Krown Rust-Proofing Results - Year 3

Hello All

Subject: 2021 Toyota 4Runner/TRD Off Road Premium/Moon Roof. Factory Stock.

Back in May of 2021, when new with 600 miles, I had the Krown treatment done for the first time. I then reported here on the Forum about May, 2022 with photos of the under carriage after the first year. Ditto in May, 2023 after the second year. And here are photos of the under carriage in August, 2024 after three annual applications. I was about three months late this year. Photos taken during it's 4th application this past Tuesday. Will report back about May, 2025. Krown recommends you re-apply the application once a year.

I must say, after three years, I'm still quite impressed with the results. Not even the shock bolt heads have started to rust. At least for me, the process has certainly worked. Especially, with a new vehicle, I believe this is cheap insurance at $150.00 a year.

Rick

 

Looks good, wish there was a reputable shop near me that offered that so I didn't have to do it myself. Keep that up and that truck should last you a really long time.

 

Do you get to watch them? Are they doing inside the frame with the little sprayer or is this just a spray on the exterior with like a pump-up sprayer?
$150 a year is pretty cheap in comparison to what i have heard others paying for other name brands.

 

Beautiful! How many miles per year? How often would you say is it’s exposed to salt?

 

This looks really good. I'm curious - on a 5-year-old 4Runner, will they apply this (does it need much prep first?), and will it have the effect of slowing/halting rust? I don't have much rust, but if this is petroleum based, it could seep into areas and have some good benefit to it. If you keep a rusty thing covered in oily stuff, the rust can't get oxygen and it stops. Also, would it be off-putting to mechanics due to being overly greasy? I virtually stopped servicing my vehicles myself for a number of reasons, so I wouldn't want mechanics to be annoyed at me ;-)

 

I have a 21' and take mine to the same Krown shop. Application #4 is coming up in October. Same city, same results. If you get the vehicle treated from new and get the annual application Krown "warranties" no rust for the life of the vehicle. Also, the price stays static as long as you own the vehicle. It doesn't go up with inflation. The application takes about an hour. Given how much vehicles cost these days it is well worth it in preventative mx for a long term vehicle. Another happy customer of theirs right here.

 

Well, that was my hope. I'm 74 now, and it might be my last vehicle. Thanks to members on this Forum I was informed that the only real concern with the 4R is it's tendency to have rusty frames early on. And I just happen to have a long term Krown dealer near me.

 

At 74, I will work on top of vehicles, but don't crawl under them anymore. LOL Can't imagine gathering all the material and equipment to do it myself compared with $150.00 once a year to get good of results.
The stuff goes on clear. So they can even do the inside of the engine compartment since the material has no effect on electrical components. They do spray inside the frame. And fortunately, the 4R already has plenty of access holes to accommodate. They also do the inside of the doors by drilling small holes on just the inside edge of the doors and plugging them. You don't even notice the plugs. What's nice about it being clear, is that you can view what is or is not going on through the year.

 

Great question.
Full Disclosure: The 4R just turned 23K miles. And, when not in use, is garaged. The first year I owned the 4R was also the last 6 months of working before retiring. So now I only drive it about 7,000 miles a year. Just very occasional, mild off-road like logging trails and the like. So as a 4R it's only had mild usage. But still, I am impressed with the results.
I live in the St. Louis, MO area. So we do salt the roads as needed. But this last winter was super mild. Probably 6" of snow total for the entire winter. LOL But the previous year had two big snows with lots of liquified salt on the roads. The deep snows allowed me to "play" in it before the plows came overnight. Such as the timing you can do when you retire. LOL

 

As I mentioned, it goes on clear. It takes about 4-5 days to cure, then it's dry. You can't even tell it's coated. There will be some drip. So you want to NOT park it in the garage or your driveway for about three days or so. I have those thick, vinyl parking mats on my garage floor so don't have to worry about drip in my case. Also, each time you get out of the car after driving, you will notice a burning smell. That's normal. It's just from the slight over-spray on exhaust components. It too goes away in about 4-5 days.

 

Hi Bald. How you been ? So you too are ready for #4. LOL Can't argue with the results and the price.You can watch them working on your vehicle from a monitor in the waiting area. They won't let you in the shop due to insurance/liability rules. I have the Tech take the pics using my camera.
I don't know what the results would be for a 5 year old vehicle. I'm sure they would do it. They do have a de-salting option they can do. Might work to clean the undercarriage before applying the Krown.

 

I took my 2019 TRD Pro in for its annual Krown treatment. This truck is over 5 years over, living near Ottawa, so it's been through 5 Canadian winters, with all of the expected salt. I was interested in seeing how effective Krown had been, so I went under while it was being treated and snapped some pictures. Here's what a 5 year-old Canadian 4Runner looks like thanks to Krown.

As you can see, the only rust is on the exhaust system, calipers and ball joints. All of these parts get hot and burn off any covering or coating. Drivers side caliper was replaced a couple of months ago (so no rust yet).

All in all, very satisfied. Highly recommended.

Mike

 

Hi Mike

Very impressive. Your truck is actually a better example than mine, with your 5 Ontario style winters. Can't imagine trying to DIY. Once a year, 90-minutes of time, and $150.00 USD producing excellent results. Well worth it.

Rick

 

@rickystl
@MikeS

very nice pics. I use Krown as well. Can you lower the spare tire and take a pic of that area? Its a water, moisture, salt trap. Typically they don't lower the tire to spray. Would be interested to see the differences.
My son bought our '17 Limited in 2020 used. He got a company truck 2 years ago and I bought it off him. It was not krowned before that. When I lowered the tire there was quite a bit of rust up there including the chain that lowers it.

 

Hey Rickystl, I've been out of town on family stuff. I might ask about that de-salting thing. I'm in a unique situation and get exposed to more salt than most people in this area. Not sure it needs it.

 

If I were smart - and younger - LOL I would remove the spare tire first. Krown mentioned they would apply the application as close around the spare tire area as they could, but they won't remove the spare. But it would be a good idea to remove the spare. Next application, I'll do this and take photos. I admit, should have done this to begin with.

Rick

 

I won't be putting a ton of mileage on the 4Runner over winter. I bought a case of the cans. I will re-hit the prone areas myself. This is a picture of what it looked like immediately after they did what they call a double coverage where you pay 15-20 dollars more and they really soak it. Don't have the before pic.
An alternative might be to leave the spare on, pull the long bar out and just lower the spare a bit for them before they raise the truck. I also accessed the rear door area where the window rolls down and hit the mechanicals and linkages. Its a great truck, the body outside of the back rear door area holds up well...but that frame..... is not great and needs to be treated.
Check out the video of this older 4Runner. The body itself is in great shape

https://youtu.be/VVYDP8gZNpI?t=271

 

Hi Bald
I believe the de-salting service is for BOTH the outside and under carriage of the vehicle (?) Best to ask them. Seems that service is more for areas with longer winters with continuous snow and road salt through the winter. Maybe also an intermediate application between the annual Krown service. Like Ontario, where Mike lives. Makes me think of my earlier years with those Chicago winters.
When you look at both sets of photos above, what I find most impressive is the lack of any rust build-up on the frame. Supposedly the one weak place on the 4R.
I would guess that Krown would first do a simple under carriage power wash before applying the rust proofing (?) I should have asked this. That would be the time to do it while the truck is on a rack and you can see everything. Anyway, if you bring your camera with you on your next trip to Krown, the Tech will take photos if you like.

Rick

 

WOW !!!! That video is shocking. If that doesn't make a 4R owner want to have annual rust-proofing, nothing will. Really scary. Glad I started when my 4R was new.

Didn't know they offered the double coverage option. That photo is super impressive. Thanks for posting.

 

Wow that looks great. If we had Krown where I lived, I wouldn’t be the woolwax junkie I am now lol. When I bought my 21, the only place I could find was 3 hours away and wanted 400 bucks with a desalination wash. Would have gladly paid it if the guy was closer lol.

It may be worth asking if next yearif they can put some product on the brake line fittings into the caliper. I’d also think it’s worth the trouble to bring down the spare for the next application, if you’re able.

It looks like they also sprayed the transfer case. It still has that lovely “freshly cast” look. Lol

 

The Krown undercoating looks amazing, thanks for sharing!
I've got a 2021 and I've not seen much rust, so I need to get it in for Undercoating ASAP.

What should I do to treat the parts of the undercarriage where I have scraped paint off from offroading? Should I prep the surface and spray with Rustoleum before doing the Krown or similar treatment? (All of my scrapes are on the Crossmembers, Gas Tank skid, Lower Control Arms, Rear Diff and the Trailing Arm Skids. No spots on the frame or underside of the body where I've scraped the paint off.)

 

I usually degrease the area, dress/sand the scraped areas. Then spray or brush on on some rustoleum. After it cures, I hit it with woolwax.

 

Wow, that's a mess, and i guess it doesn't catch on fire. lol

Looks like it works awesome and i found a place a little over an hour from me. Wish it was more permanent than a yearly thing.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Fellow Canadian here with a 2022 4Runner TRD Offroad, and also living in central Ontario. I'm also familiar with our excessively salted and liquid brined winter roads. Since new, I've done the yearly Krown treatments on my truck as well, and I feel it's been really effective. My truck shows minimal underside rust developing after 2 winters of exposure, and I'd hate to think what it would look like without the treatments. For the minimal cost that Krown charges for these yearly treatments, it's completely worth it.