Should I stop driving my 3rd gen in the salt/winter?

[CougarHound]

Is it a ridiculous idea to stop driving my 3rd gen in the winter to avoid rust? I live in New England and they salt the roads. I have a Prius C commuter that I plan on using as a winter car and I don't really care too much if it rusts...Or should I use the 4runner until it rusts to pieces?

Why do I care? I'm kind of undecided whether I want to keep the rig or sell it and I'm just trying to avoid rust to keep the resale value up. TBH the 4runner is kinda overkill for my needs at the moment. This is not Utah and there are barely any trails here...So I don't drive it that often. This Prius doesn't have a problem in the snow.

 

[aontkos]

I'll tag along for this.

I'm a Florida native that recently relocated to Michigan. For the most part, my 2000 is rust free. I planned to get a 'beater' 3rd gen after I moved north specifically for winter driving, but since I'm trying to build a house, it's hard to justify financially.

I spent a lot of time coating my frame, crossmembers, etc. with Eastwood's internal frame coating and spraying the underside with Blaster Surface Shield. We'll see what the future holds.

 

[Hyde802]

Undercoat the heck out of it yearly with Fluid Film or NHOIL and keep on trucking.

How rusty is it currently?

 

[brillo_76]

I live in the rust belt all my life. I actually have dedicated vehicles for winter because of the damage the road chemicals do.

It's best to keep the vehicle as clean as possible and keep the underside coated with the rust inhibitor solution of your choice .

Keep the inside of the frame clean and super coated with rust inhibitor solutions. As the frames rot from the inside out in this area.

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[CougarHound]

I'll tag along for this.

I'm a Florida native that recently relocated to Michigan. For the most part, my 2000 is rust free. I planned to get a 'beater' 3rd gen after I moved north specifically for winter driving, but since I'm trying to build a house, it's hard to justify financially.

I spent a lot of time coating my frame, crossmembers, etc. with Eastwood's internal frame coating and spraying the underside with Blaster Surface Shield. We'll see what the future holds.

Yea that blaster surface shield is good stuff! I got my truck professionally oil coated and tbh I don't think it was worth it. I just spray it off at touchless car wash about twice a month or whenever the ice melts. Frame is solid.

 

[CougarHound]

I do plan on spraying it with blaster or lanocote whenever I get the chance. I'm convinced just washing it frequently does a good job as undercoating.

It was also rubber undercoated by my father in a few spots when it was brand new. That is the worse sh*t ever and should be illegal. Lol. It flakes and traps water. Also hides rust and will eventually rust worse than non-treated surfaces.

 

[CougarHound]

Undercoat the heck out of it yearly with Fluid Film or NHOIL and keep on trucking.

How rusty is it currently?

It's not bad. You can see rust but it's just in the surface. The mechanics are always surprised at how good it looks.

 

[brillo_76]

Depends on the winter. Its a different environment up here and its starts as soon as the rig is in the environment. If you want to keep the rig, I would coat the inside of the frame. As this salt \chemical mists gets into places you cant wash out. like inside your doors fenders in everything. In the body cross members underneath you name it. Its just a price we have to pay for living here. Transmission oil/ gear grease all the good stuff works. Fluid Film will wash off too easily but great for inside things as an example.

 

[CougarHound]

Depends on the winter. Its a different environment up here and its starts as soon as the rig is in the environment. If you want to keep the rig, I would coat the inside of the frame. As this salt \chemical mists gets into places you cant wash out. like inside your doors fenders in everything. In the body cross members underneath you name it. Its just a price we have to pay for living here. Transmission oil/ gear grease all the good stuff works. Fluid Film will wash off too easily but great for inside things as an example.

Yea seems easier to just drive a beater. I'm so OCD tho that I get guilty over neglecting a beater. Maybe I'll buy a car that I really hate for that...Like a Jeep Patriot. Lol.

 

[brillo_76]

I let my worst framed and bodied 4 runner take the winters. I keep the better ones out of it. I seen it take a decent car and in 5 years to 10 being a complete rust piles. Its one of the reasons why people gave up and just buy new stuff. Trade them off when the rusts starts... ( I kinda really don't blame them either)

 

[CougarHound]

I just realized that my photo is a picture of the 4runner on the salt flats. Lol.

 

[brillo_76]

You like to keep it interesting..

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[Devbot]

I would go snag a twist knot cup and get to cleaning and repainting. If you can nip it in the bud then there's no reason not to. You could also look into Blaster Surface Shield for extra protection. If a winter beater is an option that's obviously the best move.

 

[Storm01]

Is it a ridiculous idea to stop driving my 3rd gen in the winter to avoid rust? I live in New England and they salt the roads. I have a Prius C commuter that I plan on using as a winter car and I don't really care too much if it rusts...Or should I use the 4runner until it rusts to pieces?

Why do I care? I'm kind of undecided whether I want to keep the rig or sell it and I'm just trying to avoid rust to keep the resale value up. TBH the 4runner is kinda overkill for my needs at the moment. This is not Utah and there are barely any trails here...So I don't drive it that often. This Prius doesn't have a problem in the snow.

I daily mine all year, everyday. Granted, my truck is from AZ and has zero rust at all, I live in Northern Utah where they use salt quite frequently. Usually, I will take a power-washer every week and spray the undercarriage to knock all that salt off. Been doing this for almost two years now and no problems whatsoever with rust.

Your rust doesn't look too bad, I wouldn't think it would get worse with one winter with preventative measures. Like the others said above, you may want to sand it down and paint it or use some Fluid Film.

 

[nissanh]

I saw a video done by South Maine Auto yesterday and he shows an old suburban that has zero rust because the owner has sprayed fluid film regularly (NEVER any solid under coating). Make sure to wash under body often.

 

[wsgoat]

Is it a ridiculous idea to stop driving my 3rd gen in the winter to avoid rust? I live in New England and they salt the roads. I have a Prius C commuter that I plan on using as a winter car and I don't really care too much if it rusts...Or should I use the 4runner until it rusts to pieces?

Why do I care? I'm kind of undecided whether I want to keep the rig or sell it and I'm just trying to avoid rust to keep the resale value up. TBH the 4runner is kinda overkill for my needs at the moment. This is not Utah and there are barely any trails here...So I don't drive it that often. This Prius doesn't have a problem in the snow.

I live in the same area as you do. I put my 5th in a heated building for the winter and drive the 4th. My 4th is on it's last legs and will die a rusty death. It's a shame really, if I lived in Arizona, I'd have another 10-15 years of bliss to look forward to.:roadkill:

 

[T4R2014]

The Prius is the disposable machine. I wouldn't care if it got a New England saltwater bath. A nice 3rd Gen 4Runner is difficult to find these days. I would preserve it.

 

[CougarHound]

The Prius is the disposable machine. I wouldn't care if it got a New England saltwater bath. A nice 3rd Gen 4Runner is difficult to find these days. I would preserve it.

Yea I guess I'm having a hard time letting go of both. Lol. It's a Prius C and they are only available Japan now as the Toyota Aqua. It's basically a Ford Fiesta with a hybrid powertrain. Believe it or not it's actually been a very reliable beast in the snow with winter tires. It's got 140,000miles and no problems at all. I even used it for camping one time. It's hard not to develop attachments to a car that has been perfect....and it gets 50mpgs.

but yea I feel it is the disposable one cause I thought about trading it in at one point.

 

[phattyduck]

but yea I feel it is the disposable one cause I thought about trading it in at one point.

Keep up with FluidFilm or whatever on the Prius and extend its life by years too!

-Charlie

 

[Millenium Falcon]

Florida to Michigan

Just seen your post and I’m in the same boat, I just moved from Florida to Michigan and I’m looking for a strong mechanic in the Michigan area who is familiar with these third GEN four runners. Any recommendations?

I'll tag along for this.

I'm a Florida native that recently relocated to Michigan. For the most part, my 2000 is rust free. I planned to get a 'beater' 3rd gen after I moved north specifically for winter driving, but since I'm trying to build a house, it's hard to justify financially.

I spent a lot of time coating my frame, crossmembers, etc. with Eastwood's internal frame coating and spraying the underside with Blaster Surface Shield. We'll see what the future holds.