Dealer botched cv install, now i need a new front diff. Questions. (1 Viewer)

[Pdxcascadian]

Ugh... I am beyond frustrated about this whole situation and wish I could travel back in time and wait for my preferred mechanic, but that's not possible.

I bought my 07 LC in May, it is high mileage (266k when I bought it) but super clean and something I've wanted for a long time. I got a pre-purchase inspection from Toyota, everything was great except for the front cv axles being thrashed and the muffler disintegrating. It was a one owner rig and had been babied. The shop I prefer for my service was booked for weeks, so I went through the dealer for the cv axles. That was May, everything seemed fine until two weeks ago.

Two weeks ago the front diff started whining. I already had an appointment to have my timing belt changed, figured I'd have it looked at then. One week into the noise it got significantly worse, so I took it to the local Valvoline to have them check the fluid; bone dry and a ton of metal stuck to the magnet. They told me that as soon as they filled it it started leaking out of the driver's side cv seal.

I went straight to the dealer, nothing had been done since the cv axles, had to be from their work. They himmed and hawed about what the problem was, gave me a loaner and said they'd get back to me Tuesday (yesterday) when the manager was in. All day went by and at 5:30pm I get a text saying that they will rebuild the diff, but I have to pay $3,800 of the $6,200 bill, I said no way.

Called my mechanic this morning to pick his brain (he is the father of a good friend who runs a toyota/subaru shop) and he reccomended talking them into replacing the diff with a used one.

My big questions are: who has replaced their front diff? What diff does an 07 LC with a 2uz-fe take and where do I find it?

 

[71-CRUISER]

The dealership should pay 100% and should install a new diff for you.

Its time for you to talk to Toyota corporate and the dealership manager.

 

[sr5pickup]

The dealership should pay 100% and should install a new diff for you.

Its time for you to talk to Toyota corporate and the dealership manager.

This. You shouldn’t have to pay a dime. That’s on them 100%

 

[AimCOtaco]

Used diffs can be harder to find as they are a common break on the 100. I'd suggest a qulity rebuild with ARB locker... but in this case you gotta make the dealer cover a rebuild back to stock. No oil in a diff that only holds 1qt to begin with is root cause of your failure.

 

[Pdxcascadian]

The dealership should pay 100% and should install a new diff for you.

Its time for you to talk to Toyota corporate and the dealership manager.

They are trying to say that because the LC has such high mileage that the diff has already exceeded its life expectancy. They're now saying that they will cover the labor of install on a new diff and will replace the cv axles if I pay the parts cost of the new diff. They wont install a used one.

 

[saucebox]

Working just fine when you arrived, not working at all now...it seems pretty open and shut. Totally fine if they don't want to install used parts, but that means it's up to them to put it back to factory spec with new ones.

 

[AimCOtaco]

Agree it's old and could just fail anytime, however, it sounds like they didn't fill it with oil after installing the CV's which would CAUSE it to fail.
If they did fill it to spec with the correct lube then it's likely just down to bad luck.

 

[Patassa]

Agree it's old and could just fail anytime, however, it sounds like they didn't fill it with oil after installing the CV's which would CAUSE it to fail.
If they did fill it to spec with the correct lube then it's likely just down to bad luck.

Sounds like they damaged the seal installing the CVs and the fluid they put in all leaked out. Basically they botched it here the same way many others have. There's only a couple of way to screw up a CV install, that's one.

 

[dbfw]

Or they didn't replace the seals when they did the CV axles, they did refill it, but it slowly leaked out past the old seal over the last six months. I can't imagine it would have been running dry since May and just now decided to fail, but maybe they're tougher than we think?

Last time I showed my local dealership clear evidence of bad work, the manager's response was a shrug. At least this one has engaged you, hopefully you can negotiate a reasonable solution.

Edit: Patassa had the same thought at the same time I was typing... It would be one thing if it were still full of fluid and it failed for some other reason. But, the fact that the leak was from one of the axle seals sure suggests that's where the original fault was.

 

[71-CRUISER]

Contact corporate. They have allowances for things like this.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

[2020 Rocks]

I agree with the others, it worked before they'd laid hands on it, costly mistake on their part, but they have insurance for these sorts of things. I would escalate to the next level if the dealership is giving you this much grief on their fawk up, I'm sure it works some of the time for them, but don't let them talk you into paying cash for their mistakes.

 

[bhsdriller]

Not disagreeing but this was in May, so they'll probably say something could of happened between then and now? Can see them trying to get out of it somehow
Not like he drove out and the next day it started acting up.

Good Luck

 

[3_puppies]

how many miles were driven between May and the issue?
the leaking/bad seal now could be from all the damage in the diff.
what does the receipt show from the work done in May? about what was done and what was changed.
any spots in driveway where it is normally parked?

I'm with @bhsdriller 6 months later, hard to say what happened.

 

[AimCOtaco]

Also curious about miles traveled, seems that if it was in fact "Bone Dry" due to not being filled at all it wouldn't last more than a couple tanks of gas or less before things got real noisy. If it was filled and leaked that bad you'd see the mess.

 

[bucfl]

I suggest contacting the better business bureau for things like this. They have helped me in the past with investigations. Its not the fast approach but it will help you with your case. All dealers are part of the BBB and not making this right will be a strike against them.

Open a case. Let the manager know that you will keep the rental until the case is resolved. Not sure how far that will get you but worth a try. Best of luck!

 

[Pdxcascadian]

I have resolved the issue. The service manager offered to cover the cost of new OEM cv axles and labor for replacing the axles and diff if I would cover the cost of a diff. He had previously said they'd cover the cost of a used diff but could not find one, so he has prorated the cost of a brand new OEM diff, went from $1600 to $700. All this is going to be covered under a 12 month/12k warranty. He offered to service my rear diff and trans but I declined.

I'm not super happy about spending $700 that I hadn't planned on spending, but new is better than used and I didn't want to wait for a used one to pop up. I also really did not want to go through the process of fighting them for it.

 

[bucfl]

Great news! I think the dealer did a great job on this one. I would have taken him up on the rear diff and trans. But I understand your position.

 

[Pdxcascadian]

Great news! I think the dealer did a great job on this one. I would have taken him up on the rear diff and trans. But I understand your position.

I am satisfied. The OEM axles are better than the aftermarket ones they put on the first time.
I don't want them to do anything else to my rig, I am gonna go through the guy I have been using for years for my Subarus. If this had happened at his shop there would have been no debate about how to handle it.

 

[baltistyle]

Reading into this late and glad there was some resolution. There are some readers misinformed about some things though. Remember that all work has a warranty and depending on location, that warranty may be longer or non existent. Whenever a failure occurs first figure out if you are within that period. It makes the conversation more reasonable and the expectations, valid or not. I had a very costly issue that nearly totaled my truck and the shop was liable under a warranty from the repair, almost six months earlier. We didn’t even have to wonder or figure out the cost because they have insurance for these occasions. We shook hands and it was easy, the experience sucked, but no real bill was easy.

Glad op got this worked out and that parts were available.

 

[YezusLX]

800.331.4331 Toyota customer service.
All Toyota repairs done at the dealer have a 12-month unlimited mileage warranty on new OE Toyota parts if installed by the selling dealer. Labor is typically 12 months from installation depending on state laws. See the bottom or back of the R.O. for specifics on this warranty.
Have previous (CV axle R&R) and post (differential damage) R.O. (repair order) numbers from dealer and 3rd party shop diagnosis. Remember to document the process and walk the rep through the entire story. Then let them help the dealer get into their knee pads. If poor installation was indeed the reason for the damage then the dealer eats the labor and Toyota eats the part. Sometimes, customers may need to pay for fluids/gaskets since those are considered consumables and not subject to warranty/good faith repairs.
Hope this is constructive.