Rust stain from the door handles

[Camry2004]

I have a silver (lunar mist metallic) 2004 Camry LE with 43K miles. I am starting to notice rust stain seeping from outside handles of both rear passenger doors. I've been googling and found a lot of people with the similar problem. I even saw few Camrys in my town with the rusty door handles. It seems Toyota dropped a ball on this one. I'm not sure why they put the non-galvanized bolts/screws for the door handle but my warranty expired a long time ago. So I am trying to fix it myself. Was there any recall on this door handle rust problem? When I owned Chevy cars, I used to work on them a lot. This will be my first with the Camry. I would appreciate it if you can give me any pointers.

Do I need to get a galvanized bolts/screws from Toyota? Or, can I pick up the bolts from Lowes or Autozone? Do I need to change the whole door handle assembly? How difficult is to remove the torx screw holding the door handle with the rust?

I am guessing there will be some type of plastic covering inside the door assembly. If I take it off, can I just put him back on or do I need buy any glue?

Most likely I need to water proof the black covering inside the handle so the water doesn't get in. Are there any grease product that can do this? Or do I need to worry about it all?

Last but not the least, how do I remove the rust stains?

I like to make sure I have all the tools and parts I need before I start the repair. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Justdiscovering]

Eww. not even a lot of miles on it, poor seals

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by Justdiscovering

Eww. not even a lot of miles on it, poor seals

i know, it's got less than mine! lol mine hasnt done this at all (yet). im leaving here in a few minutes, so i'll take a look at them when i go out just to check.

[Camry2004]

Originally Posted by Justdiscovering

Eww. not even a lot of miles on it, poor seals

I haven't opened the door panel yet. From what I am reading, the rust stain is from the bolts/screws holding the handles. I've never seen this in any previous cars I owned. Toyota's bad workmanship is responsible for this. Apparently there is a recall on this but I have to be within the warranty period. There is no excuse for using the non-galvanized parts for the money I paid. Toyota MUST extend the fix to everyone if they want repeat customers. Or, at least, honor the 60,000 miles limit. I don't think that's going to happen. I am not sure if my next car will Toyota.

Here is the recall for the Canadians: (tsb # 2543)

Title
:
REAR OUTER DOOR HANDLE RUST
Models:
’03 - ‘05 Corolla & Matrix, ’02 - ’06 Camry

Some customers may complain that the area under the rear outer door handles have become discoloured
due to rust. This condition may occur after the vehicle has been exposed for an extended period of time in
an environment where road salt is used for snow or ice removal. The following field fix has been developed
to address this condition.
APPLICABLE VEHICLES:
•

2002 - 2006 model year Camry vehicles.
•

2003 - 2005 model year Corolla and Matrix vehicles produced BEFORE the Applicable Vehicle
VIN Ranges shown below.
Model Plant Production Change Effective VIN
Corolla

2T1BR32E86C663324
Matrix
TMMC
2T1LR32E56C558700

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/SpeedBro/tsb.jpg

PART INFORMATION:
Model New Part Number Part Name Qty/Veh.
Camry 04006-22202-## * 2
Corolla 04006-22102 2
Matrix 04006-22202-## *
Rear Door Handle Assembly F/fix Kit
2
* Please see below for colour code
Model New Part Number Colour Code Part Name Qty/Veh.
Corolla 04006-22102 n/a 2
04006-22202-A0 040 2
04006-22202-B0 1E3 2
04006-22202-B2 1C8 2
04006-22202-C1 202 2
04006-22202-D2 3Q3 2
04006-22202-E0 4Q2 2
04006-22202-G0 6R6 2
04006-22202-G1 6S7 2
04006-22202-J0 8P4 2
04006-22202-J3 8S4 2
04006-22202-B1 1E7 2
04006-22202-C0 209 2
04006-22202-D0 3P1 2
04006-22202-H0 775 2
04006-22202-D1 3L5 2
04006-22202-J1 8Q5 2
Camry/Matrix
04006-22202-J2 8P1
Rear Door Handle
Assembly F/Fix Kit
2
WARRANTY INFORMATION:
OPN Description Model Time OFP T1 T2
Camry 0.5
Corolla 0.7
672201
R & R Rear Door Handle Assembly
(One Side)
Matrix 0.8
69241-AA010
68
17
Applicable Warranty*:
This repair is covered under the Toyota Basic Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 36 months
or 60,000 kilometres, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s warranty registration date

[Camry2004]

This weekend I started to remove the rear door panel to fix the outside door handle rust problem. I picked up the Haynes 2002 thru 2006 Toyota Camry repair manual. This book is a piece of garbage. Don't buy it. First of all it has nothing for the rear passenger doors. Even the instructions for the front doors are mediocre. The instructions are very very vague and confusing throughout the book. Seems like they wrote the book for the experienced mechanics and not for the DIY people. I mean they will ask you to unscrew the retainer and remove the part. You will be like where F... is the retainer. I haven't checked the Chilton's manuals yet so can't comment on it. Anyway...

Here is the left rear door with its door panel removed.


How in the world did the rust get on this metal part? I can't believe Toyota didn't put galvanized parts in the car. I think the moisture has something to do with it but is this normal? If you are following me, you need to remove this metal part to get to the door handle assembly.



Anyhow....here is the door handle part. I need help.



How do I remove it? Are there two torx bolts or just one seen on the photo above. If there is a second bolt on the other end, do I need to remove the latch to get to it?

Your help and suggestion are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Donald E. George]

I would spray the area with Eastwood's Anti-rust Aerosol. It sprays on very thin and can penetrate very small openings. Comes in black and amber. I use it on suspension parts that show rust. I sprayed the CV joints and axles on my 04 when I got it new and the wax coating is still there after almost 8 years. Thanks for the pictures. I have never seen the inside of a Camry door.

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

Glad i saw this and glad you posted the Canadian recall! My pass side has been rusting, not bad, but still enough to annoy. I'm gonna take this to my dealer and have it fixed