HBoss

Heavy rainfall the past 2 days. Was driving yesterday and when I came to a red light I noticed some drippage from the driver-side A pillar. One spot on the plastic wasn't flush and water must have slid forward when I was braking. It dripped on the tweeter and a little on the door.

So I get where I'm going, open the door and look at the rubber molding above the door, stuck to the vehicle (not the molding on the door itself). It is no longer flush with the top of the vehicle frame apparently. So I pull it away from the vehicle to have a look. To my dismay, there is rust and paint chipping under that molding in the "rain duct" (don't know what else to call it). Basically it's a lip to hang the rubber molding off of, but collects water beautifully if the rubber molding is not fully sealed. Don't know how the paint chipping happened, but the rust explanation is obvious. Wonder how long that rubber molding has not been flush to the vehicle.

I go get some "rust fix" and adhesive/sealant for the task at hand. I spray "rust fix" generously in my humid parkade. As a result of the humidity, it takes forever to dry. I wipe a lot of it after a few minutes and it rubs away the rust for me. Cool. Then I spray again and leave it. Come back 2 hours later and it's still not dry.

So anyway I wait until the morning and it's mostly dry. I apply the touch up paint and wait a few minutes. That dries so I squeeze the adhesive/sealant into the "rain duct" and spread it in there. Holds in a few minutes, fully cures in about 6 hours. Used the same thing to re-seal the rubber molding.

Hope this works. I'll let you all know how the rust fix holds up when I check under there again in a month or two.

Moral of the story:

Check the weather-stripping rubber moldings above your doors periodically and make sure they are flush & sealed properly so water doesn't get in, sit there and rust out your vehicle. It's a rust trap. Take it off and inspect the paint & metal underneath too, it's really easy to take off/put back on.

Hope this helps fight the battle against rust.

Al

rimpainter.com

Hey Al-

Most Toyota's have an extended rust and corrosion protection warranty. You may want to check into that.

Not sure what your mileage is, but hey its worth a shot.

(I know you have a 97 so its not likely)