Bought my first Tacoma 2010 AC TRDOR and it needs help!!

Hi Tacoma World, I'll try to keep this short!!

I'm new here and finally got my dream tacoma: 2010 mgm access cab trd-or v6 after a year of browsing and 3 months of obsessive searching. It was a good deal, considering the current market for 2nd gens. I originally wanted a 2.5 gen but this truck seemed to be in perfect condition, super clean body and frame plus only 87k Socal miles. Because it was a 2010 and not a 2.5 gen it was around 5k less than later years with similar mileage. I got it from a sketchy used car lot lol... that wouldn't let me take it off the lot for an inspection which I initially decided f-it i won't consider it but after sleeping on it I called around and found a mobile mechanic to do an inspection. All looked good except the front right shock and coil was replaced w a cheaper aftermarket preassembled coilover and thus mismatched, but I had him test the paint and original paint all around.

Now it's mine and I took it to a respected off-road shop to look at the suspension and it needs a rear left wheel bearing ($940, twice that for the pair), the front left can't be aligned and the mechanic suspects a bent steering knuckle (over $900), and if I want to be thorough I should replace all the shocks (bilstein 5100 that were stock to my trdor) plus a new right coil spring (to replace the cheaper one that was put in as a replacement). This leaves me at around $4000 for all the repairs to get my suspension back to matching, working OEM parts. This thing must have hit a curb hard and spun or I don't know but some kind of accident happened where the frame and body are fine but the suspension/wheels got damaged. I went in knowing I would put in a few grand into getting this baby cared for but I didn't expect to have to pay this much just for fixing failing parts....

Should I just buy once, cry once and get the repairs at this respected shop that I know will do an amazing job? Or shop around to get these repairs cheaper? Or just fix the one failing wheel bearing and bent knuckle and leave the rest for later? I would like to learn to do my own suspension work in the future but I don't currently have the space, tools, or time at this moment.

 

I would fix everything that you can’t personally fix and be done with it. You bought a 15 yr old truck. With age and miles, parts eventually need to be replaced. It can get expensive and more so if you have to pay someone to do it. This is basically why people get rid of older vehicles.

 

Do a compression test. Use a borescope to inspect the inside of the cylinders for wear. Also use it to go down the oil filler neck and look at the color & condition of the timing chain & gears.

If compression is good, cyclinders look good, and the inside of the timing chain cover is pretty clean (not covered in heavy dark varnish,) probably the engine is in good shape and the oil was changed regularly. In which case it's worth $4-5K in suspension repairs to make the truck overall good.

If compression is bad or there is evidence of long oil change intervals, don't waste any further time and instead sell the truck on to someone or somewher else.

 

Knowing how to do your own mechanic work really can pay off, especially in this post-covid world where cost of services of all types rendered has gone bonkers. If you truly have an interest in doing your own work (and think you might have the time/tools/space for it in the not-too-real-distant future), I'd say do only what's absolutely necessary now (the wheel bearing) and save the rest for when you have the means (the knuckle might be able to wait too as long as they can align it to where the tires don't wear prematurely (camber & toe being within spec)... It might pull to the right or left a bit if the caster is what they're not able to get to spec, but caster won't affect your tires to any significant degree).

For shocks, find a set of low-mileage 3rd-gen OR takeoffs (ones off a 2022 or 2023, for example). Often times people who recently upgraded their suspension will let them go for cheap or even give them away just to get rid of them.

That is a nice looking truck though (it likely was garage-kept if that paint is infact original). If the engine & trans are healthy, and the frame isn't too rusted (shouldn't be if it's been in California most of it's life), it's very likely a keeper.

Welcome to TW.

 

Thanks, @4x4junkie I appreciate it. I realized right after posting this I was having a bit of buyers remorse and was looking for support/people who relate more than anything else lol. I've driven Toyotas that are 15-25 years old since I got my drivers license 20 years ago and I've just been lucky to not have to deal with expensive repairs right out the gate. I'm going to follow your advice and get both wheel bearings done, possibly the knuckle, and wait for a set of low mileage shocks. Other than these issues, it's a great looking 2nd gen. Was definitely garage kept and well-cared for. I just need to take it on some camping trips and I'll fall in love with it again. I'm so happy to finally be a part of TW!

 

@GilbertOz Thanks, I'm going to ask my mechanic to do this!

 

Congrats on the new truck! Definitely worth throwing the money at it now because you won't have to worry about it again, at least for a while.

 

front bearings are really not hard if you have basic tools and a little bit of ability to turn them. Tons of videos on YouTube to help. I’d suggest watching a couple and seeing if it’s something you think you can tackle.

 

This series of 1GR-FE (V6) borescope inspections may be useful as a reference point for a working 2014 V6 Tacoma engine at about 68K miles, with light wear marks in otherwise excellent operational condition. Normal compression test results, burns no oil between oil changes. The truck had regular 5K dealer-service oil changes up to that mileage point.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWpHF-bXIHYuAL2RbSYLXuivEGJEYrO7G

See also the extensive notes in the Youtube playlist, including compression results, exact tools used, etc.

There are a lot of inexpensive, high-image-quality borescopes on Amazon, be sure to get one that has both a forward-view and a separate 90º side-view camera built into the head. The side-view camera is required in order to get a decent view of the cylinder walls & valves.