With winter closing in I stopped up to the dealer body shop to fix some small rust spots around the edges of plastic Prius door sill plate on the drivers side. I dropped it off at 9:00 and ten minutes ago the service writer just called and said they removed the plastic piece on the door sill and underneath it was much worse than they thought. He told me to add another hour to the repair bill due to additional work involved. He said he took pictures due to the extent of the corrosion. He said he has never seen a Prius rust in this particular location before. BTW there is no rust anywhere else on the vehicle. Anyone else have this particular problem with their 2010 third gen? This is a garage kept vehicle.
It's possible that the rusted sill is a replacement part not properly installed or that has been damaged in some manner to expose metal thus the rust.
If the dealer statement is true get a copy of the invoice and payment receipt and photos and contact Toyota Corporate. I had a problem a few years back with an Acura MDX rear latch and they reimbursed me in full. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Make sure your repair shop uses a One Step rust converter primer for the repair area. This will eliminate further rust propagation . It converts rust into a primer that will just about guarantee no more problems.
Post pictures if and when you can. I've got something similar I think, called: Rust-Mort? It's acidic. Instruction is to brush off loose rust, but leave some, apply the stuff and it sort of etches and converts the rust to a stable patina.
They sell "rust converter" by Rustoleum at Home Depot here in Edmonton. Used it on the FJ Cruiser. Seems to work well. I haven't seen any rust on the Prius but I also haven't removed the plastic lately. Pearl S does get driven when the snow/ice is not too bad, though this winter I'm trying to put kms on the FJ and not on the Prius. For insurance purposes. The FJ is driven in winter and parked in an unheated garage. The problem with parking in a garage is humidity buildup. If it's a heated garage it can also cause corrosion to happen all winter, instead of when it's above freezing, but that may not apply in Pittsburgh. It warmed up here yesterday, and I drove about 5-10 km on the messy streets. This morning I had a lake in the garage!
Honda Manuals used to discuss that, saying "if" you're driving infrequently, there's advantages to heated garage. But if you're driving near daily, then the heated garage will end up accelerating rusting.
Thanks guys. It is a semi heated garage meaning it stays about 15 degrees warmer than outside during the winter. If it's 20 degrees outside then it is around 35 in the garage. I'll see if the shop will email me the pictures when I pick it up tomorrow. They body shop is suppose to send the car down to service tomorrow when they're done, so the snows can be installed and get it's bi-annual oil change. I'm the original owner and it all the panels are original and it has never been hit. I'll definitely send the bill into Toyota and see if they'll reimburse me for the repair. This car has been serviced 100% at the dealer so that should count for something. The repair is going to be under $200 so we'll see.
my garage is almost always moist, and i wouldn't be surprised if there are accelerated rust issues. my rotors are almost always noisy when backing out, and the longer it sits in there, the worse it gets.
i would if there was a good idea that might help. i have 4 problems: 1) floor pitches to the back. 2) rain off car when pulling in. 3) snow off car when pulling in. 4) when it rains and/or high humidity, the concrete gets very moist. i try to keep the doors closed as much as possible in this weather, but it's almost unavoidable.
would i love to! 12 years here, and we'll likely be moving in the next 5 or so. i'll let someone else deal with it. i just remodeled the whole inside of the garage, and i'm going to put down rubber floor tiles in the spring with drain slots, so at least we're not walking in it, and can put stuff on the floor.
This is what was designed into our garage in California (and many we saw when house hunting 3 years ago): Ceiling of garage: Base of the garage: This is common out here but not so much in other parts of the country. Maybe in the next 5 years you'll see it for yourself @bisco !
Garage floors are designed to pitch to the back, e.g. slightly down hill. The slabs are built that way, at least here.
Just because your car is garaged doesn't mean it's not subject to rust.Espcielly if the garage is damp also didn't you say your Prius has door gaurd edges?If so I've been told they and wheel well guards are the worst things to install on any vehicle because water gets trapped under them causing rust. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I think it helps a lot though. Just walking our dog this morning, all the cars street parked are covered in frost. If it was any warmer they'd be dripping dew. Ours is garage stored, dry as a bone. It's a wood frame structure, unheated, wood garage door, so guess it breathes good. Maybe even a carport keeps the dew off, not sure. The engine compartment looks like new too. The suspension components, any low down fasteners, metal: seem to rust-up fast though. Not too impressed.
