Door still rust advice...

[Oey12]

This is my 2017 4Runner on the driver's door sill with a small rust bubble on the corner. I am looking for advice on how to prep, seal, and paint it so it doesn't cause any further issues. I just want it done properly being that the truck is only two years old and I live in a heavy salt state (NY). I am planning to remove that plastic trim this weekend to see what else is going on under there. Any advice is greatly appreciated...

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Good catch.
Most people (not BITOG people) would let it get worse.

Once the plastic is removed, I would:
1) Take some type of scrapper and scrape off all the rust / no rust neutralizer needed.
2) Use small paint brush with self-etching Primer
3) Paint with same color Touch-Up Paint.

Now, what you do with any undercarriage rust is a topic in itself.

 

[stevejones]

Post a pic after removing the trim.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by stevejones
Post a pic after removing the trim.

Ditto. I think that is damage from water coming in from your shoe, and not from road salt spray.

What are you doing to mitigate rust underneath the vehicle? On the undercarriage that is.

Also, are you going to be 5 and done? If so, I'd think about just sanding down, applying touchup paint, calling it a day--if you're going to trade out of in a few years.

 

[CharBaby]

Clean it up, apply some EXTEND and dab some paint on it. It'll last forever.

 

[Oey12]

Thank you all for the quick responses! I am meticulous about my vehicles and I plan on keeping this anywhere from 5 to 7 MORE years. In all honestly the truck is a perfect old school body on frame SUV. It hauls my family and tows my ATVs great. And I can have a lot of fun offroad...on moderate paths. To me the simplicity of the truck is priceless... Anyway doing it the correct way is paramount to me and in all honestly I really never tinkered with auto body stuff. And after further inspection I do agree that its probably from salt that was on my shoes.

 

[Oey12]

Here are more pictures...after seeing the underneath I am slightly concerned...

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

It's obviously from movement of the plastic piece, gently sand the area, prep & paint it, then I would put a thin piece of felt or 3M poly tape on the bottom of the piece to be a sacrificial layer between the trim and body. It's either moving when your foot hits the plastic piece, or when the door closes and jiggles the trim back and forth.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
It's obviously from movement of the plastic piece, gently sand the area, prep & paint it, then I would put a thin piece of felt or 3M poly tape on the bottom of the piece to be a sacrificial layer between the trim and body. It's either moving when your foot hits the plastic piece, or when the door closes and jiggles the trim back and forth.




This sounds like good advice. I might pop the passenger side and check it out and do the same.

 

[doitmyself]

That lower one looks like a metal defect - the cratering - that probably came from the factory. Maybe a weld burn? There really seems to be a lack of corrosion protection under that paint. Most car bodies are dipped in some kind of metal rust protection bath before painting.

If still under warranty, I would have a dealer look at it and get them to repair it. The problem will then be documented if it recurs. It also seems that you will have to figure out how to get that plastic to not rub through the paint. Maybe clear film?

 

[KGMtech]

I would send photos to both the dealer and the local Toyota field service person. This is something that can't just be affecting your car and only your car! fast forward 4 years and for some reason you have a perforation hole, you have evidence that you notified them when it was just surface rust.

 

[stockrex]

I have some serious rust under my ridgeline sills (10 years of michigan salt and sand)
I plan to wire bush them with a drill
treat the rust with 2 coats of rust oleum rust primer
then 2 coats of rust oleum auto paint,
I plan to take q tip and apply marine grease to the inside of the little holes where the sill plastic snaps on to after painting.

 

[Gasbuggy]

Use your corrosion warranty, let the dealership fix it.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Why aren't you taking it back to the dealership? Wouldn't this be a warranty issue? The nickel or zinc coating shouldn't be diminished that quickly, could it?

I'd get it on record in the event more, severe signs of premature corrosion appear.

 

[dishdude]

Did you buy this new? There's an awful lot of orange peel (and is that a run in the paint?) in the first picture of the post that has the sill plate removed that makes me think it has been repainted.

 

[PimTac]

I agree with the above suggestions to contact the dealer. That way it gets on record that this issue exists.

 

[Oey12]

I called my dealership and they are great. The paperwork is getting submitted and I should be dropping it off next week. Thanks for all the help and it was greatly appreciated!

 

[JTK]

I don't know the wording of Toyota's corrosion warranty, but most will cover rust through or perforation only. Surface rust like this is at the discretion of the individual dealer and their ability to push it up the chain of command if need be.

I've been through similar situations twice. Once with a Ford product and somewhat recently with Nissan. When our 2016 Nissan Quest was 2yrs old, with ~45K miles on it, it developed rust from a trim piece on the lift gate having rubbed through the paint. The dealer's initial response was trim fitment or concerns like this are only covered for 12mo/12K miles. With some persistent conversation, I got the service manager to push it up the chain. Nissan ultimately covered 90% of the repair cost.

What I'm getting at is be prepared if you do go the dealer / corrosion warranty route.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Time for Noxudol or Krown or something

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by Oey12
I called my dealership and they are great. The paperwork is getting submitted and I should be dropping it off next week. Thanks for all the help and it was greatly appreciated!

Awesome ðŸ‘.. good to know it's getting taken care of.