85 PICKUP

I was looking at an 07 Tacoma TRD at a local dealer and noticed that some of the suspension components and axles had light surface rust.

I was born and raised here in Oregon where we dont salt the roads so forgive my ignorance but is this normal? The truck is Certified and was bought new in Reno, NV so I was puzzled when I saw this.

I didnt see any other signs of rust and the truck was really clean. I spoke to the service dept and they felt it wasnt uncommon. I dunno, my 94 Jeep has zero rust on the undercarriage and they are really prone to having rust issues.

William

Some surface rust is normal, since suspension, axles, etc. don't get painted quite as thoroughly as the body does.

My truck has some very slight surface rust on the undercarriage, but you would have to look pretty close to see it.

Even though Oregon doesn't use salt, the truck may have been used near the coast or on a beach. I have seen a few vehicles here in Florida like that, and most come from up north, or were driven on a beach in Florida (despite there not being many beaches that can be driven on). And it may not take many exposures to salt to cause surface rust on the undercarriage.

It's possible the parts of Nevada that get snow may use salt on the roads, and the truck may have been driven there.

If the surface rust is as noticeable as you make it sound, you may want to consider using the rust as a tool to negotiate a lower price. You can indicate to the salesman your concern about any potential for future body or frame rust.

Once you buy it, you can take it to a car wash and do a thorough pressure wash, blasting any potential salt deposits out of every crack and crevice in the frame, undercarriage, and up inside the bed and body. This may be enough to prevent or reduce the chances of future rust.

The body may be okay after a good cleaning, since Toyota seems to do a good job of building and rust proofing their bodies.