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Hi there,

I'm emailing to enquire about a rust spot that I've noticed for the past month or so.

image link : http://imgur.com/OzpP8yv

The car is a 2004 Toyota Corolla Runx , done 100,000 KM

I bought it a few months ago and it had passed the border inspection and since then 2 WOF tests (the last one by VTNZ before 1st one expired..for my peace of mind).

I'd like to get a 2nd opinion from you if possible.

As you can see there are little rust spots above the fuel tank , especially that corner from what looks like the axle/subframe ? I'm not sure.

My concern is that cracking sign. It might or might not be a crack since I can't quite get under the car.

Would appreciate your input on this.

Thanks in advance.

This definitely looks like something that should be treated to prevent it progressing further. The area you are referring to as a crack would appear to be "seam bleed", which is where rust starts to form between two connecting panels. It is likely that a panel & paint shop will be able to treat this.
The strange thing is that it appears that a black spray paint has been used to hide the rust (as there is also black overspray on the red fuel hose), which would normally be rejected at the border check or compliance inspection.
If you wish to email us any further information and vehicle details to aatech@aa.co.nz we may be able to shed more light on this matter.