Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site
 

 


 
Go Back   Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site > Second Generation Toyota Yaris Main Rooms > New YARIS Purchase Forum
  The Tire Rack

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-13-2019, 12:35 AM   #1
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
Oxidation/rust of engine parts in 2017 Yaris

Hello everybody! This is my first post here. Hoping to become a Yaris owner I hope this is the correct place to post this.

I am looking to buy a used 2017 Toyota Yaris Hatchback from Hertz.

I plan to take it to a mechanic as soon as I can before I decide to buy, but hoping to possibly clear my mind of some worry in the meantime (trying to remain optimistic because I really like this car). It has a few miles left on the basic warranty and 20 thousand or so left on the powertrain warranty.

I found what I consider to be an unusual amount of rust under the hood for a two year old car (images attached). They regularly maintain these vehicles, so I would think that if there was a huge concern, they would have addressed it...? You can't pop open the hood to do anything and not see it. Although I would think that clearing rust is something important to maintaining the vehicle as well.

The car otherwise runs really well and is in great shape. I won't be able to get a really good look at the undercarriage until I have a mechanic lift it. I know some metal parts can oxidize very easily with any amount of moisture and/or salt. Also this car originated from the northeast US...

I'm hoping that this is a sign of some parts that oxidize easily and not a sign of something worse. Parts towards the bottom of the engine bay don't seem to be rusted at all (from what I can see), it's more towards the top. Could this just be normal reaction to driving in coastal areas, humid areas, salt treated streets, etc.? Maybe someone let a little moisture get in with the hood open and that was enough?

Aside from letting moisture directly in, does enough moisture, such as driving in heavy rain or behind a traffic on the interstate, get in through the grille or bottom to cause this? Mostly, I guess I'm looking for answers that this may be caused by less severe things than driving through high water...

Thanks in advance! I'm hoping this turns out to be a non-issue and just needs a good cleaning. And I'm looking forward to becoming a Yaris owner and hanging out here. Looks like you all have a great community
Attached Images
  
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2019, 08:22 AM   #2
06YarisRS
 
Drives: 06 2ZR Turbo Yaris RS
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 2,384
It's interesting that there's that much corrosion on the motor mount specifically. My formerly rust belt driven '06 is anywhere near that rusty, nor is my currently winter driven '08. I do rustproof everything but these cars were both close to 10 years old when I bought them. The rear battery bracket retainer and hood latch assembly seem abnormally rusty too. I have seen some newer cars with similar rust and I think it's possible that there there a inconsistencies in paint quality and paint application by the supplier of parts to the car manufacturer. And, the US northeast states do use a lot of salt on the winter roads. Although those rental companies do a good job of exterior and interior cleaning, I don't think they touch the engine bays. If the car was run in very salty conditions and then sat for a period of time on the lot, I suppose these poorly painted parts could rust quickly.

Since the car comes from a reputable rental company, ask for a Carfax vehicle history report. I think you're safe as, as far as I know, major companies like Hertz don't circumvent reporting of damage as some unscrupulous used car dealers might.

You could also check out the car's title via vehicle history.gov.

Have your mechanic thoroughly inspect the car and like you say, look for rust underneath and debris in nooks and crannies, under engine cover, mud or silt under carpets. Given its location, flood damage seems unlikely. It's most likely that the car was just in conditions that allowed for condensation under the hood. My '06 is in an unheated garage and when the ambient temp changes, the car can have moisture under the hood.

I hope it pans out for you and if you buy it...see you in the forums!
__________________


2006 Yaris 5 Door RS 2ZR-FE (2011 Corolla 1.8L) Swapped, Automatic, T-28 Turbocharged (8 psi), HSD MonoPro Coilovers, DIY W/M Injection, custom 3" cold air intake, custom 2.5" exhaust, TRD rear sway bar, Penguin Garage 13mm spacers (rear), custom Civic front lip, full repaint, Android 6.0 7" touchscreen, Rockford Fosgate speakers, tweeters, NVX underseat subwoofer
https://www.instagram.com/2zr_turbo_yarisrs/

Last edited by 06YarisRS; 01-13-2019 at 05:45 PM.
06YarisRS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2019, 03:21 PM   #3
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by 06YarisRS View Post
It's interesting that there's that much corrosion on the motor mount specifically. My formerly rust belt driven '06 is anywhere near that rusty, nor is my currently winter driven '08. I do rustproof everything but these cars were both close to 10 years old when I bought them. The rear battery bracket retainer and hood latch assembly seem abnormally rusty too. I have seen some newer cars with similar rust and I think it's possible that there there a inconsistencies in paint quality and paint application by the supplier of parts to the car manufacturer. And, the US northeast states do use a lot of salt on the winter roads. Although those rental companies do a good job of exterior and interior cleaning, I don't think they touch the engine bays. If the car was run in very salty conditions and then sat for a period of time in the lot, I suppose these poorly painted parts could rust quickly.

Since the car comes from a reputable rental company, ask for a Carfax vehicle history report. I think you're safe as, as far as I know, major companies like Hertz don't circumvent reporting of damage as some unscrupulous used car dealers might.

You could also check out the car's title via vehicle history.gov.

Have your mechanic thoroughly inspect the car and like you say, look for rust underneath and debris in nooks and crannies, under engine cover, mud or silt under carpets. Given its location, flood damage seems unlikely. It's most likely that the car was just in conditions that allowed for condensation under the hood. My '06 is in an unheated garage and when the ambient temp changes, the car can have moisture under the hood.

I hope it pans out for you and if you buy it...see you in the forums!
Thanks so much for your response...and for the hope that this might not be too serious as I wait for my inspection appointment tomorrow. We'll see! I guess if trying to remain positive in regards to any possible rust issues...the Yaris is a small car with less surface area to worry about...

Hertz did provide an AutoCheck report, and at least on that there is no reported accidents or any damage...

Either other similar cars don't suffer this corrosion, or Hertz does clean up the engine when they certify them. I've looked at pictures of other certified Yaris vehicles at other Hertz locations out of town, and the engine bay certainly looks to have been cleaned. Those cars remain in the lot at those locations. The one I am considering is a "rent2buy" which came right from the rental fleet. Downside of going the rent2buy route, aside from the certification (which offers the same warranty and you'd still want to take it to a mechanic anyways) is they don't offer pictures up front (since they can't guarantee the condition of the car while in use). Upside is they are a few less miles, slightly cheaper, and bigger selection at times in terms of colors.

Hertz assures that all of their vehicles are well maintained, but they don't supply maintenance records (aside from the last safety inspection and oil change). Although a blog post on their site (albeit a few years old) suggests getting the maintenance records when buying a rental car...

I noticed that the Yaris does have a 60-month, unlimited mile, rust-through warranty through Toyota. However, under what is NOT covered, it says:
• Airborne chemicals, tree sap, road
debris (including stone chips), rail dust,
salt, hail, floods, wind storms, lightning
and other environmental conditions
• Water contamination

Do you know anymore about that? It seems quite confusing, because I'm not sure how else oxidation occurs how can they determine what exactly caused it? And when they do, what causes are left that are covered? Otherwise, without that caveat, it would be comforting to know that warranty would apply.

I was debating just taking it straight to a Toyota dealer for inspection, since they might be able to give a more definitive answer on all of this if they were to find anything concerning. But not sure how that would go since they are also the business to sell cars... I'm also unsure if they even do used car inspections. I'll check.

Hoping tomorrow everything turns out ok (fingers crossed)!
Thanks again for your help!
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2019, 05:31 PM   #4
06YarisRS
 
Drives: 06 2ZR Turbo Yaris RS
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 2,384
Though I have never investigated in depth any car corrosion warranties, my understanding is that largely the warranties offered refer to perforation of body panels from the inside out which rarely happens before that aspect of the warranty expires. It often happens slightly after it expires. The only manufacturer I know of that really appears to stand behind their body and paint work is VW. My nephew had his near 10 year old hood repainted by VW as it had some blistering paint at the leading edge.

That rust in your pics just seems like light surface rust and easily repaired if you were so inclined. A wire brush, some tape, newspaper, rust converter, primer, paint and artist brushes and it could look like new. I'd then give it a light mist of rustproofing after it's cured.

The car is probably perfectly fine. Maybe if you took it to Toyota, tell them you bought it and plan to bring it to them for occasional repairs and maintenance, you'd get a more unbiased evaluation of the car's overall condition.

Tangent: If you buy the car, I would recommend a serious rustproofing regimen. I've discovered many areas on the 2nd gen. Yaris that are potential trouble areas. My experience is that rustproofing chains/companies do not do a thorough job. Yes, they can lay on a good undercoat, but there are internal substructures (water/condensation traps) that they rarely get although they may claim to. I also can't underscore strongly enough the benefits of a good quality floor liner (WeatherTech, Husky, even some of the eBay ones) - ones that are fully molded and have large lips/edges. Water from boots quickly soaks into and through carpets and sits on the floor pan seams even though they are seam sealed.

Best of luck! I'm guessing you'll be satisified with the report and go through with the purchase. If so, take lots of pics! One thing we like here is lots of pictures. Well, I do anyway.
__________________


2006 Yaris 5 Door RS 2ZR-FE (2011 Corolla 1.8L) Swapped, Automatic, T-28 Turbocharged (8 psi), HSD MonoPro Coilovers, DIY W/M Injection, custom 3" cold air intake, custom 2.5" exhaust, TRD rear sway bar, Penguin Garage 13mm spacers (rear), custom Civic front lip, full repaint, Android 6.0 7" touchscreen, Rockford Fosgate speakers, tweeters, NVX underseat subwoofer
https://www.instagram.com/2zr_turbo_yarisrs/

Last edited by 06YarisRS; 01-13-2019 at 05:50 PM.
06YarisRS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2019, 05:49 PM   #5
dogsridewith
 
Drives: 2007 2-door hatchback
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: USAnotCA
Posts: 750
Yaris engine compartment rust

Yarii will die of rust from the rear forward due to salt spray from front tires. Colorado is generally dry and easy on vehicles...but who knows where that one has been. My Yaris underhood area gets the wettest of any prior car from my washing w/ low pressure water through a Walmart brush-head wand. Also maybe wind driven rain. I think some of this may be due to unusual cowl HVAC intake design.
Thread vehicle rust could be related to regular rental car washing method?
dogsridewith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2019, 09:02 AM   #6
Leegamer
 
Leegamer's Avatar
 
Drives: No longer own a yaris :(
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 680
Looks like surface rust. If you scrub it off and put on some anti-rust treatment it should be fine.
__________________
I'm a hermit named Lee
Leegamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2019, 11:31 AM   #7
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
Thanks everybody! I'll report back with what I find out.
I'll definitely give it a cleaning. I guess I've been more concerned with the possible cause since it's difficult for me to find pictures showing rust on the motor mounts and in the engine bay in general...and what other possible issues that might allude to.

So assuming this might have gathered some salt from roads from being up north, probably a good idea regardless if they find signs of rust now, to get the undercarriage cleaned?
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2019, 07:53 PM   #8
dogsridewith
 
Drives: 2007 2-door hatchback
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: USAnotCA
Posts: 750
I hate to see a pressure washed engine bay. Am spritzing around green, interesting smelling Corrosion Block--Florida snake oil from those big serpents in their swamps. (An experiment, not advice.) My SoCal 07 got some rust on that big engine mount too with a couple years in the Appalachians.
dogsridewith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2019, 01:35 PM   #9
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
The undercarriage is ok. There's a list of other maintenance things that seem a little overdue, but manageable. Hertz claims to keep vehicles well maintained, but they don't provide maintenance records (even though their blog on their own site suggests getting maintenance records when buying a rental car) They won't even supply them after you buy the vehicle.

I actually had taken it to the local Toyota dealer who does pre-purchase inspections. So I trust their eyes and experience. They were really helpful and nice to work with. If anybody around here was selling a Yaris with this low of miles for this price, I would've jumped on it. And I was also searching for new ones, but it is incredibly difficult to find baseline models and near impossible to find hatchbacks in new inventory. I'd also like a 5-speed manual...which seems rare to find in the US.

Last edited by jowii; 01-15-2019 at 06:31 PM.
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2019, 08:07 PM   #10
06YarisRS
 
Drives: 06 2ZR Turbo Yaris RS
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 2,384
Quote:
Originally Posted by jowii View Post
The undercarriage is ok. There's a list of other maintenance things that seem a little overdue, but manageable. Hertz claims to keep vehicles well maintained, but they don't provide maintenance records (even though their blog on their own site suggests getting maintenance records when buying a rental car) They won't even supply them after you buy the vehicle.

I actually had taken it to the local Toyota dealer who does pre-purchase inspections. So I trust their eyes and experience. They were really helpful and nice to work with. If anybody around here was selling a Yaris with this low of miles for this price, I would've jumped on it. And I was also searching for new ones, but it is incredibly difficult to find baseline models and near impossible to find hatchbacks in new inventory. I'd also like a 5-speed manual...which seems rare to find in the US.
That's great news! So, is there a purchase in the near future?
__________________


2006 Yaris 5 Door RS 2ZR-FE (2011 Corolla 1.8L) Swapped, Automatic, T-28 Turbocharged (8 psi), HSD MonoPro Coilovers, DIY W/M Injection, custom 3" cold air intake, custom 2.5" exhaust, TRD rear sway bar, Penguin Garage 13mm spacers (rear), custom Civic front lip, full repaint, Android 6.0 7" touchscreen, Rockford Fosgate speakers, tweeters, NVX underseat subwoofer
https://www.instagram.com/2zr_turbo_yarisrs/
06YarisRS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2019, 08:21 PM   #11
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by 06YarisRS View Post
That's great news! So, is there a purchase in the near future?
Yup!

Thanks again!
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 07:32 AM   #12
dogsridewith
 
Drives: 2007 2-door hatchback
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: USAnotCA
Posts: 750
Surprised their was even one manual shift short-term rental anywhere.
dogsridewith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 08:40 AM   #13
Leegamer
 
Leegamer's Avatar
 
Drives: No longer own a yaris :(
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Ashland, VA
Posts: 680
Quote:
Originally Posted by dogsridewith View Post
Surprised their was even one manual shift short-term rental anywhere.
Good point! I've never seen one.
__________________
I'm a hermit named Lee
Leegamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 09:34 AM   #14
thebarber
daily driver
 
thebarber's Avatar
 
Drives: the #wrecho
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 5,877
That rust is fine.

Is oil spraying a thig in CO?
__________________
thebarber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 10:08 AM   #15
tmontague
 
tmontague's Avatar
 
Drives: '08 2zr swapped Vios M/T
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Caledonia Ont.
Posts: 2,938
Definitely check the rest of the chassis for rust. If it all clears then don't be concerned with surface rust on one isolated part like the engine mount. As others have stated, could he simply poor paint applications on that specific part and not a big deal.

Dont trust the rust warranties of any manufacturer as they are all nothing more than sales tactics. Make sure you go ahead and have all of the maintenance up to date unless you have proof that it was previously done.
__________________
No one ever wants to give a Yaris the point by...
tmontague is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 02:21 PM   #16
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by dogsridewith View Post
Surprised their was even one manual shift short-term rental anywhere.
Oh I meant when shopping new. Kind of left with what the dealerships have or are willing to hunt down and get in without ending up paying lots extra for what should be the cheaper option of transmission choices.
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 02:22 PM   #17
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by tmontague View Post
Definitely check the rest of the chassis for rust. If it all clears then don't be concerned with surface rust on one isolated part like the engine mount. As others have stated, could he simply poor paint applications on that specific part and not a big deal.

Dont trust the rust warranties of any manufacturer as they are all nothing more than sales tactics. Make sure you go ahead and have all of the maintenance up to date unless you have proof that it was previously done.
Yup it looks ok and is rust free there. Thanks!
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2019, 02:24 PM   #18
jowii
 
Drives: 2017 Yaris
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Colorado
Posts: 42
One small issue I'm having right now is that there is a creaking when steering at low speeds. Initially I thought it was just noise of the steering column itself, but of course the steering wheel doesn't make a noise when at a complete stop and turning the wheel. Wasn't sure if that was something to expect from the Yaris...otherwise, what I have read points to possible bad suspension joints. Having it looked at now...
jowii is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
NEWS: TOYOTA REVEALS ALL-NEW YARIS SEDAN AT 2006 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW VitzBoy General Yaris / Vitz Discussion 7 09-20-2023 07:50 AM
Engine turns over but doesn’t start on a Yaris VVTi YarisVVTi2002 DIY / Maintenance / Service 49 06-30-2019 12:30 PM
Comparison Test: 2012 Toyota Yaris Vs. 2012 Toyota Prius c Yar Is Word Third Gen Yaris General Discussion 27 09-06-2012 11:37 PM
2007 Yaris Pricing Info ! YarisBueller New YARIS Purchase Forum 104 06-24-2009 04:54 PM
Engine goodies for the Yaris botchilah Performance Modifications 8 01-28-2009 09:52 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:22 AM.




YarisWorld
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.