Is this worth the hassle

Leaking PS rack on 2022 with 25k miles on it (so still under full warranty) truck has a billstein 5100 1.5 inch lift. I talked to a service advisor on the low and he said toyota 100% wouldn’t cover it even with a lift as subtle as 1.5 inches. He told me that if I returned the suspension back to stock, they would warranty it. The problem is that it would be a complete pain in the ass for me to put my stock suspension back on, ask them to fix it, then put my billsteins back on. I even saw a guy on here who said the dealer said they could see “evidence” that there was previously a lift on his truck when he returned it back to stock for the same problem. Based on the level on the power steering reservoir it’s a pretty slow leak. Thoughts? Worth the trouble or just top fluid off every once and a while and not worry about getting the rack replaced?

 

I would definitely try to get it done . It’s a pain in the ass job and the trucks too new. It’s way less of a pain to put the stock suspension back in . If you decide to go that route make sure you leave for a little while after they fix it . In case anything else crops up. Once settled then you will be safe to put back

 

Changing out the front shocks is way easier. Doing the steering rack is a nightmare and it’s not cheap to have done.

 

All due respect ... "it was a slow leak" is no comfort if/when it blows out. Restore the shocks, accept Toyota not blaming the steering rack issues on the lift.

 

Y’all are right… I will put the stock shocks back in. I also have 265 75 16 tires. Do you think they will somehow also blame it on my tires being an inch bigger in diameter?

 

You have to get an alignment after touching the suspension

 

I know… another reason why I was hesitant to screw around with swapping the shocks. But a 100 dollar alignment is cheaper than a 2000 dollar rack swap.

 

FWIW ... you seem to have wisely/maturely accepted the advice given. Good on ya.

 

25k miles and the steering rack is leaking. Gosh dang I'd be pissed. This is normally a 150k+ mile issue.

 

Steering racks are funny, some go at almost no mileage and some go the life of the vehicle . My 05 Corolla has the original rack pushing 300k amazing car , it doesn’t burn a drop of oil and runs like a top.

 

Just have it fixed don’t bother with putting the stock setup back on . What happens if they still deny the warranty work then u just spent all that time putting stuff back on for nothing . Find an independent shop to fix the issue and correct the angles so this doesn’t happen again .

 

Go to another dealer and don't mention what this dealer said before putting everything back to stock. If you do return it back to stock don't worry about an alignment unless you keep it that way.

 

I concur! What could one get to lose?

 

Try some Mazda ATF? See my other posts about it. Meets the Toyota spec.

 

That’s my plan, I already scheduled an appointment for a different dealer, but the service advisor I talked to didn’t put anything in the system so I could technically just go to the same dealer and probably be fine

 

Already started the return process lol. The way I’m doing it there’s absolutely no way they can deny anything. I’m putting the stock front shocks back in, removing my rear blocks, and I also happen to have my stock size wheels and tires on the side of my house so I’m putting those back on. If they do somehow deny warranty I will definitely not be taking their bs and will open a case with Toyota

 

IIRC, Toyota would have to prove your shocks and tires caused the failure before they can deny the warranty.

 

I think this is technically true but only if you legally challenge it in which case getting a lawyer is pretty expensive and likely far going to exceed the cost of just pointing up and paying to have the repair done.

IANAL though
But to be honest at this point I'm not sure I'd trust any Toyota dealerships service department to change a light bulb correctly let alone something like a steering rack.

 

Go to a different dealer. The lift will not cause the rack to leak. That dealer just doesn't want to deal with it.

 

Or they're trying to milk OP.

I've not had the best experiences with Toyota dealership service departments though so I'm kind of jaded.

I'm not sure if it's just the dealers in my area or Toyota dealerships in general but my experiences at Subaru and Ford dealers were always 4-5 star. Toyota has been 2-3