Rust hole in frame

I bought this from a used car shop locally. The salesman told me that the frame HAD some rust, and that they had it FIXED. Now , couple weeks later, I realize there is still a hole they did not weld a plate over. It was right beside the front passenger side mudflap on the inner frame. Does this seem reasonable enough to raise concern over with the shop and argue it? Based on the circumstances.

Thanks

 

That sucks man. Since they told you it was fixed I think you should go back and say something. But I assume you bought it in "As Is" condition so I doubt they'll do anything for you.

Lesson learned here - never just take their word. You have to crawl under the truck and inspect the frame thoroughly, hitting it with a hammer to make sure it's solid before you even think about making an offer to buy it.

 

Yeah man i understand. NO LIE that week when i bought it it was raining hard the entire week and i just didn't want to be all the way up under. I inspected what i could from getting down on my knees but thats it. Any idea how much it costs to just fix one spot like this?

 

Pretty shitty the dealer would sell it in that condition without telling you - and even claim that the rust was fixed.

Sorry I'm not sure how much it would cost, but based on that one picture the rest of the frame really needs to be checked as well. This company sells frame caps that quite a few here have used for repair:

https://www.autorust.com/product/tacoma-safetcap-kit-locations/

 

1998

 

no way! not this nice looking one
with that frame I woulda expected a lot more noticeable body panel rot to go with it

 

yeahhh haha. i mean i pushed my hands all over the frame and feels fine overall, i think itll hold together for sometime, but not if this spot is neglected.. they welded a couple other plates. only on inner sides of frame apparently it needed it. yeah this thing is way too clean otherwise its annoying

 

Did his lips move while saying that? Sure sign he was lying.

Absolutely. But if it's just his verbal, and there is nothing in writing, your only hope is their goodwill.

Pretty worthless exercise.

You need to beat it with the round end of a ball peen, probe it with a heavy screwdriver, and even borescope the inside. Cameras that attach to your phone can be had for under $20 that will work for this.

Good luck with your resolution!

 

Thanks Clearwater bill!!!!

 

Yikes, those Safe-T-Cap kits look pretty legit though and rather inexpensive. Find a buddy that can weld and slap it on.

 

There is a shop here in town that welds plates on the frames. They are the ones who did the other plates for this truck. at 130k miles this clean interior and body wise for 6,500 i went for it. i thought it was all fixed, obviously. Guess i could also just sell it for a profit lol. and forget worrying about it. it just sucks with how hard it is to come by these.

 

Trust me, i look everyday for an 01-04 Taco. I know how hard it is to find one period, not to mention in good shape. I wouldn't worry about that hole. Patch it and keep on driving !

 

yeah it is so frustrating!! thanks .. thats the plan!

 

have you (or anybody else) done personal business at their shop in Cranston, RI?
https://www.autorust.com/in-house-service/

I checked out their in-house-service and it looks very detailed with the sandblasting,etc.
my frame is in need of some very good cleaning and re-proofing but I have not yet found a suitable shop in my locale that I can trust for peace of mind, one estimate I got just had an approximate price quote and no deets of exactly what they would do and materials they would use. Very frustrating!
I don't necessarily trust a shop around here when I pull into the lot and there are nothing but big 'Detroit' farm trucks all around my little compact
I need a shop that 'breathes' Toyota's considering the bad history of frames made the past 2 decades

I am about 1400 miles from the Auto Rust Technician shop in RI and some vacation time to take a long road trip and mark some states I have not been too off the bucket list
just need to hear from somebody that has actually had their service performed on their 1st or 2nd gen

 

Wow, if you have that in writing (that they "fixed" the frame), that's a sure lawsuit there - but something tells me they didn't put that in writing. That wasn't "fixed" by any stretch of the imagination.

But did you even LOOK under the frame of just take their word for it?

Sure, you can try patching that frame, but honestly it won't do a lot of good. They rust from the inside out, so guaranteed the entire inside frame is rusty, too. If you're just using it as a farm truck, throw some plates on it and drive it, but expect to keep throwing plates on it when other bits rust through, too.

If this is a daily driver, I'd seriously consider a new frame. They can be had for around $4k, and if you do the work yourself, you can save a lot of cash (but not time, lol)

 

Are you *trying* to break the frame in half??

 

Yes above i wrote about the parts i looked at. they fixed multiple spots and this one required more underneath looking and it was raining i didnt feel like doing that bla bla bla its my fault nonetheless haha. Yeah that wasnt written in writing but another auto shop down the road were the ones who fixed it for them..

 

what are you saying??

 

Just funny that you have a giant hole in your frame and then load it down with a bunch of lumber.

 

i guess so. not gonna buy a truck and not use it for its purpose. it isnt giant, yet