2010 Tacoma Purchase Vibration Issue

Hi all,

I'm looking at purchasing a 2010 Tacoma TRD Off Road with 175k miles. The shocks and struts were replaced in July. Overall the truck drives well but around 70mph it develops a vibration in the steering wheel. It's not constant; sometimes it will be less noticeable and gradually get more so. I'm hoping it's just a tire balance issue following the suspension work but I did take pictures of the Bilsteins on the rear. The passenger side one is perfectly straight but the driver's side one has a pinch in the rubber boot. Is it likely that it's damaged or just that the rubber is compressed? And could it be the source of the vibration issue?

Thanks!

 

That boot has nothing to do with the vibration, the bottom of the boot has worked its way upward and those crappy accordion covers don't always compress like they should.

 

I have steel wheels and nearly every time I rotate tires/wheels I may induce a steering wheel vibration. I take extra caution when torquing the lugnuts down to bring them up to spec evenly through the process. My best cure has been repositioning the front wheels 1/6th of a turn until the vibration disappears. Time-consuming, but it has been working. Usually, it only takes two or three moves and sometimes I get lucky on the initial rotation.