A few issues with frame replacement.

Dropped the truck off Monday to have the frame replaced. I have gotten 2 calls with some parts probems. First call Tuesday they said the Reese hitch was rusted so bad it was not safe to use. Not a big deal I was kinda thinking it looked bad. This morning Thursday got a call the gas tank had a hole in it. The lady said new one $950. I told her it had never leaked and never had gas smell in the garage. All she coild say was sorry. I went after work to take a look at the truck. The tank leaked where the strap when across the tank. I guess the strap rusted to the tank. I can't really afford it right now with the wife getting layed off at the end of the year. Guess I will try some epoxy or jb weld on it. The pics are from today around 5pm. They guy doing it said it should be ready tomorrow evening.

 

Sucks about the tank. If my frame were being replaced, I don't think my tank would survive either. It's not leaking or anything, but looks terrible, and the tank skid rusted off a year ago. Any chance for a salvage tank?

Great pictures though. It's great documentation to have on the work done.

 

My god. Never thought a truck frame would be wank fodder....


As for the gas tank, I've read stories here where Toyota replaced everything during the entire process. Not specifically gas tanks but items that one would normally think, "really? they took care of that too?"

 

I bought a new tank and hanger for my truck online to take to them when the frame comes in. I figured my tank will be rusted to crap after restoring the 95.5 and finding the same thing so I figured I would jsut buy it and not have to wait or pay the big bucks from Mr. T when the time came. I also purchased all new cab mounts, power steering pump, rack, lower bj's, bolts and rag joint. I figured if it is going to be like new lets do it up

 

I've been going through all the frame replacement threads to try and figure out what's included and what isn't, and it seems like everyone has a different story. Toyota should just come out and publish a list of what is in a "kit," as well as a policy on necessary extra / add-on work so the dealers can't screw us over. The dealer is coming out way ahead on this work - do they really need to nickel-and-dime me on nuts and bolts? And why should we have to negotiate scope and pricing on warranty work?

I want to get a lot of work done on mine while it's apart, but my dealer doesn't want to give me a break on anything - No labor discount on extra work and they won't touch outside parts.

The way I see it, there are five categories of work that could be done during a frame replacement and each should have a different pricing policy:

1) Stuff included in the Frame Replacement Kit (whatever that may be) - Should be no charge for anything.

2) Stuff not included, but might need replacement once disassembled since if the frame is rusty, so is a lot of other stuff under there (brake lines, gas tank, skid plates, etc.) - Should be parts at cost and little or no labor charge since it wouldn't have been an immediate problem if we didn't need to take it apart because of the frame.

3) Stuff that's good to replace while it's apart and actually makes it easier than putting back the old parts (shocks, rear bumper, e-brake cable, etc.) - Should be no labor charge and possibly a break on parts.

4) Stuff that's just way easier to get to with the truck apart (fuel pump, charcoal canister, etc.) - No break on parts, but a big break on labor.

5) Stuff not impacted by the frame replacement but you just want to get everything done at once, and it saves them from doing a separate parts order and service appointment (why do all the other work to get a like-new truck and still have the crappy rusted chrome on the front bumper?) - No break on parts and a slight break on labor.


There are probably differing views on what work goes in what category and it could be hashed out in detail later, but just having a standard policy would be a huge start (or maybe there is an official policy but the dealers don't want us to know and HQ doesn't know or care that some dealers are screwing us over).

Thoughts?

 

If it really came down to needing to be replaced:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fs-random-tacoma-parts.458867/

 

All the dealerships are private owned so each one is going to be different ( Granted sometimes the same company might own a few )

Toyota pays so much per frame swap. Different parts of the country seem to get different parts replaced I would venture the more Winter chemicals the more parts replaced .

Time is money then I am sure like anything else if your on a first name basis with the Service Manager and all the parts people one does get treated different .
I can`t speak for anyone but me I try and not work for free on paying jobs

How many here that are hourly employees gladly give there employer free hours of labor every week??

 

make sure you measure your new frame when they finish.
Toyota made my replacement frame wrong.
still fighting with them over it.

 

Wut????

 

yep.
spring hangers in the wrong spot.
my wheelbase is 1" different from left to right.
I'll start a new thread on it.

 

Weird man, first time I've ever heard of this.

 

no one has seen it before, as far as I've been able to tell.
it's possible that a lot of people have it and no one ever bothered to check.

 

I didn't know Toyota was still doing this for 02s...

 

2017 will be the last year for the '02 to be eligible for this campaign, right?

 

I hate these reminder threads of how SOL I am with my 1999's frame.

 

correct.
my frame SNAPPED just 3 weeks from the expiration of the warranty

 

Bad news about the gas tank. Good to get a new frame.
Want to suggest that if you can get it put together with the leaking tank and get it back, I suggest trying Marine Tex to repair a small gas tank leak. It is made for that and better then JB weld for under gas locations.

 

I will check the Marine Tex out. Thanks

 

They can set their policy for extra work individually, but the basic frame replacements are under a warranty issued by Toyota Motor Corp. and the dealer can't just decide to charge for warranty work. If they can't make a buck doing frame replacements (and they'd have to be really incompetent for that to happen) then don't accept frame replacement work.

In fact, my local dealer couldn't wait to get my truck into their shop, and told me it's good work for them, but then they started with all the extra charge nonsense.

The reported discrepancies in the scope of work covered under the warranty are not regional. There are differences between dealers a few miles apart. If Toyota pays for one person's brake lines, they should pay for everyone's. Or maybe they do and some dealers try to pocket as much extra as they can by double-dipping on some parts (which is why I would like to see some documentation from Toyota on the scope of what is included in the warranty work).

Nobody is looking for free labor - If they normally charge 2 hours for something that is difficult to access and they can do it in 30 mins. while the truck is disassembled, there is no reason why we should pay 2 hours. I'd be happy if they charged for an hour, but no, they're trying to charge full rate. How many here that are hourly employees work an 8 hour day and have their employer gladly give them pay for 32 hours??

 

Some shops are flat rate with no wiggle room .

years ago we had a tech with little hands that could change the dash bulbs just reaching up behind the dash without removing the complete cluster 15 minutes done the labor billed at flat rate was 2 hours

Yes I must say those extra week pay bonuses are nice at times for completing a job ahead of schedule and under budget

Then Massachusetts who can say