Dust Leaks

[The Captain Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close The Captain]

I have a 2014 build Prado GXL. Have just returned from a 3 week outback trip spending a large amount of time on dirt dusty roads. Whilst the car handled this all brilliantly I am disappointed with the amount of dust that entered the vehicle.

I ran my air con in terms of the manual initially, with air setting on recirc but found the amount if dust coming in unbearable. Changed this to fresh and found the situation much better. Only changed back to recirc when another vehicle was approaching. Also air con was placed in manual mode to stop it changing to recirc.

Despite doing this I had significant amounts of dust entering and it was a daily wipe down with a damp rag to keep it bearable inside.

When I got home and started to clean I found the compartment in the rear that houses the jack to be full of dust and worse still when I lifted the 3rd seat row (which were always down on trip) I found this extremely dusty and the seat cushions full of dust.

Checked all grummets etc and found no sign of where dust may be entering.

Well, took my car down to the selling dealer yesterday and had the Service Manager have a look - had not cleaned the inside yet. He said that the amount of dust I had and the places I had it were "NORMAL" given the roads I travelled on. He basically acknowledged that whilst the Prado is a 4wd vehicle it is not really designed for dusty roads if you want no dust inside. He was also surprised that the manual stated the air con be set to recirc on dusty roads - obviously he is not familiar with the operators manual of the vehicle he sells??

Whilst I love the Prado I am disappointed after spending $60K + on it, that it leaks dust and Toyota acknowledge it is normal. Also very disappointing is the fact that when I purchased the vehicle the Salesman knew exactly where I was going to be travelling and mentioned nothing about possible dust problems. Well lesson learnt for next car I buy.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

The reality is that all cars leak dust but recirculate does work best. Have a VERY close look at ALL of the grommets around the back end, especially those around the jack compartment. Make sure that the wires for the reversing sensors go through the grommet and not through the flap that controls airflow [thus keeping it open a bit.] This was a problem in the 120s

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

If you have a towbar fitted Check the grommet where the wiring loom for the trailer plug goes through. For some reason Toyota fitters seem incapable of re seating it correctly when the install the loom.
Using fresh air from the climate control puts positive air pressure in the cabin which usually stops the dust filtering into the cabin. Recirculate will allow dust to seep in through any tiny opening in the back


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[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

oops! I too meant "fresh". Use recirculate only when closely following someone or passing.

[drew_1 Find all posts View Profile Close drew_1]

Hi Captain, I'm on my second 150 now and both are dust suckers. I racked up over 15,000kms from new in my current one on an outback trip and tested a variety of a/c settings (recirc, a/c on / off, low / high fan etc) and none made any difference. My view is that the majority of dust ingress is from the barn door given the hinges naturally would allow quite a bit of flex over the seals on rough and corrugated roads. My old 150 had no tow bar or other adornments on the rear; my current one has a Kaymar bar with dual wheel carries and tow bar - both leak like Kevin Rudd on the backbench.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Wow, I had no such issues on a recent Cape trip. Also running a 150 with Kaymar, and the amount of dust that came in surprised me, but in a good way. I did wipe over the door seals every second or third day with a wet cloth to keep them clean though, trying to keep the dust out of my new car. We ran with the a/c on fresh and changed to recirc when approaching traffic, dust clouds,etc. Maybe one of the other things that has helped is I have done all the work on my car, all the grommets are correctly fitted in place, any wires passing through grommets are sealed in place with some silicone, etc. I was expecting a lot more dust to enter than did, so am quite happy so far.

[Spilsy Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Spilsy]

I do know that the grommet that the trailer wiring uses on my 150 is as open as a 24hour K-Mart
I will get to sealing it eventually, thankfully, I don't do heaps of dusty driving.

I only found this out when I was installing my dual battery gear at the rear of the car. The grommet I used is siliconed up, but I couldn't quite get to the other one at the time.

[geoffmc1 Member Find all posts View Profile Close geoffmc1]

Captain,

Behind the rear bumper on both sides are vent flaps. They are there to assist with pressure equalizing when closing the doors with the windows closed. They also do a good job of letting dust in and water if the rear end is in deep. These flaps are flimsy rubber that have a tendency to stay open when moving. I replaced mine with heave duty rubber with several small holes punched to assist pressure relief and totally transforms the amount of dust sucked into the car.

Yo need to remove the rear bumper to get at them, which is a fiddly job, but totally worthwhile. PM me if you want some pics.

cheers
Geoff

[Corigator Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Corigator]

Those flaps are to allow air to leave the car when its on fresh flow through ventilation.

The other thing to consider is changing the cabin air filter. I replaced mine with one from Repco. Its a bit thicker and I usually only fit it when I expect dust as it slows the flow a little.

There is a thread on this from a while back

[geoffmc1 Member Find all posts View Profile Close geoffmc1]

Those flaps are to allow air to leave the car when its on fresh flow through ventilation.

Yes this is one of their functions, however as I stated, punching small holes in them allows the pressurized air to escape without sucking in dust.

cheers
Geoff

[Bushwalker8 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Bushwalker8]

Captain,
These flaps are flimsy rubber that have a tendency to stay open when moving. I replaced mine with heave duty rubber

Hi, I have the same issue with my Outback and I'm trying to locate heavier material of about 1mm. What thickness did you use and where did you get it?

Thanks

[scottscj7 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close scottscj7]

Hi Folks
I am 7 x Prado owner and on my 1st 150 series , Splashed out on a 2016 Kakadu , 3 weeks od and 3000klms Bought as stock and station agent to travel Outback roads . What a Mistake!! , Dust leaks in every door and the Including the Build up on the Upper tailgate seal also, But Worst of all is the leak into to rear seat storage area , Rear seats require full detail before they can be used. Toyota doing the usual run around and claiming Dust is acceptable and they don't encourage use on dusty roads . So that means everyone on this site has got it WRONG , Toyota don't really expect there 4wd to be used in Aussie Outback conditions . Oh I nearly forgot the rear of the running boards being stripped of there silver coating by stones at 3000klms also , I should have covered them with something . For 90 k its a joke. I have requested a refund based on misleading marketing material . What doe you guys think would you accept anything like tis for a 90k vehicle fitted with every conceivable of road traction and crawl option imaginable . De stress complete

[brogers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close brogers]

I had a 2010 GXL Prado, and always ran A/C on Fresh and covered many thousands of km on dusty roads, and the only real dust issue was dust that collected in the channel above the rear door which would fall down int the rear area if you opened the door before sweeping some of the dust away. We didn't get much dust inside the car at all to be honesty but definitely used the air con on FRESH unless a road train went past, then on RECIRC until the air ahead cleared. There must be an opening somewhere that is letting that amount of dust inside.

[carl1965 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close carl1965]

My guess is to check the grommet for the trailer wiring harness.

[Goggo Member Find all posts View Profile Close Goggo]

I found on a recent trip to the Corner Country the red dirt came in, in truck loads and especially inside the rear door and when you wash it the red dirt flows out like a red river, but it hasn't stopped me from wanting to go back. After I got back my daughter jumped in the back and turned the aircon on in the back and the dust just poured out, I thought the was a fire in the back. But it's nothing you can't clean.