Am I being scammed by the dealer?

So I got that dreaded vibe from the diff needle bearing. I took the tacoma to my local Toyota dealer last friday. I was told nothing but after 3 hours they gave me my work order that indicated that they changed the diff needle bearing out for a bushing. At the time I though awesome they actually aknowledged the problem...well after I took the truck home and drove it the next day they vibration came back but it felt a bit worse. I called them on Monday and took my truck in again on Wednesday. They are now claiming that I need a whole new front diff. The symptoms of the vibration are exactly the same as they were before (goes away in 4hi, vibration between 50-70 kph). They are also claiming because of my lift the warranty is void and that I have to pay for the diff out of my own pocket but my lift wasnt a problem when they worked on the tacoma the first time. My theory is that when they changed out the bearing they didnt install the bushing properly causing the vibration or that they dropped some debris into the diff. They are discounting any responsibility on their part even though they did some work on the diff already. I am picking up my truck today and going somewhere else. This has been completely frustrating as the service manager is a complete idiot and has no idea what repairs were done in the first place! He says that they had to drop my transfer case to do the work...WHY would they need to drop my transfer case to get to the drivers side needle bearing...I am going to get my diff fluid changed to see if there are any foreign objects that they may have dropped in there plus I will be doing the ecgs bushing on the diff.

 

Yours is a '13, no? If so, then that should be covered under warranty. But, yes, it does sound like the dealership is in fact a stealership...
I don't think a differential fluid change would make a difference, but others on here are far more knowledgeable than I am.

 

2013 or not, there aren't a lot of dealers (anywhere in N.Amer) who will cover suspension/drivetrain components that are related (in any way) to a possible warranty claim ON A LIFTED TRUCK...

Unless they installed it (the lift-kit) AND you got any implied coverage in writing.

 

Install the East Coast Gear Supply bushing and be done with it. You don't need a new differential, the problem is Toyota's shitty needle bearing setup.

 

Return it to stock and go somewhere else

 

My question is, is the vibration due to the diff bearing, or something else. I seen to recall reading a bulletin somewhere that mentions "Harmonic vibration" and it can be eliminated by installing a harmonic dampener to the front differential. Did they confirm a bad needle bearing, or were they just assuming it was the cause?

 

^^^ This. I don't have the vibe yet, but ordered the EGCS bushing and tool anyway. Even if they replace the whole front diff the vibe will eventually come back.

 

Well I assume that they did confirm a bad needle bearing as they went ahead and replaced it with a bushing last Friday...Day later the vibration was present with all the same symptoms. Im thinking they could have messed up the install of the bushing? Now they wont tell me whats wrong just that I need a new diff.

 

I have never heard of a dealer replacing the needle bearing with a bushing. What kind of bushing?

 

Its on the work order...Replaced drivers side needle bearing with bronze bushing. Also it seems to have the same part number as the ECGS bushing T8CS.

 

You should post a pic of the order. If they couldn't pull that off I'd take it elsewhere if possible.

 

Interesting. Perhaps they are buying the bushings from ECGS?

 

I would be suspicious if they told me they dropped the transfer case, along with changing the bearing to a bushing in three hours. That seems very fast. If they had not dropped the transfer case it might be different.

 

Did you get charged for 3hrs or was that covered under warranty?

 

It was covered under warranty...but here is the deal. When they started the work on the truck their system said that the truck had a lift on it but they didnt check it out so they went ahead and changed the bearing. Now that I have brought it back to them and they said they looked closer into the issue and my truck was originally going to get a lift by the dealer but it never did but it was still on their system. I got the lift kit installed elsewhere...

 

Hmmm, well if you go to anther dealer you will get the same treatment for the lift. Surprised that they covered the bushing under warranty. When they right the story they are going to say the cause of failure was due to the lift. Just the way it works.

 

I had Icon Stage 2 installed...They dealer originally offered to install spacers in the front and blocks in the back for something like $1800...I thought they were insane! I just spoke to them again and they are willing to give me some discounts on the work for a new diff all in it would be $1800 for a new diff with labour and the new bushing installed. At this point Im not sure what Im going to do, maybe just pony up and then call Toyota corporate and try to get them to reimburse me some of the cost...Could the vibration have gotten worse if they re-used the cv shafts if they were scored from the needle bearing?

 

If the CV shaft was worn, then yes, the vibration could return.

 

So you need to replace the front dif because the cv shaft is bad?

 

That depends if toyota dealers share info, when I worked for mercedes we were only able to look up vehicle info that was performed at the dealer or info that was uploaded to the server system that only Mercedes dealers can access.

Wait let me get this straight. You installed an aftermarket lift onto your truck, it is the route cause of the failure, and now you want toyota to pay to fix it?