Warranty is almost up. Any recommendations?

Just posting an update: confirmed timing cover leak but thankfully should be covered under ECP

 

May not apply to your tacoma but there was a TSB to check the seal around the 3rd break light. I don't have the paperwork handy but I wasn't aware of it until I took it in for the toyota safety sense calibration after my windshield was replaced. might worth asking or having them check that. I think they ended up replacing the seal around the 3rd brake light.

 

as a dealer tech

1. if there is no customer complaint, it is not a concern. The policy.

2. if a leak is not steadily dripping on your forehead, it is not a leak.

there is a benefit to knowing a tech.

if you do not know the tech, are they going to search every single bulletin and see if they apply, for free? No.
That is not the dealer policy.

the concern must be an initial concern. It must match the bulletin. and be verified.

but wait. It gets better. Buddy of mine with a car under warranty had an issue.
It wasn’t perfect, checking TSB’s.
It legit had a verifiable problem.
He took it to the dealer. They said nope, nothing wrong.
They’re not gonna do anything. They’re not gonna make any money. And they earned a bad reputation.

so he came over. We road test it. I verify the concern. We pull into the shop. I find 4 applicable bulletins for that concern, and verify the car needs them by looking at the causal parts. It did not take long.

there are competent people in dealerships. There is also incompetent people.
There are knowledgeable service advisors who care about the client and understand how a car works.
There are also advisors who can’t tie their shoes.

one time the news of the day was a person who, wearing the supplied work shirt with brand emblem
Left all 4 wheels loose for the vehicle to promptly have them fall off with the customer driving away.
It’s quite profitable to hire that dude for $12 and charge $230 + parts mark up.

mine isn’t under warranty. I’m gonna have to buy a $20 day pass to Toyotas database and search to find what may be applicable and fix.
For example. Why does my windshield cowl have a big gaping hole that lets water in? Come to find out, there’s a TSB and 4 PN revisions.

anything besides looking at applicable TSB’s is rumors.

one that stands out in my memory
Customer comes in
Hey I read on a forum found and printed this TSB this engine thing
Well thank you customer how fantastic that this TSB clearly states at the top it is for a completely different engine than what is in your car

some folks want to make it a legal requirement that manufacturers release this info
So that when your car is 10yo and only they know what the repair is
You can actually fix it the proper way. With a part they made to fix it and dont talk about.
But so far that has not become a thing.

and that’s just TSBs. Not even pending future TSBs or concerns awaiting a solution that are also documented.