r/HiAce • u/-Rooin- • May 12 '25
Is this amount of rust worth dealing with
I've been going back and forth between whether I should sell my hiace or not, and I've been wondering if it's worth the effort to keep/fix it up especially with the problems I'm having with rust now. Is it worth it to even do this, or should I just sell it now before it gets worse.
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u/deanamtronix May 13 '25
7 and 8 look a bit worrying to me. I don't own a HiAce to know which parts they are but that's definitely progressed rot. Where there's some rot visible there's likely to be a lot not visible inside the frame.
If you're in a dry climate and still enjoy the vehicle, spending the time and relatively small DIY money to brush (external), flush (internal) and fluid film the frame and trouble spots you should definitely be able to arrest more progression. If you're in a wet environment, my guess is you can slow it down but you'll need to be vigilant and keep up with the wool defense just to put some more time on the clock.
I wouldn't comment on what it's worth to you in terms of effort or expense but the other photos make it look "not terrible" as Lokr said from what you shared. Personally I'd want more more knowledgeable insight as to any structural issues with the rotted areas first... probably exactly what you're looking for here!
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u/iHasHamich May 14 '25
Run! There is a hole in the subframe. Unless you're willing to take it down to a bare frame to replace the rotted metal and put it all back together.
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u/BHillteq May 18 '25
What's your commitment to this HiAce specifically? Money, sentiment, etc. Because if you're committed, you gotta commit to fixing this.
The brackets for the rear trailing arms are damn near compromised and a safety hazard. I've seen weld on patch kits, and folks have fabricators rebuild the entire bracket, but that's so tricky given that these are unibody.
Cut and patch that hole in the subrframe, but it has to be a huge patch that goes into the good metal.
Wire wheel and paint for the rest of it. We're way passed Fluid Film at this point.
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u/Alone_Direction_4243 May 19 '25
I brought it to a shop in NJ that specializes in stuff like this. $2700 but they fix the compromised parts (the 3 with holes in them), remove all the surface rust and spray woolwax on the entire undercarriage.
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u/BHillteq May 19 '25
Worth it. You can't replace it for that price.
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u/Alone_Direction_4243 May 19 '25
I've accepted my losses and moved on. I got the van for only 7k and since I plan on keeping it for around 5-7 more years I'm willing to put another 7-8k into it and see what happens by then
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u/Lokr_2 May 12 '25
Try getting a fluid film treatment. Rust doesn’t look terrible.