Lasers Are the Most Satisfying Way to Remove Rust From a Car

Watch as the underside of the old Toyota 4Runner goes from old and rusty to better than new.

surface rust being removed from a brake drum with laser cleaning machine

Brian Silvestro

By: Brian Silvestro

Apr 21, 2024 at 9:00am ET

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Laser rust removal is the closest thing we've seen to real magic. It makes this old, rusty Toyota 4Runner look like it just rolled off the assembly line.

The I Am Detailing YouTube channel recently got the chance to perform a thorough detailing and cosmetic refurbishment on a third-generation 4Runner, breaking out all of the fancy tools at their disposal to get it done. After removing any dirt and oil using dry ice blasting, the channel turns to a high-powered, 1,000-watt laser cleaning machine that, according to the video's description, costs over six figures.

The laser's wielder leaves no stone unturned, going through every inch of the underside and wheel wells to zap every iota of rust from this 4Runner. In addition to all of the underbody protection and unibody structure, they also laser away surface rust found on the brake rotors, calipers, and, in the back, drum cases. It's all incredibly satisfying to watch.

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Following the laser treatment, the 4Runner goes through a thorough round of washing, paint correction, detailing, and ceramic coating. And going by the finished product, it looks as if the shop also repainted all of the underbody panels that had their paint stripped by the laser cleaner.

The result is a 30-year-old 4Runner that looks as if it's just stepped through time, having never been driven. All of the metals, plastics, and painted panels look flawless. We're jealous of whomever gets to take delivery of this SUV. Hopefully they'll continue use it as Toyota intended: as an off-road-ready, go-anywhere tank.