Frame Rust on Used Cars Is Hard to Assess Before Buying
13 posts in the last 60 days, all from r/Autobody.
“Thinking of buying a 2008 H3 that spent time in the Northeast I live in Texas. POMCAR inspected it and said the frame rust looked like surface rust with no structural compromise , and recommended descaling/undercoating. Based on the pics, does this look fixable by a…”
“Toyota sold 450,000 RAV4’s in the United States last year. You will have no problem finding another one instead. And I would not trust any dealer that had that shit on its lot. They were gonna be happy to let you drive off with that ready to wreck special if you hadn’t raised it…”
“I'm literally dealing with this exact issue on my Dad's '09 Rav4 that he bought new. I'm exploring the possibility of having new metal welded in as the rest of the car is clean. He's got a year or two until retirement, and his commute is 50 miles each way every day. He doesn't…”
Several posts focus on the recurring problem of rust and body damage, particularly in older vehicles. Owners are seeking advice on assessing the severity of rust, repair options (DIY vs. professional), and potential impacts on vehicle value.
SOURCES (60)
“If the frame was rotten, the wheel wells would be rotten. That's not a northern truck. Take a quick look underneath it and buy it. [re: i can’t tell if this rust is bad?]”
“Hello having a look at this 2001 Toyota hilux 4x2 from a mechanics perspective how bad is this rust all around? Previous owner spray painted over the rusted chassis black so it’s hard to really see how bad it may be. Thanks submitted by /u/Desperate-Wish4191 [link] [comments]”
“My 2006 Toyota RAV4 4-cylinder with only 78,000 miles has a hole rusted in both the driver side and passenger side rockers. I have attached 3 photographs of the passenger side (worse of the two): one from under the car looking up, one looking "down the tube" of the rusted rocker pointing towards the rear of the car, and one from the outside looking at the passenger door. Am I correct in my conclusion that the rust (and the hole) is on the inner rocker? One shop I went to wants to cut o”
“I have a 2012 Chevy Silverado 4wd LT with 124k miles. I wanted to have second opinions on how bad this truck rust looks like. I’m wanting to know if it’s just really structural or just surface rust? Any tips will help as well with removing the rust! submitted by /u/Kickincrusher [link] [comments]”
“Looking to buy this Volvo. 2012 c30, might be able to get a steal on the car but the under body doesn’t look great. Unibody frame rails look pretty rough. Looking to get opinions if I should even bother and try to salvage it or if it’s tot far gone. Rockers are solid. Just frame rails near the exhaust is pretty bad including the subframe in the front aswell as the rear suspension. Ontario Car. submitted by /u/Ok-Permit-1118 [link] [comments]”
“Hey folks - in desperate need of some DIY advice! I realized far too late how bad my rusted rain gutters were on my 2007 Ford e350 van, after I started to get red drips inside the van during rain. Trying to figure out a DIY solution as I have no welding experience whatsoever and shop fees to fix would be more than what the van is worth (I'm in Los Angeles and have yet to find anyone who will even touch this project in the first place). I've never done anything like this. Main goal is to”
“2003 Mitsubishi Rosa minivan with 240000 kms ... its a motorhome at a relatively good price - AUD 40k. Would this underbody rust be a deal breaker for you? submitted by /u/NoSpot41 [link] [comments]”
“Thinking of buying a 2008 H3 that spent time in the Northeast I live in Texas. POMCAR inspected it and said the frame rust looked like surface rust with no structural compromise , and recommended descaling/undercoating. Based on the pics, does this look fixable by a rust/undercarriage shop? What would you expect the cost to be? And is it basically impossible to judge how bad oit really is until it’s on a lift? submitted by /u/IndicationRound9501 [link] [comments]”
“4runner/Sequoia are Unibody on conventional frame per Toyota, Tundra/Tacoma are Conventional frame. Regardless of frame type, pillars are always structural for roll over protection so this frame is cooked. - Auction inspector 20yrs”
“Hello, I just bought an old astro van for pretty cheap, but it has a decent amount of rust underneath. I'm in a snowy state, so this sort of rust is expected, but I'm curious about the best way to go about fixing this and making sure that the rust doesn't get worse. Pics included below. I'd prefer not to buy replacement parts if at all possible. I have minimal mechanic experience but I'm motivated and not scared to get my hands dirty (I'm not taking it to a shop). Thank y”
“Looking for opinions from people who actually do autobody/collision or rust repair. This is a 2000 Toyota 4Runner. When the driver-side fender was removed, we found pretty significant rust underneath it, concentrated around the upper fender apron/cowl area near the bottom of the windshield/A-pillar. The guy working on it ground down the rust as much as he could and treated/coated it to stop it from progressing for now. No new metal was welded in. I’ll attach photos from before and after treatmen”
“Thanks. Your input about this involving the inner and outer rocker and extending into the floor pan is one of the things I'm most concerned about. Could you point out what you're seeing in these photos that tells you the corrosion extends that far? also iif the dealer has it repaired anyway, what specific areas would you tell an independent body shop to inspect afterward to determine whether the surrounding structure is still solid? Are there particular seams, layers, mounting points, or”
“Toyota sold 450,000 RAV4’s in the United States last year. You will have no problem finding another one instead. And I would not trust any dealer that had that shit on its lot. They were gonna be happy to let you drive off with that ready to wreck special if you hadn’t raised it as an issue. Unless they disclosed the rust prior to you having a look, you have proof of their dishonesty. If the reason you found it intriguing is that it’s cheap, now you know why. If that repair had been worth doing”
“I’m looking at buying a Toyota FJ Cruiser. Both the FJ and the Tundra of that time period are famous for frame rust due to the metal Toyota used. Trucks from outside the rust belt are usually a good bet but still require inspection if you want to be sure of what you are buying. My question is, how can you properly assess the state of the frame? I need a third-party to do the investigation because I don’t have the skills or equipment to be thorough. Would I take it to a reputable body shop? Would”
“https://preview.redd.it/ivn0zmokjplh1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfd1e1e75f6211a00aa0a4aea44effb0382c7142”
“in Utah you're looking at roughly 800-1500 per side for a cut and weld in new rocker panels by a body shop. if the rest of the rav4 is in good shape it may be worth repairing. It's a common job here in the rust belt of Ontario Canada. If the Rav4 is in good shape otherwise then I would personally replace the rocker panels then get the rav4 undercoated yearly to prevent no future problems as you should be able to get another 150,000 Miles out of that motor in the rav4 So up to you if you”
“https://preview.redd.it/m7tlly30smlh1.jpeg?width=912&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f2dcc07d5eb0285f76a3b5aecaafa2fa5dd6a3a”
“If you dont require annual inspections or nothing run it if its only the rockers right now. Does look rough but id run it for my daily beater if it runs fine and doesnt cost you thousands to keep it going.”
“Just because it will get down the road, doesn't mean it's safe. I'd drive this all day long on gravel roads or the farm. I wouldn't be caught dead letting a loved one drive it.”
“Yup, that cab is not safe, especially to any collision from 45° to 90°. It won't crumple, it'll just crumble.”
“Picture 3 is really bad even for us north easterners. It goes allllllllllll the way down, a few spots is one thing, but it’s the entire side, it is the rocker panel, but rev4 are unibody, meaning this is structural; in an accident this thing will crumple to dust and possibly very seriously injure the OP.”
“https://preview.redd.it/2jt5gx40qilh1.png?width=186&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c850ad328ceafdfb31ad6ccf91a9fe80e31f8e0”
“I'm literally dealing with this exact issue on my Dad's '09 Rav4 that he bought new. I'm exploring the possibility of having new metal welded in as the rest of the car is clean. He's got a year or two until retirement, and his commute is 50 miles each way every day. He doesn't want to drop $50k on a replacement just to put a bazillion miles on it immediately. We did go car shopping on Saturday, there's nothing quite like the v6 rav4 anymore.”
“https://preview.redd.it/5cugrm0x7glh1.jpeg?width=1067&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f54fed5b6940fe5632a79c814ee569c2780e2dd1”
“You can cut out inner and outer rockers but its a lot of work and costly. But on the same hand modern vehicles are so insanely expensive and dogshit its actually beginning to become economically viable to save vehicles like this outside hobbiests fixing them. The real thing to take away from this is you should stop rust before ot gets like this. Apply fluid film to your entire undercarriage once a year and your vehicle will never rust.”
“Did it pass inspection with no rockers lol? I have a town and country in up state that's missing most of the rockers. Wondering if there's even a point of trying to get it inspected.... Most of the Suspension mounting points look solid at least to me.”
“Depends on your financial situation, risk benefit tolerance. Yes, it is less resilient to side impact, but is unlikely to give in completely. Suspension attachment points look OK. Personally, I would drive it without second thoughts, but again, I drove a 25 year old Chrysler T&C van that lived in upstate NY all it’s life until it had 400k miles. There were no rockers not bottoms of door apertures in some spots left. It was my parts runner vehicle — mostly for junkyard trips… I could not put”
“Lol, this is not a rocker panel. The rocker panel is the non structural outside of this. On picture 3 you can see that the chassis beam is gone.”
“Looking for honest input from people who actually know these cars. 2009 RAV4 AWD, 210k miles. Spent most of its life on the east coast, been in Utah the last 50k or so. Took it in for a charging problem and the shop went over the whole thing. Had some normal issues for an old car but the thing that worried the mechanic was the rust. the driver side sill under the door is perforated, layers flaking apart. Photos attached. What really got my attention is the timeline. Same shop had this car in Apr”
“Hey everyone, I recently purchased a truck and, being from Arizona, I honestly didn’t think to check for rust. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered some rust that needs to be addressed. Is this bad? submitted by /u/Psychological-Fee144 [link] [comments]”
“I’m wanting to get this 2018 Silverado 2500 and this is the photos of the undercarriage I asked for. Is the rust shown manageable? submitted by /u/Glum-Apartment7967 [link] [comments]”
“So I’ve got a 2013 Ram 1500 with lower body rust on the rockers and rear wheel well areas mostly. Also there's old what I believe is a spray foam packing hack in the rockers I discovered post purchase - it is what it is. No welding experience or equipment and I've been hoping to avoid spending thousands to hire someone. So I’m thinking of going the fiberglass route. Never did it before but again - I need to avoid spending thousands. The truck already had this bottom stripe all around it”
“How salvageable are my rear fenders? I thought that I could possibly grind this down and do some paint work but after doing some quick looking, it seems that the smallest amount of rust is instant death and can’t be fixed useless it’s cut out. The pictures look bad but it seems to be only surface rust with some slight pitting in some of the worse spots. The surface is still really solid and does not feel anywhere close to being all the way through. I would like to do some preventative work to si”
“Just got a 2023 Tacoma, it spent about 2 years and 25k miles in the rust belt up in New York. I’m in the Midwest but not as much in the north, in Missouri. Just wondering if this much rust is something to be worried about or should I do something now. Edit: posted another video and picture in the thread, Ive never wrenched on my own vehicles till this one so not really sure what is the norm. submitted by /u/No_Bookkeeper4596 [link] [comments]”
“Hey I just bought a car and I just want to know if I should be concerned or not it’s a 2010 Acura tsx if that matters this rust is near my passenger back door by the skirt and this is the only area that has rust thank you submitted by /u/Traditional-Dare4115 [link] [comments]”
“Noticed this area by my rear tires are kinda rusty, I don’t know how much rust is too much but my anxiety about it has been pretty high I bought this semi recently and need it to last as long as possible this is the only area rusty like this from what I’ve seen, drives great beautiful car and I love it so I want it to last submitted by /u/cumshitass [link] [comments]”
“Ignore the primer over the rust (dont know why or what or how) focus on the rust. what should I tell the owner? This is unsafe, correct? submitted by /u/Square_Door_9146 [link] [comments]”
“Location of truck? Rusthole picture 3. Kinda looks like it was painted over. You need to have a pre-purchase inspection done by a mechanic before you pull the trigger on this - they need to take a hammer and a screwdriver around the frame and see if its solid or swiss cheese.”
“I’m considering buying this CR-V for €3,500. The rust runs along the roof channel beside the sunroof, which has also been sealed shut with silicone. Does this look like surface rust, or is it likely hiding perforation under the trim? Is it realistically DIYable without welding experience, or should I walk away? submitted by /u/Cswaggy [link] [comments]”
“Im looking to buy a Honda Fit/Jazz in Canada… And there all rusted. I’m ok with rust on panels I can swap like hood, doors… but I’m trying to find the cleanest and okiest rear quarters since I can’t replace them without cutting and welding. Can you guys say if this is deep rust or surface that I can remove and rework ? submitted by /u/Cosmicdustydust [link] [comments]”
“2012 Chevy Cruze 4 Cylinders 1.4L Turbo Ecotec This vehicle lives outside in Michigan (previously upstate NY) and is driven infrequently. I put the vehicle up on four jack stands to do some work and found I could pull pieces off the vehicle with my hands. I hope it's just semi-cosmetic panels, but maybe not (good pictures are below). Tell me whatever you think I need to know, but my questions are: Considering safety, would you keep this vehicle and have family drive it, as-is or only with re”
“Hi guys, I’m looking to buy a fiero. I found one that is my favorite year, color, and spec, but has some structural rust. I don’t know enough to evaluate if it’s still worth getting if I can get it for cheap, or if it’s already unsafe to drive. Is it a bad idea to just get it and drive it until the frame gives out? Any estimates for how long it might last? Pictures are from the area you can see when you pull off the wheel and wheel well cover. submitted by /u/-Soupy14- [link] [”
“I was looking at getting this 4runner, but it does have some underside rust and I was wondering if anybody could tell the severity of it! submitted by /u/Basic_House5122 [link] [comments]”
“Hello everybody. My ford transit 2012 has rust issues (surprise surprises). The sills and one hinge are rusted through and i want to get new metal welded. I was hoping someone could help me understand: how much work is this? Im guessing this is something body/welding shops do all the time? Replacing hinges and welding new metal for them to attach to, is that a common task for body shops? I would think its difficult to get the door to align properly. Maybe this one would not be worth it since it”
“This is the only section of my car that has rust, right rear quarter panel. I first noticed the bubbles earlier this year. I’m going to sand it down, apply rust converter and filler if necessary, then apply primer, paint, and clear. I know it won’t match, but at least the problem will be fixed. im curious about how much rust is expected to be under here. submitted by /u/Top-Neighborhood3719 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I live in Michigan and my car is 11 years old. I have some rust on my driver’s door. The underbody had rust proofing applied 6 years ago. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from spreading? submitted by /u/mightymoot [link] [comments]”
“Hello there, Not from the rust belt so I’m not familiar with rust… Got this 04’ Silverado 1500 Z71 with about 140k. Inside cabin and engine are in great condition. It was pretty much handed down to me for very cheap. The truck is rusty though. Frame looks the best out of everything so that’s an upside. The frame feels solid. No soft spots, no holes etc…Planning on moving it back to a state that doesn’t have rust. I guess my question is how bad is it ? What do you suggest I fix up if I want to ho”
“Looking to buy this car it has 116k miles on it and it is a Maine car. Is the rust a major concern? submitted by /u/FarDoctor9974 [link] [comments]”
“Hi folks, Just put a new steering rack in my truck (2006 Nissan frontier LE) and the alignment shop pointed out that my frame has some pretty good rot going on. Main areas are about 12” in front of the lead springs and the span between the doors. Besides the holes I can put my hand through so I know there is still some good steel in there. What can I do to fix this? Is there any way to get the frame back to an OEM standard or at least to a safer condition for the next few years? Before anyone sa”
“Gday, I’m hoping to get some advice on how to go about dealing with a few rust issues on my Toyota hilux? Any advice on fixing up the peeling on the roof would also be much appreciated. Cheers! submitted by /u/Imaginary_Excuse6686 [link] [comments]”