Toyota Service Manager rude about me lifting my truck

Hi guys,

I have a question regarding lifting my Tacoma. There is a small story involved I'll start there.

I brought my 2018 Taco TRD Sport in because it had a creaking/clunking sound in the passenger front suspension seemingly. Turns out there is a body mount bushing that has had some problems in that very area (verified by service manager). I had to take a ride with the manager because they brought it back up front and said the tech couldn't hear or diagnose anything. The manager heard it when I drove it and looked up the problem. When we first started the drive he asked if I had a lift, "No, I don't have a lift", I replied. He said if I did have a lift he'd tell me "Get the hell out of here". My intentions are to lift the truck and I asked him for pricing because he said he would back something they installed but that if I lifted it I would probably have trouble with warranty repairs seemingly...

Anyways he quoted me $595.00 for the parts (Readylift kit 3" Front 2" Rear kit, which if I'm not mistaken I found on Amazon for $274.00). He then said total with labor was $1296.00. I don't mind doing the lift myself and for only $274.00 vs $1296.00!!!! I'd be crazy to pay that right? Or should I just save up more money to have Toyota do it? I'm not going to half-ass this project if I do it myself but I'm fearful for future possible issues with warranty claims if there is something realistic going on with the truck un-related to the lift.

What should I do? Was he bullshitting me?

I'm sorry for the long story but I got my point across the exact way I wanted, thank you all for any advice!

 

youd be insane to pay $600 for blocks

 

Rude? Nope. Sounds like he was just being realistic.

 

Warranty can only be legally denied for modifications that impact the failure. That said, there's no law or regulation against them giving you the runaround for a few weeks to get them to fix it. For example, lifting the truck via the suspension would not impact a body mount bushing so ultimately, they would have to replace that under warranty. If you did a body lift, it would impact the failure and they could kick you out.

As for the lift, SOP at any dealer I worked for was double the cost for aftermarket parts and then a stack of labor on top of that. You can probably find a local shop that will do the work for less markup or allow you to bring the parts yourself.

 

Youd not only be crazy to pay that but also be crazy to use blocks.

Do it right the first time

 

They cannot nullify a warranty over modifications to the vehicle, unless the issue can be proven to be caused by the modification. So getting changes done does not cancel your warranty.

 

The dealership should still cover things under warranty unrelated to the suspension, but if you lift it yourself, you'll probably have to pay out of pocket for any suspension related issues. Its up to you man, pay the 1200 and keep your full warranty, or pay 300 and you keep most of your warranty. If a dealership won't cover warranty for something unrelated to the lift, take it to another dealership.

 

I waited 45k miles before lifting the truck, partially because of Toyota dealer warranty BS. 45k miles and any issues have been shook out of the truck. Regardless, you are getting blocks? $1300 bucks for blocks? I paid $695 for a 2nd gen PRO suspension kit close out and installed it myself. Don’t do blocks. Friends don’t let friends install blocks.

 

So are you saying do a suspension lift? Not a body lift? I'm new to all of this. Thanks

 

Yeah, do a suspension lift and forget the blocks. At minimum, get the standard bilstein's folks are getting

 

You mean the bilsteins on the TRD Off road?

Anyone mind pointing me in the direction of a good suspension lift, around 2-3in front 1-2in rear?

 

Those would be stock suspension and alright but if you are going through the trouble of lifting it, i believe folks like the bilstien 6112's and add the springs with the spring rate they need (650 or 700lb).

There should be a gargantuan amount of threads on this since its so popular.

I went with a coilover setup from ADS and its been nothing short of amazing. Its adjustable and has a killer ride.

 

They can not deny warranty work because of a lift, unless they can prove that caused the issue. However, it's up to you to get a lawyer and force them to prove it. If there are issues with you truck, let all that get worked out before you start changing stuff.

 

Sometimes I wonder about these dealership threads that pop up. I never really had to deal with dealerships until recently because I always buy used cars. I have never had horror stories like these with local mechanics.

However, I haven't had any bad experiences with my dealership yet either.

In fact, I bought a used Sienna recently from an out-of-town dealership. I brought it home, and I found it was throwing out some codes on the OBDII reader. I took the Sienna to the local Toyota dealership, and the guys checked the code and did a full inspection for free. I am always cool with people, and I wonder if that is why? I always get free stuff and discounts everywhere I go.

Sometimes a good friendly attitude is all you need. Most people view a buyer/seller relationship as a rivalry. I always see it as a partnership.

 

I plan on getting a 3-4 inch suspension lift and bigger tires as well.

From the research I have done, I feel comfortable paying more and having the dealership do it. Reason being, I dont want to jeopardize my warranty in any way. I know I know, you cant deny warranty for modifications blah blah blah.

Who is to say that the dealership doesnt blame a major engine issue on lift/bigger tires adding stress on the engine because it "wasnt installed right"? That might sound crazy but I dont know enough about truck mechanics (obviously) to be able to tell otherwise and wouldnt want to have to get a lawyer to fight it.

How I see it, I pay more upfront for peace of mind and possibly to save myself bigger bucks in the future. Just my thoughts...

 

I second this. I have never had an issue with getting things done at a dealership. I installed my own lift, and the service manager at my local Toyota dealership specifcally told me there would be no warranty issues or work issues even though I did the work myself. Although they did try to persuade me into getting the typical block lift installed for ~1k

 

Bilstein 5100 Coilover Shocks versus spacer/ lift blocks lifts explained...

 

There are several issues that the OP needs to be aware.

1) Toyota dealers are being told not to adjust the sensors on 2018s (YMMV).
2) Lifting a Tacoma over 2 inches puts strain on the CV joints/boots (YMMV).
3) Lifting a Tacoma over 2 inch can cause driveline vibrations (YMMV).
4) Lifting a Tacoma can bring out the issue with the driver needle bearing (YMMV).

 

Seems he was being straight forward but might not have much tact. Combine this with being price-jacked makes for a less than desirable experience. If you plan to make this your go to service center, consider asking if you can buy the part and have them just do the labor.

In my experience it makes your warranty case harder when you have a lot of work done outside the Toyota umbrella then come back with what you believe is a Toyota warranty issue. Is that fair? No.