‘97 LX450 putting it in reverse seems to shred the front axle. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter earthsurfer
- Start date
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This is an owner that knows nothing if mechanical and cannot explain what the problem is.
Get a flatbed tow truck and haul it to an "approved" Land Cruiser shop within 2 hours of your location.
Pay the bills when done.
Get a flatbed tow truck and haul it to an "approved" Land Cruiser shop within 2 hours of your location.
Pay the bills when done.
Hey guys big picture here. He paid the dealer to fix it, 30 miles later same issue.
OP for the love of god just call the dealer. They will either pay for the tow or be responsible for damage done while driving it back.
The only reason I take my rig to the dealer besides resale paperwork is that if they **** up they fix it free of charge.
Call them and tell then they didn’t fix the issue and sent it back. Either they redo it free of charge or tell you what is really wrong. End of story.
OP for the love of god just call the dealer. They will either pay for the tow or be responsible for damage done while driving it back.
The only reason I take my rig to the dealer besides resale paperwork is that if they **** up they fix it free of charge.
Call them and tell then they didn’t fix the issue and sent it back. Either they redo it free of charge or tell you what is really wrong. End of story.
surfpig
The Anti-Tech
Trinidad?
Sorry I can't help. I don't really know anybody up that way anymore.
I had "RTH SRFR" as a vanity plate for a number of years...
/csb
- Thread starter
- #45
Thank you all. I think I’m going to drive it back into Toyota. My lack of confidence in my ability to do anything else isn’t misplaced. It’s the least risky in my case I think.
- Thread starter
- #46
Thank you. I have decided to drive it back. I appreciate your input.
- Thread starter
- #47
Dealer is giving it back to me saying it’s the transmission and they can’t help me.
Time to call the credit card company in my opinion
- Thread starter
- #49
It’s my Chase checking. What would you say to them ?
precisely why I use a credit card for purchases such as this. Sorry dude...no good answer for you.
Azca
If there is a harder way - I will find it...
Wait. They originally changed all the parts on the front axle to "make the repair". Now, they are telling you that after they made that repair, that wasn't the problem and now it is the transmission??? No, I would not buy it. 1st, request to speak with the service department manager. If that does not work, escalate to the dealership manager. If that does not work, contact the regional manager. This is not right and you should not eat this.
Second, and it is too late now, but as dallen341 stated, ALWAYS use a CC to pay. You can pay the CC weekly if you like to make sure there is no balance. They can pull back the money until this is resolved giving you an advantage in this situation. The CC has literally saved me thousands as a result. I hate having to do it but, there are some unscrupulous people, and companies, out there.
Second, and it is too late now, but as dallen341 stated, ALWAYS use a CC to pay. You can pay the CC weekly if you like to make sure there is no balance. They can pull back the money until this is resolved giving you an advantage in this situation. The CC has literally saved me thousands as a result. I hate having to do it but, there are some unscrupulous people, and companies, out there.
- Thread starter
- #52
There’s not much I can do really. There’s no record anywhere on the service records of me saying that was the issue when I borough it in. What is written there is that “ customer says csnt shift from 2x to 4x” there’s no mention of it and now the service advisor is pretending I didn’t bring it up. He literally and unapologetically said “ maybe it won’t make that noise anymore “ I think they just don’t have a tech that can actually work on the issue so they have to get rid of me.
Azca
If there is a harder way - I will find it...
Don't close that door until you exhaust every other exit you may have. Escalate this up the ladder. That kind of cabbage does not come easily. I know I would work for it if it were me. Not an acceptable situation and I would continually let them know this is unacceptable. It will influence all your future feelings, and dealings, with not only the dealer, but the Toyota brand as a whole. That is why getting corporate involved is important. The dealer ratings with the corporate office have significant financial impact with the dealer.
If you brought your vehicle in for a drivability concern and they misdiagnose it thats on them. I would absolutely speak to upper management about this. It doesnt matter if you didnt know what the problem was. The problem is still there. They misdiagnosed it. I would also look for an attorney that could maybe write a letter if they wont rectify the problem. ALWAYS use a credit card when dealing with anything like this.
I mean, didnt they take it out on a test drive or verify that the concern was corrected?
Also, I'm still a little confused about when you paid. Did they call you in and say its not fixed and you have a bill to pay? I worked at Ford and Chrysler dealerships for over 30 years in Parts and Service and these kinds of things do happen occasionally but I've never seen a place tell a customer we misdiagnosed it, you'll have to pay up so we can guess at what might be the problem. The service department has a goodwill budget that can be used in situations like this. At this point, They still have no idea what the problem is! How did they determine the trans was bad? I also didnt see a outer axle flange on the repair bill.
@earthsurfer I suggest you post your location to see if you can find someone in your area with 80 series knowledge and experience that can give you a valid assessment of the problem since the dealership seems clueless.
He did. He is near Arcata, CA.
surfpig
The Anti-Tech
That's not even the transmission!
edit: I just remembered the title of your thread. Those guys are still idiots.
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- Thread starter
- #60
Just to sort of close out this thread: The front knuckle started leaking about 2 weeks after I got the LX back from Mid City Motors in Eureka. They said bring it back. But I chose not to. I just ran it instead. Eureka is a long ways from where I am, and in my mind after 2 rounds with my truck it seemed clear they couldn’t or didn’t want to fix it. By contrast, I really like the folks at Grants Pass Toyota, where they have a tech that used to work at Lexus when these rigs were being serviced regularly at the dealer. He also couldn’t duplicate the sound that I get sometimes when I put the vehicle in reverse. He drained the front diff and showed me fluid that was black with some metal flakes. He filled it with fresh gear oil and said see what it looks like in 5k miles. I haven’t put that on it yet. Anyway, Gary at Mudrak‘s suggested it might be an issue in the front diff = some sort of flange that was causing the noise. To date, the problem persists and remains undiagnosed officially anyway. It has never caused the vehicle to be unable to drive in reverse, it just scares moms with children in parking lots when it happens. Grants pass Toyota quoted me $2300 for a new front differential Incl parts no tax and labor. I declined to have them do it. I ended up fixing the front knuckle at Firestone in Henderson, where I guy I used to know from SOR and Man A Fre is now the service manager. So far no leaks. This FZJ-80 has been so much fun to have but I have decided to sell it on this forum. Hopefully someone will want to buy it that wants to wheel it!! Of course I will reference this thread on my sales post, but I think that covers the entire saga of this 1997 LX450 to date. Thank you to everyone who responded to this post. I appreciate you!
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