2011 Undercarriage

I'm looking at possibly purchasing another rig (from a salt state) with less than 60k miles/1 owner, and had the salesperson send me photos of the belly. Wanted to get an idea of what TW thinks with its current 'underside' condition.

Not bad or steer clear?

 

Looks fine to me, I bought my dclb in New England with similar undercarriage. After receiving it I did go in and brush off some areas and spray it over with a rust treatment. Frame looks fine from the photos.

 

Too rusty looks like it will give problems in a year or so. Remember tacomas are famous for rusty frames. Try a state with no salt.

 

Oh heeeeeeellllll no....

 

Yikes! My 2011 has virtually no rust but I'm in California.

 

normal. If it had a cap, have them check under the rail caps for rust. mine has this. the weight of the cap pushes down on the cap and wears paint off and it rusts.

 

nope id run far and far from that truck!

 

Added a couple of 'fars' there nd4spdbh to reflect how I feel about the matter.

 

Keep in mind a lot of these guys are from South Cali and have never seen snow or salt on the roads. From the pics it looks like mostly surface rust. Have a mechanic take a look for you if any doubt and use the surface rust as a bit of leverage to talk down the price. Frame issues to the extent of the Tacoma recalls people bring up would show more extensive oxidation beyond the surface. As mentioned, mine was purchased in MA and had similar appearance, just needed a bit of steel brush and treatment and its in great shape.

 

That's exactly what I was about to say, the guys who say "hell no" are generally from nice, sunny, salt free states. That looks pretty normal for a new england vehicle. If you're buying from a dealer I'd say have them inspect the frame first and see if it qualifies for a frame replacement. If it's mechanically good I wouldn't let the rust sway you. What year is it?

 

I like the more "measured" responses above, since my truck looks about like that. I just bought it this year and, unfortunately, haven't had time to address the rust yet. If I can't get to it before winter, I'll at least shoot some Fluid Film down there.

 

Just my opinion obviously but if I had rust on my frame (I currently have a pretty good amount, the rails are separating and the drain holes are getting BIG) I'd just leave it and after the winter have it inspected. Frame replacement will give you a new lease on life vs spending your own money on rust prevention.

 

That frames practically brand new, tap along the inside of the frame rails its fine for now. I ran a frame with 10x more rust that that for a year and a quarter before it had to be patched. Run it op

 

Mine is much further along than that. Most dealers will inspect the frame and if it doesn't require replacement they will coat it. That one looks like a prime candidate for coating.

 

Doesn't look too bad. Ask yourself this, if it's rusted this much in 6 winters, is there enough metal for it to last for 16 more winters? I would say yes. That is the reasonable lifetime of the vehical.

Also, there is no evidence of frame straightening or bends, which is more concerning to me than rust.

 

At the least, throw down a blanket, scuff the areas of rust off to bare metal, wipe the area clean and dry and paint over it with black rustoleum.

 

I think I'm going to spray the rusty spots in mine this fall with Fluid film or that Amsoil MP rustprotector stuff

 

Well dont just spray over them and trap the rust in. Get rid of as much as possible first atleast man. Then it looks real pretty after.

 

Fluid film and Amsoil MP aren't paint. They are oil coctails

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICPiDOyA4T4

 

I've lived in the salt belt all of my life and never had a major problem with rusty frames from salt in the winter. However, I understand the hesitation on the frame as that was part of my check list while looking for a truck. That frame looks fine in the pictures. As another member mentioned if it only looks like that after 6 winters it will last a while longer. Go along the frame and poke it with a screw driver and look for week/thin spots. If that bit of surface rust bothers you after you acquire the vehicle do something similar to this https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/frame-restoration-did-it-myself.368199/ and then fluid film it once a year before the bad weather hits in the winter months. The frame should be fine.