Rav4 Rear Suspension Bolt Corrosion - Gobsmacked When I Went For A Geo

[EastLondonGuy]

Hi,

My 04/04 46k miler went for a wheel alignment test last Sat.

The guy doing it in East London, proper place that uses Hunter equipment, could not free the camber bolts on the rear suspension.

He showed me the state of the car under the ramps - the bolts were rotten with visible rust. With a bit of WD40, he managed to get it done, but is this a common fault?

You would imagine for a 4x4 these things are not prone to rust!

Comments?

Regards,

S

[gjnorthall]

Carbon steel bolts will rust especially if doused with salt solution every winter! It wouldn't be unusual to use penetrating fluid to free off a suspension bolt on a vehicle this age. It helps if you jet wash the underside of the car from time to time and get rusty areas cleaned off and sprayed with underbody wax.