Normal for interior metal to rust?

[ajf3ajf3]

Hey all, Just picked up my 03 Envy tonight... looked good while at the dealer, but when I got home (in my brighter garage) I noticed some pet hair. Got out a bright light & started looking around to see if I missed anything else.Common thing I'm seeing is rusted metal on the inside. Found sand too, so I'm hoping the prior owner spent mucho time at the beach with his dog, rather than thinking that this thing was underwater at some point. The carfax was clean - single owner - no reported damage.Anyone know if this can be from salt air, or some other reason beside being underwater at some point?Anyway, here's some pics of what I'm seeing. Underside of drivers and passengers seats:I'm really hoping that this is normal or at least not indicitive of flooding... the car drives & handles great - smooth shifts, tight steering, etc - I actually kinda love it so far

[ajf3ajf3]

Under seats:

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[ajf3ajf3]

Rear drum brake (I think this is probably ok):

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[ajf3ajf3]

Clip under passenger side dash:

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[ajf3ajf3]

Inside the latch hole in the rear drivers side seat - this is where it latches into an upright position:

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[ajf3ajf3]

Spare tire compartment sand:

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[ajf3ajf3]

Spare tire compartment sand 2:

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[BlueCrush]

Yeah. Looks like it was at the beach a lot.

[Jaycie685]

Same thing happened with my Vibe! Except I think the previous owners went camping a lot instead of to the beach. Seat rails have rust on them, not sure about under the seats themselves as I haven't checked. Various bolts and nuts have rust on them. The compartment under the spare tire had pine needles and dirt not to mention dirt under the floor mats!

[ajf3ajf3]

Wow - funny that its the same situation down to the crap in the spare compartment. Makes me feel better about it probably not being flooded.Did you bring it up with the dealer as a warranty issue? I have 1500 miles left on the factory 36k & am going to try and get as much done as I can before it runs out...Thx!

[ragingfish]

I had a lote of interior rust on the Vibe...thanks in part to an accdentally neglected open sunroof during a rain storm.

[ColonelPanic]

I have an '03 that I bought new, and I peeked underneath the seat tonight to see what was under there. The metal is rusting, although not at the severity of which you have. The seat tracks which are painted are fine, but anything unpainted under there is rusting. The metal they use for various things inside seems to be pretty cheap anyway, couple that with the fact that in most cases there isn't anything there on top of that cheap metal to protect it and you get this... Where did the car come from according to the Carfax report? It could very well have spent most of its previous life near the beach for sure. If that's the case, I'd say you don't have much to worry about. I don't really see any evidence that it has been underwater - things like the cables and wiring in the pics look in great shape. It just looks like it has been humid quite a bit inside to make the various bits of metal turn rusty... How does it smell inside, by the way?One thing to watch out for though - water leaks! It is possible that the car could have been humid inside for a long period of time, thereby causing these unpainted areas to develop rust. Some things to check...Underneath the car: Make sure the shipping plugs have been installed. See this link for details. There are also four more plugs in the floor pan at each seating position, they are rather large and circular. Make sure they are all present. The previously mentioned link also outlines a potential leak coming from the roof of the car. Inside the car, feel around the carpet everywhere and make sure nothing is damp. Pay particular attention to the rear floor and the front passenger floor. A good friend of mine had an '03 Vibe that he had to trade in due to severe water leaks, there was constantly a pool of water in the driver's side rear floorboard. We never could figure out what the cause was, and he ended up getting rid of the car because of that problem. (worry not, it was Salsa. ) In hindsight, I think the water was running in from the roof or around the quarter panel window, staying under the plastic trim the whole time, then ran under the rear seat and under the carpet where it collected. Look for any evidence of water around where the 'A' pillar trim meets the headliner. You could have a leaky roof as above, or perhaps a drain issue with the moonroof, if equipped. There's a TSB around somewhere about plugged drain tubes for the moonroof which could cause leaks around the headliner at the 'A' pillar area.Check the A/C drain tube... This thing is in a bad location and can easily be ripped off by a passenger's foot. A couple of threads can be found here as well as here. Ragingfish had a picture of it at one point in time, but now it's a 404. To find the drain tube, look for the cable with the rusted out clip on the passenger's side that you took a picture of. Go toward the front of the car and lift the carpet up a bit, the drain tube should be around there. Make sure that is on there tight.I'd suggest running it through an automatic car was a couple of times and make sure everything inside stays dry. If everything is dry now and stays dry, you're probably ok. Welcome aboard, I hope the above helps... I also hope it doesn't scare ya. Just wanted to share a bit of info on issues that have appeared previously. Probably none of the above applies to your new car. Hang on to that Envy Vibe if you can, it's a rare one!

[binary]

I didn't notice anyone mention possible flood damage... I hate to even think about it.But I think BlueCrush is probably right - salty air and beach sand.

[Vibe_dude]

Quote, originally posted by Jaycie685 »Same thing happened with my Vibe! Except I think the previous owners went camping a lot instead of to the beach. Seat rails have rust on them, not sure about under the seats themselves as I haven't checked. Various bolts and nuts have rust on them. The compartment under the spare tire had pine needles and dirt not to mention dirt under the floor mats!same thing on my 03 vibe...rust on the nuts in the spare tire area......sand and dirt all through the back compartments.....got a small can of rust check and sprayed eveyting to keep it from gettin worse.....there must be alot of moisture problems with this car if everyone has this prob.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Vibe_dude »there must be alot of moisture problems with this car if everyone has this prob. Yep.

[scherry2]

cheap parts from foreign countrys.

[Mathias]

My seat looks the same ('04 in MI). Never gotten flooded or anything... the seats on my wife's '03 Sienna -- which sit in the garage a lot during the summer, as she's an antique dealer -- look just about as bad as these pictures.Also, the car interior gets wet in the winter from snow ... I don't worry too much about it.So, if you have this problem, you're not alone.-Mathias

[tnpartsguy]

Sad thing is, brand new car from the factory look like this. A lot of the plants store parts outside until they are needed, especially larger parts like seat frame, and dash supports. Plus, because we use our A/C's, the condensation in the air settles on that unpainted/uncoated metal, and surface rust sets up....we get people complaining about rust on brake pedals all the time, we order a new part to have it come in rustier than the original.

[nortsr]

Rust on your nuts????You must be old!!!

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by nortsr »Rust on your nuts????You must be old!!!http://faultgame.com/images/rimshot.wav

[thumble]

I just wanted to add my name to the list of owners withrusted interior components. For me, it is the 'tracks' underthe front seats, and maybe a few other places. And I have sand in the crevices. I'm guessing the car came from a beach locale.Of course, I also have rust on the outside, the wheels and the underbody. I hope it is just salt water.If anyone ever asks their service dept. about this, I'd love to hear what they say.

[Baltovibe]

Quote, originally posted by thumble »I just wanted to add my name to the list of owners withrusted interior components. For me, it is the 'tracks' underthe front seats, and maybe a few other places. And I have sand in the crevices. I'm guessing the car came from a beach locale.Of course, I also have rust on the outside, the wheels and the underbody. I hope it is just salt water.Flooded Cars from the Katrina Hurricane are making their way back into the market. Maybe your car was one of the victims?http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/01/27/hur ... S/....html

[Kari]

That's certainly a possibility...I would run a CarFax report on it and see where it was originally titled.

[glassman]

this is normal in any climate with snow or a lot of rain mats get wet and moisture stays in car if you park in a garage open your window when you park it.the envy looks like a surfers car the guy must have had a dog and we all know what happens when we sit in a car with the windows rolled up for a while and not runningthe dog stay in while he surfs and wala major fogged windows and humidity = rust

[thumble]

thanks to evryone's suggestions.I checked the carfax before buying, and my Vibe isfrom Douglas, GA, which is in the middle of that state. (I'm in TN).It was sold at auction this past Oct.I'm hoping glassman is right, and that theinterior rust is just due to carelessness.

[jasonvibe]

Mine when new had the clips under the dash with rust. How we all have been fooled into thinking how great a Toyota design end building is....

[Vibe_dude]

Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe »Mine when new had the clips under the dash with rust. How we all have been fooled into thinking how great a Toyota design end building is.... not just all of us....but car and driver....consumer reports feel lock stock and barrel....mototr trend...motoring 2006.....and i could go on with all the ppl who believe toyotas are the best...they are no better than any other car company.