I just bought a 2007 RX400H with 135,000 miles. Took the car to get some maintenance items done today. The mechanic asked me to come check out the car while it was on the lift to show me some rust under the car. He thinks I can safely drive the car for a few more years but probably should not keep it long term. My opinon is that some of the rust doesn't look that serious as it is only superficial. Please look at the posted pictures and let me know what you think. I know...should have gotten a pre-purchase inspection before buying it. Another lesson learned in life.

 

Phht, rust is when you see road under your feet. Looks to be in good shape IMO.

 

I would get under there and spray the rust with WD40 then get some kind of spray container and blast it with oil, or get some rubber gloves on and do it by hand, did this all the time when i lived in the UK the winters suck. All that salt on the roads
.

 

I see you are in CA so this can be alarming to you and mechanics out there. This is NOTHING for a midwest/rust belt car and most of that looks like surface rust. My former RX330 was worse underneath and I would have drove on that body for easily another 5 years.

 

Us Californians get a little freaked out over any signs of rust. Thanks for the reassurance!

 

That's in good shape for 14 years old. If it was me, I'd just spray (or brush-on) Fluid Film undercoating, every year. Around here, you can find lots of garages who spray Fluid Film or Krown, or whatever type of oil undercoating.

 

have the underbody rust proofed.

here is a good one, Woolmax:
https://www.kellsportproducts.com/?g...SAAEgJiBvD_BwE

find a local shop that applies it, they have all the little injector tools to get into every possible crevice.

if you drive in a salty area, do it every year.

 

Being from the rust belt and now living in Fl, I can tell you 1st hand I’ve seen much worse, this is minor rust, I’d spray WD40 on the rusty cam bolts for a few months and then get an alignment, I doubt they’ll have much problem aligning your vehicle. I would advise against undercoating at this point, it would be better to lube the problem areas with WD40 as many have suggested, undercoating like Z-Bart will lock in the rust and it will rust beneath the treatment towards the inside of the vehicle. This is not that bad, trust me! Anyone from Florida would think it’s terrible, I can tell you it’s not that bad. Frank

ps - I work on vehicles for USPS, we have a mix of rusty and southern vehicles, you’re good, WD40 the hell out of i, you’ll be good.

 

Right. If your car was a real rust bucket, your doors and rocker panels would be in bad shape.

SVGRX, check the inside bottom of the doors for rot. Your Lexus will have openings at the bottoms of the doors to let any water drain. You can shoot Fluid Film or WD-40 up in those slots to prevent or stop rust.

 

The doors are suprsingly free of any rust. I guess the car is in decent condition.

 

I suppose if the car will be in Southern California, then it probably isn't necessary to get the underbody rust proofed as it hardly rains out here?

 

Agreed that's just surface rust, wouldn't lose sleep over it.

 

Do this, drastically reduces rust issues.

 

my thinking is that while there is rust, it is not too bad yet. but let it go, and in a couple years things are falling off the frame.

so when the rust is just starting to get bad, THAT is the time to fluid film it....get another five or so years out of the thing.

 

The rust in the pictures are non-consequential surface rust. My '06 looks similar and I live in Michigan and it's my winter beater. A little axle grease (not WD-40 which dries up, axle grease which has anti-rust additives) on the exposed threads of the bolts will help the mechanic who has to deal with them down the road. If you want, POR-15 or any number of similar products will covert the rust into a chemically neutral coating but don't put it on exposed bolt threads. Use grease there and the rust converter everywhere else. DO NOT RUSTPROOF!!! The coating they use will close off the various drain holes in the bottom of the doors and rocker panels and, long term, cause more problems than it solves. Undercoating is fine and might help quiet the car some.

Bob