is this nothing more than just surface rust?

tacojoel said:
I was. Used fluid flim every year on mu gen1 tundra....that was the result after 19 years. I'm now using cosmoline.
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use woolWax HV and deal with the dirt LOL
it takes effort to remove

woolWax HV pail.jpg

my first attempt with FF on naked Toyota steel turned to flash rust after a few underbody washes in the Fall season testing it out and i was not amused, especially with all the hype surrounding FF
 
Really depends where you live when choosing fluid flim. It just doesn't work well here in new england unless you reapply it twice a year...same with all lanolin based products. Shops that spray FF for a living want you to keep coming back...its good for their business.
As far as cosmoline needing to be removed, some paint thinner will take it right off. It resists water abrasion pretty good.
 
tacojoel said:
Really depends where you live when choosing fluid flim. It just doesn't work well here in new england unless you reapply it twice a year...same with all lanolin based products. Shops that spray FF for a living want you to keep coming back...its good for their business.
As far as cosmoline needing to be removed, some paint thinner will take it right off. It resists water abrasion pretty good.
Click to expand...
i like the cosmoline that it will not collect attract dirt (or not much noticed yet) that can be rinsed off easily
 
Allow me to offer another view.

My Tacoma was built in Jan '06. It lived in IA all its life. IA uses all sorts of de-icer products on roads. The frame was replaced in Feb '18. That is 12 years living in a rust belt state. I purchased the truck in Feb '20.

I have no idea of the PO maintenance habits. Each Spring, I will spend a significant amount of time flushing the undercarriage. Then I'll follow up with rust removal, rust converter and paint in needed areas. During the winter, if we have warm weather (above 32F), I do a pay & spray flush of the entire truck.

We have Chevy TrailBlazer purchased in '02. Roughly 90% plus of its life has been in a rust belt state. Nothing has been done to the frame. Yes, it has rust, nothing is structurally compromised. This car was the family go-getter. I pulled maintenance between midnight and dawn or when it was cooling off.

So, I'm not convinced that the application of these products is really worth the cost and effort. Seems like low value work with marginal benefit. Sure, these coatings give a mental and emotional level of comfort.

In the end.....Rust can not be stopped. It can only be slowed.

Clean and Dry is very effective. Not many cars rust in the desert.

I follow the Clean & Dry method.
 
I think if you choose the right rust inhibiter for your area it makes a big difference, especially if your not able to keep up with it. I tried fluid flim on my tundra, reapplying it every fall, yet after 3 years you could see surface rust forming in many places. I did my tacoma over 2 years ago with cosmoline. So far zero rust anywhere, plus i've only had to do 5 minute touchups where the chassis took the most water abrasion. In the end i figured its saved me time, and money i would have spent for more fluid flim.
 
Rock62 said:
Allow me to offer another view.

My Tacoma was built in Jan '06. It lived in IA all its life. IA uses all sorts of de-icer products on roads. The frame was replaced in Feb '18. That is 12 years living in a rust belt state. I purchased the truck in Feb '20.

I have no idea of the PO maintenance habits. Each Spring, I will spend a significant amount of time flushing the undercarriage. Then I'll follow up with rust removal, rust converter and paint in needed areas. During the winter, if we have warm weather (above 32F), I do a pay & spray flush of the entire truck.

We have Chevy TrailBlazer purchased in '02. Roughly 90% plus of its life has been in a rust belt state. Nothing has been done to the frame. Yes, it has rust, nothing is structurally compromised. This car was the family go-getter. I pulled maintenance between midnight and dawn or when it was cooling off.

So, I'm not convinced that the application of these products is really worth the cost and effort. Seems like low value work with marginal benefit. Sure, these coatings give a mental and emotional level of comfort.

In the end.....Rust can not be stopped. It can only be slowed.

Clean and Dry is very effective. Not many cars rust in the desert.

I follow the Clean & Dry method.
Click to expand...

i followed clean and dry method as well until early 2o19 LOL
then i found out about the exotic metal that toyota sourced for these trucks and it blew my mind i had no idea how horrific it truly can get


Iowa winters can be brutal :eek:
my trucks been in western to central Iowa for 1/4 century... Sioux City, Des Moines Council Bluffs to the Missouri border
recent new winter adventures include to Mason City, Burlington and Fort Madison

but this here below i still do not understand
according to Toyota frame campaign Iowa is NOT considered one of the cold climate states
even though 3 border states are IL WI MN are cold climate states
WHY was the line in the sand drawn at Iowa ??
 
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everytime my truck turned from white(ish) to black it was off to the car wand wash to get what i could rinsed whilst my fingers still had feeling in them
and then the next day deal with frozen windows and locks :mad:
 
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We've had some gully whopper snow storms winters past here in the nw corner of connecticut. I can recall the blizzard of 78 when snowdrifts were 20 ft high up telephone poles. For 3 days i ran emergency errands for neighbors on my arctic snowmobile till the town was able to contract a few giant hough's to dig out the roads.
 
I was working 2nd shift at the time it had been snowing heavily all day, At 11pm when the shift was over we went out to try, and locate our vehicles in the parking lot. There was already 30 inchs of snow on the sidewalks With monster drifts everywhere. None of us could tell exactly where are vehicles were. I had to stay in the building overnight, and till mid day till they dug my toyota wolverine 4x4 out with their huge loaders. I was barely able to drive it home on narrow opened one lane roads. Only emergency vehicles were allowed to use these town roads for at least 3 days.
 
10 years in Indiana, that is 2 states removed from I, an ezpz days drive across the heartland
probably never even routinely rinsed off and made sure frame drain holes were clear and clean
i am trying to spot an eye on dirt that fell out of the cracks

i believe the mileage stated was just shy of 150k fwiw
 
There are a few spots on the frame showing signs of rust through possibly compromising the integrity.

Only a professional mechanic could evaluate. I'd recommend a Toyota mechanic who is familiar with the frame issues to inspect. The knuckleheads at the local Quicky Lube won't know squat.....
 
That frame i would say by the pics has seen better days likely needing replacement. I've seen tacoma frames in better shape at the dealer here in connecticut get condemned.
 
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