Bent axle housing?

Hi guys. I'm looking for some feedback. I bought a salvage title 2009 TRD Sport 4x4 access cab tacoma recently. It had been hit on the drivers side of the vehicle. I had a mechanic look it over and I was told i was good to go. It aligned properly, drove well, and there were no obvious defects. Shortly after purchasing it it developed a growl from the drivers side. After replacing the front wheel bearings I took it to a Toyota specific shop and the mechanic just told me that it is the drivers rear wheel bearing. He says the bearing has gone bad because the differential housing is bent. After looking at the truck with him I understand him to mean that the axle housing is bent. I cannot see any damage to the housing. He is currently looking for a replacement rear axle to the tune of $2400 after labor. Does this sound correct? Should I try just replacing the wheel bearing and see if it goes bad again? Should I get a second opinion? Any advice is appreciated.

 

They do bend and its common in bigger accidents. You can usually see the bend with the naked eye just by looking at the wheel angle.

 

Here is how you check if the housing is bent in 5 minutes with the help of a friend. Jack the truck up so the rear tires are off the ground. Put jack stands under the axle and set it down. Put the transmission in neutral and e brake off. Make a single vertical pen mark anywhere on the tread of both tires. Have your friend help you. put both marks towards the front of the truck. Carefully measure between the marks. Now turn the tires so the mark is towards the rear and measure. Now turn the tires so the marks are near the bottom and measure between them. All measurements should be within 1/16". If the measurements are different by 1/4" or more, the housing is bent real bad.

 

Great info. Thank you. I will do that tomorrow.