Anybody local have a view on this '100 Series total brake failure' issue?

[Desert100]

Discussion here, although there are many threads going back several years on it.

I spent eight hours on steep tracks in the Jemez several days ago which would have been less carefree had I known I might have lost all braking capability with almost no warning.

It seems possible the only sure fix is complete replacement of both the master cylinder and the associated booster pump, and so far I've been quoted anywhere from $3,000+ for just the parts (Toyota dealer), to $3,200 for parts and labor.

 

[marcfj60]

I've been keeping an eye on it and hoping for the best. Having said that, I just towed my pop-up to Ouray and back and ran a crapload of trails in the last 6 days with the Hundreds In The Hills event. I highly recommend it for anyone that owns a 100-series.

 

[Desert100]

I'm at 179,000 miles, having bought the vehicle at 167,000, and my plan is to drive it for close to another 100,000 miles. I figure that I'll end up replacing the master cylinder and booster pump eventually, either because I've experienced (and survived!) a failure, or because beyond 230,000 miles or so the risk would become just too great. So I guess I might as well do it now.

 

[marcfj60]

There are at least 2 other Hundy owners here - slimbuddha and LBBLC100 but I've never discussed this topic with them.

 

[Desert100]

The local Toyota dealer charges $3,000 just for the parts. Ben at Japanese Car Care quoted $3,200 installed (i.e. including the $3,000 for the parts). Cruiserparts.net offers the same new Toyota parts ('Brake Booster With Master Cylinder 98-99 Without VSC') for only $1,800, but Ben will only install Toyota parts he's bought locally. Anyone know someone who will install a (brand new Toyota) part sourced from Cruiserparts?

 

[Desert100]

Just spoke to Toyomasters, listed here, and it sounds like they can do it for me, saving about $1,200.

 

[Devil Frog]

Discussion here, although there are many threads going back several years on it.

I spent eight hours on steep tracks in the Jemez several days ago which would have been less carefree had I known I might have lost all braking capability with almost no warning.

It seems possible the only sure fix is complete replacement of both the master cylinder and the associated booster pump, and so far I've been quoted anywhere from $3,000+ for just the parts (Toyota dealer), to $3,200 for parts and labor.

that sounds like a recipe for a class action law suit

 

[Desert100]

I've been a fan and repeat customer of Toyota/Lexus reliability for 30 years. Nevertheless there do seem to have been some uncharacteristically odd choices reflected in the design of the 100 Series' braking system, that produced this vulnerability.

 

[marcfj60]

When you say the local Toyota dealer charges $3k for the part, did you talk to Dan Busey at American Toyota and ask for the MUD discount?

 

[Desert100]

No.

It would have to be a 40% discount to match the Cruiserparts price. I guess I figured somewhere in the back of my brain that if they were offering a discount that big someone would have mentioned it.

 

[Beowulf]

Dude, you need to call Dan.

 

[jstncse]

Dan can certainly make you a deal, but the discounts that I have seen are off of "list price" and hardly come close to 40%. If Japanese Car Care can't get a better discount than you can on IH8MUD then you might as well go with Cruiserparts and a local shop to install the parts.

 

[marcfj60]

I've heard the parts cost $1,200 but I don't know for sure what parts that is or where it was obtained.

 

[Desert100]

Dan can certainly make you a deal, but the discounts that I have seen are off of "list price" and hardly come close to 40%. If Japanese Car Care can't get a better discount than you can on IH8MUD then you might as well go with Cruiserparts and a local shop to install the parts.

Doing exactly that.

 

[pappy]

Dude, you need to call Dan.

I find it hard to believe a master cylinder and booster is $3K, even from Toyota.

 

[Desert100]

I find it hard to believe a master cylinder and booster is $3K, even from Toyota.

Heard it straight from the service manager's mouth.

 

[Devil Frog]

I find it hard to believe a master cylinder and booster is $3K, even from Toyota.

2002 LC

Brake Booster MSRP $1,415.01
Master Cylineder MSRP $3,020.28

look it up

http://www.lithiatoyotaparts.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=215542

 

[BionicCruiser]

come on, it's like 8 bolts and having the wife or a friend pump the brakes to bleed the master and brakes. save the $200 labor and install yourself. you learn more that way. and you will know in the driveway if it's done right or not. that my philosophy and hasn't done me wrong yet. it's not rocket science. youtube is your friend.

 

[Desert100]

come on, it's like 8 bolts and having the wife or a friend pump the brakes to bleed the master and brakes. save the $200 labor and install yourself. you learn more that way. and you will know in the driveway if it's done right or not. that my philosophy and hasn't done me wrong yet. it's not rocket science. youtube is your friend.

There's a discussion starting with a contribution from OregonLC on this page, about how bleeding the system by pumping the brakes can cause master cylinder failure shortly thereafter. Apparently the only safe way to bleed the system after replacing this part is to use a tool called an SST that generally only dealers have. I can't say whether this is accurate or not, but the whole point here is that we're dealing with a part that has turned out to be more safety-critical than it probably should be.

This week the Toyota dealer in Albuquerque quoted me a price of $129 to bleed the braking/ABS system, and I'll probably have them do that if the local shop that puts in my new part doesn't have the SST tool.

 

[marcfj60]

And for those not familiar, the "booster" in a 100-series is actually an electric boost pump that supplies pressure/fluid to an accumulator. When you lose that boost pump, you get close to no braking force when you step on the pedal.