Desperate for help. Truck is shaking, engine light and TRAC OFF light.

Have you ever swapped out plugs on these V6's? Don't go and think that it is just a hop and skip down the park.

As for you OP. You will be making a huge mistake if you trade it in. Keep your 2nd gen. You are asking for Pandora's Box if you go to a 3rd gen.

 

My 2012 has 165k

 

And here I am with my 2012 with only 26,000 miles.

 

Coil pack was my guess as well..glad they sorted it out OP. PS love the profile pic..I remember seeing them live

 

Twice.

It's less than a hop and skip in the park. Unless you're lifted and have to stand on a big goofy lifted platform to actually reach the engine bay, then it can be a real fucko.

 

Dont go to scott clarks toyota they blow

 

Is that Bowser?

 

Yup

 

1-2 hours. Faster if you use power tools. Dealers typically charge $150-200 for the job depending on region and whether you want copper or iridium plugs. $430 is a ripoff unless the technician spent 3 hours diagnosing (which turned out to be wrong...)

 

You aren't paying me for what I can do. You are paying me for what I know. Fact of the matter is that someone came to me requesting a service be performed because they obviously do not posess the tools or the skill or both to do the job. It may be a bit overpriced, but then again, what are the competition in the local region charging for the same job?

 

And your tools. Your time. Your overhead expenses (if you're the owner).

Money comes in 1-2 ways and goes out a hundred in most any business.

 

Exactly. Gotta keep the lights on somehow right? There is tons of overhead for shop owners/ business owners and that is something people don't seem to understand. They just see a nice establishment and take it at face value.

I mean I understand times are tough and money is tight in many situations, but if you want to play, you gotta pay. And all of us play, not because we want to, but because we NEED to.

 

Insurance for the shop and the employee..having the parts on hand till they're needed. Replacing tools. Shall I go on?

I am on the board of a small business and it is the same thing. We've gotten backlash from some for going up on our membership fee. We've not done so in 12-13 yrs prior and while we've aggressively cut costs, there are many we are stuck with and those have risen over time.

 

Sure is. Oh let's not forget the lovely taxman either.

 

Going rate for shop labor (which includes overhead) is about $100/hr. Slightly less in rural areas (down to $60/hr) and more in expensive cities ($120/hr). If you are professional with professional tools (scope, current clamp, COP paddle, spark tester), it wouldn't take you 3 hours to give a wrong diagnosis on a bad coil...

 

i was going to guess the COIL!!

glad he got plumbed up..and i like the '16. they are having issues?

 

The labor rate quoted by most shops includes overhead. e.g. $100/hr shop rate. Mechanic gets paid $30/hr, while $70 goes to overhead. Still no excuse to charge $430.

 

That's right, uncle sam has to get his part of the cut as well.

While I do agree about wrong diagnosis, sometimes it is hard to give an accurate diagnose if there is an obvious issue right in front of your face. Like if plugs are in bad shape, it's an obvious issue you have to take care of before you continue.

Coil was actually my guess initially, turns out it was.

 

Exactly, my point as to why it costs money.

 

Lessen learned. Any time your check engine light flashes, you have a misfire condition. It you purchase an Ultragauge or Scangauge2, you can pull the codes, and see which cylinders are problematic.

Then it is simple deduction and troubleshooting from there. As in checking the plugs, or swapping coil packs into other cylinders to determine if the misfire follows the coil pack/s.