Rust on a 2016 Tacoma TRD. What's normal?

Best of luck to you.

 

The frame isn't that bad and I would not try to return the truck even if it was an option. Just spend a weekend on removing rust and re-painting with some spray cans.

Tips on Purchasing a Car - Colorado Department of Revenue

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My last truck was a northern truck and was a major contributor to me trading it in finally for the taco. Rockers were rusted and body mounts were crumbling apart. No salted roads here but I do live on the gulf coast.

I’d prefer to shy away from ff because of the mess/filth. I’ll look more into the mavcoat. I was told about ospho by a customer that uses it around the house and I found a bottle at ace just before this thread popped up. I was thinking of using this on any rust I seen (wire brush the loose 1st) then put a top coat on after. Although I really don’t have any rust aside from the normal spots I suppose but I do spray down underneath fairly regularly. Any thoughts of ospho? Particularly on bolt threads (example: behind the grill in front of the radiator there’s a bolt that the protruding threads are rusting, or the the inner fender has inserted threads same as what the power trays attach to but on the opposite side) is there any reason to not use it on threads- like it converts and possibly changes the threads… I don’t know.

 

Ospho is a rust converter almost identical to Extend, by Henkel/Loctite, and many other rust converters. They will convert the surface iron (including surface rust) to a more stable iron oxide, with a polymer bonded to it. These products are water based, so they don't wick as far as the oil based products typically. The surface you put the converter on needs to be free of oil and dirt, and should be wire brushed to be most effective. These products are probably more than sufficient for your part of the country.

 

I have an 80's Toyota 4x4 that came from Colorado with a decent amount of surface rust, I lightly knocked it down with a wire brush and used Blackstar, it's $80/gallon but we'll worth it to me. I tried a few other products first and basically consider my $ wasted on them since I've found Blackstar..
Blackstar only before any paint, you don't have to paint it but I ended up doing it anyways

 

You need to have your undercarriage fluid filmed atleast once a year if your driving on roads that are brined during the winter. I still do mine and I live in sc and have 0 rust.

 

Blackstar is another of the rust converters. I've used a half dozen of these products, but never Blackstar. They do work very well for stopping rust on exposed steel. I'm sure some are better than others. YouTube has dozens of videos on these products, but no definitive video showing which is best (not that you can trust YouTube videos, LOL). The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't wick well into the folded metal areas like door skins and under rivet/bolt heads. That is where FF nd the other oil based products shine.

 

I am pretty impressed with it, used it on my 2019 welds at 3,500 miles which were starting to orange up a little already

 

All of these rust converters are either phosphoric or one or 2 other types of acids used. The problem is they convert the surface rust and thats it which is why they also need to be painted over afterward.

I’ve read a few published comparison papers and they all diverge in which acid is best.

Honestly the best product is prevention. Frame should be coated immediately once it is in the owners hands and kept up from there on out.

 

Anyone here use woolwax? Looks like a thicker version of fluid film. My only concern with some of these rust prevention type sprays are I've heard they can damage rubber parts etc.

 

Yes a rust converter. I don’t plan on letting it get super bad, but if I see it I’ll treat it kind of thing. Thank you

Any thought on using a converter on bolt threads or unused nut threads that are showing rust?

 

I wouldn't mess with threads. You might make things difficult for yourself if you need to remove stuff later.

Fluid film wicks into the rust and kills it. You can always give it a scrub with a bristle brush and brake cleaner and the rust and FF will wipe right off.

 

That’s kinda what I was thinking about threads and the converter. Thanks

 

Looks a little on the high side of rusty for a 2016. How handy are you? Get a few spray cans of fluid film and spray away.

 

Hit the threads with a wire brush, rinse with brake cleaner, and spray fluid film onto them.

 

Do you have any experience with Eastwood products? Converter, encapsulator, internal frame coating etc. I'm thinking about using that as i've heard very good things about it over the por-15

 

I was looking to use anything else besides ff. Dont care for the mess it leaves behind. I appreciate the help though

 

Whatever you see on the outside is guaranteed to be worse inside the boxed sections of the frame.
I would hot pressure wash it out - with soap - maybe even several times, let dry and then fluid film inside and out. Wouldn’t bother painting or whatever BS, it’s underneath so who cares what it looks like lol.
Fluid film will also stop rust because it seals in the metal and no oxygen can get to it.
If you’re anal about what it looks like you can wirewheel what you can get to and then hit it with semi gloss rustoleum. And then fluid film.

 

If I wasn't going to use FF, or one of the other oil based rust inhibitors my next favorite things are the rust converters. I like the spray cans of the stuff myself. It can be put on internal and external threads, but it will make threading things on a little tougher later. You will still want to inspect the underside of your truck, as well as inside the boxed sections of the frame rails every couple of years. Poke at the bubbles to make sure the rust isn't growing under the coating.
kjhadfield, I appreciate your not wanting to use FF. It's messy, and holds dirt and fine sand to it. I can attest that it makes working on the underside of your truck a PITA, unless you power wash it before you start the job.