Rust proofing the frame

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Keep your truck off of the sand that is wet from the gulf. Wash the underside after you’ve been on the beach. I’m in Florida & I don’t hear about rust issues from driving on the beach occasionally, unless you’re dumb enough to drive at the surf’s edge, which I’m sure you are not planning on.

Yeah I was going to say, I live on the gulf coast and unless you never wash after the beach or a boat ramp launch, rust is just not an issue down south. I honestly wouldn't do anything other than wash underneath.
 
Hi all,

Have a 2021 LC200 (base model, blizzard pearl, black) coming, should be delivered first or second week of November. I am pretty excited and count myself lucky.

Any recommendation rust proofing the frame?

Would like to drive this vehicle for 10 if not 20+ years and on occasions take it on the beach. Searching online/youtube vids I read/hear rubber coating may not be a good way as water can get under it. Fluid film and Woolwax (best of the two?) seem good products.

Any experience or recommendations? Beside the outside and inside the frame... should I spray the rest of the underbody and axles etc.? Should i spray a transparent wax like fluid film or wolwax (comes in black or transparent) in the bottom of the doors and the back door?

Or not bother as the factory coating and anti corrosion system is top notch and rusting through the frame is a non issue?

Your thoughts/experience please?

Thanks a lot!
Check out this video:

 
With a slippery oily undercoating, is there any danger of the LC actually moving on a lift or worse yet falling off?
 
I don't think it's that slippery. I've never had an issue - it would take some serious lubrication for a 7000 lb vehicle to come off of the lift. A fine mist of it on a polished concrete floor is another matter....
 
With a slippery oily undercoating, is there any danger of the LC actually moving on a lift or worse yet falling off?

Not a chance.
 
...just to add, when it dries it's actually a little tacky. Dirt will stick to it. If you've ever used LPS3, to me they seem almost identical.
 
If you're not getting the vehicle wet with salt water, like launching a boat into the ocean, then in Houston I doubt you need to do much of anything. I'm in Chicago but I bought my LC from a dealer in Houston - it was 3 years old (used for 25 months) and 49k miles and there was not a speck of rust underneath. Fast forward 5 years in Chicago with salty roads and even though I hit the steel bits underneath with fluid film each year the welds and some bolts/nuts do have some surface rust on them.

You can apply FF but it does wear off. You really need to do it a couple times a year. That said a good undercarriage rinse once or twice a month and it's unlikely to be a big deal for decades in Houston. The only thing I would do is put some marine grease on the KDSS valve screws since those tend to rust quickly.

For chicago, I didnt have good luck with fluid film because I would get a car wash every 2-3 days to get salt off. Wiped away all fluid film really fast. Recently spray painted part of under carriage. I think thats a better option.
 
I just do it myself. I order a few cans off of Amazon and go to a local DIY shop. Just put it on the lift and get after it. I don’t drop the spare or anything and just get everything that I can reach. Takes about 30 minutes I guess. Just did a fresh coat last week.

Which DIY shop do you use? If you don’t mind mentioning the name, I’m local and looking for a place with a lift to put on spacers and rotate my tires.
 
To effectively make your fluid film work better, heres what I do. Apply it on a dry day. Find a really dusty gravel road and go for a long drive down it. The dirt sticks to it and makes it harder to wash off. There will always still be a film in the spring after washes during the winter
 
Back to the subject of frame rust and frame rust proofing on a new LC200.

So before I give an update and ask a question to owners of recently build LC's:
- My overall sense on this subject is that I am "splitting hairs" or dealing here with say a "first world" problem
- Also take the point that in the South of the US (Houston) frame rust is of less/little concern and that UV exposure to paint and interior is probably going to do more damage from a vehicle longevity point of view, although I typically keep the LC in the garage or have it cover parked at work.

Update
Since I took delivery in December of my 2021 LC200:
- I bought a couple of bottles of DuPont Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant with Teflon Fluoropolymer (right, the nasty teflon which you should not use to cook on) and spend some time laying under the cruiser to spray it in the frame for as good or bad as that can be done using some extended length spray straws.
- Why this Dupont product? Well, I guess I made a choice... Of the various products to add some additional protection on a newly coated frame I chose this as it dries up slick and should let any debris or water run off easily compared to more sticky rust proofing sprays.
- After (quite...) some effort spraying this into the frame I must say I think I achieved little compared to the coating already applied by Toyota or the frame supplier, nor did I probably do much harm. Oh well...

Remaining Question
- While laying under the car in December and looking at it again today, I see some small rust signs on the outside of the frame at the edge of the welds. I does not appear the primer or base coat used on the frame. I am just surprised this being the case from day 1 with a vehicle build new in Japan in October 2020.

My question to owners of recently purchased "zero mile" vehicles; Do you have the same (minor) initial rust on the welds of your frame or not?

Thanks a lot!


Rear wheel bay and top of frame weld with some initial brown rust spots:
1614458304444.png


Front tow hook attached to the frame:
1614458388233.png
 
Last edited:
Back to the subject of frame rust and frame rust proofing on a new LC200.

So before I give an update and ask a question to owners of recently build LC's:
- My overall sense on this subject is that I am "splitting hairs" or dealing here with say a "first world" problem
- Also take the point that in the South of the US (Houston) frame rust is of less/little concern and that UV exposure to paint and interior is probably going to do more damage from a vehicle longevity point of view, although I typically keep the LC in the garage or have it cover parked at work.

Update
Since I took delivery in December of my 2021 LC200:
- I bought a couple of bottles of DuPont Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant with Teflon Fluoropolymer (right, the nasty teflon which you should not use to cook on) and spend some time laying under the cruiser to spray it in the frame for as good or bad as that can be done using some extended length spray straws.
- Why this Dupont product? Well, I guess I made a choice... Of the various products to add some additional protection on a newly coated frame I chose this as it dries up slick and should let any debris or water run off easily compared to more sticky rust proofing sprays.
- After (quite...) some effort spraying this into the frame I must say I think I achieved little compared to the coating already applied by Toyota or the frame supplier, nor did I probably do much harm. Oh well...

Remaining Question
- While laying under the car in December and looking at it again today, I see some small signs on the outside of the frame at the edge of the welds. I does not appear the primer or base coat used on the frame. I am just surprised this being the case from day 1 with a vehicle build new in Japan in October 2020.

My question to owners of recently purchased "zero mile" vehicles; Do you have the same (minor) initial rust on the welds of your frame or not?

Thanks a lot!


Rear wheel bay and top of frame weld with some initial brown rust spots:
View attachment 2598137

Front tow hook attached to the frame:
View attachment 2598138
I had that exact same thing on my 2018 at the tow hooks and a few other places, I hit with wire brush, then painted it, then let it dry and then spayed it with Boeshield T-9 been several months now and still looks great.
 
I have had a few land cruisers and lots of other Toyota trucks and suvs and as others have said Toyota is weak in the corrosion prevention .
I’m on my 3rd 200 and this one has not seen any salt , living in the greater northeast they put salt down by the inch , just destroys everything Steel and Aluminum .
I have allways been one to hose the underside of my trucks with one of those garden watering wands on all my trucks and SUV’s .
I was lucky to get a good deal on a low milage 2015 Tacoma 4x4 auto 4cy is a dog but it goes and and keeps the corrosion off the LC , I put a set of Duratracs and the little Terd goes threw a 1 foot of snow like nothing .
I have not got around to coating the underside of this 200 LC , Before applying film / cosmoline type coating I would paint over the problem areas .
I tape off everything important parts that don’t need painting , I scuff and adhesion promoter then I usually use a pressure pot from harbor freight and go to town and give it a good coat .
I just did my beater Tacoma and seems to be holding up well .

50C562E8-39BC-4A4C-AD32-B2631B285F43.webp
 
I have a combination of three types of coatings on my land cruiser :

Cosmoline for the longest-lasting coating , but really messy to apply
Fluid film "creeps"and gets into tighter areas, but is not resistant to constant wash down
Wool wax is thicker than fluid film, but works well in high wash areas like wheel wells and the front of axle housing

All of the above-mentioned coatings come in their natural color, or black.

Rust will happen no matter what you do, just encapsulate it to prevent further spread.
 
I keep repeating myself but I use Corrosion Free with excellent results. Like Fluid Film, but does not stink and clings better. They also sell excellent sprayer with nice set of wands that can be used to get deep into nooks and crannies of the frame and the body.

I buy the 5 gallon pails, good for many years/multiple vehicles.

corrosionfree.com
 
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Frame rust in Houston? Even with some beach time? I wouldn't worry about it at all. I have a 100 that has been in a coastal environment (actually waterfront) environment all its life. I drive it on a sand and cobble beach all the time. It gets washed when the good lord rains on it. Frame rust? Nope.
 
Back to the subject of frame rust and frame rust proofing on a new LC200.

So before I give an update and ask a question to owners of recently build LC's:
- My overall sense on this subject is that I am "splitting hairs" or dealing here with say a "first world" problem
- Also take the point that in the South of the US (Houston) frame rust is of less/little concern and that UV exposure to paint and interior is probably going to do more damage from a vehicle longevity point of view, although I typically keep the LC in the garage or have it cover parked at work.

Update
Since I took delivery in December of my 2021 LC200:
- I bought a couple of bottles of DuPont Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant with Teflon Fluoropolymer (right, the nasty teflon which you should not use to cook on) and spend some time laying under the cruiser to spray it in the frame for as good or bad as that can be done using some extended length spray straws.
- Why this Dupont product? Well, I guess I made a choice... Of the various products to add some additional protection on a newly coated frame I chose this as it dries up slick and should let any debris or water run off easily compared to more sticky rust proofing sprays.
- After (quite...) some effort spraying this into the frame I must say I think I achieved little compared to the coating already applied by Toyota or the frame supplier, nor did I probably do much harm. Oh well...

Remaining Question
- While laying under the car in December and looking at it again today, I see some small rust signs on the outside of the frame at the edge of the welds. I does not appear the primer or base coat used on the frame. I am just surprised this being the case from day 1 with a vehicle build new in Japan in October 2020.

My question to owners of recently purchased "zero mile" vehicles; Do you have the same (minor) initial rust on the welds of your frame or not?

Thanks a lot!


Rear wheel bay and top of frame weld with some initial brown rust spots:
View attachment 2598137

Front tow hook attached to the frame:
View attachment 2598138
My recommendation would be to stop obsessing about the underside of your vehicle. It isn't healthy. Load the LC up and go for an adventure. That's why you bought it, right? GO HAVE FUN!
 
I too agree that Fluid Film is the answer. Being in TX I'd say that you could grab a few cans of aerosol Fluid Film and spray the truck as needed. As far as working on it you won't be under there too often unless you're going to modify it. If that's the case keep it out of the sea water until you get your new suspension on then spray it with FF. Drop the spare and coat everything you see except the exhaust. The leading edge of the rear axle will wash off first due to rain driving. FF is such cheap insurance if you're worried about corrosion. If it will be years until you modify it then spray it now. It'll just be a little greasy and dirty for the mechanic but that beats frozen and siezed bolts any day.
 

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