Told I need a new rear end

Did you ever change your gear oil. Just asking because I changed mine, and hoping mine stays good.

 

750ml thanks for the info. I will definitely give them a call.
Potomus Pete I did change the gear oil, but not as often as I should have

 

East Coast Gear Supply would be a great source to get new diff from. I regeared my truck last year, and chose send mine to them, then receive them back. But you can also order a new set, then send yours in as a core. Turn around time then was 2 weeks, and total all in cost was $1500 IIRC. So, if staying with the same ratio, just the rear should be sub $1k, plus the cost of new wheel bearings and seals are about 200ish (for OEM). That being said, the cost of parts would be extremely less than what you’ve previously been quoted.

 

Hudlow Axle went through both of my axle housings, replaced bearings and seals, did a regear with Yukon parts and added Eaton Trutrac differentials front and rear while they were in there. They also replaced the ball joints, and some other worn out front end parts, as well as the flywheel and a new clutch. The truck felt like a new one when they finished. It's a been a year and their work has held up. Their reputation seems to be stellar.

 

Right after mechanic quoted those prices, he probably said "I'll give you peanuts for your truck", being the nice guy and all.

 

I just had a rear end rebuilt on my '96. Cost was just a hair above $900 for just a replacement of all the bearings in differential with the Timken kit. Kept the ring & pinion as they weren't in bad shape. This was in NYC, the land of inflated pricing. Paid a little extra for all the axle work (bearings, seals, etc) to be freshened up as well.

Even though I was at a dedicated driveline shop they still griped about what a pain it was to work on a Toyota differential. As @jbrandt mentioned, your mechanic might have given you the "I don't want to do this" price.

Nevertheless, as others have mentioned, you can buy a complete third member for not a lot.

 

My current milage is 420,700. Just did an oil change yesterday.

 

I was thinking exactly this.

 

???? my mechanic gave me a quote of 2.7k to inspect and re gear

 

For one or two differentials - ie are you 4x4 with two or 2wd with one.

That’s crazy. You could get two brand new fully assembled diffs with any gearing you want from East Coast Gear Supply with a 5 year warranty - shoot you could almost get an ARB in one and an open diff in the other for that price. Then you just install them or have a qualified (probably not the shop you took your truck to) do it. Here’s the diffs for your 2012.

https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/c-1065072-assembled-3rds-clamshells-05-15-tacoma.html

 

Ya I’m 4x4 with a rear locker. 3k just for the rear diff and thanks for the link. I appreciate it. Ya I thought 3k was way too much for that. I wouldn’t want to spend 3k on a truck with 260k miles lol because who knows if the trans or engine may happen to go out. If engine goes out ls swap time lol