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Is This a Bad Buy? Rust Assessment?

Discussion in '2nd Gen Tundras (2007-2013)' started by Can Can, Jul 21, 2021.

  1. Jul 21, 2021 at 12:52 PM
    #1
    Can Can

    Can Can [OP] New Member

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    Howdy folks. Looking at a 2008 Toyota Tundra limited 6ft bed with 125,000 miles on it. Was feeling excited about looking at/buying the truck until I asked for photos of the frame. The truck is located about 6 hours away from me so if I were to make the trip to it I would essentially be buying it. I’m no expert at assessing frame rust but it doesn’t look terrible, however it doesn’t look great either. There are one or two locations that I am afraid of and wanted your guys opinion. They’re asking a fairish price for it (wish I bought a used truck last year). Thanks in advance for any information/opinions.
     
  2. Jul 21, 2021 at 12:57 PM
    #2
    blackoutt

    blackoutt YEAH BUDDY!

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    It looks like it was coated with the Toyota goop per the recall. If it had frame perforations it would have gotten a new frame. They didn't spray my rear axle when they did my 07 though so maybe a cover up job by the dealer too? No way to know without poking with a screwdriver everywhere for yourself. Assuming this is a northern truck, you'll have a hard time getting any bolts out underneath anyway. I'm also going to assume it has the bed floor rust issue, did you get pictures of the bed floor around the mounting bolts? Lift up plastic liner if there is one and it'll be obvious. Spray on liner will only mask it for so long since it bubbles up from the underside where the bed crossmembers weren't seam sealed correctly at the bed floor joint in front and behind of the rear wheel wells.
     
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  3. Jul 21, 2021 at 2:13 PM
    #3
    Barrett50

    Barrett50 New Member

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    What @blackoutt said, and I’d add that the frame looks solid in pics but I’d be really worried about the rocker panels and doors from rust creeping up from those stupid running board mounts. To me, that looks the most concerning. Agree that pics of bed mounts are a must as well.
    Where is it? Maybe someone can look at it for you and get better pics etc.
    If that’s all you have to go by, I wouldn’t drive 12 hours.
     
  4. Jul 21, 2021 at 2:17 PM
    #4
    Bradleybb

    Bradleybb New Member

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    It could be a problem you don’t want , plenty used ones for sale here in
    GA , no rust
     
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  5. Jul 21, 2021 at 2:31 PM
    #5
    Barrett50

    Barrett50 New Member

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    Good point. If you’re thinking of driving 6 hours, you could fly anywhere in the states in that amount of time for same $
     
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  6. Jul 21, 2021 at 4:21 PM
    #6
    PhotoNerd

    PhotoNerd New Member

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    Waterford, CT
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    2008 Salsa Red Tundra DC SR5 4x4
    Chrome delete, Sequioa grill, bed lights, LED + head, fog & tail lights, Dynamat throughout, front & rear cameras, Pheonix PX6 13" head unit, 8" subwoofer, JBL speaker upgrades, tonneau cover, custom shifter, steering wheel cover
    That looks GREAT to me. Definitely better than my CT '08 did when I bought it. Much of that looks like mud that's stuck to the frame.

    When I bought mine I ground off all the rust and covered it in rust converter. Probably took me 40 hours but it was a labor of love.

    739F0742-7A4A-4568-A64B-59FF755C843B.jpg

    24AB9ECB-9015-4818-A5E5-6BEDB049439C.jpg

    It dries black.

    But I wouldn't travel 6 hours for it, personally.
     
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  7. Jul 22, 2021 at 8:36 AM
    #7
    Can Can

    Can Can [OP] New Member

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    Thank all of you so much for the beta. Asked for more photos of the bed and it looked like they took out all of the rust and re-plated the bed then put in a spray bed liner. You guys are right and I have decided not to buy it. Thanks a ton!
     
  8. Jul 22, 2021 at 8:44 AM
    #8
    TheBeast

    TheBeast The Beach

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    fly to any southwesters states and make a road trip back :)
     
  9. Jul 22, 2021 at 8:44 AM
    #9
    panicman

    panicman Everyone remain calm.

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    Sounds like you made the right choice.

    If anyone had to do a rust restoration on a vehicle I was considering, I would want to see their documentation.

    There are several painstaking approaches to dealing with rust, and they all must be done correctly or it’s just a hack job and the damage continues under the coating that hides the problems.

    People who do it right typically photodocument the project.
     
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  10. Jul 22, 2021 at 6:21 PM
    #10
    Dr_Al

    Dr_Al New Member

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    Just an FYI, buying out of state isn't that easy. If you fly with the intent on buying then you're committed or you'll be buying an expensive ticket to fly back. While Toyotas are good they aren't perfect and they are owned by humans. You could find a garage that could send someone to go look at it for an independent assessment. You also need to look at the carfax to find out where the truck has lived. Lots of rust belt trucks end up down south to extend their lives. Then there's the stuff carfax doesn't know about. If there were a boatload of Tundras available then you could just go from dealer to dealer looking at them until you find one you want. But that's not the case. As someone who flew to South Carolina to get a rust free Tundra I'm speaking from experience. If you have a friend or family member in a rust free area so you can focus there that helps a lot.
     
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  11. Jul 23, 2021 at 7:18 AM
    #11
    Can Can

    Can Can [OP] New Member

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    Yes no doubt. Unfortunately I’m forced to buy out of state. I’m in the northern US and there are not many options near me and the ones that’s are near ready are not reasonably priced. I’m without a doubt being cautious because I have made the mistake of buying out of state and getting screwed by rust. Hopefully one pops up near me. Anyone on this thread from the S/SW and know of a good 4x4 tundra? Looking for an 05 and up. I just got out of college and the max I can spend is 20k. Not looking to finance as I have to pay off my student loans first.
     
    Cg13055 likes this.
  12. Jul 23, 2021 at 8:26 AM
    #12
    Shamrock92

    Shamrock92 New Member

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    This ones been decided - but be wary of the “buy from a Southern/Southwestern state” to avoid a rust bucket logic.

    Yes - in general a vehicle that’s spent it’s life in a “no winter salt” environment will look cleaner in general - but a. No guarantees that’s where the truck spent it’s life and b. Rust is only part of the equation.

    Id rather a slightly rusted frame and a mechanically perfect vehicle vs a rust free non running truck. Some sellers know every little trick it seems and will run with it on an inexperienced buyer.

    Worst case - if your buying from over 5 hours drive it or flying in - find a good independent shop locally and invest in 2 hours of a pros time to look it over for you. Cheaper than a plane ticket and saves you a lot of headaches.
     
    Barrett50 likes this.
  13. Jul 23, 2021 at 8:53 AM
    #13
    socaldiablo

    socaldiablo New Member

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    Hi, new to this forum and just bought my first Tundra a month ago. Was there a recall for undercarriage rust? I tried searching online but nothing about this came up. Recalls are typically for safety-related issues. Did you mean TSB?
    Thanks,
    Steve
     
  14. Jul 25, 2021 at 1:36 PM
    #14
    Jim LE 1301

    Jim LE 1301 Camaro Lover, SSEM # 11,TTC#179

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    Go to Toyota's website and click on Owners and put in your VIN# and you will get all the information about your Tundra.
     
  15. Jul 25, 2021 at 1:47 PM
    #15
    andnyleswillriot

    andnyleswillriot Not Remote Working

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    What did you use to grind it off?
     
  16. Jul 25, 2021 at 7:54 PM
    #16
    PhotoNerd

    PhotoNerd New Member

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    Wire brushes on an angle grinder and drill. The more powerful angle grinder was quicker on larger surfaces like the frame, and I used the drill bit brushes to get to the corners.
     
  17. Jul 29, 2021 at 5:15 PM
    #17
    bugless47

    bugless47 New Member

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    Do you have any after pic? Do you have more details of your process?
     
  18. Jul 29, 2021 at 6:19 PM
    #18
    PhotoNerd

    PhotoNerd New Member

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    I'll take some pics and make a thread tomorrow.
     
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  19. Jul 30, 2021 at 3:56 PM
    #19
    bugless47

    bugless47 New Member

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    I have a 2014 Tundra (upgraded from my 2001 Tundra.) that I purchased used this past spring. It came from Canada (salt and snow). How bad am I off with this amount of rust? I want to scrape an prevent more rust but it seems that every screw is rusted.

    8AF1AE6C-E5E5-4EB1-90D8-9A70EA1086FB.jpg
    45FA44B4-9DA8-489F-8E0A-A5A75D077308.jpg
    816FD30A-7FCC-466E-ACD0-C63C27EF46BD.jpg
    67258FE9-32A8-4521-A499-ED015ECDB43A.jpg
     
  20. Jul 30, 2021 at 4:34 PM
    #20
    GreatBasinTundra

    GreatBasinTundra Beer Me!

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    The frame looks like most can be cleaned up. I would replace all the suspension bolts/nuts and alignment cams. The door rust will continue to be an issue unless you find where it ends, which means a repaint of the panel.
     
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  21. Aug 11, 2021 at 8:59 AM
    #21
    bugless47

    bugless47 New Member

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    Thanks!! I will try that.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2021
  22. Aug 15, 2021 at 6:22 PM
    #22
    ICECOLDBEER

    ICECOLDBEER New Member

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    After you wire wheeled and applied rust converter did you use some sort of paint? Mine looks terrible underneath. Would like to try and clean it up a bit.

    When I got it there was this black almost bed liner type stuff sprayed on it. Now two years later its all flaked off and I think made things worse then if it would have been left alone. Not sure if it was Toyota that did that or a sleazy used car sales tactic.

    What years did Toyota do frame coatings/replacements on Tundra?
     
  23. Aug 16, 2021 at 11:57 AM
    #23
    PhotoNerd

    PhotoNerd New Member

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    I didn't paint over the rust converter because (based on what I've read) the paint will trap the moisture and any rust you didn't successfully remove or convert can worsen and rot hidden... Which might be what happened with your truck.

    What I've seen with the rust converter is that the rust will come through it visibly and pretty quickly if you didn't get it all.

    Painting over it would look better but the rust converter just looks like black paint from a distance. The visible part of the wheel wells definitely looks WAY better than the rust did.
     
  24. Aug 21, 2021 at 12:13 AM
    #24
    panicman

    panicman Everyone remain calm.

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    In my experience, the rust converters actually make a good substrate for paint adhesion; they actually perform as a primer coat would, and yes, they turn matte black where the rust is converted.

    On restorations I have done, I have applied the rust converter after wire wheeling and sanding the rust area, then used a red Scotchbrite pad to smooth the surface. That area was then primed and painted with the rest of the vehicle. My most recent project car has single stage paint and none of the areas I treated as described have shown any evidence of failure after 8 years.
     
  25. Aug 21, 2021 at 5:12 AM
    #25
    fixnfly

    fixnfly New Member

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    Vehicles from the south have different issues.
    Faded paint, brittle plastic, floods, hurricanes.
     
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  26. Aug 21, 2021 at 6:50 PM
    #26
    Dr_Al

    Dr_Al New Member

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    I would take a true southern truck over a rusty northern one any day of the week. I've spent too much time trying to remove rusted bolts that snapped. Just trying to repair something simple turns into an adventure. I can't tell you the number of pins I've had to drill out that hold the brake pads in place.
     
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  27. Sep 27, 2021 at 12:45 PM
    #27
    Ajalmazan1

    Ajalmazan1 Actually likes chrome

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    What rust converter did you use? Got a few problems spots I want to hit before they become a big issue
     
  28. Sep 27, 2021 at 5:38 PM
    #28
    PhotoNerd

    PhotoNerd New Member

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