2023 TRD OR Rusting Away Already

I am assuming that this is the first time the OP has ever crawled underneath a car. For exposed cast iron surfaces like brake drums etc., the visible iron oxide (aka "rust") actually provides a protective oxide layer so that the rest of the metal underneath does not rust. You have two choices here; learn to love it (easy and cheap) or cover it periodically with some of that undercoating stuff.

 

Statement of the year!

 

So if it is an issue, go purchase some high quality paint, like Krylon or rust oleum that has a rust inhibitor component in it and spray those part on a yearly basis. I don't live in an area that has Ice and snow where salt and other melting agents are used. However I do live near the ocean and regularly offroad my truck where sand/dirt and rocks scuff the undercarriage. I spray my under carriage on a regular basis.

$7 12 oz Krylon K02732007 Black Fusion All-In-One Paint & Primer Spray Paint, Satin

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LFYN3ND?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

Plus it gets you under your truck looking at stuff...those things can net catching an issue before its a problem and or maintenance.

 

Typical of brine. Use rust converter then cosmolene.

 

LOL, rust does not differentiate depending on what model truck you have! This type of rust is perfectly normal for any vehicle that has exposed cast iron. It is supposed to rust, and as I said this is a good thing!!!!

 

Two options, treat it. Or don’t look underneath

 

Black gold. Texas tea.

 

Excellent, I think you should spray it with that stuff if you live in salt land. It certainly won't hurt anything. But just note that if you did nothing, it would still be perfectly okay. These parts are designed to form a protective oxide coating (aka red rust) and will outlive you.

 

my 13 month, Indiana truck isn’t like that. Read what I typed. If you have been proactive, this would be a topic.

 

Where I live they stopped using "salt" a long time ago. Now they use a pink colored brine solution. It's way more caustic than salt but it's more politically correct for the "city and politicians". It's easier to use, to get and more cost effective. They also went from sand to small gravel. It benefits the "city" and glass companies but not the citizens.

 

Darn... sucks that its happening to you. Id prob wire brush it and spray paint

 

Fluid Film now comes in black I only use woolwax based product.
Any woolwax based will work, like Fluid Film or Krown, but this time I'm trying PB Blaster Surface Shield which is also woolwax based.

 

As others have said, fluid film is your friend. Mine has gone through 3 winters now and looks good. That crap they spray on the roads eats everything fast if you don't use something.

 

Beet juice mixed with brine.

Nasty stuff, makes the brine able to cause rusting at even lower then normal temps. [the colder it is, the slower things rust, at some point, the chemical reaction slows to a crawl]

 

Nasty brine is more prevalent now. I took 2 enamel cans to the underside of mine when new. I also did the exhaust in high temp flat black. The wool wax spray gun for fluid film was the best investment so far. I do all the family cars in September and no rust here in NH.

 

Wool wax is a brand name. I think you’re mixing it up with lanolin

 

Cosmolined the entire undercarriage at ~500 miles. Painted a quart of Rust Veto 342 on the frame then sprayed a gallon of RP-342 onto everything else. Dirty job but I knew it was worth it. Hey, I waited 11 months for this truck! Sprayed inside the doors, fenders, tailgate then touched up everything that I could find that I missed. I wish I could have just driven the truck into a pond of Cosmoline up to the door sills.

Below are closeups of the front suspension after 2 northern Illinois winters. Note the flecks of Cosmo missing from the control arms and shocks. This was caused by hitting a plowed snow/ice berm around 30-35 mph. So, yes, it can be removed through impact or with mineral spirits. I re-shot the area with another 3 coats (I only use the amber, not the black). These are the second set.





Shots of the rear axles after checking for weld spatter and torque on the axle retaining nuts (recall 24TA05). You can see some rust forming on the bottom so I encapsulated it with more Cosmo.







Stuff works.

 

You would be surprised. The rear differential housing on my last 4runner rusted though in multiple spots. I know because I Jb weld patched each of those spots to stop it from leaking. Worked for about 3 years until truck was retired due to large rust holes in the frame.

Truck was around 18 years old. I’m still alive lol road salt plays hell on a vehicle.

But I get what you mean, it does take a long time, probably a lifetime if road salt isn’t involved. What op posted is normal surface rust.

 

Yes, your other truck was like that, as Toyota does not protect anything that is cast iron. As stated before... All your photos show rust on untreated, unfinished, cast iron parts. Very common, probably started rusting before they completed building your truck at the factory. Coat it with A petroleum, paraffin, or lanolin treatment, to protect it. Then, keep watching it yearly, touch up missed, thin spots, high wear areas. All part of the maintenance cycle of all vehicles. Ski