Just bought this Tacoma.. Am I cooked?

Just bought a tacoma last night, took it to get an alignment and hour ago and spotted this while adjusting the caster on my newly owned 2017 Tacoma V6... As you can see to the right of the bolt THE ENTIRE STEEL EAR HAS BEEN SHAVED CLEAN OFF THE SUBFRAME! Leaving me with 15 Degrees of permanent caster. The mechanic was in lost of words and said it looks like the only way to fix it was to replace the subframe. What should/can I do here??

 

That's unfortunate.. you can have a welder install new cam tabs? There are gussets available for people that want beefier alignment tabs. Here's a few I found from a quick google search:

https://teqcustoms.com/products/bes...3UYutlKzM076caxO5h_pmxs5YWHyEXMUaAl3FEALw_wcB

https://www.srqfabrications.com/pro...e=1&gbraid=0AAAAAC_Twws2X3IkrBK9pYh68D3YeO6q_

 

very common issue, "search cam tab reinforcement"

$100 + an install

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Thank you guys! This helped out so much. I thought I was f**ked lol.

 

No seriously. Thought it would be a smooth transition coming from a latest gen Rav4.

 

Find a new mechanic as well.

 

Yea the first guy I went to ONLY does alignments and have also never seen a sheered off cam tab so I don't blame him for not knowing a fix. I took it to another guy that knows fab work and said it would be a piece of cake weld job and would only cost $100-$150 in labor.

 

A replacement tab can be welded on without much hassle.

What I'd be more concerned about, epsecially on a vehicle with what looks to be no rust on the frame, is how the tab got sheared off in the first place.

I don't think this is a common point of failure on stock, unmodded Tacomas. Which begs the question, then -- what incident or accident sheared off the cam tab?

A hard curb hit on that wheel? The vehicle catching air at some point? Getting in an accident w/ another vehicle?

Inspect rest of front suspension components carefully for any other evidence of damage. Maybe also consider having the frame alignment (not the tire/wheel alignments) checked at collision-repair shop that has a laser frame-warp checking rig.

 

Fair assessment for the alignment tab from a Cali standpoint. Yes, that can be a clear indicator of an impact. However, just about anywhere else in the US with an adjustment can seizing up or a rookie alignment tech these are very common at least along the east coast.

And yes, especially for someone that only does alignments and never seen anything like that he/she must not be very long in the tooth.

Easy fix, glad you got sorted.

 

Welcome!!

As an aside, I'd be taking this up with whomever you purchased the truck from regarding reimbursement.

 

They will tell him to kick rocks. You can't buy a used vehicle and expect a new one.

 

Depends if it was a person or a dealer perhaps, but can't hurt to ask I suppose.

 

Dealer makes you sign all those papers, "as is, no warranty, etc." to cover their rears.

It's an 8 year old truck, I bet there's more to find....the joys of buying used

 

True, true re used. Probably what happened but again state to state may vary for dealer sales etc..

Not that OP probably will over this but any dealer sale you have a small window to unwind the transaction, if that's true here it might be incentive for the dealer to do something goodwill here.

 

how the chit do you tear the ears off??

 

Hit something with one of the wheels or try to align a Tacoma with seized alignment cams.