Scotty, love your channel, thanks for all that you do.
I bought my 2006 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 3 years ago. I didn’t notice when I bought it, but the previous owner had attempted a shotty paint job on the roof to fix (or hide) some rust spots. They’re now starting to show through and there are two large strips of rust running down the top of the roof. I’ve taken it to get estimates at body shops, most won’t touch it, the ones that give me a quote sit at $2500 (about the same price whether they strip it down and repaint or replace the roof). The truck is low mileage for the year (125k) and is great otherwise. I’m hoping to hold onto it for another 5 or so years. Should I prioritize getting it fixed or wait until it rusts through and replace the roof? Are there any simple steps to slow the rust down? We are in Maryland and I’m concerned about the salt, but willing to take a little risk.
Please attach some photos of the affected area - https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/postid/183035/
Should I prioritize getting it fixed or wait until it rusts through and replace the roof? Are there any simple steps to slow the rust down?
Pull off the paint that's coming off. Detached paint only holds water against the sheet metal and causes rust to concentrate underneath it. It will eat through the roof faster. And you don't want to let it eat the roof. It will be even more expensive to fix.
It will take a while to eat through the sheet metal, if it's just starting to rust. The roof gets the least exposure to salt. It gets wet, but dries when you're driving down the road.
It's the roof, so people are less likely to notice it. If you're thinking of trying to fix it again, ChrisFix has a great how-to on fixing paint.
The key is getting the rust off. The previous owner probably painted it with no prep. Starts around 11:00
Are there any simple steps to slow the rust down?
Rustoleum paint. Just reapply every year until you retire the truck. It's on the roof nobody will notice.
