2020 Tacoma Panels Galvanized?

Hi Everyone,

New here. Did a bit of looking on the forum and internet, trying to find out what exactly is galvanized on the 2020 Tacoma, as Toyota says 'Fully Galvanized Steel Panels' but there isn't any further information expanding on where exactly is galvanized.

Thought someone on here would know

 

Interesting. Maybe they panels are galvanized then painted? Couple of my paint chips have been grey underneath but idk if that's even feasible and it's prob just primer I'm seeing.

 

Wow! Only a single reply!! I was interested too and my search brought me here...

 

Pretty much all new car panels are dipped in a tank and coated with a very thin layer of galvanizing. [zinc rich coating] It's why vehicles rust so fast if you get a decent scratch down to metal. The coating is scraped off and the steel exposed to atmosphere [oxygen and moisture] where it begins to rust almost immediately.

 

I’d assume it’s a proprietary dip process like stated above… I cannot find anything on the Toyota site but did find this about the Prius. I belive all of the major auto companies dip the vehicles prior to paint as part of this process… and I’d bet each company has a slightly different process and materials that are developed internally, hence them not saying what the process or materials are.

“Toyota does not endorse the need for additional rustproofing on its vehicles.

This is because they are built with extensive design considerations and specially selected materials and coatings to help protect against corrosion.

Should the application of aftermarket rustproofing be the direct cause of a concern with the vehicle, Toyota would not be responsible.”
https://www.wheels.ca/news/no-need-for-extra-treatment-of-rust-toyota

 

Galvanized metal was a big deal decades ago (1980’s) when cars would apparently start to rust shortly after you bought them. “Fully galvanized metal!” also sounded great on marketing brochures.

Later on it became so commonplace that it’s hardly even mentioned.

 

And yet Toyota refuses to dip the frames........the one piece that seems to have repeated serious failures due to rust.

 

Don’t get mad at them, you bought the damn thing lol

 

Do we know this to be fact? I assume you are correct but how do we know? Curious!

 

How do we know? Because they are still rusting.

A good zinc coating done right will resist rust a VERY long time. A hot dip zinc coated frame would still be around after the rest of the truck has reverted to iron oxide. [they actually even ''self heal'' to a certain extent.] See all those big high tension towers? Many were installed 50+ years ago and look like they were put in yesterday. Zinc is pretty amazing when it comes to rust protection.

And then we get into cathodic protection..........buried underground, a coated and wrapped pipe with good cathodic protection can look brand new 75 years later as long as protection has remained constant throughout the year. You can either use a magnesium anode, a bed of them, or a rectifier to convert A/C to D/C current. Whatever you use has to be a less noble metal then what you are protecting, the less noble metal sacrifices itself to protect the more noble metal.

Unfortunately, anodes don't work above ground worth a damn, they need to be surrounded by something that can pass electrical current. [outboard motors have a little square of a less noble metal that does the same thing.

The only thing paint does is try to seal the steel from oxygen and moisture, there is no active protection whatsoever.

 

Ahg! I am new to these with this 2022 SR.

 

Rest assured, no consumer grade pickup actually hot dips their frames and their other paint coatings are pretty cheapo also. I know GM used to use a wax dip but I don't know if they are still doing it.