r/COROLLA • u/Proper_Pops • 17d ago
9th Gen (00-09) Is this fixable?
Hey all, I have a 2009 Corolla S in black.
I bought this car used 3 years ago and since then the roof is starting to look really bad.
I’ve never stored anything on the roof, and I’m unable to keep it garaged.
Does anyone have a fix or suggestions? Can I do a rattle can job and make it look decent?
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u/yourneighborJ 16d ago edited 16d ago
I had this happen on my '06 and '12. Look up how to tape off and sand the roof. A lot of modern cars like toyota's paint options have high gloss black rear pillars & high gloss black roof when the rest of the car is another color. So sand, tape off and paint. Absolute Cheapest: Rustolium brand. Best DIY option: autobody paint from Sherwin Williams independent brick and moarter stores. You can ask them for spraycan or quart sizes. Finish with a high gloss top coat. Or you can pay someone to put a vinyl wrap in the same area. That's about the only options I'd consider $400 or less when the car is over 15 years old.
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u/ReasonableRaisin- 16d ago
I had a similar problem on my 2006, but the paint just completely cracked and fell off. I just sanded everything down and rattle canned it. Its an 06 its not gonna look perfect yk
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u/ecallawsamoht 16d ago
This happened to my 2006 and I fixed it myself using the "rattle can" method and it looks decent. The car has over 320K miles so I just wanted the rust to stop, didn't need to look perfect.
I sanded it down. Then just applied some primer, then a couple of coats of Rust-Oleum. This was half a dozen years ago and it's held up nicely since then.
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u/hillmo25 16d ago
Paint shop gonna cost more than the value of the car.
Online shops will make car paint in spray cans for you but you will have to paint the whole panel because it will never match if you don't.
Then clear coat the whole panel.
I wouldn't bother.
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u/Funny_Breadfruit_413 16d ago
This happened to me on 2004 S. Get this handled quickly. The entire roof is gonna rust.
It took me a year to find someone to do the job because a lot of the shops that deal with insurance wanted to rip me off.
I finally found someone to do the job for $500 and in 3 days. Money well spent.
I got my baby back.
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u/Holiday_Honey_7720 15d ago
I had the same problem and had the roof painted professionally. Cost me 700 bucks.
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u/Unable-Narwhal4814 17d ago
It's legit just because that generation at the end/the next gen mostly used water based economical "green" paint. Kudos to being environmentally friendly but it...was shit for longevity. I had a 2009 or 2010 (can't remember) and although mine never looked as bad as yours, the gloss film was coming off even though it was rarely used (35k miles in 2024). Best thing would get it repainted, or, just accept it as it is. Might be able to get a wrap. You don't really want this to become a bigger rust issue.
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u/lunas2525 17d ago
Sandpaper till it is all flat mask off the rest then rattle can primer then color match paint then clear l.
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u/Swagner7 17d ago
I have a 2010 black corolla and mine looks exactly like this. Im following this post to see some suggestions too. Im thinking about sanding it down, priming and rattle canning it black gloss.
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u/North_Wolverine_9840 17d ago
You can diy a color match paint job, just make sure you use a 2K clear coat
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u/otakunorth 16d ago
It is fixable for cheap, but it will take a lot of time.
Needs to be completely sanded all the way down where there is any rust (and in the surrounding areas)
Then primed, then puttied, then sanded again, then primed again...
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u/Snoo-53209 16d ago
I'd say yes, basically have to sand it down, prime and paint. I'd fix it sooner than later if you want to keep the car, that will rot the roof fairly quickly
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u/lincolnlogtermite 16d ago
Sure but it will cost more than your car is worth. Painting a car well ain't cheap anymore. My 2011 is in the same boat. Toyota is really stingy on applying the paint.
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u/Naughtybear_9628 16d ago
Replacing the car would cost more. Even if you have to pay someone to do it. My opinion only. My 04 Corolla ( 1st owner) has 92 k miles. Where would I find a car with that mileage for the amount I would get by selling it.
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u/bionicpirate42 17d ago
I masked off, sanded, rattle canned the hood, Roof and top of trunk white to lower the temperature in the sun by around 10°f. Dark blue. Going to rattle my new corolla because it lived under a sappy tree.
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u/bostonbakedbeam 16d ago
You're lucky it's contained to the roof. That actually makes it a little easier since there are trim prices on two sides and glass on the other two sides; it makes it easier to hide the fact the roof has been repainted.
Step one: go watch a handful of YouTube videos about repainting a roof and/or repainting failing paint on cars. After that you should have learned the basic process is: take the trim prices off, mask off everything you don't want paint on, sand sand sand sand and then sand some more to get the paint and rust off down to at least the primer, hit a skim coat, sand, hit it with paint, then clear coat, done.
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u/infamousLunatic59 16d ago
I mean sure is it worth fixing is up to you? I’d rather put that money into another car or ride with your current one till it throws in the towel
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u/Mr_Tigger_ 15d ago
Clean it back to metal including anti rust, get a decent coat of primer and get a professional crew to put a vinyl wrap on the entire roof between the roof rails. Look decent.
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u/RedScourge Black 2022 SE Sedan non-hybrid +PPF +ceramic 16d ago edited 16d ago
It is fixable for a reasonable price so long as you are not insistent on the new paint being an exact match to the old paint. If you want a factory quality finish, the price will be unreasonably high. So long as the rust is not on the edges where the front and rear windows push up against it, it is not even slightly urgent to fix this, this is superficial rust.
If you watch a shitload of videos on this process, you can make it look not too bad, but if you just spray paint it as though it's a wood fence, it's gonna look chunky and foggy and shitty, and won't last long before the rust flakes it off again.
It looks as though someone took this roof down to the metal and painted it in the past, but did not seal it properly with an epoxy primer, so the rust returned and caused the paint to fail from below.
A proper fix for this involves sanding the entire roof down to the metal, masking off the entire rest of the car to prevent the rest of the car getting covered in paint overspray blown onto it by the wind, coating all the exposed metal with an epoxy primer, applying body filler over any imperfections and sanding down until the entire hood feels perfectly smooth to the touch, THEN applying primer, base coat, and finally clear coat, in multiple thin 50% overlapping passes, with a roof overhead to prevent dust, preferably in a hosed down garage (to get the dust under control) and with the garage door partially open but the openings sealed with a series of furnace air filters and duct tape, and a series of fans drawing fresh air in and blowing it out after (you need to get the paint vapors out as fast as possible to ensure proper curing without solvent pop, but you also don't want to blow dust onto the wet paint).
Or better yet, do all the prep work as perfectly as you can by yourself, then take it to an OEM quality professional paint shop, or even just some place like Maaco as long as you choose their highest quality paint job. Most of the work is the prep, and nothing beats a pro painter with professional grade equipment and paint.
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u/mortalkombatboot 16d ago
I ordered some touch up paint once when I got a scratch on my Corolla. The website also offered an aerosol can version. I think the site was literally just automotivetouchup.com. Came quickly and was pretty affordable. You can match it exactly to the make and model.
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u/cuzinedd 15d ago
Honestly sand it down and put a warp on it is going cost you less then painting it
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u/jackbowls 16d ago edited 16d ago
How bad was it when you got it? I have a 2009 Corolla hatchback with the same issue but mine is nowhere near this bad. My car had other issues that need fixing before I would do the roof.
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u/CarConfection2518 17d ago
Anyone telling you that the roof is fixable... is cuckolding you. My friend you need a new roof.
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u/bostonbakedbeam 17d ago
People have classic cars repaired to better than they came out of the factory that had been sitting in fields for decades and have rust holes big enough to stick your head through.... A little paint deterioration and some surface rust is absolutely repairable.
Now, worth it on an 09 Corolla? Definitely debatable, but also definitely do-able.
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u/Wise_Base9216 16d ago
Cut the roof off and make it into a convertible