Painful trip to the dealer today

The dealer said the noise is being caused by the bearing...that seems logical to me and some others in the thread seem to agree. So that seems to be cause of my issue. I was planning to take it to a local mechanic for a second opinion, but it seems those are rare in this part of the country (Washington DC Suburbs). I haven't lived here long enough to find the good local place, i.e. the kind of place that doesn't spend $$$ on a website and advertising.

 

Check out Yelp or Angie's List. I got an AL membership a few years ago, and it's paid for itself many times over.

 

Sure.

On your list of about 10 items, 6 of them may be cosidered routine maintenance right?

The 4 I'd call non-routine are the water pump, tail shaft seal, bearing & the steering rack (really the steering rack). I'd like to know what evidence the dealer has that these items are issues. If we buy the bearing then only 3 are left.

Man if you do trade it, I wouldn't assume the dealer you trade with is worse at evaluating your truck than the service department you've already been dealing with...I think you must have great integrity and are trusting to think this way but, these guys are pros at evaluating a trade in...they do it daily & make money on it. I can't help but feel like you're handing them the club to beat you with if you go in there and say it's got X, Y & Z wrong with it...

 

Unless you've been considering dumping the Taco and these are things you think justify that course of action, I'd certainly think hard & long before giving up on a 2009 with only 61k...at least not without a second opinion from another, non-dealership shop. If you get rid of it without knowing for sure these are issues, six months from now you'll kick yourself. Ask me how I know...

 

Worth mentioning if they quoted you $5k in repairs, they'll likely knock that to well over $5k when it comes to your trade in value.

If you end up trading it, don't do it there.

 

If you're in the DC suburbs, you have a TON of options concerning private mechanics. If you're on the south side, call around to a few towns in Virginia - you're an hour or two from rolling hills Virginia with mom-and-pop shops all over the place willing to work on your truck for cheap. I'm from the area, and I use the Virginia shops whenever I need something. Great people and their prices will make you laugh at your $5k quoted repair bill at a DC dealership.

 

Can U say Upsale ??? How about Stealership ?? If you can't or don't want 2 do anything yourself U need to run not walk away and find a good honest mechanic.

 

So a guy walks into a dealer complaining about a humming noise at highway speeds. After the inspection this his list of problems he walks out with

1.Bad Left Rear Wheel Bearing
2.Bad Water Pump
3.Bad Drive Belt
4.Bad Steering Rack
5.Needs Power Steering Flush
6.Needs Alignment
7.Bad Trans Tail Shaft Seal
8.Needs Break Fluid Flush
9.Mass Air Flow Sensor Service
10.Fuel Induction Service

Your dealership is trying to bend you over. I'd continue to drive the vehicle and listen to where the humming is coming from. If it sounds like it's from the rear replace it. Items 3,5,6,8,9,10 are all preventative maintenance. The mas air flow sensor is 2 Phillips screws on the air intake, spray it with mas cleaner and put the 2 screws back in. It also has no relation to squeaking and I'd be a little upset about any labor you may have been charged to diagnose half that crap if they even looked.

My previous dealer had a fancy pamphlet they set up to give oil change customers after the service. They listed a mas service, throttle body service, fluid changes, allighnment, belts, etc all with a grade and either a red, yellow, or green symbol as to how your truck is doing. Imagine how many people fall for that and a new air filter "on special now for $69.99".

 

I'm with everybody else on this one go to a someone else and get your main problem fixed, those guys are probably on a quota with there owner. Its kinda like there sales departments are I went to one Toyota house when I got mine they offered me 500. for my trade in and wanted 35,000. for the one I wanted, I drove 40 miles to a different Toyota house got 3,500. for my trade in, and payed 30,000. for my nicer Tacoma, Its called Rape!, they pray on people on people that are gullible.

 

Actually they are being correct there. Racks are known to fail. I have had to replace 3 units at my shop on 2nd Gen Tacoma trucks. All 3 had internal seal/valving problems. The fluid was black as night, and when a sample was taken there was a noticeable amount of aluminum "dust" in the fluid. This dust can damage seals and moving parts pretty quick. So saying that a flush would be needed when replacing the rack is actually a very SMART recommendation to prevent the new rack from failing in short order.

Yeah, I only build front assemblies as the rear ones cost just WAY too much to ship. lol.

So in all of this, where exactly are you getting the idea that the dealer is trying to bend him over? Unless you have taken a look at his truck, almost every one of the shop recommendations are valid depending mostly on what they meant by saying the word "bad" instead of a better description. (Usually I don't tell a customer "bad" water pump. I tell them that the water pump needs to be replaced because XXX has failed in it)

Now I get that many of those items are things that the OP can do for himself, but not every Tacoma owner is good at working on cars. Hell, I know some people on here that couldn't point out the MAF sensor under their own hood if you asked them. Now if the OP is a bit tech savvy and wants to save money, there are several things that can be done himself to save money. I agree there. But trying to say that the dealer is trying to rip him off is a bit on the heavy-handed side. The dealership, and most shops, won't typically tell you that you can do most of that work on your own. They are all in the business to make money. Granted the dealerships have been notorious for being over priced, but sometimes you can find that they are quite competitive. I know some dealerships that have matching prices for 3.4LV6 timing belts for example.

Just my personal and professional opinion here. Take it for what it is worth.

I have never in my career worked for a dealership, or had a friend work for one, that had a quota for the service department. Yes they push you to inspect things and recommend services, but I have never seen a quota ever.

 

I looked at some pricing. There's around $1,500 worth of parts here give or take, not including fluids and disposables, and this should be a day's work for a good tech. So, even if the tech took two days to complete the work, and the parts were marked up 50%, you'd still come in under $4k. My guess, without putting together a true estimate, is that a decent local, family shop would get this list done under $3k.

 

I think your dealer needs some money to pay his rent. Either that or mistook you for a gullible blonde.

 

What brand do you recommend for replacing the rack and pinion? New OEM, OEM Reman, Napa Reman...? My 2007 is starting to seep on the drivers side, well... it has been seeping since around 35k, I now have 74k. I have been flushing it every year or so and its still not leaking excessively, merely a seep. I never have to add fluid in between flushes, so i'm gonna run it until it starts leaking more. When it gets to the point that I have to check it constantly it will get replaced, right now the drivers side bellow is wet looking, but not physically leaving fluid on the ground.

 

There are several good brands out there. Moog makes a good rack, if you want to go aftermarket.

 

Got a link? Can it be used with the oem pump and hose routing?

 

I don't know who carries the Moog brand racks. You would have to ask the individual parts companies.

 

Gotcha, thanks man!

 

Whoa whoa whoa, simmer down.

Nothing that happens at a sales desk needs to be described as rape. You walk in the door, you sit down in the chair, you try and get something from them and they try to get something from you.

I know a victim of rape, you know.. the actual kind - and people who throw that word around over the cost of deli meat can go fuck themselves. Please adjust your reality accordingly.

 

If only every thread that you add your 2 cents could be turned into an actual 2 cents we could donate that money to the OP and he'd be able to get his truck fixed.