Inspection trouble- $3400 for brake fix?

Hello!

Let me tell you a little story about a taco owner who knows little about vehicle maintenance (but trying to get educated) :

-Bought new 2007 Toyota Tacoma (4wd- stick- access cab) way back when
-Hit a deer going 70mph 2 years ago (13k of damage- insurance claim)
-about a month after repair my brake light came on
-Toyota said $500 to fix brake line leak, I declined and have been putting more brake fluid in myself about every few months or so ever since (when light turns on). Haven't had a brake performance issue yet. Recently I have begun to notice brake fluid on the drivers side carpet and decided enough is enough.

Today I took it in for inspection and told them I wanted to finally fix the brake issue (not Toyota dealership) and they called me back and said:

"You need to replace your Brake Master Cylinder and power brake booster to pass inspection. The price is $2,849 for the 2 parts and $3400 after installation. We think the part is so expensive because of the stability control. "

Does this "story" make sense? Why are these parts 100x more expensive that the ones I see online? do I have any better options than sinking in $3400 on a vehicle that's only worth 8/9k? (e.g used/ junk yard or non OEM)

Thank you for any help!

 

You need to find another shop.

 

For the 2007. Master Cylinder is $~1700K, Pump Assembly ~1200. They are correct, the part is $$$ due to the stability control.

But you need to figure out if that is the real issue.

Do I dare say go to the dealer?

 

But if that is the price of the parts what would the dealer be able to do differently for me? The shop I took it too is pretty reliable and the guy seemed pretty knowledgeable about the problem on the phone so I have no reason to believe I am getting shafted. Just want to know if there is an outside the box solution to this that wont cost quite so much?

 

Yes, the booster/master assembly is that expensive. I've scene a few of them go bad, not so much for leaking, but performance issues.

I'd look for a good used unit and go that route.

You can try www.car-part.com to get an idea of what they go for.

 

Find the leak, fix the leak. Then assess the master cylinder and brake booster for damage. It is possible the the system is jacked from the constant running low from the leak it had previously.

Fix the small things first and then move to the expensive stuff. Also fix the small things when they come up.... youtube is pretty good for videos of DIY.

 

The shop told me they don't recommend I get a used part because it may have the same problem and/ or the seals may be corroded, and could be in for additional troubles if I got that route. Also he said I would have to get the part from a twin of my truck (access cab, 4wd, 4 cylinder, 2007), is this true?

Also I am hesitant to order a part from across the country when I only have their word on its condition. But I guess $100 compared to $2700 may just be worth the risk?

 

too bad you didn't deal with it 2 years ago since it sounds like it was related to deer strike. Probably could have had it covered by insurance as a supplemental repair.

 

I just cant accept that because my taco has VSC it increases the price of this repair from $150 to $3400, what does it even do? Is there really no way around this simple fact? And no way to convert to a non VSC or rig up a non VSC master cylinder to get the job done? There are tons of non VSC ones online for cheap but according to the shop there are only 9 in the country with VSC available from Toyota.

Maybe ill have to sell it to CarMax and hope they don't notice, lol. I don't know what to do

 

imo, you need to decide if you plan to keep the truck for many more years or not. The repair costs is cheaper than buying a new vehicle.

 

If your brakes are stopping you with normal foot pressure on the pedal, you don't need a booster. They are just telling you that for liability reasons.

But a new master cylinder, bleed the brakes and be done.

 

Thanks all for your help I called the dealership I bought my taco from for the parts I need and they quoted me at $1500 including installation, so that is a much more reasonable amount! The first shop said his parts guy must of got something wrong? Even still he cant compete with the dealerships price, imagine that! Hopefully I can get the dealership to pass on the brake booster as that really ups the current price, thanks for the insight there koditten

 

I'll bet that was their excuse once you told them that the dealer said otherwise. That shop had a monster fish on the line, but it got away.