Rear Bumper removal - under panel discovery....
05-20-13, 05:53 PM
#1
Rear Bumper removal - under panel discovery....
Ok…while removing my bumper to install the Wald rear diffuser…… I discovered to my horror 
…..(after 100,000 miles and almost 5 years)
…Massive road and tire debris, tar and industrial fall out from brake dust caked on the under panels on each side was the worst and also along the back above the crash bar.
I couldn’t in good conscience put the bumper back on without cleaning this up.
I also pulled out the panel vents/ drains and cleaned inside of the panel…apparently this drains stuff from the trunk, Cause this is what I found inside of the vent?
Items found inside of the vent pocket
I also found this weird looking rusted out bracket, must be associated with rear parking sensors, as I first thought it maybe was put there by the previous owner, but when I removed it, I saw it was engineered to fit in its place by Toyota.
For clean up… I started with some clay bar and lubricant…nope.
Then moved on to some Castrol Superclean to see if it would dissolve the tar better…nope.
I then landed on some “NeverDull, soft Steel wool cotton wadding…this did the trick.
I then used a paint sealer and coated the panels to make the next clean up easier.
I’m not saying that your car will be like mine…..but I’m glad I found it before the rot sets in.
Happy to be back together
Thanks for looking.
Digger08
…..(after 100,000 miles and almost 5 years)
…Massive road and tire debris, tar and industrial fall out from brake dust caked on the under panels on each side was the worst and also along the back above the crash bar.
I couldn’t in good conscience put the bumper back on without cleaning this up.
I also pulled out the panel vents/ drains and cleaned inside of the panel…apparently this drains stuff from the trunk, Cause this is what I found inside of the vent?
Items found inside of the vent pocket
I also found this weird looking rusted out bracket, must be associated with rear parking sensors, as I first thought it maybe was put there by the previous owner, but when I removed it, I saw it was engineered to fit in its place by Toyota.
For clean up… I started with some clay bar and lubricant…nope.
Then moved on to some Castrol Superclean to see if it would dissolve the tar better…nope.
I then landed on some “NeverDull, soft Steel wool cotton wadding…this did the trick.
I then used a paint sealer and coated the panels to make the next clean up easier.
I’m not saying that your car will be like mine…..but I’m glad I found it before the rot sets in.
Happy to be back together
Thanks for looking.
Digger08
Last edited by digger08; 05-22-13 at 07:29 AM.
05-20-13, 08:30 PM
#3
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
I would have tried Iron-X on those spots. Looks like hot brake pad material just like we see on the wheels.
I noticed a lot of junk collecting in this space - wet leaves, road debris, and other junk you would not want to remain resident. That bracket looks really bad though, like it was never protected at all.
I noticed a lot of junk collecting in this space - wet leaves, road debris, and other junk you would not want to remain resident. That bracket looks really bad though, like it was never protected at all.
Wow crazy find! After all those years I guess it really builds up under there. Diffuser looks good
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05-21-13, 09:09 AM
#10
I would have tried Iron-X on those spots. Looks like hot brake pad material just like we see on the wheels.
I noticed a lot of junk collecting in this space - wet leaves, road debris, and other junk you would not want to remain resident. That bracket looks really bad though, like it was never protected at all.
I noticed a lot of junk collecting in this space - wet leaves, road debris, and other junk you would not want to remain resident. That bracket looks really bad though, like it was never protected at all.
Looks good though! Nice of you to actually worry about cleaning those areas up. Most people wouldn't care enough to clean the non-visible areas of the car.
05-21-13, 10:16 AM
#12
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
That weird rusted out bracket is a mount for the wire harness for the parking sensors. If you don't have them, you can remove it entirely.
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