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Taking it to body shop tomorrow to check if it can be fixed!
You'd be smart to take it back to the place you bought it, right away, and see what they can do. A rotted frame is a safety issue and should've been something they addressed with you as a buyer, from a reputable place at least.
Start there and if they have no interest in making it right, then decide if you want to keep it as your problem or fight it further. Depending on your state's laws, there should be some options to lean on before paying out of pocket for something so sketchy.
plenty of pro shop reviews online with video that show Krown works. What does that even mean-it didn’t do any damage, lol?
Rubber can be damaged by certain types of oils.
I’ll post my review in the spring after a NJ winter. I don’t trust people who say “I know a guy.” You either see the before (application day) and after (inspection after winter) or go home. In all honesty, I see plenty of FF posts stating the same thing. The only option is to try and see how it does.
I saw it first hand, before and after. Hopefully you have better luck.
So, I got under the truck today and sprayed everything I could off with my hose (all the car washes were closed). I am planning on going to a car wash tomorrow or the day after as soon as they open. While I was under the car I noticed that I actually have a few tiny tiny rust spots on the frame itself. I found this weird considering I have owned the car since new in 2014 and I know for a fact it has never left Texas and has only ever been in Houston or Austin. Are these tiny rust spots typical on most trucks that are 7-8 years or older even in states that are not in the rust belt? I'm in it for the long haul with my GX as I plan to keep it till I can't buy gasoline anymore lol. Thanks for the help guys.
So, I got under the truck today and sprayed everything I could off with my hose (all the car washes were closed). I am planning on going to a car wash tomorrow or the day after as soon as they open. While I was under the car I noticed that I actually have a few tiny tiny rust spots on the frame itself. I found this weird considering I have owned the car since new in 2014 and I know for a fact it has never left Texas and has only ever been in Houston or Austin. Are these tiny rust spots typical on most trucks that are 7-8 years or older even in states that are not in the rust belt? I'm in it for the long haul with my GX as I plan to keep it till I can't buy gasoline anymore lol. Thanks for the help guys.
It sounds like light surface corrosion, which would be zero cause for concern.
BTW, Houston may not be the rust belt but as mentioned, the gulf salt water can do some damage to vehicles that get used in that area for a long time. It should never progress past the point of some light corrosion, nothing threatening the integrity of the vehicle, purely cosmetic, for argument sake. If it bothers you a little, feel free to wire brush the surface rust off, degrease and spray a bit of quality spray paint in those areas.
I live in Colorado, we have snow, salt and de-icer on the roads. I do absolutely zero to protect my underside, except wash it sometimes. This all from someone who has made their living preventing steel from corroding, for many many years.
If you’re concerned, go the fluid film route folks recommended. In my professional opinion, it’d be an overreaction and waste of money for any Texas based vehicle. That said, it’s your money, spend it on what makes you worry less.
It sounds like light surface corrosion, which would be zero cause for concern.
BTW, Houston may not be the rust belt but as mentioned, the gulf salt water can do some damage to vehicles that get used in that area for a long time. It should never progress past the point of some light corrosion, nothing threatening the integrity of the vehicle, purely cosmetic, for argument sake. If it bothers you a little, feel free to wire brush the surface rust off, degrease and spray a bit of quality spray paint in those areas.
I live in Colorado, we have snow, salt and de-icer on the roads. I do absolutely zero to protect my underside, except wash it sometimes. This all from someone who has made their living preventing steel from corroding, for many many years.
If you’re concerned, go the fluid film route folks recommended. In my professional opinion, it’d be an overreaction and waste of money for any Texas based vehicle. That said, it’s your money, spend it on what makes you worry less.
Thanks, you've given me some peace of mind lol, I've got a service appointment on Monday so I will ask about it then but I am sure it's nothing at this point.
You'd be smart to take it back to the place you bought it, right away, and see what they can do. A rotted frame is a safety issue and should've been something they addressed with you as a buyer, from a reputable place at least.
Start there and if they have no interest in making it right, then decide if you want to keep it as your problem or fight it further. Depending on your state's laws, there should be some options to lean on before paying out of pocket for something so sketchy.
A few issues with that. First, the dealership is over two hours away in NJ. Second, I just put new Pirelli tires on it and refinished the wheels. That is when I discovered the problem. Third, I don't think they are a reputable dealer. The TPMS light was on when I pulled out of the dealers lot. I asked them to check the tires and they said they were ok. As soon as I checked them myself, they had 75 psi in the tires! Lucky they didn't blow up. F***kers
Took it to frame guy and he said the rest of the frame looks ok and $150 to weld new bottom plate. Also wondering if I should replace the front radiator support/guard it is rusted pretty bad. didn't realize they are like 300.
I've done the Krown treatment the last 2 years on my 2018 GX. But first I spoke with my Lexus service manager and shop foreman to confirm that it was OK and would not present any issues with my L/Certified warranty. All good.
I'm looking at buying a used GX for my cabin in Vermont, is rust a common issue on the GX460?? Up there I've seen only 2 or 3 year old new cars start to rust. Very tough on cars up there.
I'm looking at buying a used GX for my cabin in Vermont, is rust a common issue on the GX460?? Up there I've seen only 2 or 3 year old new cars start to rust. Very tough on cars up there.
rust will occur within days of driving in salt! rust is problem on all cars and esp suvs with bof. check any car u buy, even new. my wifes new car had rust all over underbody when we brought home. it was taken back to dealer and i got a brand new one. apparently was transported in winter and truck probably splashed up salt from snow covered snows up onto carrier and on the cars
I recently bought a 2012 with 96k that spent it's 9 years in Pittsburgh. I noticed rust all over the bottom when I checked it out, but nothing had eaten through. It wasn't a deal breaker, but we're going to be taking the truck on the beach quite a bit in the summer so I knew I had to address it or it would quickly get out of hand.
I took it to a local shop, they quoted me for $975 to grind off surface rust and spray Raptor bedliner on the bottom. DO NOT DO THIS! I later learned that Bedliner/rubberized coatings will damage your car.
After hearing their procedure, my first thought was how will I know if they really got rid of the rust (crucial step!!)?? If they spray textured coating on everything I won't be able to tell what is a rust spot underneath. So I did some research and found that those coatings actually trap moisture and rust inside of the metal and it rots from the inside out.
I found a different place 2.5 hours away that is more of an undercoating specialist. Their process is the following:
1.) Grind off surface rust using grinders.
2.) Soak any remaining spots and inside of frame rails etc with a rust converter. This is like "Rust Mort" you can see videos of on youtube. As some have discussed above, it converts rust chemically into a black powder that is inert can be painted. This cures overnight.
3.) Pump cavity wax into the frame rails, door jambs, etc and coat everything with it.
4.) After the cavity wax cures, they tape off every that "moves or gets hot" and spray their rustproofing undercoating on everything.
The actual rustproofing package (steps 3 and 4) is $599. Since I have existing rust they have to grind at $99/hr, the owner said it almost never takes more than 2 hours.
They also said the initial coating is backed by a ten year warranty, but I can come back for a touch-up once a year for $69 and they guarantee I will never have to deal with rust for as long as I own the vehicle if I follow that regime.
Total estimate: $799
So, for less than the cost of a new pair of economy tires, I can get my 9 year old rust belt truck free of rust and protected from future rust for 10 years.
Reminds me of elsewhere on this forum, a guy was going back and forth between a GX 460 with 90k and rust on the underside and one with 160k but clean underneath. Someone responded saying "Don't touch the rusty one! I'd definitely go with higher mileage, no rust!" (I'm paraphrasing) Now imagine instead of rust it had older tires, since the cost to fix is comparable. Would you really buy a car with 70k extra miles because it had newer tires than the other one?!😂😂
Conclusion: Rust can destroy your car and it's something we all fear, especially when buying pre-owned. I knew going in that it would be my biggest concern since I will be driving on the beach. I did plenty of research and YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL! That first shop I went to would have changed me $1000 to have my car frame destroyed in a few years! Find a place that SPECIALIZES IN RUST, get your car cleaned and rustproofed and forget about it.
Ive attached some pics of the underside. I take the truck in Tuesday and pick it up Saturday. I will post "after" pics when I get it back.
Keep in mind that there is no such thing as “rustproofing” a vehicle that will be actively driven, especially on the beach. Regardless of how much wax gets applied inside the frame rail, it will never be able to cover all services and it will not reverse the course of oxidation that has already started. I’m not trying to rain on your parade, but you should have realistic expectations that this is only going to slow the process, not stop it.
Keep in mind that there is no such thing as “rustproofing” a vehicle that will be actively driven, especially on the beach. Regardless of how much wax gets applied inside the frame rail, it will never be able to cover all services and it will not reverse the course of oxidation that has already started. I’m not trying to rain on your parade, but you should have realistic expectations that this is only going to slow the process, not stop it.
The rust converter stops oxidation and will be applied into the rails. Check out the youtube videos of "Rust Mort", it is an acidic solution that changes iron oxide chemically into iron phosphate, an inert compound. It won't add metal to areas that have been eaten at, but it does stop the damage process and cures to form a substrate for undercoating.
Some of the pics members posted above of their rust-proofed, fluid filmed rigs seem pretty rust free to me. Now they might not be starting with rust like I am, so I will have to keep an eye on mine and go back for a retreatment every 5 years or so, but I definitely think it's possible to keep a vehicle rust free esp. if starting with a new car. My neighbor has a land rover from the 70s he takes on the beach every year. By your calculations his truck should be a pile of dust but it looks fine to me. 🤷🏼♀️
The place I went uses Noxudol chemicals. They are a swedish company and have several locations in the northeast and around the country. Apparently they train the shops that use their chemicals/process and guarantee it is the same anywhere in the country and offer a ten year warranty on the rustproofing.
The rust converter stops oxidation and will be applied into the rails. Check out the youtube videos of "Rust Mort", it is an acidic solution that changes iron oxide chemically into iron phosphate, an inert compound. It won't add metal to areas that have been eaten at, but it does stop the damage process and cures to form a substrate for undercoating.
Some of the pics members posted above of their rust-proofed, fluid filmed rigs seem pretty rust free to me. Now they might not be starting with rust like I am, so I will have to keep an eye on mine and go back for a retreatment every 5 years or so, but I definitely think it's possible to keep a vehicle rust free esp. if starting with a new car. My neighbor has a land rover from the 70s he takes on the beach every year. By your calculations his truck should be a pile of dust but it looks fine to me. 🤷🏼♀️
The place I went uses Noxudol chemicals. They are a swedish company and have several locations in the northeast and around the country. Apparently they train the shops that use their chemicals/process and guarantee it is the same anywhere in the country and offer a ten year warranty on the rustproofing.
I am certainly interested in how it turns out. Do they have other shops around the country they supply? I'm in Delaware. Here's the frame repair I just got done for $150. Well worth it to me and I also replaced the rusted out radiator support skid plate. I found a dealer that shipped it to me for $200 ($400 list)
I am certainly interested in how it turns out. Do they have other shops around the country they supply? I'm in Delaware. Here's the frame repair I just got done for $150. Well worth it to me and I also replaced the rusted out radiator support skid plate. I found a dealer that shipped it to me for $200 ($400 list)
I'll post some before and after tomorrow when I pick up the truck. The Noxudol website has a search function to find authorized locations where they use their process/chemicals. I think there is one outside Philadelphia. My skid plates looked sooo bad, I was going to replace them also, but I'm waiting to see how the treatment turns out. I think I'm missing the metal cover of the kdss pump, but I found it online for like $60. (Part # 48827-60060)
I'm really glad that you got your frame fixed spineman! It looks really good and didn't cost much to repair. It seems like rust is something that can send a car to an early grave if unchecked, but getting it under control doesn't necessarily break the bank if you go to people who are honest and know what they are doing. This forum really taught me a lot as well as youtube. I'm like obsessed with rust now, my friend said "just" and I was like "did you say rust?!"🥴
Hi All, Not sure if this has been covered in another thread or not. After 12 months deciding which truck/SUV to get, 6 months deciding on the color/options and 3 months finding it, I took delivery of a 2021 GX 460, Atomic Silver/Rioja, BASE. With just 4 miles on the clock, I was eager to put my personal touch on it. First was a tow hitch from CURT. So while I was under the GX, I noticed a huge amount of surface rust and corrosion/pitting on most of the exposed metal, aluminum, and some painted surfaces.
This was purchased at a premier Lexus dealership this month in the northeast, so I assume no water/flood damage would have been the result. Will be taking it to my local Lexus dealership in Atlanta for them to inspect it. Anyone out there in CL land run into this before with such a new Lexus?
02-18-21, 12:46 PM
