Tried pulling a rear quarter panel on a 2002 Camry last Tuesday and the rust just crumbled under the slide hammer

Was working in my driveway in Des Moines, thought I had a solid grip but the metal gave way about six inches from the edge. The whole job turned into a patch panel replacement that took twice as long, anyone else hit hidden rust like that on older Toyotas?

3 comments

3 Comments

john_fisher3d ago

Jumped right into that same trap on an '01 Corolla last fall. I had the slide hammer set up perfect and the metal just turned to dust, like grabbing a handful of salt. Ended up cutting out a two-foot section and welding in a patch from a parts car. That's the thing with Toyota undercoating from that era, it hides the cancer until you put force on it.

kai_webb912d ago

Eh, Toyota's paint and undercoating from that era is actually pretty solid, you just gotta know where to look.

wyatt1352d ago

Come on, you guys are too quick to blame Toyota on this one... Sounds more like user error if you ask me. A slide hammer on rusty quarter panel metal without checking the backside first is just asking for trouble. Toyota undercoating from that era actually does its job if you work the panel right, and patch panels are perfectly fine if you take the time to prep everything properly. Bet if you'd drilled some relief holes and worked a penetrating oil in there before hitting it, that metal would've held up way better.