Dealer Frame Swap *UPDATE - Complete!*

Doesn't Toyota buy the truck back for this particular frame recall?

 

Buy backs are over with, only replacements now.

95/00 were buybacks and 01/04's were replacements.

 

Much cheaper to replace the frame then buy the truck at a inflated price.

 

Which seems crazy to me. With my truck mileage, even at "excellent" condition on KBB (which it most certainly not), my truck is only coming in at $7,400. The dealer gets to charge Toyota for 60 hours of labor, which is $6,000 assuming a charge rate of $100/hr. Even at $75/hr, it's $4,500 just in labor. That only leaves $1,500-$3,000 for all the parts, including frame fabrication and shipping. If it goes over that, it's costing Toyota more than the cost of buying me out. Seems to me the cost would end up over that.

 

Don`t forget when they bought back trucks it was at 1 1/2 times the KBB rate.

Then where did you get the labor hours and rates you quoted ??

Two techs 32 man hours to do a complete frame swap

unless my dealers Service Manager was miss quoting her own figures .

I could have had my truck bought back I refused !!

 

My buddy bought a like 96 or 97 Tacoma single cab. Found it as a fresh trade in at a dealer. Got it for like $5,500 which was what they took it in for pretty much. Value at the time was close to 9 I think. Had it for almost two years and Toyota bought it back for like $8,500. He made out like a bandit

 

My friend had a 1999 trd off road, back in 08 roughly they gave him 21,900 and it had close to 300k on it and was a woods truck for work for almost 7 years. It was very best and rough

 

Boy you must love your truck. 200K miles is a lot. You gotta ask yourself, "How much am I willing to spend to keep this Tacoma?' Because once you get into the frame swap, there's no turning back. You may end up spending $2000+ to get it in working order again. 100K ...150K miles, sure. But at 200K miles?

Either way. Good luck.

 

A $2000 repair to get the truck back in tip-top shape really isn't that bad. And the motor may have 200k miles, but if everything is in good working order/well maintained, there's little to worry about. Even still, say the motor blows up. Another $2000 (maybe?) to drop a fresh motor in. Now you've got a truck with a brand new frame and brand new motor for $4000. I couldn't replace my truck for $4000...

 

Myself I would buy any 3.4 5 speed 4x4 Tacoma with a rotted frame Haul it home put $5 or 6 Thousand into and be quite happy

To me that is much better then $35,000 for a new one.

 

That's 2 years of payments on a brand new '16 with full warranty that'll last you 10 years minimum. Or 4 years of payments on 2nd gen with 6 month warranty that'll probably last you 10 years as well.

To each their own. I loved my '99 Tacoma but at 189,000 miles I started getting tired of dumping money into it every month.

 

That is the thing I have no payments don`t want any.

Then my monthly Statement from Toyota would make payments on two new vehicles!!

Like you said to each there own.

 

I hope the OP does not mind that we strayed from the path but is sort of related

It is sort of relevant in my youth it was common to drive 100 miles to get to Sears store even Kmart so to me 200,000 miles is not all that much I can understand if the longest you drive is a few miles how 200,000 miles would seem to be quite a lot.

Besides rebuilding Toyota 4x4`s gives me something to keep me out of trouble .

 

Nah, I don't mind at all. It is related. I've had this car for 14 years. I love having a truck, and from everything I've heard, this vintage Tacoma is a great one to have, despite the cost. I paid $20K for it lightly used back in '02. I was in a position to pay for it outright (inheritance), so I've never had a car payment in my life. I've gotten more than $20K worth of use out of it. So, here's how I see it:

Right now I have an unsafe car. My choices are to:

1. Pay up to $2,000 to get a 14 year old Taco with 200K mi that's on a new frame with a recently upgraded suspension and clutch. After the $2K "purchase", I could immediately turn around and sell the truck for let's say $7,000. Low estimate in my opinion, but whatever. So now I have a good car and $5K in added value. No monthly payments. Potential for other needed work down the road.

2. Sell it for whatever it's worth used with a rotted frame. Let's say I luck out and get someone in the off road community that sees the potential for the vehicle and I sell it for $3,500. I take that money and put a down payment on a newer Tacoma for $15,000. My monthly payments are now about $210 for the next 5 years. Using my worst case scenario of $2K, 10 months from now I'll have spent more in car payments than I spent getting this one up and going. Granted, I have fewer worries going forward.

3. I have a good ol' boy cut out that part of the frame and weld in a plate of steel and I pay him in pizza. Then I get to be paranoid about my frame for the foreseeable future.

Of the options before me, 1 is the most cost effective and the one that works for me for now. And hey, maybe I'll luck out and I'll only own a few hundred.

My thinking as well.

The 60 hour amount was from the receipt I'd found online for another frame swap. I was making a guess that's what it was saying. The line was "917 FRAME CORROSION UNITS: 60.60 TECH(S): 13 WARRANTY". The labor rates were something I looked up online. A Toyota master technician was coming in $75-$100 on different sites.

 

I had the dealer replace my frame last year and the frame swap included fuel lines, brake lines, brake proportioner valve, leaf springs, lower control arms, and numerous other parts. I had them replace my upper ball joints, timing belt and water pump at the same time and they only charged me half the labor costs because everything was dissasembled already. The only additional charges I had was for some stereo, electric fan and winch wiring disconnect/reconnect that they charged me 1.5 hours labor for.
Here are a couple pdf lists of everything they replace.

 

Just got back from a dealer in Québec city, Canada. They inspect my frame and they sent photos to Toyota and waiting for an answer. They did the anti corrosion treatment years ago. Hope it's going to end like your story. The truck is a 2002 xtracab 4wd 2.7L with 280 000km and still runs like a new. They were saying that the recall campain is not the same than in the states... Anybody have some info on that?

Here's a picture from the crack.

 

I live in BC, and they replaced my 01 Tacoma frame due to rust perforation, I am not sure how they cover if it is cracked.
If they tell you it isn't covered try calling Toyota head office, don't give up.
It took me several calls to a few higher ups before they agreed to replace my frame.

 

thanks for the input. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to BC someday with a new frame haha

 

I just got a call from the dealer! toyota is going to replace my frame !! I am sooooooo stoked!!!

 

While they are replacing your frame, if there is anything you need to replace, Shocks......etc, this would be the time to do it with free labor.