Accidentally purchased a rust bucket (1 Viewer)

[knewstance]

I think it's worth a try talking to the dealership you purchased from. They knew what they were trying to hide and had no problem charging "top dollar" after it was hidden.

It looks like things are manageable, but it will take some work and money to get it where I imagine you want it to be. Let the dealership know your expectations when you purchased it, what you've spent so far, and what you think you will end up spending to fix it. I know that the dealerships I worked at (would have wholesaled it in the first place so this didn't bite them in the rear) would take care of something if a customer put up enough fuss over something like this.

I hated it, but the customers that cried the loudest always got some kind of help from upper management. Sometimes it took BBB threats, bad Google reviews ect ect, but people who were determined always won in these situations. And by win I mean they either got some type of work paid for on their vehicles or they got their vehicles bought back/trades out for another at a decent loss to the dealership.

 

[nukegoat]

Run it

 

[timdgsr]

Yea right. Why would they do that? I appreciate the advice. But I doubt they will do anything for me. They’re a bunch of hustlers. Made me feel dumb.

They certainly won’t do anything if you don’t ask them to. Nothing wrong with going back, talking to the manager about how you feel, and expressing that you won’t be a return customer and will go out of your way to share this experience online, with friends, family and coworkers. It doesn’t take much negative press to lose the amount of money it would cost them to help remediate this.

If they say no, what have you lost?

 

[plink01]

Mate I dont think I've ever owned a landcruiser with that little amount of rust! Your being pedantic. Just drive it, it's more than safe enough to 'wheel'. I live in Aus with no salt and all my landcruisers look worse then that. Like others said, if your really worried wire wheel bad spots back and re paint it. It'll be fine

 

[joshAUST]

I'm a ...somewhat proud owner of a pretty rusty 100 series, which is essentially the same as a LX470 of course.. purchased sight unseen, which I won't do again mind you.. and it turned out to be an ex beach adventure rental vehicle!

So yes, a ton of rust... and lots of issues....I could break off bits of the fuel tank bash plate and other plates with my finger....

I had to replace...
Front rotors ( rear still need to be done though).
Break pads
F&R calipers
Steering rack
Tie rod ends
Bushes
Exhaust
All bash plates
Lots of other stuff..

I put the car up on a ramp and spent several days with a very high pressure hot water diesel powered washer, in between various coats of stuff to neutralise the salts, washing it off, then attacked it with a needle scaler... a great tool, washed again, and so on, then sprayed the entire undercarriage with several coats of rust converter.
It came up looking great, and two years later still looks great.

It probably spent its entire life on the beach, however, so, while I've fixed a fair bit, the rest of the car still has some rust issues, and will continue to do so for all its life, I guess.
Every time you need to loosen a bolt, its going to be that much harder... removing the bashplates I sheared a bolt off, and had to drill it out, for example.

A common problem with 100 series, and particularly to ones with rust issues, is water leaks inside the cabin, usually around the drivers or passengers foot well.
This can be caused, usually by rust, by leaks in either the roof rack bolts, or around the windscreen.
Pretty bad as the onboard computers are pretty much in line for the travel of water, causing all sorts of issues, such as in my case, setting off the hazard warning lights off, causing the battery to die overnight...
The roof rack fix requires removing the roof racks, cleaning, and, if not too rusty, replacing the rubbers, or making your own seal, then reattaching the racks. If its rusty, you'll essentially have to sand back to bare metal, prime, paint and repair the rust first, which would be difficult....
The window also can suffer, either just leaking, but rust will worsen the issue.

Thinking about your predicament, you can either resell or return your parts, and resell the vehicle, or accept it for what it is, and decide to take it on as a challenge. By the end of it, if you decide to keep it, at least you'll really get to know your vehicle.

I've stuck with mine.... but yes... was it the best decision...I don't know.... given that, since I got it on the road, I've had to replace the AC condenser, and then the starter motor, then I had ongoing coolant loss issues after that.. which I guess has led to blowing a head gasket...and is why its currently sitting in my mechanic's workshop.

 

[MadTripper]

It doesn't look terrible but tough to really tell. I don't think you should be terribly concerned. I'd go over it with anything you can to loosen up the flaky rust....needle scaler, wire brush, hammer....then go over it with wool wax or fluid film and do that yearly. Even if you don't get all the loose rust off, a good coat of either product will stop the rust from getting worse. The products are also pretty reasonable and there are plenty of places that will do the coating for you if you aren't up for it. Seeing as it appears you have access to a lift, perhaps you can handle it yourself.

Interestingly enough, I looked at a 100 series a few months ago at a dealer that wasn't terribly far from you. When I pulled in, they had two cars on lifts with the doors open and a handful of guys with spray bombs that looked like a hornets nest. They were "touching up" every vehicle that came in. This was particularly annoying because up until I had arrived, I only saw pictures of the vehicle and I was amazed at the frame condition. Closer inspection proved why it looked so good as they had covered everything with their paint. That makes it very difficult to get a grasp on underside condition although.

Don't feel bad. There is a good chance you still have a solid vehicle. Give it a thorough check and then put your preventative maintenance into place and drive it. It sounds like you have enough on your plate so knock this one off your list.


Tripper

 

[87warrior]

You didn't get a good deal on that rig, but it is far from a rust bucket. Enjoy the Cruiser.

I really want the old John Deer with snow blower attachment...and I want to know how it got to the top of the shelving.

I love my rusty 100.

 

[boobird]

I'm reading that this dealership pays customers to write good reviews. There's numerous reviews that complain about rusted vehicles that were painted over.

File your complaints here:

Road Ready Used Cars, Inc. | BBB Business Profile | Better Business Bureau

BBB Accredited since 11/16/2020. Used Car Dealers in Ansonia, CT. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, get a quote and more.

www.bbb.org

https://www.cars.com/dealers/187083/road-ready-used-cars/

Road Ready Used Cars - Ansonia, CT

Specialties: Road Ready Used Cars has been serving the Tri State area for over twenty five years. We sell quality reconditioned automobiles at great prices.

www.yelp.com

Road Ready Used Cars | Ansonia CT

Road Ready Used Cars, Ansonia, Connecticut. 5,354 likes · 25 talking about this · 1,625 were here. Road Ready Used Cars has been serving the Tri State area for over thirty years. We sell quality recon

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If you're stuck with the car, you should certainly remove that paint because it will continue to rust from the inside out. You really need to act aggressively with this snake dealership.

 

[Audiophilitis]

Suggest your next mod be to arrest extent of rust. Appears to be surface rust so shouldn’t require extensive work...may also alleviate your longevity concern.

 

[CLEcruiser]

Can I trade my rust bucket for your clean truck

 

[uHu]

Just one tip for the rear shocks: Cut off the outer shield around the top, where it gets thinner - can be done without removing shock. Undo and flip off bottom mount and replace the rusty shield with a plastic pipe. I found a standard size drain pipe that fit perfectly. Make a split at the top and fasten with a hose clamp. This helps protecting the polished "piston rod" you can see behind there.

Otherwise, I've seen that the tank shield is always the first to go, then the tank. I see that the shield has some holes, but not too bad. If you don't mind a bit of work, you could take the tank down, give it a good clean, rust converter and paint, and treat and line the inside with a tank treatment kit. Also the filler pipe will rust to pieces before most other parts.

 

[Alibaster]

Unless you can punch through a body panel or the frame its not a rust bucket

 

[suprarx7nut]

Hard to tell from the video, but looks good to me. If it really was a horribly rusty frame, the por15 would only hide so much. There's no sign that the rust is extensive enough to worry about that.

If you can flake off some surface coating and uncover large amounts of hidden rust, do so. Then show that to the dealer and go from there.

In the end, that's not half bad, especially being in the NE.

 

[skhochay]

rust, what rust?

 

[gregnash]

Yeah take a slower video but the spots that I paused at to see if I could really tell if there was major rust I really couldn't. Shocks are definitely in need of replacement but I saw nothing with the quick walk around that would have me concerned. Hell there is a local one at a small car lot here that has low mileage but according to the VIN came from MA. I went to take a look at it and you can SEE all the spots that were rusted and then painted over. So much so that I saw a section on the skid plate protecting the rad and pushed on it and my finger instantly went through. THAT is rusted.

 

[Kabanstva]

Diff casing completely rusted.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Thats a great looking truck.

Keeping in mind that many iron components are designed for intentional oxidation. The oxidized layer provides corrosion resistance for the material beneath it. Same theory as used on power/transfer/telecom poles/etc. I've never seen a diff or axle tube compromised by corrosion. Brackets yes. I'm curious if this intentional oxidation is part of the design.

Also, awesome shop.

 

[planomateo]

@Kabanstva a buddy of mine a few years ago bought a new F250. I was surprised the amount of rust on the axles already.

 

[RWWLAW24]

It’s a North East car and a normal one at that. The dealer won’t do a thing so don’t bother or you will just aggravate yourself more. I just finished cleaning mine with wire wheel, needle scaler, converter and por-15. It’s part of the game around here. Enjoy til the wheels fall off.

 

[Lcerva]

I'm a ...somewhat proud owner of a pretty rusty 100 series, which is essentially the same as a LX470 of course.. purchased sight unseen, which I won't do again mind you.. and it turned out to be an ex beach adventure rental vehicle!

So yes, a ton of rust... and lots of issues....I could break off bits of the fuel tank bash plate and other plates with my finger....

I had to replace...
Front rotors ( rear still need to be done though).
Break pads
F&R calipers
Steering rack
Tie rod ends
Bushes
Exhaust
All bash plates
Lots of other stuff..

I put the car up on a ramp and spent several days with a very high pressure hot water diesel powered washer, in between various coats of stuff to neutralise the salts, washing it off, then attacked it with a needle scaler... a great tool, washed again, and so on, then sprayed the entire undercarriage with several coats of rust converter.
It came up looking great, and two years later still looks great.

It probably spent its entire life on the beach, however, so, while I've fixed a fair bit, the rest of the car still has some rust issues, and will continue to do so for all its life, I guess.
Every time you need to loosen a bolt, its going to be that much harder... removing the bashplates I sheared a bolt off, and had to drill it out, for example.

A common problem with 100 series, and particularly to ones with rust issues, is water leaks inside the cabin, usually around the drivers or passengers foot well.
This can be caused, usually by rust, by leaks in either the roof rack bolts, or around the windscreen.
Pretty bad as the onboard computers are pretty much in line for the travel of water, causing all sorts of issues, such as in my case, setting off the hazard warning lights off, causing the battery to die overnight...
The roof rack fix requires removing the roof racks, cleaning, and, if not too rusty, replacing the rubbers, or making your own seal, then reattaching the racks. If its rusty, you'll essentially have to sand back to bare metal, prime, paint and repair the rust first, which would be difficult....
The window also can suffer, either just leaking, but rust will worsen the issue.

Thinking about your predicament, you can either resell or return your parts, and resell the vehicle, or accept it for what it is, and decide to take it on as a challenge. By the end of it, if you decide to keep it, at least you'll really get to know your vehicle.

I've stuck with mine.... but yes... was it the best decision...I don't know.... given that, since I got it on the road, I've had to replace the AC condenser, and then the starter motor, then I had ongoing coolant loss issues after that.. which I guess has led to blowing a head gasket...and is why its currently sitting in my mechanic's workshop.

Surprised you didn’t give up on your rig with all the issues. But, it does make me realize there is much life left on mine. Hopefully it doesn’t start giving me problems.

It doesn't look terrible but tough to really tell. I don't think you should be terribly concerned. I'd go over it with anything you can to loosen up the flaky rust....needle scaler, wire brush, hammer....then go over it with wool wax or fluid film and do that yearly. Even if you don't get all the loose rust off, a good coat of either product will stop the rust from getting worse. The products are also pretty reasonable and there are plenty of places that will do the coating for you if you aren't up for it. Seeing as it appears you have access to a lift, perhaps you can handle it yourself.

Interestingly enough, I looked at a 100 series a few months ago at a dealer that wasn't terribly far from you. When I pulled in, they had two cars on lifts with the doors open and a handful of guys with spray bombs that looked like a hornets nest. They were "touching up" every vehicle that came in. This was particularly annoying because up until I had arrived, I only saw pictures of the vehicle and I was amazed at the frame condition. Closer inspection proved why it looked so good as they had covered everything with their paint. That makes it very difficult to get a grasp on underside condition although.

Don't feel bad. There is a good chance you still have a solid vehicle. Give it a thorough check and then put your preventative maintenance into place and drive it. It sounds like you have enough on your plate so knock this one off your list.


Tripper

My biggest issue is that it’s a lot worse than I expected and that I overpaid for it because I thought there was no rust. I would have rather it have been bare so I can treat it properly.

You didn't get a good deal on that rig, but it is far from a rust bucket. Enjoy the Cruiser.

I really want the old John Deer with snow blower attachment...and I want to know how it got to the top of the shelving.

I love my rusty 100.

I’ll find out from my friend if it’s for sale.

I'm reading that this dealership pays customers to write good reviews. There's numerous reviews that complain about rusted vehicles that were painted over.

File your complaints here:

Road Ready Used Cars, Inc. | BBB Business Profile | Better Business Bureau

BBB Accredited since 11/16/2020. Used Car Dealers in Ansonia, CT. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, get a quote and more.

www.bbb.org

https://www.cars.com/dealers/187083/road-ready-used-cars/

Road Ready Used Cars - Ansonia, CT

Specialties: Road Ready Used Cars has been serving the Tri State area for over twenty five years. We sell quality reconditioned automobiles at great prices.

www.yelp.com

Road Ready Used Cars | Ansonia CT

Road Ready Used Cars, Ansonia, Connecticut. 5,354 likes · 25 talking about this · 1,625 were here. Road Ready Used Cars has been serving the Tri State area for over thirty years. We sell quality recon

www.facebook.com

If you're stuck with the car, you should certainly remove that paint because it will continue to rust from the inside out. You really need to act aggressively with this snake dealership.

I don’t think I have the energy to go after them like that. But they certainly deserve it.

Suggest your next mod be to arrest extent of rust. Appears to be surface rust so shouldn’t require extensive work...may also alleviate your longevity concern.

I plan on it once it gets warmer again. Problem is I don’t really have consistent access to a lift. And I’m s*** scared of getting under a jacked up car.

Hard to tell from the video, but looks good to me. If it really was a horribly rusty frame, the por15 would only hide so much. There's no sign that the rust is extensive enough to worry about that.

If you can flake off some surface coating and uncover large amounts of hidden rust, do so. Then show that to the dealer and go from there.

In the end, that's not half bad, especially being in the NE.

I don’t believe they used por15. It looks like rustoleum rubber under coat.