2006 Frame Swap Question

I don't think this one's out there.. sorry if it is!

I just picked up a 2006 and while I live in Washington, it turns out that this particular truck used to live up in Edmonton, Canada.

I recently took it into a local Toyota dealer and they told me that yes! my frame is indeed rusty and my truck has an outstanding ticket for frame inspection, HOWEVER they can't do anything about it in the states and I need to take it up to Canada for any action to happen (Frame swap or corrosion application)

I THOUGHT based on what I've read that my truck is too old to still qualify for a frame swap... so my question is, why are they still going to bother inspecting it? Do I misunderstand the details and my truck may in-fact still qualify for a new frame?

I called a dealer in Vancouver and they confirmed that my truck needed to be inspected, so I'll be driving up there in a few weeks to have this done.

Love to hear your guys thoughts on this one..

 

Wonder if yours was previously inspected? Not sure, but seems logical that that might grandfather you in. Someone else can probably chime in with the particulars. Would surprise me if they would invite you to drive out of your way if they knew you were ineligible.

 

The cut off for all Canadian sold Tacos was July 21, 2019. After that it’s 12 years from date of 1st use. Your 2006 surely can’t fit in that timeframe, so I can’t imagine what they’re thinking. The problem is that Toyota Corporate Canada has the final say. If you pull this off for a frame swap, it will truly be pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

The dealer you want to go to up there is West Coast Toyota in Pitt Meadows.

Good luck.

 

Good stuff...also OP, make sure you get it in writing before they swap your frame and then hand you a bill for thousands of $

 

And I'd not wait 'a few weeks'. Go. Now.
Good luck! Hopefully you didn't just buy a junkyard dog......

 

No kidding! I'd go sooner if I could.

Thanks all, I'll update after the inspection.

 

Spoke w the dealer again, here are the deets:

- The frame SWAP is indeed expired.. but!

- The frame coating is still open until July 2020

The frame coating entails removing the frame, cleaning, drying, coating, drying again and then reinstalling. They order a kit for it. So I assume there will be some new hardware installed during this process.

Also they will install new leafs too, I guess I had an outstanding req for that as well.

It's not a new frame... But better than nothing and frankly I'd like to know upfront just how bad things are under there. They'll definitely find out during this job!

 

You’ve got something mixed up. There is no way they are going to remove the frame to CRC treat it.

 

They definitely do the coating application with the frame in the truck.

Jeff

 

That's how the service lady on the phone described it to me.

Jeff Lange I see your from Edmonton, can you comment on how long frames tend to last up there, given the salting they do?

I want to love this truck but I can't lie, I'm pretty bummed I didn't spot this rust issue before buying the darn thing.

 

I've only been in Edmonton for the last couple of years, so I don't have a lot of experience with Edmonton specifically. In Calgary I remember us replacing 3-4 frames at the dealer I worked at during the period the recall was active. At least 1-2 were vehicles that had been brought in from eastern Canada vs. local stuff. I know out east they were doing frames like nobody's business.

How thorough was the inspection that has already been done on the truck? Is there perforation, or is it just rusty? What did the dealer(s) you've spoken with actually say in regards to the specific condition of your truck (not just the applicability of coverage if it needed a frame)?

Are you able to PM me your VIN? I can take a look and see what is still outstanding on your truck, I'd be curious.

Jeff

 

She probably doesn't know the difference between a frame and a box of tampons.

My '06 spent most of it's life a ways south of Edmonton. When I bought it a few years ago, in Washington, I saw that the frame was rustier than I liked, but there were no rust holes. Since it was the exact truck I was looking for, right down to the color, and at the price I wanted to pay, I bought it. In June, since the Canadian deadline was winding down, I looked closer at the frame. I found a rust bubbled up spot near the left catalytic convertor. I gently tapped it with a hammer and punch and the rust just started flaking away. Pretty soon, there was a 12mm+ hole. I was careful not to make it look like I drove a punch through it. I had it inspected July 4th and was approved for a new frame 2 weeks later. I'm still waiting for my new frame to arrive in Canada.

 

Update 12/21/19

Took the truck up to Vancouver so a Canadian dealer could inspect. The plan was to get the coating done, since the frame-replacement program has expired. Inspection prior to frame coating revealed that rust damage was so bad that coating probably wouldn't help.

The dealer took pictures and said they would like to send them to Toyota Corporate first and see if they would consider a frame swap based on the circumstances.. so I'll wait n see how it plays out.

For what it's worth.. the dealership up north treated me much better than my local dealer. They seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to help! Much appreciated.

On the PLUS side, they did replace the rear leafs under recall so I've got some shiny new rear suspension hardware!

I'm curious on this rust... How do y'all estimate remaining life of a frame w rust damage? How worried should I be?

 

To conclude this thread.

Toyota corporate laughed at me and said no.

I'm not comfortable w that kind of damage, I convinced the original dealer to buy the truck back off of me for what I paid less the taxes. Over-all could have been a lot worse so I'm walking away from this one feeling like I dodged a bullet.

After he handed me the check I took an Uber straight to a real Toyota stealership and bought a 2016. Couldn't be happier.

 

YOU LUCKED OUT! Congratulations and good luck with your new truck.

 

You got REAL LUCKY,hope you learned a good lesson from this.