I had my relay rod replaced yesterday at Karl Malone Toyota in Albuquerque. I told the service advisor that I didn't want anything but the rod replaced. I picked my truck up last night and there was no charge and all of the alignment numbers were within spec.

It went alot better than I expected.

Robb

 

Well, while I was at work, my husband took a call from Lancaster Toyota madison, wi. They want me to do the following:

idler arm, relay rod socket $223.04
all belts:powersteering belt,ac bely, alternator belt $45.33
fix leaking valve seals $435.12 ( gasp)
spark plugs $62.04
spark plug wires $124.00
front brake pads were installed backwards by the last person) $113.68
knock sensor wire $28
rear pinion seal $95
power steering pump $496
timing belt, idler and tension pulleys $425.32
and my water pump is ok, but they have an updated one and we would save 3 hours in labour if we did it now. $?

So, right now we are thinking that we will say yes to the belts, the brakes, spark plugs/wires and rear pinion seal.

I am pretty clueless about all this... I work a a library for pete's sake! heh.

I work part time and my husband is on unemployment.. so if you think I should get things done.. or possible done, but at a place other than the dealership. Do I need the idler arm etc?

I should probably call them back soon... so I'll keep checking back to see if anyone has advice.

Thanks!

 

there is a rebuilt kit for the power steering pump. the kit is about $15 and the labout is only an hour two.

The timing belt can wait till you have the cash or it breaks. You won't do any damage to the engine if it breaks. When it is replaced not all of the pullys need to be replaced, only the ones that the bearings are not so good in.

The leaking valve seals just mean that you are burning some oil on startup - if it isn't that bad then it can wait. My camry gives a little puff of blue on start up and has for years but I never have to add more than a half liter of oil between fill ups

 

What???? is that all they could find wrong with a 12 year old 4runner? They must be too busy to really look at it good. Seriously did you guys take it in and say turn this old thing into a brand new 4runner?

 

It is most likely the bushing in the idler arm that is bad (if anything) and that is a fairly easy and very cheap repair:
http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/idler/index.html

But if it wasn't bothering you before with the old relay rod then it won't with the new relay rod either, so I'd just tell them you only want the free recall work done.

 

I was hoping I could go on in happy oblivian and just get the recalls done. As far as I knew it drove just fine. Even with brake pads on backwards.

Ah well.. that's the danger of ever taking a vehicle in to the shop. Same thing happened 2 weeks ago when we took our 99 jetta in to get the coolant flushed. 1200$ later... I should know better!


Thanks for the advice so far. I'll write more once all the damage is done.

 

Oh I forgot you are the one getting the head gasket recall done too. When I had my HG recall done back in 1997. I had them go ahead and replace the timing belt and drive belts you mentioned too. I thought they automatically replaced the knock sensor wire under the recall so ask about that. It would also be a good time to replace the water pump if you have over 120,000 miles AND plan on keeping the 4runner for a number of years. Spark plugs and wires can be just as easily replaced later anyway if you want to save some money now.

 

These items are probably just leaking oil, so if the leak isn't bothering you don't worry about it. If you are like me and don't want a drop of oil on the garage floor then have them repaired but the dealer is going to be the most expensive place to have it done at. Here is a good write-up for replacing the seals in the power steering pump: http://members.cox.net/stacewilliams/ps-pump.htm I rebuilt mine for a total cost of about $25.

At least learn how to check the fluid level for your power steering because if you let it run dry you will need to get a whole new pump. BTW the power steering pump takes automatic transmission fluid (ATF) NOT power steering fluid. Keep it full and a little leaking won't hurt you.

 

spark plug wires $124???? (shock and disbelief.) SOunds like a true STEALERSHIP!
Is this a Toyota dealer or just a garage?
I do my own work and paid $50 for wires; something like $25 for plugs (Autozone.) You should check prices at some other places (like Autozone.com) just to get some idea of the going-rate for parts. It'll be a good learning experience and you'll be less likely to get suckered by some joey-mechanic looking to rip you one.
-s

 

I dropped mine off at 8am this morning. They called at 9:30am and said it was ready to pick up. That's what I like to hear

When I got there they said they couldn't align it due to my tire size and not being able to get the equipment on them. Heh sure.

 

I had one alignment shop that couldn't get their equipment on my wheels without letting all the air out of the tires. That was the worst alignment I ever got. I also have American Racing wheels and 33x12.50s. Since then, I found another shop that doesn't have any problem putting them on, they have a 3D laser machine and do a great job.

 

bryanr - an alignment is called for - if they can't do it, they should pay to have it done. If not, call Toyota and get on their case about it. (I hate that it comes to that, but it's the only way if the dealer won't help ya)

I went through a similar thing - they did it, but it wasn't right. (see posts above) The dealer has reimbursed me for having to take it to another shop to have it corrected (I don't live near a dealer)

Another reason not to go 33x12.50 LOL

 

Well, after a week with out it I finally have my truck back.
$563.85
Besides the regular recall stuff they replaced some spark plug wires that they broke doing the head gasket as well as the exhaust manifold. I paid for the idler arm, drive belts, brakes and pinion seal. So I suppose all in all I'm happy. I haven't driven it enough yet to get a feel for how the alignment is now. They gave me a print out of what they did for it though.

This was at the nearest dealership... good thing I said no.. since they ended up breaking them anyway... I wonder if I had authorized replacing them if they would have still charged me. * hrmmmm. I will be wandering my local parts store to price things out. I really would like to know how to do more for my truck.

I also asked the serviceperson to show me the power steering reservoir so I could keep it topped up with fluid like Mt_Goat said. Of course once I opened the hood and saw that it was labled in HUGE WHITE LETTERS I felt like a total idiot. I'm not that clueless about cars, I'm just not familiar with my 4runner yet.
* oh well. I appeciate the tip about the transmission fluid.. I would have not known that.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

wow you got a print out... LMAO. We never give the cust a print out. Most of the guys don't even adjust camber or caster because the ssc doesn't cover it. I always adjust everything because I am anal retentive about certain thing (alignments included). Why did you pay for an idler arm????

 

has anyone with bj spacers had thi done? If so did they do the alignment without to much hassle?

 

Does Anyone know How much the actual relay rod cost? And does anyone have a picture. i personally havent been under my 4runner in years so i dnt recall whats under there.

 

I posted a pic about 6 pages back, here you go: http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...g/16steer0.pdf

 

Goatboy--they only adjust the toe settings, I have BJ spacers and it made no difference to them.

 

Well I finally took mine in for the recall since I finally set my front torsion bar rate to where I wanted it. The dealer did a great job. They only charged me $20 for the castor & camber adjustments needed due to the BJ spacers. No other parts needed. no fuss. It was great.

 

Mine is in the dealship service bay as we speak. I have BJ spacers and the camber hasn't been set right since they were installed, so I'm due to get this aspect of the alignment done, regardless. The service manager already explained that the toe, and not the camber, is the only part of the alignment covered by the SSC. It would be nice if I could get it done for free, but the camber is off because of my mods -- not their recall issue -- so I consider this my responsibility anyways.

The interesting part is going to be their assessment of the other components of the front end. I'm waiting to hear back from them at lunch time to see if there are any complications.

Ed