South LA recommendations

Hey all.
Apologies if this is a repeat subject, I searched some.

Moved to Southern LA in March. Sold my 2006 Tacoma due to rust on frame that came from Missouri.
Bought a 2004 that has been garage kept with no rust. I do not have a garage, so would like advice from locals on the best coating spray for underneath truck. It has been raining like mad here for weeks and I am worried about eventually rust.

Thank you

 

We don’t have salt on the roads, so rust isn’t as strong an issue as the snow belt. Don’t park long periods on dirt/grass (moisture) or next to the gulf (salt air) and you should be fine. The northern folks have plenty of methods for preventing undercarriage rust. Here in the south, the used leaking motor oil usually takes care of that…
Personally (on all my vehicles) - I’ve just done regular inspections and always chosen car washes that do undercarriage wash (typically part of the wheels package).

 

Yeah, never seen really rusty undercarriages down here UNLESS you’re regularly at a boat launch dropping a boat into salt/brackish water. If so, give the undercarriage a good spray with a hose or pressure washer afterwards.

 

Yup, our issue is that sand/dirt buildup or leaves/pollen/debris on things that holds moisture. It’s a rust enabler. You’ll see rusted rockers and such, but it’s from the crap trapped inside them. Designs were for airflow though which also trapped everything else. Check your cowl, the door drains and rear rocker drains and you should be good from just regular washes.

 

Good point, I was thinking the frame and didn’t even think about the rockers. Spot on advice.

 

Just look for the outlets and traps. These are in the door…







There are some in the frame also… they look like square plastic plugs/bumps.
There are even several along the rockers.

BTW, I apologize for how dirty mine are… I need to clean the door frames, I just haven’t had the time to do some detailing.