Found rust starting in many places on my 1999 LX V8 (LC 100) (1 Viewer)

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This is sad, since the work was done by a Toyota dealership. I will let them know they are idiots.



Since I have had the vehicle since it was new, I have treated it like a baby and it would hurt a lot to see her go. Also, it is super hard to find a similar vehicle over here. But you may be right. I might just drive it for as long as it is possible, and then find a new vehicle. :(

Thanks!
Believe me I know. I had to sell my last two Toyota’s, both which I’ve owned for 10+ years and put endless miles on and did all the maintenance. However, there came a time when these cars were worth less than $4,000 and were rotted underneath and started having body rust. It just would t make sense to keep dumping money into mechanical maintenance on something that’s rotting away. Plus it’s a safety issue. Had my brakes fail due to rotted brake lines several times, replaced several seized calipers due to salt damage, replaced sections of the exhaust several times because of salt damage and failure to pass emissions, and on my buddy’s 1992 Lexus SC300 we had all of the above problems PLUS his rear subframe was so rotted it broke in half while we were having fun doing donuts in the parking lot. If your rust underneath is as bad as mine was, you can’t fix anything under the car without breaking EVERYTHING you touch. I get emotional attachment so from the lessons I’ve learned, any cars I care about are all Fluid Filmed and winter stored and I use a cheaper daily driver for the winter which is also Fluid Filmed just in case.
 
Believe me I know. I had to sell my last two Toyota’s, both which I’ve owned for 10+ years and put endless miles on and did all the maintenance. However, there came a time when these cars were worth less than $4,000 and were rotted underneath and started having body rust. It just would t make sense to keep dumping money into mechanical maintenance on something that’s rotting away. Plus it’s a safety issue. Had my brakes fail due to rotted brake lines several times, replaced several seized calipers due to salt damage, replaced sections of the exhaust several times because of salt damage and failure to pass emissions, and on my buddy’s 1992 Lexus SC300 we had all of the above problems PLUS his rear subframe was so rotted it broke in half while we were having fun doing donuts in the parking lot. If your rust underneath is as bad as mine was, you can’t fix anything under the car without breaking EVERYTHING you touch. I get emotional attachment so from the lessons I’ve learned, any cars I care about are all Fluid Filmed and winter stored and I use a cheaper daily driver for the winter which is also Fluid Filmed just in case.

Fortunately there is little rust underneath and on the frame so far. And the car is (touch wood) still performing well mechanically. It's a 1999 and doesn't have too many miles on it (about 170k km). The only rust I have found is the surface rust.
 
Well if there is relatively little rust underneath (you only show the bodywork) and the frame and all major parts down below are good, I would argue the cruiser is defo worth improving.
Front windshield has to some off, rust removed (cut and weld if needed) then proper way of fixing the wondshield back on without using screws. For the back it’s fairly easy.
 
Unfortunately this rust is a bit of work to take care of. The rocker panel (near your side steps) looks to be to be the worst as it could be perforating rust requiring the section to be cut out and patched.

I would bring this to a body shop for the repairs. For the areas of surface rust, a wire wheel or small flap disc can be used to grind down to bare metal (remove all rust) before applying a sealing primer or body fill material and then the sealing primer. I would do all of the spots on the vehicle the same way, and then have the shop blend the paint to match if possible. It won't match perfectly, but often is quite close. If you can keep a coat of wax on the painted surfaces and a rust preventative spray on the underside its likely to hold up to the road treatments you have in Sweden.

I would get under the vehicle and really look for rust on the rocker panels and inside of the wheel wells. This is the easiest spot for it to start and it is very aggressive once started. If you find any, do the same thing and remove it with a flap disc. Then sealing primer and spray with a rubberized undercoating.

For the rocker panels, depending on if you want it to stay looking like a factory paint job, you could remove the rust, patch it yourself, and coat it with a rigid protective coating. In the U.S. these products are used for lining pickup truck beds and usually come in a two-stage product. Examples are Linex, Rhino Liner, etc. and can be applied with a roller. They provide a durable coating that is impervious to rust for many years.

On rust that is "out of view" and is only surface rust, I would grind as much off as you can to expose the area. Then spray with a "rust-neutralizing" agent. This stuff is misrepresented I think, as it doesn't stop rust completely, but it does block oxygen and water from getting to the rust which slows the reaction needed for the rust to progress. When dry I would just spray some black paint over the top of it, or roll on an epoxy paint (I find farm implement paint to be in ready supply and easy to use).

I had rust forming on a boat trailer in a few areas the previous owner had cut and modified the rails. I ground off all of that rust and "paint work" that they had done and then cleaned and prepped the entire boat trailer. I painted the entire trailer with farm implement paint (rustoleum epoxy paint). The trailer is dunked in and out of fresh water 30-50 times a year and is exposed to strong sun here in Colorado. The paint is softer for 3-6 months as it cures (chemical curing from the inside out) but then is very hard afterwards. Some people add a hardening agent to it so it hardens in 3-5 days but it is very toxic/dangerous stuff and while I wear safety equipment I still don't like substances that are that toxic to me as it is also toxic to other things.
 

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