recommend this and regular rust proofing to anyone looking to save their Yota from rust. Our Runners are so reliable that rust is really the only thing that can kill them, and that's why I highly recommend anyone, especially those in the north, take care of their Yota by rust proofing.