Would you Undercoat a 4Runner ?

1100 Remington Man

1100 Remington Man

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I live in Iowa and where they use a lot of salt in winter would you have a new 4Runner under Undercoated ?
If now how would you protect under carriage from rust ? Thanks
 
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1100 Remington Man said:
I live in Iowa and where they use a lot of salt in winter would you have a new 4Runner under Undercoated ?
If now how would you protect under carriage from rust ? Thanks
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A lot of people do, probably a good habit to get into. Use the forum search bar and you'll probably find some threads. I've seen it discussed. Here's one: The end-all Fluid Film thread



I personally just crawl under there during my first wintertime oil change, and spray fluid film on the frame, skids, etc. It doesn't take long, and it's easy enough to do myself while I'm under there anyway. It will remain gooey to the touch until it's washed off though. I think I did it twice over the winter.
 
Yes. Living in Ohio, we see the same road treatments. If you plan to keep your 4Runner “forever” it’s a great investment. To me, it’s like making sure your roof is sound before renovating the inside of your house.


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Fluid film is not that effective for undercarriages due to it washing off from rain and puddles. It never dries. It is great in other locations and applications but not an under carriage. LPS3 on the other hand dries to a film and lasts much longer. I just used a gallon under my 2020 due to the crap these use here in NY during winter.
 
Gnfanatic said:
Fluid film is not that effective for undercarriages due to it washing off from rain and puddles. It never dries. It is great in other locations and applications but not an under carriage. LPS3 on the other hand dries to a film and lasts much longer. I just used a gallon under my 2020 due to the crap these use here in NY during winter.
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I respectfully disagree. It's been quite effective for my 2016 with 114k miles, and no, it doesn't wash off easily at all. Yes, you have to reapply every so often, but it doesn't take long. And while it's not the cleanest stuff around, there's no rust at all on my frame, not even surface. I check different areas periodically by wiping it as clean as possible.
 
If I lived in snow country it would have been my first move. Toyota is known for serious goofs rust proofing frames on their trucks.
 
My last vehicle was undercoated right after I bought it and in my opinion prevented a lot of rusting (I'm just comparing it to the other vehicles I see from the same year/generation). As a matter of fact, the car only had a very small amount of rust at the rear wheel-wells (it was a Honda, and they're notorious for rust at the rear wheel-well area). This was on a 15+ year old car used in all seasons including winter.

Fast-foward to my 19 4runner - I had it undercoated. Hoping this will help prevent/delay rust in the long-term. Planning on keeping it for a while.
 
ozzir said:
Planning to. Anyone of you guys used por 15 before?
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POR 15 only works on existing rust as a converter, not an undercoat. If you try to paint it over already clean surfaces, it comes off. It also needs to be top coated to keep UV rays from damaging it (not really a problem for most of the frame). Eastwood has some good options to look at as well, but there are a ton of undercoat product tests on YouTube.
 
Deuxdiesel said:
POR 15 only works on existing rust as a converter, not an undercoat. If you try to paint it over already clean surfaces, it comes off. It also needs to be top coated to keep UV rays from damaging it (not really a problem for most of the frame). Eastwood has some good options to look at as well, but there are a ton of undercoat product tests on YouTube.
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This is true. It's also a giant process. Like 5 steps or something from what I remember. To do it right, that is. I did it on an XJ unibody maybe like 12 or 13 years ago. I guess it worked because after I sold it the thing went to 270k and was 25 years old before it got scrapped. But it didnt get scrapped because of unibody rust. Stuff works, but it's only to correct an existing problem. Better off with fluid film or something on a new car.
 
I've used Fluid Film for 4 years and there is ZERO rust on my truck. I use about 6 spray cans at the end of each Fall and it has protected my frame from all the salt and grime. I will not use anything other than fluid film just because of how effective it has been in mitigating corrosion.
 
I live in the south no need for it. But if I lived in the north I would have it professionally done and also make sure it’s high quality under coating.


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Deuxdiesel said:
POR 15 only works on existing rust as a converter, not an undercoat. If you try to paint it over already clean surfaces, it comes off. It also needs to be top coated to keep UV rays from damaging it (not really a problem for most of the frame). Eastwood has some good options to look at as well, but there are a ton of undercoat product tests on YouTube.
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this is not true, the por-15 metal prep self etches and leaves a zing phopshate coating that allows you to paint even new metal. i've used it on new trailer hitches, sliders and skids and it is extremely durable, it cures to a hard epoxy like finish.

por-15 is a 3 step process: degrease (they make a degreaser or use whatever you prefer), metal prep, and then paint
 
I live in utah and snowboard a ton, plus my 4runner came from upstate NY with a ton of underbody rust at a really good price with under 100k on a 2011. Problem was the previous owner tried to cover it up with that ziebart crap... never put that gunk on your car. It trapped moisture behind it and my car started rusting from the inside out with that gunk I couldn't peel off...
So, I had to go to a body shop and have the whole underside of my 4runner sandblasted, rust proofed and then undecorated... pain in the penis. The shop I took it to was more than fair, guaranteed their work and said I saved the vehicle. I have to find out what rust proofing they used, but I guess time will tell.
Having to go through this ordeal, where the 1st undercoating shop wouldn't touch my 4runner because of all that crap that was coating it, and the fact that toyotas tend to rust out. I think I will be undercoating all my future cars.
 
northcoast said:
I respectfully disagree. It's been quite effective for my 2016 with 114k miles, and no, it doesn't wash off easily at all. Yes, you have to reapply every so often, but it doesn't take long. And while it's not the cleanest stuff around, there's no rust at all on my frame, not even surface. I check different areas periodically by wiping it as clean as possible.
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Meh, I used to spray my GMC frame with FF and it definitely does come off. The first hard spray through a car wash will take out a lot of it. It's great for farm equipment that doesn't go through the car wash though. This time aroun I'm going to give the CRC marine rust inhibitor a go. It dries much like LPS3.
 
jhguth said:
this is not true, the por-15 metal prep self etches and leaves a zing phopshate coating that allows you to paint even new metal. i've used it on new trailer hitches, sliders and skids and it is extremely durable, it cures to a hard epoxy like finish.

por-15 is a 3 step process: degrease (they make a degreaser or use whatever you prefer), metal prep, and then paint
Click to expand...

You are correct- you have to use the metal prep on a new finish, but Paint Over Rust is the original idea. It works great, just don't get it on your skin.
 
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