My 2008 TRD is now TRASH!!

Reluctantly brought the truck in to have a bad vibration from the rear looked at and turns out the frame will no longer pass inspection just 5 months after the frame replacement warranty ended!!!!!!!

Any suggestions for how to recoup as much out of this pile of junk that I can?

Do I sell it, do I part it out, do I wheel it??? I also fully own it, so any money from selling it is cash in pocket.

 

This has come up a few times before.. the way I see it you have three options:

1) Part out and sell pieces for a few grand and end up with a scrap heap to dispose of at the end
2) Sell it as a whole truck for what, $4,000 ish?
3) Put the ten grand into the truck for a self funded frame replacement and enjoy your truck for another 12 years, or turn around and sell it afterwards for 15,16,17 grand, depending on your area.

Edit: 4) You could always try to repair it if it's not too bad. But based on your post you don't seem like the type to do that and it would definitely still affect resale.

 

Why don't you just fix the frame?

No wait: forget I said that!!!!

Let me start again:

Wow; I'm sorry to hear that - that is some really Bad news. It's hopeless now. The only thing really left for you to do now with it is to unload it for basic scrap value to some unsuspecting rube with fuzzy hair.

BTW: Where is it? My trailer and I are free all week. (asking for a friend <g>)

PHM
----------

 

Worse case scenario, call Toyota corporate and see if they can get you a replacement anyway, pay for a partial or worse case they say no. Don't be rude to them though or they won't help you.

 

Pics bro. Some frame sections can be easily removed and replaced so you don't have to buy an entire frame. or depending on the nature of damage you might be able to cut the damaged areas out and put new plates over it or sleeve it.

 

Sell it in a state that doesn't have frame inspections?

 

thats going to bring some bad karma if anything happens to the new owner

 

Well, pics would help to see how bad it it really. We don't have frame inspections here, so I'm not sure how bad it has to be to fail.

 

Sell it in Mexico

 

You don’t need inspection to drive the truck

 

How bad are the rust holes? If you have weld-on sliders, you can have plates / caps welded to the frame to patch up the rust holes.

 

Not sure of how much/what part of the frame is the problem, but IF it's a particular section, you MAY be able to replace a section of the frame (I don't know what's the availability for that year's frame is) at a lower cost than a full frame replacement, and that may buy a few more years (or at least well enough to sell).

 

So FYI, the settlement from the court case said Toyota has 12 years from purchase date to replace the frame if its deemed to have a significant amount or corrosion. The truck was going to toyota when it was under extended warranty but then I started taking it to a local shop that does free state inspections, because - FREE... Sadly, I was not aware/forgot about the 12 year thing otherwise I would have been taking it in every month to see if the frame could be replaced! I literally missed out on a new frame by 5 months!!

I live in Vermont, so pics won't help you, the entire frame is in rough shape!

I've definitely been going back and forth on the idea of repairing the frame enough for inspection to get a few more years but honestly, the rest of the truck isn't in the greatest shape either. You can't even look at the clutch lines wrong without them crumbling and the E-Locker had a hole corroded right through the housing!

Looking like the best bang for buck is to wheel it! Now just to figure out how to attach the winch without ripping the truck in half on the first pull

 

If your rear diff has a hole in it, you're not going anywhere

 

Contact Toyota in the off chance that they may make it right for you.

 

I have a 2007 and the frame has holes in it. The dealer told me my truck wasn't on the recalled VIN list.

I wish now that I'd checked elsewhere because that dealer has proven themselves to be consistent liars.

I was just out laying under it changing the cat. - and the frame looks pretty darned bad to me. <g>

 

Is there anything which would prohibit welding a Tacoma frame? Some large truck frames cannot be welded and I had an Austin Healey with the same issue. "high carbon steel - or something like that I think I was told.

Any welding I did on it always resulted in the metal re-cracking pretty soon - right alongside the new weld.

 

Yeah its infuriating to have a truck that runs and drives just fine but can't pass inspection because the frame is literally gone!

I'm still having a hard time letting it go completely and contemplating removing the body and rebuilding the frame...

Rust Converter could help but I would want to make sure to thoroughly remove all the crusty flaky junk and expose the cracks and holes first. It'll be harder to find cracks in the seams after the converter is applied.