I'm Livid right now..... Warning Rant incoming lol

Hell, my '15 has frozen cams. But to have to torch everything without even trying...that's where the shadiness begins.

 

He sent me a PM... my sister lives in Leander.. which is not far at all..

 

Ok good he is the only person I let work on my truck for things Im unable to.

 

2nd gen lcas always get fucked. shit design from Toyota. your lucky they quoted out new shit instead of breaking both cam bolts then telling you after the fact.

 

And you get extra points for mashing up the obscure Next Gen reference with marital aids....

 

My brother used to live in Torrance too and escaped up to Oregon last summer for the same reason, lol. My wife and I will hopefully be doing that ourselves in the next year or two.

Anyway back on topic... @TRDBishop depending on where you're located, you might be able to post up in the regional forums on Tacomaworld and see if someone local to you has a driveway or garage that you could use to work on your rig. A lot of really cool people on this forum that like to help one another out

 

I understand the logistics of everything... it wasnt just the cam bolts... it was EVERY bolt.. they said they had to replace... then when on the phone with toyota they told em 300 for each lca... am im sitting here going just put new bushing in ffs...


and I am willing to except the fact that shit included more labor, and once you get into something you can run into unexpected things... but not at the price they wanted.. THAT is my point... If im spending the money im dayum sure going to get what i want.. if i dont i spend it elsewhere... its simple man...

 

Havent really thought about that TBH thanks.. Just moved back to TX after 10 yrs... Most of my old room mates and friends i try to get a hold of are either incarcerated or dead from fucking drugs...

 

For what it's worth, the Toyota whole LCAs are in fact ~$300/ea. The autozone discount brand can save you coin sure, and pressed bearings are easier. Pressing is more labor than a swap out though, and ties up other vehicles in the shop. On the plus side, they were gonna replace with OEM parts and not "swap the AZ ones in and bill you for the OEM ones" routine.

I get their business perspective, but it does suck when you are on the wrong end of it.

 

Keep us up-dated!

If the bolts come out easy I'm sure you'll let us know.

If the bolts really are frozen and have to be torched... you'll let us know right?

 

Thanks Matt, I appreciate you. I'm sure Christa will have a batch of baked goods ready for you on Saturday.

 

interesting to hear about frozen cam bolts, didnt have any issue doing my install

 

Anytime Chris, looking forward to it. I'll have JJs an shiners in hand.

 

4wheelparts "pretty predatory" on install pricing? they are malicious when I went to see them about the lift for my FJ Cruiser the parts were excellent in price .... then they wanted over $900 for the install so my total cost parts and all before tax would had been $1350 So I purchased the parts and went to work on the FJ and had it done just over 6 hours latter it only took that long because I did the front bumper then too.

 

Any Toyota truck that spent a winter in the salt belt has a good chance of having froze cam bolts.

 

This is true, time is money and sometimes your time is more valuable. Doing it yourself is always possible given you have all the right tools prepare, enough room, and extra tools/parts laying around if you run into issues. If this is your first time on this particular vehicle, expect delays. Also having another helping hand helps but since you are Doing It Yourself there usually is not another lending hand. Calculate how much you net in a 8hr working day and that will sometimes help you decide if you rather just pay someone else to do it and not worry about the extra cost or headaches you might run into. I'm sure most of you have worked on vehicles etc before and well know a 30min job can turn into 3hrs.

*edit: my English sucks this morning

 

I got the same 800+ estimate at a well rated 4x4 shop too. Searched around some more and found $350 without some crazy alignment charge. Broke down the rate too, 110/hour. Highly rated on google and other searches here in CO. Would just find another spot for the alignment. Hopefully you find another shop if that is still your goal. Sucks when trust is broken which is an understatement for this instance.

Might do you some good to share these reviews wherever you can. Im sure it will work out in the end. Glad you got your truck back.

Edit: Looking like I'll be doing it myself now.

 

Or when a "45 mins tops" job takes 2 days

 

If you have never removed a LCA with froze cam bolts, be prepared for a struggle.

A sawzall with a high quality metal cutting blade will work good. A thin disc on an angle grinder works best.

I would never use a torch. Just my opinion. Too much to catch fire.

 

The problem comes in when its someone who charges a ludicrous per-hour rate who takes 2 days to do the job. At least if you're doing it yourself, you know its not going to bankrupt you.