Mechanic installed my new rack.. Now this defect... Does this look bad?

So my mechanic just put in my new remanufactured rack & pinion and I just noticed this defect after. I would have def noticed this if it were there before, also you can tell it looks fresh for a truck that is pretty filthy below.

Not sure what he did... Waiting to hear back from him...

Anyone know if I should be worried/pissed? Is this something that can easily be corrected or would the whole thing have to come out?

 

Old trucks you have to hammer the slip joint off. It's fine.

If you don't like stuff like that, then do it yourself next time.

 

Ok.

I'm sorry he damaged your steering shaft.

 

To someone who is a perfectionist like me. I'd like an explanation as to how to correct this damage to my steering shaft. It seems awfully close to the bindings of the rack and pinion. Should I worry. Seems like this imperfection weakens the metal??

 

I don’t see anything to worry about, or any marks that I would consider unreasonable. It is how it is, and it isn’t weakened. If you’re looking for something to worry about, check your lower ball joints and call it a day.

 

Thanks. If I wanted to replace the part that is defected would that mean the whole rack assembly would have to come out to access it or can it easily be done in place there?

 

Your truck is 20 years old and they had to take off a part that was probably pretty stuck on there. Prybar and a hammer looks like. Nothing to worry about, and pretty normal for a truck like that.

 

Would best practice been dead blow hammer and similarly insulated prybar tho? I'm not crazy about new gashes on my baby taco. :-( mechanic responded and explained this is what occured.. glad its nothing to be too worried about..

 

Is this your first car/ truck?

 

It's a tight area and they can be very stuck. The mechanic probably couldnt get a good swing without hitting a prybar. This will literally affect nothing.

Some how you know the "best practice" but also need to go on a public forum to ask if these little marks will damage anything?

 

Lol NO. You do realize that this is a Japanese made vehicle and Japanese are known to be perfectionist as a culture. I want to honor my truck's amazing heritage. I've been to Tokyo. Super impressed beyond words.

 

To be fair, you've been pretty demanding while posting on this forum, but you gotta understand that it's a group of people who enjoy wrenching on their rigs, and not a single person here owes you an explanation about a damn thing. "If you don't like the work performed, next time do it yourself" is a perfectly reasonable response- and the reason why we all work on our own rigs.

You gotta realize that a shop will quote you a price, and they will do whatever it takes to get the job done within that quote. They are a business- their goal is to make money, if they go over their quote they loose. No matter what, "how much they care", how willing they are "to do the right thing", is always a customer facing experience. At the end of the day, they need to keep the doors open.

Obviously the rag joint was stuck and gave your mechanic some trouble, so they used some encouragement. It happens some times. Is it ideal? Not at all. But you choose to have a shop do the work. Using a dead blow hammer would probably only be an option after letting it soak in PB Blaster for a few hours (which I'm guessing they didn't have).

 

He had to get it loose with something - it is rusted and usually you’d want to soak that over the course of an hour if not longer - maybe even over night with penetrating fluid. He could have possibly used a brass drift if he had one that fit in there. That said if you wanted to pay a professional rate to have him do something like that, you should do your due diligence to find a mechanic that specializes in Toyota’s and / or the difficult parts of the replacement and make sure someone will carry them out in a manner that meets your expectations.

https://youtu.be/wZoRP5ogrK0

 

You should try working on a 20 year old truck some time.

I've also been to Tokyo if it makes any difference...

 

FWIW it looks more like a chisel tipped tool was used - a hammer won’t easily fit up there.

 

Not shoddy work. Its fine. Really.

If you don't like it, you probably would of destroyed it, while failing to get it apart. Sorry man, but damn.

 

This site is called TacomaWorld - Can't this encompass all things Tacoma including the world of me asking a question that might seem unimportant to you. If you look at the picture I provided it certainly did not seem like just a cosmetic imperfection. It looks like a huge gash right in the heart of an integral system.

Recently I've provided multiple people with links to get a remanufactured Toyota racks like I did from a Toyota dealership for $500+ less than what they could get locally. Some asked direct from my threads. I would say I have given some value here and that's not the only thing I've done to assist.

Also you wouldn't be able to account for how many people have seen responses to my question and were helped by that.

By the virtue of no one owes me an explanation for "If you don't like the work performed, next time do it yourself" then I have the right to be sort of shocked by the tone of this response. I was just looking for facts.

 

Anyone else think this is/was the inevitable conclusion to the many rack threads the OP has posted?
It simply had to end this way…
That’s not shoddy work, that’s work on a 20 year old truck.
Also more than likely your truck was built in California by Americans.

 

No it will end with the mechanic replacing that part as he just promised me "he would take care of it."

Luckily being polite gets you somewhere in this world still.

 

I think you all are reacting to my question as if I was criticizing the work outright. It definitely looked like something that was more than just a cosmetic flaw. I have a general assessment of how you all feel about it now. regards.