Front Diff Advice

I bought my 2016 TRD sport a few months ago. It had a leveling kit installed by the previous owner. I am now noticing the slight cyclical groaning sound that seems to be common on these trucks. I took the truck in and the tech verified that it was the problem described by the TSB and that the fix would be to replace the diff, but when the service adviser called toyota, they denied the warranty work due to the leveling kit. The adviser suggested removing the leveling kit but said that it still would be only 50/50 that toyota would permit the work under warranty. I don't want this to do any serious damage, so I want to get it taken care of soon. So, what would you do in this situation? The options as I see them are...

1) remove the leveling kit (I'm not super happy with the look anyway, it makes it look like the truck is squatting in the back) and see if toyota will warranty it. Or take it to a different dealer. Would they know that I already tried to get this warrantied?

2) Try a different dealer the way it is. It seems hit an miss on here of whether or not a dealer will warranty this problem if there is a lift.

3) Just replace the needle bearing with the ECGS Bushing. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, so I'm sure I could do that myself, but part of me wants a toyota dealer to deal with this since it is under warranty.

4) Other suggestion?

Thanks for the advice!

 

1

 

Any idea on the likelihood that toyota accepts the warranty work? The service adviser sounded like they would tell toyota there used to be a lift on if even if I removed it. Go to a different dealer?

 

You'd have to make it look like the kit was never on there in the first place to 100% certain they'd cover it. It's worth a try.

 

It doesn't look to hard to take those spacers out so I'll go that route. Then I guess if the first dealership still won't do it, I can try another one.

 

1 then 2 then 3 if necessary.

 

Did you also notice vibrations with the sound? Does it disappear in 4wd? Might just need ECGS bushing .

 

They’ll just put the same needle bearing back in.

 

This dealer is digging his own grave with the tell me everything and show me nothing narrative...I doubt they even spoke with a Toyota regional rep because a claim on a performance contract like a warranty can only be denied in writing. Where is the written denial? Then for the dealer to suggest removing the lift and resubmitting a warranty claim to Toyota after they supposedly already denied this claim would put you in a position of perpetrating a fraud on Toyota they have the vin number pretty easy to figure out. Tell your service advisor he’s an idiot...tell him I said so.

 

Yea...theres a lot of problems with this story. If the claim was denied, why the hell would they do it 50/50 if you removed the lift?

Sounds like the dealer is trying to collect on the warranty work from toyota, and from you at the same time.

20 bucks says they reported nothing on your vin

 

I had a good 4x4 shop install the ECGS bushing for me. A little over an hour of shop time and it was done. Cheap.
If you want to try to do it yourself definitely go for it.
Instead of wasting hours at the dealership hoping they will cover it I'd just install the bushing and be done with it.

 

Install the clamshell bushing and be done with it.

 

I took out the spacers, I do like the way it looks better without them. I figured I'd see if they would cover it and worst case, I install the bushing.

 

i had same issue they replaced front diff under warranty and i have a 2 inch lift take to another dealer