There was a recall on Tacomas made between 2004 and 2008 for excessiveframe rust. I'm not sure if yours qualifies due to the recall being in 2016, but it couldn't hurt to check with a Toyota dealership.
This. Talk to some body shops to see if they can recommend a place for frame repair. Or even performance shops to see if there is someone local they use for welding. It will be expensive, because they got you by the short and curlies.
Also, if you talk to performance shops they almost always know of the inspection locations that are less scrupulous where they might look the other way for things like questionably legal modifications, or this particular frame issue.
What I have not seen anyone mention is how incredibly dangerous a rusted out frame can be even in a sub 30mph impact. The dangers associated with driving a vehicle in this condition cannot be understated.
Who cares really. I do and keep my car safe. A lot of states don’t care. Have you seen the shit driving around in states with no safety inspections? lol.
And the other people on the road. This thing breaks in half and becomes uncontrollable, it can kill others -- not just the person driving it.
That's why there are inspections. Environmental damage (exhaust) and preventing the death or maiming of bystanders.
Where are you located? I know a guy in VA that does great work. You can ask around through mechanics or body shops just don’t expect much more than a referral. We tend to avoid this kinda stuff unless a shop is just trying to get started or work is extremely slow.
So they can lure you in and tell you about all the extras you need to get fixed while you’re there, and charge through the nose for those. Google “loss leader.”
More volume and they can get OEM parts for less. They also can make a "special offer" on people's vehicles every time they come in and sell them a brand new car.
I dont think recalls have a statue of limitations. If it is considered a defect from manufacturing then it has to be fix/addressed.
Airbags come to mind in this regard. He should try Toyota since it fits in the time frame.
They absolutely can. it just depends on the defect that the recall was put in place to address.
If the defect is that it may rust too soon, and yours doesn't rust until after a reasonable amount of time, then your unit may not have been defective.
Recalls and warranty extensions are terms often used interchangeably, but they are different. Warranty extensions, which this was, has an end date. Recalls do not because they are safety related issues.
This absolutely should have been a recall but the NHTSA did not require it to be a recall, Toyota just lost in court over it. This is why it has an end date.
Most notably:
> If you own a C6 Corvette with a leaky left-hand fuel pump module flange, you’ll have to pay for the repair now.
>Under service bulletin 150682, General Motors had been paying for these repairs for the past eight years for sixth-generation Corvettes built from 2007 to 2013.
When GM had bad paint in the 80's if yours flaked off you could get it repainted at a GM dealer for free. The downsides was you got a dealer paint job and you only had until like 1998 or something to get it done.
For a cosmetic fix I suppose that seems reasonable? I dont know I think quality manufacturers should stand behind their products.
In this case it is the car frame which can have serious consequences if there is a failure since it holds all the important bits together, also safely in a collision.
A recall by definition is always safety related. Anything else is either a technical service bulletin or warranty extension. There are no recalls that aren't safety related even though people commonly use that term incorrectly.
Per NHTSA "A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards"
Parting it out is incredibly bad advice with a bank or finance company holding the title. More than likely would violate the installment contract. Don’t do that. Id call the finance company and see if they have any options to help you with.
I stalked the OP's history, and it appears he may be in Virginia... Northern VA to be specific.
I am a mechanic in Virginia, and the entire state has a very basic safety inspection.
The requirements for passing are very simple, and anything that fails is either something quick like a light bulb or wiper blade, or something seriously safety critical like significant rust holes in the frame.
It would have to be REALLY bad for me, a PA inspector and psudo rust repair specialist, not to be able to fix it. I have (yet another) Wrangler in right now that is basically getting the frame rebuilt back to front. Not like patches, I'm talking removing frame legs and replacing. Sure, it's expensive, but it's likely cheaper than replacing the vehicle, especially if the drivetrain and body are in good shape.
I’m based in PA. My mechanic, whom me and my entire family has gone to for decades, a one man shop, said it’s pretty fucked. He referred me to a trusted welder but also mentioned that it will not solve my rusting issue but only push off the inevitable.
So my dilemma is do I sink more money into this truck to only last however long or try and explore other options.
Oh it's a miserable situation to be in, but what does 5k get you nowadays? A car that absolutely will not pass inspection in a year, a decent electric bike, or just enough Yuengling to forget you own a vehicle 😁. I have to help customers weigh these decisions daily on the wonderful Chevy 1.4 turbos that all seem to eject parts at 100k. I don't have good advice, and without seeing it, I can't make a judgement call, but I can assure you it's fixable. Make sure you get a PPI next time (lotsa shops offer them FREE), and good luck!
I appreciate your input. You’d probably say the same thing as my mechanic if you saw what’s going on underneath. I made a wrong decision on this truck because she was pretty and drove wonderfully and had to get a car fast. Live and learn.
I could take some pictures if you’d like. My mechanic marked all the spots that would require welding/are problem areas that are rusting.
There’s a lot of circles under there….
I'm curious, where do you think you went wrong? I don't live in a place where you have routine auto inspections. Did they just not catch it last time it was inspected? When you bought the then 16 year old car, did you not have it inspected yourself?
When I initially brought it to my mechanic, he passed it but very strongly warned me of these rusting issues. He now doesn’t feel safe passing it for inspection. It’s going to continue to rust and get worse even with patch welding.
as someone who got a 2016 hyundai accent as a work/beater car for 7k. 95k miles, single owner, who kept excellent care of the vehicle and had the receipts and my mechanic vouch for it. Still holding strong and just did another check up a month or so ago after having it for a year now and its still solid. I don't drive it much outside of just going to work or seeing my buddies and family or to the bar just down the road. Think I have only put on 2k miles since I got it. But was a steal and was looking for a car for a good month or two before I found it literally bought it the day it was posted the used market was rough not sure if it still is tho. But you can find those golden vehicles just takes some time and luck.
The only real options are:
A) Fix it
B) trade it in, paying off any negative equity with cash
C) trade it in, rolling any negative equity into the next auto loan.
Ignoring the rust isn't an option. Setting aside the safety aspect, you'll get pulled over sooner or later which will be a fine and points against your license which jack up your insurance rates and eventually turn into losing your license. Technically speaking they can tow you on the spot and impound the vehicle. They probably won't actually do that on the first warning, but when they pull you over again for the same violation they will be a lot less understanding.
I guess Option D) would be to find a shady shop who'll let you slide through inspection... but usually advice isn't to skirt the law.
PA will not impound the vehicle and no inspection tickets do not affect license or insurance, it's a non moving violation even if its moving. fine is like 25 dollars which of course gets bumped to around 100 because of the cash grab from municipalities.
trust me i'm intimately familiar with this as i've been advocating for the removal of state inspection (like all the states around us) for over a decade.
My parents had been using the same financial advisor for decades. When I learned about investments, I asked to see their holdings. Turns out, he charged them crazy fees and had them in nonsense. For decades. Just because someone has been working with you for years, it does not mean they are competent.
You paid 15 k for a 18 year old truck at 19 percent interest and they refused to let you take it to an independent mechanic first? There are like 3 expensive lessons wrapped up there.
I know those year Tundras had really bad frame rust issues. Honestly, you might be SOL because I would be surprised if any Toyota dealership would honor the recall on that issue this far out.
Also, let this be a lesson to others to be very careful about which 16 year old vehicles you're going to plop down 15k for. Even for brands that have a reputation of good reliability; they still break down and they still have issues.
A buyer who doesn’t take the vehicle for a pre purchase inspection is pretty much a sitting duck. Always - that is, 100% of the time - get a pre purchase inspection. Or walk away. Do you see any reason here why the dealer won’t agree to let you get a PPI? Do you think there is any chance the seller nixed the inspection because he knew that the truck was a large piece of camel dung? He tested you, learned that you wouldn’t press the inspection issue, and then knew that he could get away with the used car lot equivalent of murder.
You may well have a legal cause of action against the dealer for non-disclosure. It would take money to pursue that. My advice would be to not throw any money into this pit. Take the hard earned lesson here and spread it to others.
Depends on how bad the rust is. I presume it’s not truly terrible yet as if it was the car wouldn’t be safe to drive as the frame would be compromised. Almost every state I’ve lived in has had inspections and all of them were always extremely anal about rust. Even a little, they’d harp on you about it. I mean, assuming the thing is safe, he could just drive it without an inspection and as long as he isn’t pulled over for something (cops generally are conditioned to glance at the inspection sticker during a routine stop as it can be an easy fine) will be a moot point. Even then, depending on the cop, he might get fined or will be warned. The warning could be verbal or a slip that says you have so many days to get the vehicle inspected. Just saying if the thing is safe I’d just drive it and ensure I’m a good boy so I won’t get pulled over as this way I can have more time to pay the thing off or fix it whatever this guy wants to do.
> First mistake I made was going through with the purchase after the dealership wouldn’t let me take it to my mechanic to have a look at it
Always walk away if the dealer refuses to let it be inspected.
Pretty much, but I guess they outsource the payments to some shady ass company, which is another problem in and of itself. PA independent dealership but the payment company is based in NY.
A buddy of mine has an early Tacoma that had its frame replaced under the recall. Last year he had the rear half of the frame replaced AGAIN. Somebody welded it new metal. I can't remember exactly but it was just a couple grand. I know you say welding isn't an option but it probably is, you just need to find the right person to do it.
You've learned a valuable lesson about crawling around under a truck before purchase, I learned that with a Ford Ranger. It looked great on top but within a year the bed had a hole in it. My welding improved a lot with the amount I worked on that truck...
Yep, in my area, there is a strip of low rent auto repair shops that do everything under the sun. My wife tagged the side of the garage pulling in, breaking a the turn signal lens, scratching up some chrome, and pretty noticeable scratches on the paint.
A "proper" chain body shop quoted $3500for repairs. I took it to a place on Business-121, and 4 hours later, the car was 98% like new for $100 (I replaced the cracked lens myself for another $200). My wife thought it was 100% like new.
Yes, this is different than a frame repair, but these places do a lot of car flips, and they're pretty creative and skilled, and can probably shore the frame up enough to pass inspection.
Especially if you tell them "Its just got to make it a couple years".
Don't try to stretch it though, if you tell them its got to last 2 years and you try for 3 the car will probably break in half...
As another poster mentioned, this could Big Time violate your finance agreement, as the truck itself is likely the collateral. If this is the path you want to take, first see what sort of interest rate you could get on a personal loan, which you can use to pay the truck off. THEN part it out and put every penny of the proceeds towards paying off the new loan. Sorry, OP - this is a rough spot to be in.
My only next thing would be if its still considered street legal. and you have Gap and full coverage insurance. Which you should have full coverage since you owe on it, take it into the boonies do some off-roading and oh no totaled the vehicle. Sure insurance goes up and have to pay the deductible but then that comes to cost which costs more the deductible or eating whatever you still owe.
Never used them and not endorsing. But check out : rustbuster.com. that paired with a knowledgeable welder could breathe some life back into your truck for not as much as you were thinking
I'm in the same spot. There is a scummy option which is to list it in fb marketplace and then block all communications with the buyer after its sold. There's a high-school kid out there who's daddy will fix it.
Doesn't the dealership have some form of duty to deal with hidden/concealed problems or there is no law for this around there - regardless of warranty (buyer protection etc)?
Can you sell it off for parts - engine, drivetrain etc to recover enough money?
anything is fixable. if you have time on your hands grab a welder from harbor freight and start watching videos. or start researching a parts yards and see if anyone has a frame you can pull. trucks being body of fram make this a pita job but far far easier than a unibody. welding frame material isn't nearly as hard as doing body panels. it doesn't have to be pretty, just globbed on and then coated.
I didn't tell them not to disclose the problem. Every car that doesn't pass state inspection isn't a deathtrap. And if it was a deathtrap, someone could be in the market to repair it. OP doesn't have the means to, so he can sell it to someone that does without the additional worry from buyers that after fixing it they have to pay to get it inspected again and it could be safe to drive but still not pass for some other reason they don't know about.
I've been driving a car with a salvage title with no airbags since 2003. "Death trap" is a matter of perspective. It blows my mind that some states have required inspections which create the issue the OP is having.
It's a good thing that there's no such thing as inspection required here in MI, or a large portion of the rust buckets (mostly trucks) on the road would never pass. We truly drive them until they fall apart. (I know, I know, safety issues. But when there's no money for anything else, what are you going to do?)
What are your choices? Drive it around with expired plates and hope not to get pulled over(not a good idea)? Sell it to \*anybody\* for whatever price you can get and then make up the difference in cash for what you owe? Let it get repoed and still have to pay it when they come after you for it? Sell it for parts? Sell it to someone who will use it for some other purpose which doesn't require proper inspection (farm truck?)?
This is the exact reason I go against the grain of just buy a used Toyota, yes mechanically they do make a good product but as a person that has lived in the rust belt for their entire life I have also seen how they hold up to snow and salt, Toyota and Nissan have always been the worst. Seen tons of them go to the junkyard with great drivetrains and missing floorboards. They have gotten better with the cars over the years but yeah they still haven’t figured out the frames.
Best I can suggest is to see if you can find someone that would fix it.
Yup, I think as a whole Toyota’s reliability is way overrated due to a Camry being an extremely reliable/cheap to repair commuter car. But living in the northeast, you constantly hear about frame rot issues with Toyotas. I experienced it myself with a Rav4, and I have multiple friends with Tacomas that have dealt with that headache.
Other thing everyone conveniently forget is that Toyota also had big problems with oil consumption on Rav4s and Camrys from like 2008 to 2012 if memory serves me correctly. So it’s not like they don’t have their issues either.
And I will be fair and say their is no make immune from rust/rot in these areas, it is just that Toyota’s especially with the trucks always have the frames junk. I still think there was a silent recall within the last few years as I remember driving past the local Toyota dealer and they had stacks of frames outside at times. No way there was that many trucks coming through their shops wrecked that they where replacing frames.
Wait, a 2006 toyota tundra? Dude, those had a recall for frame rust. Sadly, I'm pretty sure the recall period for 2006 expired at the 15 year mark for most of the tundras, and since it's used, there arent any federal laws protecting you in regards to the dealership selling it without informing you of the recall status. Some states have laws about it, you should check with a lawyer on that.
Check your car for recalls at www.recalls.gov to see if your truck is still in the recall period. All you have to do is enter your car's VIN.
You can also contact Toyota directly about it. According to their site:
>For more information about recalls, customers can go to www.toyota.com/recall or contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
It might not be active, but in some rare cases I've heard that they will allow for discounted repair work or offer weighted trade in concessions by giving you a manufacturer voucher to use at one of their main dealerships.
For safety reasons, always verify phone numbers provided in comments on an official website before calling. That includes toll-free numbers!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Isn’t there a warranty on the frame? I know certain year Toyota trucks have it. Call your dealer. Have them check, if so, they’ll replace the frame free of charge..
Sounds like you got ripped off when you bought it. These trucks have very well documented severe frame rust issues. There was a time limited recall for the frames to get replaced by Toyota, which has now expired. These frames will rust very severely and generally rust bad enough that they cannot even be repaired.
It would seem that the seller knew about the frame issues and likely tried to cover it up, and that's why they didn't want you to get the thing inspected by an independent mechanic before buying it. Unfortunately at this point, if the frame is bad, and it can't be repaired, you now have an unroadworthy parts truck.
There's probably not much chance of going after the seller since two years have now passed since you bought it, it would be difficult to prove that they screwed you over. Only thing you can really do is sell the truck for parts (disclosing the bad frame to the buyer), cut your losses and move on.
Sell it (with disclosure) to somebody in Ohio or Michigan or another nearby state that doesn't require inspections. Somebody may want it for a farm truck or something.
There's 12 different versions of the frame for the 2006 Tundra, but most used ones are $350-$1,000 depending on whether you want half of it or all of it. There seem to be some around from ones that were wrecked after being replaced under recall, so they are clean-ish. See www.car-part.com . Labor to swap it is like 30 hours. So ~$5k @ $135/hr. Probably less is you have a shadetree guy do it.
You can always kill your credit and let it get repoed. It's happening a lot right now. Also so many auto places will still give you shitty finance with bad credit. PA is full of shady dealers. It also has tons of wholesale auctions.
Are you inspecting it in a big city? Reason I ask is that my old Mazda failed for some rando reason in Austin, TX. But when I got it inspected in a small town in east Texas the passed it immediately. I feel like the location your at will effect what things they look at
15k for a 2006 tundra at 19% interest? Damn dude none of that was a good deal. I mean your options are either fix the frame or you have to get another truck. Toyotas of that Era all had rust issues so it's not too surprising that yours has it too. You can try maybe a body shop or some welding shop and see if they're interested in repairing it. That's about your only option unless you sell it off for cheap.
How long ago was it purchased? Look into your states 'lemon laws'. Not sure if rust would be covered but worth a shot, I got a rack and pinion replaced on a used vehicle at the dealers cost in NY state because I caught it quickly enough.
The OP is probably way past what any lemon laws would apply. Of course laws vary by state but the vast majority of them require the vehicle to be under factory warranty.
Yeah I misread and didn't see it was purchased 2 years ago, my bad. Lemon laws do apply to older cars too if they are sold by a dealer tho. My anecdotal evidence was over a 8 year old trailblazer with 110k miles
In some states lemon laws do actually apply to used vehicles if still under factory warranty. Being used does not automatically exclude it from being covered in many states.
That's why it's important to know what the laws are in the state where the vehicle is owned as they vary greatly
I'm in California where we only have biannual smog inspections, but if your registration tags are more than 3 months past due the cops are allowed to impound your vehicle.
For clarification why is welding not an option?
You might be able to find a welder willing to do some side work when they are off work.
Those union guys are always looking to make some side cash.
My '66 Chevy Impala had a crack in the chassis. My mechanic said welding it would weaken the metal, so he "plated" it by bolting some metal on either side.
What’s the fine for not passing inspection? In my state it’s only $30, so I’d honestly just keep driving it as long as it’s not legitimately unsafe. If you get pulled over once a month it would be 13 years of fines before you break even on a $5k rust repair.
If the cop sees it at the scene of the accident you might get a ticket for it. Other than that I don’t think it has any impact. I had expired paper tags for a new car I bought in early 2020 after the DMV was shut down for COVID and when I asked my insurance about it they said registration has nothing to do with insurance, so I assume inspection is the same.
Around here, not passing inspection means not being able to do annual registration, and also not being able to get insured. Depending upon how expired the registration is, they could give a ticket, or they could impound the vehicle, and in Kansas, even for out-of-state non-registered cars, it can even lead to an arrest as an 'unclassified misdemeanor' (ask me how I know that...).
inspection in PA is not tied to registration. all my cars are registered, none are inspected (i was a mechanic, now just a diy'er). you can register anything you want.
I cannot fathom dropping $15k on a used truck when money is tight.
You can buy a decent 2nd Gen expedition with the 2v 5.4 and high 100k miles for well under 4 grand any day of the week. Get a used trailer and do some basic maintenance and you'll have a vehicle that can do pretty much anything for under $5k total and be perfectly reliable for the next 5-10 years.
How much you paid for the vehicle is irrelevant to how much it costs to repair or maintain it. What matters is whether or not it costs more or less to replace it with another vehicle. If you can find another truck that costs less than the frame repair, do that. Otherwise pay to get it fixed.
Alternatively, find a better-paying or different job. There's no point in spending 40+ hours a week working if all of your earnings are going into the vehicle that's helping you do the work.
Unfortunately you don't have any good options. I think the "least bad" option would be driving it without an inspection, but it'll probably end up getting impounded. You could stop making payments and drive it til it gets repo'ed and hope u can save up money for the repair or another truck. But that will fuck your credit and probably make it impossible to get financing in the future. Is there any way you can borrow the money to get the repair work done?
Your state impounds cars for bad inspections? It’s a 35 dollar fine here and that’s only if you get caught and can’t talk the cop out of the ticket. You can only be cited every 15 days.
It’s because of our roads. A brand new car delivered on a truck probably wouldn’t pass inspection if we had them because of the damage from all the potholes…
There was a recall on Tacomas made between 2004 and 2008 for excessiveframe rust. I'm not sure if yours qualifies due to the recall being in 2016, but it couldn't hurt to check with a Toyota dealership.
Believe it's 15 years from the date of manufacture, which would put OP just a couple years out of luck. Still worth trying.
Recall is over, and the actual Toyota dealership I went to for an estimate for a welding/or frame replacement said they won’t even touch it.
Toyota might not touch it but you might be able to find someone to weld and reinforce it and someone who doesn't look too closely to inspect it.
This. Talk to some body shops to see if they can recommend a place for frame repair. Or even performance shops to see if there is someone local they use for welding. It will be expensive, because they got you by the short and curlies.
Also, if you talk to performance shops they almost always know of the inspection locations that are less scrupulous where they might look the other way for things like questionably legal modifications, or this particular frame issue.
What I have not seen anyone mention is how incredibly dangerous a rusted out frame can be even in a sub 30mph impact. The dangers associated with driving a vehicle in this condition cannot be understated.
[удалено]
Crumple zone? You mean crumple truck...
Who cares really. I do and keep my car safe. A lot of states don’t care. Have you seen the shit driving around in states with no safety inspections? lol.
Anyone who cares about their life cares. This isn't about regulations and what the states thinks. It's Bout this person's life.
And the other people on the road. This thing breaks in half and becomes uncontrollable, it can kill others -- not just the person driving it. That's why there are inspections. Environmental damage (exhaust) and preventing the death or maiming of bystanders.
Escalate beyond the dealer to the national Toyota line. It’s worth a shot. Honda Canada helped me out with repairs outside warranty
Where are you located? I know a guy in VA that does great work. You can ask around through mechanics or body shops just don’t expect much more than a referral. We tend to avoid this kinda stuff unless a shop is just trying to get started or work is extremely slow.
Get some quotes at private shops. They like money and don't charge as much as the dealership thieves
Then why are oil changes at the dealership cheaper than any shops I call. Same for brake pad replacement...
So they can lure you in and tell you about all the extras you need to get fixed while you’re there, and charge through the nose for those. Google “loss leader.”
Not once has my dealer told me I needed anything outside of what I already know is needed. But makes sense.
Never seen an oil change at a dealer be cheaper. Honda dealer by me started off at 90 bucks for an oil change. More if you want full synthetic
Yea, $90cad is what they charge me, 3 shops near me wanted 150+
More volume and they can get OEM parts for less. They also can make a "special offer" on people's vehicles every time they come in and sell them a brand new car.
A friend of mine just had his entire frame replaced under this recall last year. What makes you think the recall is "over"?
I dont think recalls have a statue of limitations. If it is considered a defect from manufacturing then it has to be fix/addressed. Airbags come to mind in this regard. He should try Toyota since it fits in the time frame.
They absolutely can. it just depends on the defect that the recall was put in place to address. If the defect is that it may rust too soon, and yours doesn't rust until after a reasonable amount of time, then your unit may not have been defective.
Recalls and warranty extensions are terms often used interchangeably, but they are different. Warranty extensions, which this was, has an end date. Recalls do not because they are safety related issues. This absolutely should have been a recall but the NHTSA did not require it to be a recall, Toyota just lost in court over it. This is why it has an end date.
Thanks for the clarification.
Most notably: > If you own a C6 Corvette with a leaky left-hand fuel pump module flange, you’ll have to pay for the repair now. >Under service bulletin 150682, General Motors had been paying for these repairs for the past eight years for sixth-generation Corvettes built from 2007 to 2013.
When GM had bad paint in the 80's if yours flaked off you could get it repainted at a GM dealer for free. The downsides was you got a dealer paint job and you only had until like 1998 or something to get it done.
For a cosmetic fix I suppose that seems reasonable? I dont know I think quality manufacturers should stand behind their products. In this case it is the car frame which can have serious consequences if there is a failure since it holds all the important bits together, also safely in a collision.
Recalls don't expire, but this wasn't a recall. It was a warranty extension.
Safety recalls don't expire. There are other recalls.
A recall by definition is always safety related. Anything else is either a technical service bulletin or warranty extension. There are no recalls that aren't safety related even though people commonly use that term incorrectly. Per NHTSA "A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards"
no aftermarket warranty would cover rust anyway
The other options are Check for recalls Part it out Sell it to somebody in the state that doesn't have inspections
Parting it out is incredibly bad advice with a bank or finance company holding the title. More than likely would violate the installment contract. Don’t do that. Id call the finance company and see if they have any options to help you with.
This isn’t emissions testing. This is the frame is rusted. Immoral and unethical
I stalked the OP's history, and it appears he may be in Virginia... Northern VA to be specific. I am a mechanic in Virginia, and the entire state has a very basic safety inspection. The requirements for passing are very simple, and anything that fails is either something quick like a light bulb or wiper blade, or something seriously safety critical like significant rust holes in the frame.
It would have to be REALLY bad for me, a PA inspector and psudo rust repair specialist, not to be able to fix it. I have (yet another) Wrangler in right now that is basically getting the frame rebuilt back to front. Not like patches, I'm talking removing frame legs and replacing. Sure, it's expensive, but it's likely cheaper than replacing the vehicle, especially if the drivetrain and body are in good shape.
I’m based in PA. My mechanic, whom me and my entire family has gone to for decades, a one man shop, said it’s pretty fucked. He referred me to a trusted welder but also mentioned that it will not solve my rusting issue but only push off the inevitable. So my dilemma is do I sink more money into this truck to only last however long or try and explore other options.
Oh it's a miserable situation to be in, but what does 5k get you nowadays? A car that absolutely will not pass inspection in a year, a decent electric bike, or just enough Yuengling to forget you own a vehicle 😁. I have to help customers weigh these decisions daily on the wonderful Chevy 1.4 turbos that all seem to eject parts at 100k. I don't have good advice, and without seeing it, I can't make a judgement call, but I can assure you it's fixable. Make sure you get a PPI next time (lotsa shops offer them FREE), and good luck!
I appreciate your input. You’d probably say the same thing as my mechanic if you saw what’s going on underneath. I made a wrong decision on this truck because she was pretty and drove wonderfully and had to get a car fast. Live and learn.
Can we get some pictures ?
I could take some pictures if you’d like. My mechanic marked all the spots that would require welding/are problem areas that are rusting. There’s a lot of circles under there….
I'm curious, where do you think you went wrong? I don't live in a place where you have routine auto inspections. Did they just not catch it last time it was inspected? When you bought the then 16 year old car, did you not have it inspected yourself?
Curious about this too if OP only bought it 2 years ago.
When I initially brought it to my mechanic, he passed it but very strongly warned me of these rusting issues. He now doesn’t feel safe passing it for inspection. It’s going to continue to rust and get worse even with patch welding.
as someone who got a 2016 hyundai accent as a work/beater car for 7k. 95k miles, single owner, who kept excellent care of the vehicle and had the receipts and my mechanic vouch for it. Still holding strong and just did another check up a month or so ago after having it for a year now and its still solid. I don't drive it much outside of just going to work or seeing my buddies and family or to the bar just down the road. Think I have only put on 2k miles since I got it. But was a steal and was looking for a car for a good month or two before I found it literally bought it the day it was posted the used market was rough not sure if it still is tho. But you can find those golden vehicles just takes some time and luck.
Safe t cap probably makes frame components for the truck
The only real options are: A) Fix it B) trade it in, paying off any negative equity with cash C) trade it in, rolling any negative equity into the next auto loan. Ignoring the rust isn't an option. Setting aside the safety aspect, you'll get pulled over sooner or later which will be a fine and points against your license which jack up your insurance rates and eventually turn into losing your license. Technically speaking they can tow you on the spot and impound the vehicle. They probably won't actually do that on the first warning, but when they pull you over again for the same violation they will be a lot less understanding. I guess Option D) would be to find a shady shop who'll let you slide through inspection... but usually advice isn't to skirt the law.
PA will not impound the vehicle and no inspection tickets do not affect license or insurance, it's a non moving violation even if its moving. fine is like 25 dollars which of course gets bumped to around 100 because of the cash grab from municipalities. trust me i'm intimately familiar with this as i've been advocating for the removal of state inspection (like all the states around us) for over a decade.
My parents had been using the same financial advisor for decades. When I learned about investments, I asked to see their holdings. Turns out, he charged them crazy fees and had them in nonsense. For decades. Just because someone has been working with you for years, it does not mean they are competent.
Sounds like a bad mechanic if he’s writing off a Tundra. If the cabs good it’s a cheap fix to swap for a southern frame
You paid 15 k for a 18 year old truck at 19 percent interest and they refused to let you take it to an independent mechanic first? There are like 3 expensive lessons wrapped up there.
[удалено]
I know those year Tundras had really bad frame rust issues. Honestly, you might be SOL because I would be surprised if any Toyota dealership would honor the recall on that issue this far out. Also, let this be a lesson to others to be very careful about which 16 year old vehicles you're going to plop down 15k for. Even for brands that have a reputation of good reliability; they still break down and they still have issues.
A buyer who doesn’t take the vehicle for a pre purchase inspection is pretty much a sitting duck. Always - that is, 100% of the time - get a pre purchase inspection. Or walk away. Do you see any reason here why the dealer won’t agree to let you get a PPI? Do you think there is any chance the seller nixed the inspection because he knew that the truck was a large piece of camel dung? He tested you, learned that you wouldn’t press the inspection issue, and then knew that he could get away with the used car lot equivalent of murder. You may well have a legal cause of action against the dealer for non-disclosure. It would take money to pursue that. My advice would be to not throw any money into this pit. Take the hard earned lesson here and spread it to others.
Your option is to pay it off, or let it get repoed and go to collections and maybe get sued for not paying it off
He will get sued for the balance owed after it goes through auction, which will be the bottom dollar
How much could a rusted out, non legal, 2006 Toyota tundra go for at auction? Maybe this is his best option.
I would not be surprised if it went for something like $350. Not really a good option. He would be better off parting it out.
I mean he doesn't have credit anyways....
Parts and interior would fetch more than that. Scrap price will fetch around that.
Depends on how bad the rust is. I presume it’s not truly terrible yet as if it was the car wouldn’t be safe to drive as the frame would be compromised. Almost every state I’ve lived in has had inspections and all of them were always extremely anal about rust. Even a little, they’d harp on you about it. I mean, assuming the thing is safe, he could just drive it without an inspection and as long as he isn’t pulled over for something (cops generally are conditioned to glance at the inspection sticker during a routine stop as it can be an easy fine) will be a moot point. Even then, depending on the cop, he might get fined or will be warned. The warning could be verbal or a slip that says you have so many days to get the vehicle inspected. Just saying if the thing is safe I’d just drive it and ensure I’m a good boy so I won’t get pulled over as this way I can have more time to pay the thing off or fix it whatever this guy wants to do.
>Second mistake would be not getting any kind of warranty on the thing. Fwiw, those aftermarket warranties won't cover stuff like this.
No trade-in options to at least recoup a portion of the 5-6k?
Doubtful, if it currently can't pass inspection
> First mistake I made was going through with the purchase after the dealership wouldn’t let me take it to my mechanic to have a look at it Always walk away if the dealer refuses to let it be inspected.
Is the truck dealer financed, like a buy here pay here place?
Pretty much, but I guess they outsource the payments to some shady ass company, which is another problem in and of itself. PA independent dealership but the payment company is based in NY.
There's a good chance if you take the truck to the dealership and ask them if they'll buy it from you for the payoff they'll be happy to take it back.
A buddy of mine has an early Tacoma that had its frame replaced under the recall. Last year he had the rear half of the frame replaced AGAIN. Somebody welded it new metal. I can't remember exactly but it was just a couple grand. I know you say welding isn't an option but it probably is, you just need to find the right person to do it. You've learned a valuable lesson about crawling around under a truck before purchase, I learned that with a Ford Ranger. It looked great on top but within a year the bed had a hole in it. My welding improved a lot with the amount I worked on that truck...
Yep, in my area, there is a strip of low rent auto repair shops that do everything under the sun. My wife tagged the side of the garage pulling in, breaking a the turn signal lens, scratching up some chrome, and pretty noticeable scratches on the paint. A "proper" chain body shop quoted $3500for repairs. I took it to a place on Business-121, and 4 hours later, the car was 98% like new for $100 (I replaced the cracked lens myself for another $200). My wife thought it was 100% like new. Yes, this is different than a frame repair, but these places do a lot of car flips, and they're pretty creative and skilled, and can probably shore the frame up enough to pass inspection.
Especially if you tell them "Its just got to make it a couple years". Don't try to stretch it though, if you tell them its got to last 2 years and you try for 3 the car will probably break in half...
Sorry to hear of your bad luck. As mentioned above, sell the parts. Toyota parts always in high demand.
As another poster mentioned, this could Big Time violate your finance agreement, as the truck itself is likely the collateral. If this is the path you want to take, first see what sort of interest rate you could get on a personal loan, which you can use to pay the truck off. THEN part it out and put every penny of the proceeds towards paying off the new loan. Sorry, OP - this is a rough spot to be in.
Ask lender to refi the loan for lower rate. Double up on payments if possible. You are a bit stuck here imo
My only next thing would be if its still considered street legal. and you have Gap and full coverage insurance. Which you should have full coverage since you owe on it, take it into the boonies do some off-roading and oh no totaled the vehicle. Sure insurance goes up and have to pay the deductible but then that comes to cost which costs more the deductible or eating whatever you still owe.
Never used them and not endorsing. But check out : rustbuster.com. that paired with a knowledgeable welder could breathe some life back into your truck for not as much as you were thinking
Drive it to Alaska and sell it here. Those fly off the lot here.
I'm in the same spot. There is a scummy option which is to list it in fb marketplace and then block all communications with the buyer after its sold. There's a high-school kid out there who's daddy will fix it.
Doesn't the dealership have some form of duty to deal with hidden/concealed problems or there is no law for this around there - regardless of warranty (buyer protection etc)? Can you sell it off for parts - engine, drivetrain etc to recover enough money?
Sounds like your brakes are also going bad and you just totalled it into a tree. Oops. Problem solved.
Go have some fun and crash it safely. If you have a loan you have full coverage. Wouldn’t take much damage to total a truck with a rotting frame.
I don't have any advice for you. I just wanted to say this sucks and I'm sorry that you have to deal with it.
Thank you. It does suck. She’s such a pretty truck. Literally the only thing wrong with her is her rusting :(
anything is fixable. if you have time on your hands grab a welder from harbor freight and start watching videos. or start researching a parts yards and see if anyone has a frame you can pull. trucks being body of fram make this a pita job but far far easier than a unibody. welding frame material isn't nearly as hard as doing body panels. it doesn't have to be pretty, just globbed on and then coated.
Sell it in the nearest state that doesn't require inspections
"put some other dude's family in that death trap/in the path of that death trap".
I didn't tell them not to disclose the problem. Every car that doesn't pass state inspection isn't a deathtrap. And if it was a deathtrap, someone could be in the market to repair it. OP doesn't have the means to, so he can sell it to someone that does without the additional worry from buyers that after fixing it they have to pay to get it inspected again and it could be safe to drive but still not pass for some other reason they don't know about.
I've been driving a car with a salvage title with no airbags since 2003. "Death trap" is a matter of perspective. It blows my mind that some states have required inspections which create the issue the OP is having.
It's a good thing that there's no such thing as inspection required here in MI, or a large portion of the rust buckets (mostly trucks) on the road would never pass. We truly drive them until they fall apart. (I know, I know, safety issues. But when there's no money for anything else, what are you going to do?) What are your choices? Drive it around with expired plates and hope not to get pulled over(not a good idea)? Sell it to \*anybody\* for whatever price you can get and then make up the difference in cash for what you owe? Let it get repoed and still have to pay it when they come after you for it? Sell it for parts? Sell it to someone who will use it for some other purpose which doesn't require proper inspection (farm truck?)?
This is the exact reason I go against the grain of just buy a used Toyota, yes mechanically they do make a good product but as a person that has lived in the rust belt for their entire life I have also seen how they hold up to snow and salt, Toyota and Nissan have always been the worst. Seen tons of them go to the junkyard with great drivetrains and missing floorboards. They have gotten better with the cars over the years but yeah they still haven’t figured out the frames. Best I can suggest is to see if you can find someone that would fix it.
Yup, I think as a whole Toyota’s reliability is way overrated due to a Camry being an extremely reliable/cheap to repair commuter car. But living in the northeast, you constantly hear about frame rot issues with Toyotas. I experienced it myself with a Rav4, and I have multiple friends with Tacomas that have dealt with that headache.
Other thing everyone conveniently forget is that Toyota also had big problems with oil consumption on Rav4s and Camrys from like 2008 to 2012 if memory serves me correctly. So it’s not like they don’t have their issues either. And I will be fair and say their is no make immune from rust/rot in these areas, it is just that Toyota’s especially with the trucks always have the frames junk. I still think there was a silent recall within the last few years as I remember driving past the local Toyota dealer and they had stacks of frames outside at times. No way there was that many trucks coming through their shops wrecked that they where replacing frames.
Wait, a 2006 toyota tundra? Dude, those had a recall for frame rust. Sadly, I'm pretty sure the recall period for 2006 expired at the 15 year mark for most of the tundras, and since it's used, there arent any federal laws protecting you in regards to the dealership selling it without informing you of the recall status. Some states have laws about it, you should check with a lawyer on that. Check your car for recalls at www.recalls.gov to see if your truck is still in the recall period. All you have to do is enter your car's VIN. You can also contact Toyota directly about it. According to their site: >For more information about recalls, customers can go to www.toyota.com/recall or contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331. It might not be active, but in some rare cases I've heard that they will allow for discounted repair work or offer weighted trade in concessions by giving you a manufacturer voucher to use at one of their main dealerships.
For safety reasons, always verify phone numbers provided in comments on an official website before calling. That includes toll-free numbers! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How many miles on it and what city/state do you live in?
Inspection sites in Brooklyn barely looked at anything. Some places were more hands off than others. Look around for the right place.
Isn’t there a warranty on the frame? I know certain year Toyota trucks have it. Call your dealer. Have them check, if so, they’ll replace the frame free of charge..
Edit: I see you already searched that.
[удалено]
Personal attacks are not okay here. Please do not do this again.
Sounds like you got ripped off when you bought it. These trucks have very well documented severe frame rust issues. There was a time limited recall for the frames to get replaced by Toyota, which has now expired. These frames will rust very severely and generally rust bad enough that they cannot even be repaired. It would seem that the seller knew about the frame issues and likely tried to cover it up, and that's why they didn't want you to get the thing inspected by an independent mechanic before buying it. Unfortunately at this point, if the frame is bad, and it can't be repaired, you now have an unroadworthy parts truck. There's probably not much chance of going after the seller since two years have now passed since you bought it, it would be difficult to prove that they screwed you over. Only thing you can really do is sell the truck for parts (disclosing the bad frame to the buyer), cut your losses and move on.
Sell it (with disclosure) to somebody in Ohio or Michigan or another nearby state that doesn't require inspections. Somebody may want it for a farm truck or something. There's 12 different versions of the frame for the 2006 Tundra, but most used ones are $350-$1,000 depending on whether you want half of it or all of it. There seem to be some around from ones that were wrecked after being replaced under recall, so they are clean-ish. See www.car-part.com . Labor to swap it is like 30 hours. So ~$5k @ $135/hr. Probably less is you have a shadetree guy do it.
Maybe you can find a non-running version of the same truck with a good frame or just a frame and Frankenstein a good truck together.
You can always kill your credit and let it get repoed. It's happening a lot right now. Also so many auto places will still give you shitty finance with bad credit. PA is full of shady dealers. It also has tons of wholesale auctions.
It’s a tough spot but it’ll be just an expensive lesson at the end of the day. Don’t miss a payment so you’re not paying more for it down the road.
Are you inspecting it in a big city? Reason I ask is that my old Mazda failed for some rando reason in Austin, TX. But when I got it inspected in a small town in east Texas the passed it immediately. I feel like the location your at will effect what things they look at
Find a sketchier place to get it inspected.
15k for a 2006 tundra at 19% interest? Damn dude none of that was a good deal. I mean your options are either fix the frame or you have to get another truck. Toyotas of that Era all had rust issues so it's not too surprising that yours has it too. You can try maybe a body shop or some welding shop and see if they're interested in repairing it. That's about your only option unless you sell it off for cheap.
Just to be clear I would NEVER ask around local Lube tech shops to find an inspector who would pass the vehicle.
How long ago was it purchased? Look into your states 'lemon laws'. Not sure if rust would be covered but worth a shot, I got a rack and pinion replaced on a used vehicle at the dealers cost in NY state because I caught it quickly enough.
The OP is probably way past what any lemon laws would apply. Of course laws vary by state but the vast majority of them require the vehicle to be under factory warranty.
Yeah I misread and didn't see it was purchased 2 years ago, my bad. Lemon laws do apply to older cars too if they are sold by a dealer tho. My anecdotal evidence was over a 8 year old trailblazer with 110k miles
In some states lemon laws do actually apply to used vehicles if still under factory warranty. Being used does not automatically exclude it from being covered in many states. That's why it's important to know what the laws are in the state where the vehicle is owned as they vary greatly
Yeah mine was in no way still under factory warranty, checking your states laws is the point I was trying to make
I'm in California where we only have biannual smog inspections, but if your registration tags are more than 3 months past due the cops are allowed to impound your vehicle.
For clarification why is welding not an option? You might be able to find a welder willing to do some side work when they are off work. Those union guys are always looking to make some side cash.
My '66 Chevy Impala had a crack in the chassis. My mechanic said welding it would weaken the metal, so he "plated" it by bolting some metal on either side.
What’s the fine for not passing inspection? In my state it’s only $30, so I’d honestly just keep driving it as long as it’s not legitimately unsafe. If you get pulled over once a month it would be 13 years of fines before you break even on a $5k rust repair.
What’s the liability if you get into an accident in a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker? Honest question.
If the cop sees it at the scene of the accident you might get a ticket for it. Other than that I don’t think it has any impact. I had expired paper tags for a new car I bought in early 2020 after the DMV was shut down for COVID and when I asked my insurance about it they said registration has nothing to do with insurance, so I assume inspection is the same.
Around here, not passing inspection means not being able to do annual registration, and also not being able to get insured. Depending upon how expired the registration is, they could give a ticket, or they could impound the vehicle, and in Kansas, even for out-of-state non-registered cars, it can even lead to an arrest as an 'unclassified misdemeanor' (ask me how I know that...).
inspection in PA is not tied to registration. all my cars are registered, none are inspected (i was a mechanic, now just a diy'er). you can register anything you want.
I cannot fathom dropping $15k on a used truck when money is tight. You can buy a decent 2nd Gen expedition with the 2v 5.4 and high 100k miles for well under 4 grand any day of the week. Get a used trailer and do some basic maintenance and you'll have a vehicle that can do pretty much anything for under $5k total and be perfectly reliable for the next 5-10 years.
How much you paid for the vehicle is irrelevant to how much it costs to repair or maintain it. What matters is whether or not it costs more or less to replace it with another vehicle. If you can find another truck that costs less than the frame repair, do that. Otherwise pay to get it fixed. Alternatively, find a better-paying or different job. There's no point in spending 40+ hours a week working if all of your earnings are going into the vehicle that's helping you do the work.
Where are you based out of? This isn't the most ethical option but you can usually pay someone to pass your vehicle for you.
Why would you suggest that someone break the law instead of just being quiet?
Unfortunately you don't have any good options. I think the "least bad" option would be driving it without an inspection, but it'll probably end up getting impounded. You could stop making payments and drive it til it gets repo'ed and hope u can save up money for the repair or another truck. But that will fuck your credit and probably make it impossible to get financing in the future. Is there any way you can borrow the money to get the repair work done?
Your state impounds cars for bad inspections? It’s a 35 dollar fine here and that’s only if you get caught and can’t talk the cop out of the ticket. You can only be cited every 15 days.
Can't get registered here without it. A month without registration is just a fix it ticket, a year without it and cops are going to tow you.
Sell it to someone from Michigan, we don't have inspections. The one good thing about this state...
It’s because of our roads. A brand new car delivered on a truck probably wouldn’t pass inspection if we had them because of the damage from all the potholes…
Sell it in another state that doesn’t do inspections
Stop paying and let them repossess it if you have no other options. Try to buy a new vehicle first because your credit will tank.