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MajorVery commonBody & Rust

Toyota Mark II: Structural rust in sills, rear arches, floor pans and rear subframe mounts

Structural rust in sills, rear arches, floor pans and rear subframe mounts is a very common body & rust fault on the Toyota Mark II on the 2000–2007 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $600 to $6,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 22 documented faults on the Toyota Mark II.

Vehicle
Toyota Mark II
Years
2000–2007
System
Body & Rust

This page covers the Toyota Mark II as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Toyota Mark II faults22 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Chassis and structural rust yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

The X110 Mark II family left the factory with no meaningful rustproofing and most NZ examples are now 20-plus-year Japanese imports. Corrosion concentrates in the sills and rockers, rear wheel arches, floor pans, boot/spare-wheel well and around the rear subframe mounting points. On a car this age rust is the single biggest value and WOF risk, and drift-repaired cars often hide it under fresh undercoat.

What you would notice

  • Bubbling or flaking paint along sills, rockers and rear arches
  • Damp or soft patches in the floor pan under carpet or mats
  • Flaky corrosion or fresh undercoat around the rear subframe mounts and jack points
  • Filler cracking on pinch welds

How to check it

Where to look. Sills/rockers, rear wheel arches, cabin and boot floor pans, spare-wheel well, jack points and rear subframe mounting points

Probe the pinch welds on sills and rockers for filler and bubbling, lift the boot and cabin carpet to check floor pans, the spare-wheel well and jack points for damp or perforation, and inspect the rear subframe mounts for scaling rust, cracks or crushed seams. Be suspicious of freshly applied underseal hiding corrosion.

Parts involved: Chassis and structural rust.

What it costs to put right

$600 to $6,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

  • “Has the car ever had rust repair or panel/floor sections replaced, and are there receipts?”
  • “When was the last WOF and did it note any corrosion?”
  • “Has fresh underseal been applied recently, and if so why?”

Now check the Toyota Mark II you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

Toyota Mark II buyer questions

Is structural rust in sills, rear arches, floor pans and rear subframe mounts serious on a Toyota Mark II?

We rate it major and very common on the Toyota Mark II. The X110 Mark II family left the factory with no meaningful rustproofing and most NZ examples are now 20-plus-year Japanese imports. Corrosion concentrates in the sills and rockers, rear wheel arches, floor pans, boot/spare-wheel well and around the rear subframe mounting points. On a car this age rust is the single biggest value and WOF risk, and drift-repaired cars often hide it under fresh undercoat.

How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Mark II?

$600 to $6,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Toyota Mark II years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000–2007 Toyota Mark II. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Probe the pinch welds on sills and rockers for filler and bubbling, lift the boot and cabin carpet to check floor pans, the spare-wheel well and jack points for damp or perforation, and inspect the rear subframe mounts for scaling rust, cracks or crushed seams. Be suspicious of freshly applied underseal hiding corrosion. Look here: Sills/rockers, rear wheel arches, cabin and boot floor pans, spare-wheel well, jack points and rear subframe mounting points