1100 Remington Man
Member
On a New Toyota 4Runner would you undercoat it ? I live in Iowa and the State and City’s use a lot of salt. 
Undercoating?
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RedZnRunner
New member
Undercoating
My last truck was undercoated and rust protected right from new at the dealer (2015 Nissan Pro-4X automatic). We have a lot of salt on the roads here right up until mid April sometimes. The city and province really go overboard and cars really rust before their time. Undercoating helps with frame and wheel wells but you really need to get under there a few times a year to clean it.
This time I bought the 2022 TRD OffRoad Premium and the dealer had a rust control module installed with a couple of options as i bought this truck off the showroom floor. There is still some debate whether this device works.
Thinking getting it coated anyways. Maybe a waste of money but from
what I am reading these 'electronic' modules do nothing.
What are opinions from owners that have this or coatings done ?
I'm in Ontario, Canada (our tax dollars hard at work to destroy our nice trucks & cars)
My last truck was undercoated and rust protected right from new at the dealer (2015 Nissan Pro-4X automatic). We have a lot of salt on the roads here right up until mid April sometimes. The city and province really go overboard and cars really rust before their time. Undercoating helps with frame and wheel wells but you really need to get under there a few times a year to clean it.
This time I bought the 2022 TRD OffRoad Premium and the dealer had a rust control module installed with a couple of options as i bought this truck off the showroom floor. There is still some debate whether this device works.
Thinking getting it coated anyways. Maybe a waste of money but from
what I am reading these 'electronic' modules do nothing.
What are opinions from owners that have this or coatings done ?
I'm in Ontario, Canada (our tax dollars hard at work to destroy our nice trucks & cars)
Too Stroked
Member
Yes, it is true that the "rust control modules" do absolutely nothing. It's a great marketing hoax though. How are you going to prove that it doesn't work? What the dealer is banking on is that you'll sell or trade the truck before any rust starts. And since the warranty on the module conveniently isn't transferable ...
Little side story. Back in college in an electrical engineering class, the subject of using a car's electrical system to counteract galvanic corrosion came up. The professor said, "Great, let's calculate if it's possible." So, the whole class did the calculations. Guess what? It is possible. One little problem though, you'd need a pretty long extension cord due to the voltage required to actually make it work.
As for what does work, here's what I did:
Complete Corrosion Protection for my New T4R
Blackwatch
New member
Yes, you must undercoat it. I test drove a 1 year old 4Runner this summer that had lots of rust on the frame and hitch. I’m going to try wool wax this time.
Rust will eat a 4Runner quickly.
Rust will eat a 4Runner quickly.
Northwest Ohio
Wife got a 2017 which we traded for a 2021 last year. Put Fluid Film on the 2021 as soon as we got it.
She had gone with the provided maintenance on the 2017 until the two years were up. It was at that point I got under the car to do the oil. It was a mess under there and the car was only two years old. There was rust everywhere. The engine skid plate was missing bolts. Of course the dealership had never mentioned that.
As soon as we got the 2021 I spent a couple of hours putting fluid film everywhere. We got the car in Oct 2020 and drove it out, through snow, to Colorado. Had a fairly snowy winter in NW Ohio too. Got under it to do the oil in the spring and not a touch of rust.
In that time my wife maybe got a fresh water only underside "wash" a couple of times at the car wash.
Did the Fluid Film again in late Oct this year. Minor touches of rust in places I had missed but all just superficial. 14,000 miles on it.
I don't think it was necessary to do it again. Everything was still coated but I did it anyway. I'll check the car again mid summer but I don't think I'll have to repeat going in to winter 2022.
Don't forget to spray the spare wheel.
Wife got a 2017 which we traded for a 2021 last year. Put Fluid Film on the 2021 as soon as we got it.
She had gone with the provided maintenance on the 2017 until the two years were up. It was at that point I got under the car to do the oil. It was a mess under there and the car was only two years old. There was rust everywhere. The engine skid plate was missing bolts. Of course the dealership had never mentioned that.
As soon as we got the 2021 I spent a couple of hours putting fluid film everywhere. We got the car in Oct 2020 and drove it out, through snow, to Colorado. Had a fairly snowy winter in NW Ohio too. Got under it to do the oil in the spring and not a touch of rust.
In that time my wife maybe got a fresh water only underside "wash" a couple of times at the car wash.
Did the Fluid Film again in late Oct this year. Minor touches of rust in places I had missed but all just superficial. 14,000 miles on it.
I don't think it was necessary to do it again. Everything was still coated but I did it anyway. I'll check the car again mid summer but I don't think I'll have to repeat going in to winter 2022.
Don't forget to spray the spare wheel.
Tmiesowicz
New member
I just picked up my very first Toyota, being a 4 runner here in New York, it’s sitting in the drive way until it gets to its rust proofing appointment first week of the new year. Here they salt way to much & I would hate to see the vehicle rust being new and expensive! Had good luck on my Tahoe.
Too Stroked
Member
Living in the heart of the rust belt too, please tell me you didn't go with Ziebart. If you did, you will (eventually, and too late) find out that you spent way too much money for an inferior product with questionable application. Ask me how I know that.
jbtvt
New member
Coating is a huge timesaver not breaking free rusty bolts if you work on it yourself, and if you don't it will last you much longer if done correctly, and if you sell it beforehand you'll get a premium for it. Heat or solvent thinned coatings are the way to go but anything is better than nothing. Search diy waxoyl to find my writeup on heat applied coating
Tmiesowicz
New member
Nope! I know to stay away from that place very much!!!
I made antirust for my 2004 sport edition 2 years ago. It is in good conditions for today.
1 - wash the bottom of the car
2 - wurst rustrecover
3 - two-component epoxy primer
4 - rubber-based anti-corrosion compound
5 - thick transmission oil шт holes in frame
Photos in my 4runner jornal
Антикор — Toyota 4Runner, 4.0 л., 2004 года на DRIVE2
1 - wash the bottom of the car
2 - wurst rustrecover
3 - two-component epoxy primer
4 - rubber-based anti-corrosion compound
5 - thick transmission oil шт holes in frame
Photos in my 4runner jornal
Антикор — Toyota 4Runner, 4.0 л., 2004 года на DRIVE2
Asylvester
New member
Definitely Get it Treated
I live in NH and rust will rot out the frame real quick if untreated. While used car shopping, I looked at countless cars that were so rusty underneath, I would walk away. When we got our 2009 4runner, the first thing I did was to spray fluid film inside and out on the frame and everywhere else underneath. I got 12 cans of fluid film and an attachment with a small hose with a 360 degree nozzle at the end to get inside the frame. PB Blaster has recently come out with a similar product called surface shield. Home Depot has it and it is slightly cheaper than fluid film. It claims to last 2 years so I use it on the exterior of the frame. I'm very impressed with both products and use them religiously because I HATE rust.
I live in NH and rust will rot out the frame real quick if untreated. While used car shopping, I looked at countless cars that were so rusty underneath, I would walk away. When we got our 2009 4runner, the first thing I did was to spray fluid film inside and out on the frame and everywhere else underneath. I got 12 cans of fluid film and an attachment with a small hose with a 360 degree nozzle at the end to get inside the frame. PB Blaster has recently come out with a similar product called surface shield. Home Depot has it and it is slightly cheaper than fluid film. It claims to last 2 years so I use it on the exterior of the frame. I'm very impressed with both products and use them religiously because I HATE rust.
Same problem as with the Tacomas?
JustTroItIn
Member
I picked up the Woolwax brand gun and 5 gallon bucket of fluid film. Did all three of my vehicles this year using up about 2.5 gallons total for all three, one being a large E350 van and the other two 3rd gen 4Runners. It's been about 2 months since application and so far happy with the results.
New Jersey reply here:
My son has a 2002 Tacoma double cab that still had a decent amount of Noxudol 300 on it from the Toyota voluntary recall. We simply washed and reapplied over the entire frame. Not wanting to apply a different product over the top of it. We used Noxudol 700 cavity wax inside of the frame rails as well.
When my 04 tacoma got a new frame, I chose to treat it using the cavity wax (above) on the inside of the rails and this product RP342: Cosmoline Vehicle Undercoatings - Long Lasting Rust Protection for Vehicles everywhere else on the frame and underside of the body.
So far each is holding up ok, occasional touch-ups as needed. As was suggested in comment above. A self healing product is best.
My son has a 2002 Tacoma double cab that still had a decent amount of Noxudol 300 on it from the Toyota voluntary recall. We simply washed and reapplied over the entire frame. Not wanting to apply a different product over the top of it. We used Noxudol 700 cavity wax inside of the frame rails as well.
When my 04 tacoma got a new frame, I chose to treat it using the cavity wax (above) on the inside of the rails and this product RP342: Cosmoline Vehicle Undercoatings - Long Lasting Rust Protection for Vehicles everywhere else on the frame and underside of the body.
So far each is holding up ok, occasional touch-ups as needed. As was suggested in comment above. A self healing product is best.
Plain Old Mike
New member
Yeah, New York 4runner owner here too. The roads today looked like a forest fire was up ahead there was so much salt dust flying around. Not good for any car….