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Originally Posted by Speeed3
How do you think the rust started?
It looks like it started from inside. Rusted trough wheel well got dirt in there?
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It's definitely rusting from the inside out. The rust is a lot more widespread than the photo shows because once the paint has blistered, the metal beneath it is all corroded.
I haven't opened up the rocker panel yet to confirm, but I believe the problem has to do with this "shelf" at the bottom of the rear wheel arch (ahead of the rear tire) that holds dirt, salt & moisture:
You can't see it well in the pic, but where the yellow arrow points, the tip of the screwdriver that I stabbed into the car is visible at a small hole there. Which means water, salt & dirt are getting in the rocker cavity there.
Also, all the factory undercoating has flaked off that shelf, exposing bare metal.
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Maybe you (mostly meaning other Prius owners) can put rust preventing oil into there from rear spat attachment hole.
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Exactly! I would highly recommend drilling the rocker panel where the rear doors close (above the door seal) to spray something for rust prevention inside the cavity.
And when I cut the existing rust out of the rocker panel to repair it later this summer or early fall, I should be able to confirm the source.