Repairs Repairs Repairs (1 Viewer)

[AZBuman]

Best laid plans....Well this weekend was set aside for doing the timing belt and I had all the plans to take great pictures and maybe even do a thread to help out other newb timing belt changers! However I took the LC into the local dealership for a checkup and came out with a $6000 repair quote. The biggest one, and one I was most fearful of was break lines rusting through. I left the truck there and had them do that repair for me. Right now by LC is my only vehicle for hauling the family around and safety is my main concern.

All of you from the Northeast understand the rust we have to deal with and my truck has a ton. But even with that I love this truck! However amongst other repairs the dealership listed P/S rack, Front wheel bearings, replace CV Boots, and rear pads and rotors. I told them I’d do the pads and rotors myself but I wanted to check on prices for other repairs.

So with these repairs in mind, and a cross country move to Colorado in June, how would you guys prioritize these repairs. Just got my taxes in so I have the money to pay cash for these repairs. Also based on someone with little to no mechanical experience which ones would you have a pro do vs doing them yourself. My thinking now is I can do the CV boots myself, timing belt myself, and brakes. And to farm out the P/S rack and front bearings. My main concern is the rust. I am going to have to buy stock in some penetrator to break that up, and I still may end up breaking bolts just from the corrosion.

Again I searched and found threads on replacing the CV boots and other repairs, most look pretty straightforward, but there may be some small technical pieces that could stump me. I have access to a full mechanic shop here on base, as I’ve said in previous threads, but the guy who was going to help out is leaving for the big sandbox, so I am pretty much on my own.

So with all that info would it be better to just have pros do it and make sure its done right? Just FYI I found a 2004 Sequoia with 150,000 on it for $6k that we are probably going to buy, dealership in DE gave it a clean bill of health yesterday and the original owner has taken pretty good care of it. That will help with having two vehicles in making the repairs to the LC. Also if I take it to DE dealership for repair I at least save on the sales tax.

Sorry for the long post, I am a bit frustrated as I knew it needed some repairs just wasn’t ready for $6k to hit. Also thanks to all who chimed in on previous threads of mine, this forum is a wealth of knowledge. Many on here have forgotten more about Land Cruisers than I know.

 

[re_guderian]

You need to crawl under the truck and look at that junk yourself. None of the items listed, except rusty brake lines, are urgent at all, and easily done by you. I've only seen one rusty brake line pic in MUD that looked scary, so even that is questionable. Dealerships gotta eat, too, and they'll throw out any possible deficiency, or upcoming PM as something you have to do. You need to know the difference between being phished and what really needs to be done. Do your rear brakes squeal or pulse when braking? If not, don't sweat it. Pop the tire off and have a look (FWIW, rears tend to wear faster on the 100.)

 

[CharlieS]

I find the dealership I work with suggests repairs long before I would do them, and makes them sound so critical. Half the time, the part has plenty of service life left, and/or the repair is easy enough to do it myself. For example, the dealer wants several hundred dollars for replacing spark plugs that I did in a quick evening in the garage for the cost of a set of plugs. I've had a cv boot that has needed a new clamp for years... I like the idea that you had them do the brake lines, if you aren't comfortable messing with it, but the rest is DIY material. Being from the NE, rust is just a fact of life, you learn to work around it, PB blaster is your friend, and drilling and tapping is a skill to get comfortable with.

 

[mgoblue]

Agree with the above posts, take a breath, it's probably nearly not that bad....a sequoia for $6k though?! Hit 'em for $5500 and buy it.

 

[wpsfan]

Definitely get a 2nd opinion from a reputable small time shop or check it yourself and post pictures on here.

What part of CO are you moving to? I'm in CO Springs. Check out rockymountainoverland.com, good local site if you're into the overland thing with groups.

 

[RND1]

Yep, rust is a way of life up here. $6K sounds like an inflated dealer price. Can you give us an itemized list of costs - that may help us guide your further.

Rusted brake lines are a PITA so you made the right call to have them done.

 

[AZBuman]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am getting more a lot more calmed down as the days pass in doing some of these repairs myself. Youtube and Mud have become by friends. I find my biggest hurdles is learning the technical names of stuff, instead of just calling it a “thing” or “stuff.”

The break lines I felt like a good repair to go with. I knew someone here who did their own and they said it wasn’t the hardest thing to do, but it was a PITA to find someone to bend the lines and a few other things that he needed speciality items for. Not sure of it all as I have never done the job.

As to itemized costs its was as follows


Labor Rate Labor Cost Part Price Tax
Aftermarket PS Rack 125.00 250.00 583.83 54.20 883.03
Outer Tie Rods 156.30 10.16 166.46
Rear Pad and Rotors 100.00 280.00 329.48 38.32 647.80 (doing this one myself)
Rear Break Lines 125.00 625.00 56.65 44.31 725.96 (He doing this for $600)
Front Wheel Bearings 125.00 475.00 714.00 77.29 1266.29
Replace Fr CV Boots 125.00 750.00 60.00 52.65 862.65
Total 4552.19


Strange about the CV is that the dealer said all front CV boots but for price he only has listed $60. His original quote came to $5961.56 because he had both the aftermarket PS rack and OEM rack. The items listed here are without the OEM rack. He listed labor hours and parts price for both racks and tax for each. Obviously that wouldn’t be the case as I would choose one or the other. He brought the price down to even $600 for the break lines and I told him I would do the rear breaks myself. Also the dealer in DE would do this work without the tax (Yay no sales tax!!) And the inspection for the Sequoia they did for half the price of the dealership here in MD.

So what I have left is the PS rack, tie rods, Front wheel bearings and CV Boots. Being in the mid-atlantic/northeast PB Blaster has definitely become my friend. I’ve been under the truck many times and the rust is bad. I don’t have any pics at this time, but once I get to CO I think many will run in fear from it. I took off the running boards and broke quite a few bolt heads just to get those off (didn’t know about PB Blaster then).

BTW I am moving to Colorado Springs, Ft Carson, to be exact in the summer. I am hoping to have the LC up to speed by the time I leave here to drive cross country and be ready for out there. I will definitely check out the site. After a lot of research I am leaning more to doing breaks, ps rack, cv boots, myself. I haven’t looked at front wheel bearings at all so I will have to look that up and see how it is done.

Also it wasn’t listed but the dealer said there was a oil leak either from the pan (he wanted to replace that) or the plug. I do my own oil changes and the plug looks good. However I haven’t had a gasket on the plug since I’ve got the LC. But I haven’t seen any oil stains, besides what I’ve spilled, on the driveway. So I will go with a gasket there first and go from there. He wanted to sell me that pan and repair though, saying that one night it could give way and all my oil would be gone and the engine would be ruined. I think I’d notice if all the oil leaked out of the truck before I started it up.

 

[wpsfan]

Let me know when you get to Carson, I'm a civilian on an AFB here but take my LC to the craft shop on Carson to work on it(probably the nicest craft shop I've seen across the Army). I'm still learning about these things but don't mind lending a hand.

 

[CharlieS]

Colorado's a big state, but if I was in Colorado, I'd look up Christo Slee...

 

[Squatchy Adventures]

If you're moving to CO in June, find a sequoia out there. Don't buy another New England result box... At least that's what I would do.

CO cars are great for the most part.

 

[Rigger]

Here's a tip; any work you have them do, you buy the parts from CDan. Get that MUD discount. I've done this with my local dealer a few times. They're used to it.

 

[AZBuman]

wpsfan-I will take you up on that. I need all the help I can get.

We thought about getting a sequoia once we get out that way, however budget concerns dictate otherwise. We found through our research that they are cheaper out this way because of the rust factor. However the one we settled on has very little rust. As any good northeaster would say, its a slight patina, but seriously its in good condition and mechanically sound. My sister owns one, same year with 180000 on it and absolutely loves it.

I’ve heard about CDan, so is that a MUD member and how do I go about using that for the parts? Thanks again everyone. Once i get her back from the break line work, it is time to dig into the rest of the repairs.