2001 Tacoma, Rust forming around Windshield area.. What should I do? Photos included...

Wondering if I should be worried about some rust that appears to be forming around the windshield and roof area... I currently live in New England, I always wash my truck down with fresh water after any salt exposure and try to baby it as much as possible. Its from 2001 so issues like this are bound to happen.

I have seen this on other cars in the North East USA and want to take care of it and know something about it before it gets worse.

Is it possible the rubber seal for the windshield is failing and has let some water up under the paint?

What should I do to prevent this from getting worse and how should I return it to its original condition... I know with rust unless you remove it there is the chance it could grow & grow...

For now I am throwing a tarp over it during the night and when it rains, trying to keep water and stuff from touching this area....

Otherwise rust has not been an issue for this truck and want to keep it that way.

Is there a product I can buy to mitigate any further damage?? I could think of anything from silicone dialectic grease to even clear nail polish to protect the paint.....

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated...

Happy Holidays to the Tacoma World!

-PrerunnerSD

Dive Equipment

 

Taki it to a body shop it could be worse then it looks, if possible pry up the seal to peek under it.

 

Once rust is under the paint it will keep going unless mitigated/stopped.

Strip and repaint would be my best suggestion. Sand if absolutely necessary but it may take away the metal and weaken the area a bit if the rust is that bad. On the aviation side, we use flap wheel brushes to remove rust in areas we can't sand for structural integrity reasons.


Or take it to a shop and have them do it.

 

I'd strip off that paint and treat the area with POR-15, then re-shoot with a rattle can or touchup paint. If you do a nice job you won't be able to tell.

 

looks like that has been ignored for awhile...
and looks to be more then just lifting paint.
It clearly didn't happen overnite.

sand it down and see how far that rust has penetrated into the steel
You may need remove the window seal as well and look for rust propagating under that.

Once you get it cleaned down to bare metal and remove most of the rust scale
then we might know if it's repairable or even worth an attempt at neutralizing the rust.

There is a product that converts rust into black oxide.
Which can stop the rust reformation and reduce the chance of returning.
But if the rust has penetrated deeply into the metal... it may not be worth the effort.

Rust can form by a simple chip made in the painted surface.
Possibly a small stone was kicked up on the roadway and chipped the paint.
Or even trapped moisture under a window seal.

Once the paint bubbles up...
there's little that can be done to stop the rust growth underneath that.

start by sanding and primer any exposed bare metal
to minimize any rust from reoccurring while working on it.

If the metal is pitted badly and becomes too thin after clean up...
it may need replacement (cut n weld).

If it doesn't penetrate the sheet metal too much...
the rust converter may do the trick.

Once the rust is neutralized and converted to black oxide...
it can be prepped, primed and painted.

And one can only hope it does not return.

 

Bump for an answer.

My 03 is doing the same thing (sorry for the crappy picture angle). It looks like the P.O. or maybe the place I bought it from put some touch up paint over it, but obviously that didn't solve anything. I'll either try to clear it up myself in the spring and repaint (hard to do currently when it's 15 degrees outside) or get it done at a bodyshop. Problem is, I've been quoted $700-$800 for a full sand and repaint from multiple places.


These spots here, then another 2 like the smaller two on the left here on the other side of the roof.


The truck is new to me, so I don't know how long this has all been there.

 

I had a similar spot on an older 2000 Tacoma (also silver). I was told that whoever installed the new windshield was not careful in removing the old one, and scratched the paint down to the metal along the top of the window frame. It was not fixed as the truck succumbed to frame rust and was bought back by Toyota.

 

Ok I will have it looked at by a body shop, for now I have it covered from rain and snow.... What about for smaller rust areas were its just like a little point, as shown in the photo attached to this post...

What product can I use to remove that tiny bit of spot rust, a product that wont harm the paint or clear coat ???

 

I have had this problem since 2013, haven't done anything about it, and it has become worse - - now, after a heavy rain water drips through where the windsheild meets the roof. One day I'll take it to a bodyshop and probably walk out when they tell me it will cost more than the truck is worth.

 

For something small like that, you can sand it down to bare metal with fine-grit sandpaper, then use touch-up paint to repair the spot. I would recommend dupli-color for touch up paint but I've also gone to my local Toyota dealership and bought what they use, and it works well also. The dupli-color touch up paint pen comes with a ball point type tip, a paintbrush tip, and a small abrasive thing to sand the rust down, all in 1 @prerunnerSD

 

OP needs to take the windshield out and start from there, there's early damage next to his thumb in the lower right of the pic, so who knows what else is under the trim.

 

I had the same exact thing as the OP....when I got my truck painted they had to cut that section out and weld new sheet metal in

 

It's always best to remove rust completely by sanding down to metal.

But if one just wants to stop it from getting worse or at least slow the spread down
until they are ready to do the real labor involved.

I would recommend using the liquid rust converter. (see link below)
Hard to tell how far the rust has spread (propogated) underneath the paint.
So removing rust from a tiny spot surrounded by paint may not be good enough
for a final repair.

But the convertor will neutralize the rust and keep it from becoming worse
until the proper repairs are made.

First one should try to remove as much loose-flakey rust scale as possible.
But not all.. because the convertor needs some remaining rust to convert.

I'm not sure what reaction it will have with paint.
But doing nothing... has got to be worse.

Maybe take some clay and build a dam surrounding the rust spot (slightly larger around the rust spot).
Use an eye dropper and place some liquid convertor inside the clay dam on top of the rust.

Let that soak into the remaining rust and convert it to black oxide.
It may attempt to propogate underneath the paint slightly... but I don't know this for sure.

No matter... it is a temporary correction and will need a proper repair later down the road.

Once the rust spot has turned to black oxide... absorb and remove the excess.
The rust should now look black.

Once dried... now use your dam and eye dropper again to apply some rust enscapulator
and that will create a protective seal to the elements.

Once that has dried... you can use an enamel touch up pen to coat/match the surrounding paint.

It won't look perfect by any means... but it will be less obvious.
and reduce the chance of the rust from propagating underneath the paint.

When it is time to do a proper repair... it can be sanded smooth and then prep'd, primed and painted.

https://sites.google.com/site/edanneberg/home/rust-products/rust-products/eastwood-rust-encapsulator