Rust: 2014 LX Driver Door Sill

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04UZJ100

04UZJ100

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Found some minor surface rust on the front Driver Door sill benath the plastic kick plate.

Anyone have any advice or experience something similar? Plan to take it to a body shop to have sanded and repainted ASAP.

What a terrible design - what is the point of the holes there in the side body panel??

Is this covered under some sort of paint warranty?

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Wow - this seems insane to me. Did you purchase it new? If not - could it have some from a an area where there were floods?

I may go pull my plastic sill plates off to check this weekend!
 
NLScooby said:
Wow - this seems insane to me. Did you purchase it new? If not - could it have some from a an area where there were floods?

I may go pull my plastic sill plates off to check this weekend!
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Nope bought used in Alaska. No floods and no road salt. Owned by elderly couple prior to myself. Winters are wet, long, and dirty up here. Area remains moist basically all the time due to my wife soccer-momming in it all day.

From what I’ve read this should be covered on the corrosion perforation warranty.
 
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04UZJ100 said:
From what I’ve read this should be covered on the corrosion perforation warranty.
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I wouldn't hold your breath. It's a warranty against perforation, which is generally define by holes. That panel is solid with minimal surface corrosion/rust; if Toyota warranties that then there are 1000s of folks in the New England states on standby! The good news if you appropriately address it now, the panel will be no worse for the wear and ready for a full service life.
 
JohnJB said:
I wouldn't hold your breath. It's a warranty against perforation, which is generally define by holes. That panel is solid with minimal surface corrosion/rust; if Toyota warranties that then there are 1000s of folks in the New England states on standby! The good news if you appropriately address it now, the panel will be no worse for the wear and ready for a full service life.
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I think what caused it was debris trapped in the door seals and eventual vibration from driving and friction from door use compromising the paint.

It’s bone dry beneath those holes and there is no visible rust.

Alaska uses gravel, rock, and sand all winter which keeps everything inside and outside cars absolutely disgusting.

Upon further inspection there is rust underneath the lower most door plastic panel as well.

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Dropped it off at body shop for a $600 repair.

I did some more troubleshooting. It’s the ****ing weathertech mats that caused it. The mats drain right to the door sill so that area is perpetually wet from snow melt running off the mat.

I drove home and opened the door to find that area dripping wet from the relatively little amount of snow melt from my boots. The passenger side was bone dry.

Moral of the story. The design of the weathertech mats for the LX and I assume the LC can cause issues. This was the first year they were installed on the truck. The previous owner had the Lexus all weather mats.
 
Fixed. Good as new.

Removed the rust, liberal coat of inhibitor, and repainted. Also sprayed some rust inhibitor in the holes beneath the kick panel.

Weathertech mat is retired for dry season use only.
 
Start spraying Fluid Film or something similar into all access holes along the body and coat the underside. It’s such cheap insurance.
 
GoISU said:
Start spraying Fluid Film or something similar into all access holes along the body and coat the underside. It’s such cheap insurance.
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My only hesitation to spray in the access holes is clogging drains. Are the holes cut in the body panel where the 4 door plastic sill plates are installed sealed or do they have a drain somewhere? I would think with a water fording depth of nearly 3’, they’d have to drain somewhere.
 
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