SSGX

Dear Members
i am struggling a lot to keep or sell or try and return back 2007 Lexus GX 470 i bought on an auction site because of rusty frame
can some one please help me
is this too much of rust or this is common ?
it doesn't start also as of now
i paid 10,000

asticot

Looks like a northern vehicle to me. Most on here would say not to purchase such a vehicle, but sometimes beggars can’t be choosers. It looks to me like it’s surface rust and here in Canada that condition is pretty common for a vehicle of this age that hasn’t had any undercoating treatment. I would remove the surface rust, repaint and then start undercoating. If there is frame damage that’s another story.

more concerning is the no start. I assume it was a salvage auction, do you have a cause for no start?

not sure what auction terms and conditions are for returns but if they advertised a pristine vehicle that is operable and you got this that would be misrepresentation and possibly fraud. Sorry to say, but 10k is pretty high for a no start vehicle, with body work issues, surface rust (which will take hours to clear up) and potentially other problems.

LeX2K

There are areas of the frame that are progressing beyond minor rust. I would not buy this GX.

SSGX

asticot ,
Thank you very much for the reply
i bought it on copart . its a clean title , advertised as runs and drives with miner dents
i am not too sure what's the root cause for no start . i got the vehicle yesterday . will try and take it to a mechanic

RockfordRX

It will need exhaust work too as the tailpipe is disconnected from the back of the muffler, but that is minor issue compared to the no start of unknown cause. If it has less than 100-120k miles, I'd say it is still a decent deal. It looks like it may have been neglected though. The rear diff fill bolt is leaking, with is a chip fix when you will baseline the truck and replace all the fluids.
Keep us informed what you find out on a no-start issue. If you are planning to build an overland , you won't need that rear bumper anyway as you can replace it with an aftermarket off-road bumper with swing out spare tire carrier and other accessories carrier.
Considering the current used car market, $10k for an easily fixable GX is a good deal. The one with around 120k miles in good condition is worth about double that right now, and its not fact that you still don't have to percale all fluids, belts, suspension, etc. It's all in perspective.

SSGX

RockfordRX,

thanks you very much for the reply , its 155000 miles . so if i get the rust cleaned up and coated you think its a safe car to drive? .
i am more worried about rust around shock mounts


do you think a simple rust cleaning should be good enough ? if there are not other mechanical issues ?

once again thanks you very much for your reply.

LeX2K

Try poking a screwdriver through the frame.

IanB2

I'd take that to a mechanic and have the frame inspected ASAP, with that info you can decide if you want to try and use the no start as a way to unwind the deal or if you want to try and deal with that rust. I don't like the way there's cracking, it's either just dried up undercoating, or a serious indicator of rust that's gone too far, can't tell for sure from your pics.

tz693

Hi OP,
My GX has similar situation as your one, or maybe even worse. Same broken off exhaust pipe (same location). I have already replaced the muffler twice. Rust through in some location of the frame (see picture), I recently spent lot of time underneath to clean out the rust, do rust treatment and recoat the the whole under. I also evaluated how safe and how long my truck will last.
My suggestion, if you can do yourself, it is worth keep it, otherwise you may end up to spend an arm or a leg to get it done right.



after treatment and coated

asticot

that’s a pretty significant hole in your frame, I’m not really sure how safe that is to drive. Where I live that would not pass safety inspection, and most mechanics would not do work of any kind on a vehicle with that much frame damage. Not too many places would also weld that either.

Davenlei

iTrader: (1)

Oh wow! Looking at all these rusty undercarriages is making me cringe. I feel lucky I live in SoCal and my GX is a 100% always in SoCal car since first sold and still has a clean undercarriage.

RockfordRX

As stated above, try poking it with a screwdriver. If it is just surface rust, a good wire wheel treatment, follower by POR-15 or other rust inhibitor is in order. Some guys add Fluid Film, Woolwax or Blaster Surface Shield annually to protect the frame. If it is as bad as having holes in the frame, you gotta get rid of it (the truck that is)!

Lexus4321

The issue with rust, is that it's like a sponge for water. Hence rust is a compound issue that just keeps feeding itself a liquid (usually contaminated water) that keeps the oxidation process going. It's kinda cancerous.

chiph9

Something I noticed about vehicle #1 above is the rear control arm and panhard rod bushings look to be gone. I would factor in replacing all the rubber suspension parts.

Chip H.

tz693

Oh, the picture was taken after I cleaned it and applied the Rust Dissolver jelly