DIY / Mechanic Quote Help

Hello, sent my truck off to an acquaintances shop. My truck is at 160k and I'm hoping to take her really far....I'm handy and I've done some things myself like oil, lights, checks - I've inherited all the tools. Would you all critique my mechanic's assessment and give me some guidance as to what I can do? Thanks. Just joined the community and I'm excited to learn. I've been driving tacoma's since they were called Pickups, we had an 87 and an 88 in the family when I was a teenager in the 90s.

Del

I have put together a maintenance and repair plan that will give your tacoma the best chance to safely get to 200k with minimal downtime. I've listed repairs and maintenances to get to the current service interval (160k) as well as prospectives for future repairs. This is a 3 year plan assuming the vehicle is driven 10-15k per year.

Immediate repairs needed:

1. Engine mounting area and first lower section of the frame by the front of the driver and passenger doors are heavily rotted and almost structurally unsafe, toyota has had past recalls on the frame, I welding repair can be done to address all the issues with the frame holding water as well as making is structurally sound again. - $2400

2. Propeller shaft center bearing has excessive play, removal and replacement of one u joint and the center bearing - $800. Replace all 3 u joints and the fneter bearing-$1200.

3. Front axles- Left front cv axle has a ripped boot and is slinging grease, the other is about to fail on the RF side. Replace one - $380 Replace both $760

4. Muffler is staying to rot out and leak, 2 flanges at the front of the exhaust are very worn out/rotted out (replace within the year, hope for after winter) ($350-$1200)

5. Radiator hose clamps are rotting out on the lower hose recomend replacement before they fail. Coolant system will be drained and refilled as the repair requires removal and replacement generally -$120

6. Needle scaling and Rust proofing all areas of the frame that are intact and show signs of rust but show no structural issues yet - $400


Maintenances (by mileage- currently at 160k with no known repairs):

Spark plugs (60k-100k) -$320 installed

Engine Air filter (10-15k) and intake/maf cleaning -$80 ($40 just filter)

Cabin Air Filter (10-15k) and housing cleaning -$80 ($60 filter only)

Differential front: (30-60k) -$250 ($180 drain fill)
Differential rear (30-60k) - $250 ($180 drain fill)
Transfer case (30-60k) -$250 ($180 drain fill)
Transmission (60k) - $500 (filter gasket valve body torque check fluid)

Drive belt system: (150-200k) 3 idler pullies and tensioner belt -$1200

Coolant system refresh: (150-200k) (water pump thermostat radiator cap flush heater core and radiator new hoses, clamps and fresh fluid) -$2400 (with new radiator, 3000 - current radiator looks good, see below as this is inspected every oil change. Coolant needs to be drained and re bled during most procedures.


Inspection every oil change:
Frame, coolant system, belt system, front end, fan clutch, tires, engine bay visual leak check, check engine code check. All rotational components and load bearing components.


Original - suspension, brake calipers, parking brake assemblies, rear axle and Seals, front axle and Seals, prop shaft, not much has been changed from what I can see visually besides brakes at some point.

Common failures between now and 200k,
Rear axle seals leaking, causing damage to the brake system in the rear, Coolant system leaks and failures, ball joint and strut shock failures



Notes:
Vehicle takes full synthetic oil, and a synthetic filter engine has some sludge in it from the wrong oil being used. 5k is the recommended interval for a severe service (new england).


Any questions let me know, thanks!

 

Welcome aboard

pics of rusty areas would help. Lots of prices are right there and some seem stupid high. Fluid changes are easy, quick and cheap. In general most of the maintenance items for this truck are simple with plenty of YouTube videos to walk you thru. There’s a write up or 10 here for everything as well.

New England? Come say hi and feel free to ask locals
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-england-b-s-thread.204874/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-england-mod-meetup-thread.762539/

 

The fluid flush prices for the diffs, transfer case, trans, and coolant are way to high for a indie shop, they are equal or higher then what the dealer I work at charges.
Cv axles sound right, drive shaft is to high maybe they are rebalancing as well, spark plugs are a little high for indie.

 

That right there screams 'robbery' to me.

I'd at least get some other eyes on the frame 1st thing. Before spending any $ on anything else.

Frames can sometimes be salvaged. But sometimes it's best to walk away.

 

$1000 for changing all rusty brake lines (my brakes went out), $600 for changing power steering cables.

 

Here are the rest of the pics. I TRULY appreciate your time, everyone.

 

With that much rust the costs will never end IMHO.

Time to shop for a replacement is my view.

 

I wouldn’t put any money into it. That frame is toast.

 

It’s time to trade that ol girl in. She’s too far gone. Sorry.

 

Frame is done.

 

ooof....I know you "want" this truck to live...how deep are your pockets??? That frame, like others have said, cannot be salvaged. With that much corrosion, if you fix what you can see right now, soon enough there will be other areas that need attention as well. A frame replacement would be the BEST option, or you'll have a truck you will forvever be throwing money at to combat that much rust. I would guess your radiator support is gone as well, the rear frame is most likely shot also, along with control arms...need to not "repair" that frame. Its not worth it.

 

Damn that frame is fucking trashed

 

Toast bro. Dont even think about dropping money into that pile. And that shop, yikes, some of those prices are borderline theft.

 

That’s about where my 4Runner was when I decided to pull the plug. A lot of frame rust is invisible. I didn’t know how bad it was until a jack sunk into the frame doing a little driveway maintenance.

 

Like everyone else has said.. this will be a total money pit and can go on forever.. the only fun you will get out of it is if you take it out back get all your buddies over and shoot it full of holes

 

Like others have said, many of those prices are really high and are things even a novice can do. Seems like they might be "please go away, we don't want to do this work" prices.

Frame is toast and there is rust everywhere else. She's dead, Jim.

 

This is the one and only time I might recommend trying a dealer, especially one that's done a lot of warranty frame replacements. Even if it's just for a 2nd quote, they might be able to give you a deal on the whole package since some of the rest of the work you want completed will need to be addressed with the frame replacement anyway. Good luck!

 

Oof, I feel for ya OP and being sentimental/attached to our trucks. Like others have said, that is one crispy frame, replacement is the only real option. You'll have to do a cost-benefit analysis of doing a replacement vs. a "new to you" ride. Based on the prices, I wouldn't really entertain said mechanic. Both filter replacements, belt replacements and drain/fills are way overpriced (I'm from the North East, but not New England for reference). Those alone I have no reasonable way to justify the pricing based on time spent for any of those, so the price point speaks volumes. I've done them myself and I'm a moderately handy novice, so I'd have to agree with @TenBeers it's either GTFO pricing, or he's taking you. I've also had my mechanic quote some maintenance stuff, and they're...way lower than yours above.

Just for some context, is this a long-time family truck that has sentimental value? Hopefully not a new purchase. Either way, whatever future endeavor you pursue (different truck or frame replacement) Oil Undercoat ASAP. NE winters are brutal, best of luck.

 

Glad it was only an acquaintance not a friend.

Anyone who'd try to tell you they could fix that and offer those prices is a crook or cra cra.

Never darken their door again

 

Auto Transport is pretty reasonable these days . If the motor and trans is still good, the best solution would be to try and find a replacement Truck somewhere that doesnt salt the roads or have Union Autoworker thugs who spray sulfuric acid under there at the docks when they come in. Maybe find one with a clear title that needs a motor for cheep and have it shipped to salt land.
That thing looks beyond repair from the pictures