How screwed am I?

Truck went through an inspection. The report in general was very good except for these notes:

DURING INSPECTION FRONT BRAKES TO HAVE UN EVEN WEAR - LEFT FRONT CALIPER STARTING TO SIEZE, LEFT REAR AXLE SEAL IS STARTING TO LEAK. RIGHT SIDE VALVE COVER HAS AN OIL LEAK AND FROM TIMING COVER AND REAR MAIN SEAL LEAK, FOUND PLAY IN LEFT FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM. BUSHING WORN.

I had been paying attention to the valve cover "leak" which is more akin to very slow condensation, honestly... in the past 4 years it has not gotten any worse. The other leaks I cannot verify, but I have not seen a single drop of oil form anywhere, and my parking spot where I park daily is spotless. I also do my own oil changes and my father-in-law takes the time inspect the undercarriage everytime we do it.

How screwed am I? Obviously some of these things I need to take care of right away, what sort of cost am I facing with these findings?

 

Replacing a caliper is not a huge project (but you dont want to fk it up).

Upper control arm bushings do wear out. Go on Rockauto.com and buy a whole UCA. don't try and rebuild the old one... it probably isn't worth your time to save barely any money. less than $200 for the part

front caliper from autozone is less than $200. maybe rockauto as well

do you know a backyard mechanic? these two things can be done in the driveway with basic tools and a brake bleeder vac ($60).

hose down the old UCA bushings, ball and nuts with penetrant every day for a week, before you try and remove it.

the brakes and UCA/balljoint need to be fixed soon, as this can be a safety issue.

fixing those leaks can be a little more intricate, but if you are not loosing enough oil to notice on the dip stick, i wouldn't bother fixing it yet. clean out your engine bay so that you can see for yourself where it is leaking.

 

Thank you for this, I will start sorting through this list.

I purchased a whole suspension set and had it installed. Bilstein 6112s in the front with the SPC (Specialty Products Company) 25470 Upper Control Arms (LR25470) roughly $400 each! I am amazed the bushing would go out so quickly, I will need to inquire about that. Is there a way I can check this myself to verify, just seems insane, I don't take this thing offroad, the suspension is for ride comfort as the previous TRD suspension was way too firm for me. Either way, install date was August 22nd, 2022.

As for the leaks, over an 7k oil change interval I will lose maybe 1 quart of oil. Very little actually, the engine runs smooth and strong, so I doubt those leaks are anything serious but I will definitely get underneath and wipe everything down and keep track.

Your advice is much appeciated. I now feel a bit better about the situation and this report really got me down.

 

What kind of "inspection" was this? Was it an annual State Safety Inspection, a dealership "courtesy inspection, or something else? The reason I ask is that dealerships are famous for saying things need immediate attention that don't.

 

It was a dealership pre-purchase inspection.
$198+Tax.

 

Anything recommended by a dealership - and I work at one - is suspect in my mind. I'd independently verify everything there.

 

The aftermarket can’t make rubber that lasts like OE stuff. I’ve got a set of assembled bilstein 6112/5160 sitting here that haven’t been installed yet and some of the rubber is already cracking…bought them a year ago.

I spent 20 years in the aftermarket…5 of that in chassis (suspension and steering parts). Have yet to see a bushing that comes close to the quality of OEM.

 

Good advice, the very first thing I will do is take it to my mechanic of 20 years and get sorted with the low hanging fruit stuff that needs attention. I will ask him to have a look and see if the other stuff is legitimately time sensitive, or just an overblown alarmist report. Thanks for taking the time.

 

You're probably not wrong, I still have the OEM UCAs, might just have those put on and do a realignment. I got the adjustable ones because it was recommended by the offroad shop that sold me the suspension parts.

First though, I will seek a 2nd opinion to see if the report on this is not overblown.

 

I'm so confused.
This is your truck that you took to a dealership and paid for an inspection so they could find stuff to work on?
But you have a trusted mechanic already?

 

My rear main seal and valve cover gasket have both also been “leaking” for years now. The rear main seal is easy to see if you slide under the truck. I wouldn’t worry too much about either of those leaks unless you start noticing low oil levels. But as long as it’s leaking, it has oil!

 

I'm actually looking to upgrade to a newer truck, and so I listed mine for sale and in the ad I recommended to have the pre-service inspection for peace of mind (oops!?).

I actually didn't expect all of this, the truck is in amazing shape and the last time I had it at my mechanic was when he did my right brake caliper.
He mentioned the valve cover leak a couple of years back but told me if its just condensation and there is no noticable oil loss that I shouldn't worry about it until it gets bigger. He also did my rear axle seals along with new brake drums, the whole thing 3 years ago, so this is also a gut punch.

Either way, the brake caliper and front brakes I will need to do right away, and in the mean time I will ask to get a 2nd opinion.

 

Appreciate the advice, yeah these leaks are at the condensation stage, super slow and barely noticeable. Will keep an eye out for sure everytime I do the oil change.

 

Not really screwed more of a hand job from the dealer!

 

Haha, yea I definitely feel violated!

 

Sure. Crawl under the truck and start looking around

 

It is a 2007 with ? Miles.
Sounds like it’s doing fine!

 

I'm in Canada, so my ODO is in KMs.
Currently at 276,000 kms (or 171k miles)

 

OK, now that makes more sense.

of course they will nit pick everything, but they could be telling the truth.

we really can't walk you through this with just words here. (it appears that you aren't very mechanical, so this might cause confusion)

can you get the truck up on jacks safely and make a short video, or some GOOD pictures from different angles?

or, do you have someone that won't bullshit you and have them inspect?

 

Only thing I would consider addressing is the rear axel seal. When those go they soak everything in oil, not only do you need a new seal you also need new brake components

Possibly the upper control arm depending on how much play there actually is. You can usually find cheap take-offs on here.