2011 4R with rust? Help!

cory15000 · Aug 28, 2020

Hi All,

I made the questionable decision of buying a 4R from out of province (they are so damn expensive in BC) without seeing it in person and thought I had done the proper due diligence: had it inspected by a mechanic, had a family member inspect it and take it for a drive, etc...But a few things slipped under the radar, and if i'm being honest I probably wouldn't have caught them myself. Unfortunately in this case, the issues are related to rust.

The areas are:

1) Starting on the front and rear driver side doors around the bottom seams. The pictures are of the rear door interior and exterior.

2) Cracks near the gas tank. Picture attached.

I took it by a local body shop yesterday and he pretty much said I am SOL unless I want to spend a good chunk of money, ie. replacing the door, cutting out the area around the gas tank. He did mention that I could bandaid the doors by giving them a light sand and covering with Pro Form or something similar. Not the worst idea but I am curious if anyone else has had this issue with their 4R and what you've done to patch it/ repair it? I am also not really sure how to prevent the gas tank area from getting worse or if there is some sort of sealant that I can try applying? This area is more of a concern for me.

I was so caught up on Land Cruisers prior to 4Runner's (4R's seemed way out of my price range) that I overlooked the fact that 4R's are susceptible to rust as well. Other then these, the 4R has been awesome; clocked 2K KM between Alberta and BC on the way home and loved it!

Thank you for your help!