First big problem with my newish LC 100 today (transmission) (1 Viewer)

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Unpopular opinion here but I'm surprised by all the 'anywhere but the dealer' talk that is popular on all forums not just here (some of the techs that work there are active on this site and have their own cruisers). I've taken mine to Toyota and Lexus when I can't or don't feel like doing the service myself and asking for a la carte services the prices don't come back much higher than other places. There are some very reputable cruiser shops and unless you're going to one of those there is no way I'd go to some rando over the dealership to diagnose something unless you know they are good.
 
Unpopular opinion here but I'm surprised by all the 'anywhere but the dealer' talk that is popular on all forums not just here (some of the techs that work there are active on this site and have their own cruisers). I've taken mine to Toyota and Lexus when I can't or don't feel like doing the service myself and asking for a la carte services the prices don't come back much higher than other places. There are some very reputable cruiser shops and unless you're going to one of those there is no way I'd go to some rando over the dealership to diagnose something unless you know they are good.

The newest 100 series is now 14 years old, not many dealerships have techs that are still 'up' on these vehicles. So....unless the vehicle requires some 'Toyota/Lexus' specific testing or equipment.....then chances are a good 'indy' can do the same thing. Dealerships have high overhead and as such need to concentrate on getting vehicles in and out quickly. The higher the profit margin on the job, the better.

That is not to say there are not dealerships with older experienced techs, but that is fast becoming a rare thing. As for pricing....it is for good reason that folks try to avoid the dealerships, we aren't picking on them just for fun. Many times their reputations (good or bad) are well deserved. With respect to transmissions (the subject in this thread) a dealership is unlikely to be able to diagnose it better than a good transmission shop. And if any work (other than minor) is needed they are going to send it out to a transmission shop anyway, mark up the work and then send you on your way.
 
That is not to say there are not dealerships with older experienced techs, but that is fast becoming a rare thing.
This is my primary aversion to dealerships. I’ve known a local dealer service manager very well for almost 20 years and he told me a few years ago to not bother bringing any of my old Toyotas there for anything other than rotating tires because they no longer had any techs that knew how to diagnose or work on the damn things. The old timers who don’t need a computer to tell them what’s wrong are nearly obsolete at dealerships. New techs are not taught that stuff at modern Toyota tech school.
 
I wouldn't despair just yet. Transmission 'failure' is not a foregone conclusion. Shift solenoid(s) or some other minor fix could be all it needs. It's just that the year model you have is known to have issues and the A343F is typically a very reliable and long-lived transmission especially at your mileage. That is my concern.
The 2000 trans failure mode @flintknapper metnioned should have some noise with it when OD is engaged and the noise goes away when OD is off. You getting any noise? I recommend investing in an OBD to bluetooth dongle (about $30 on Amazon), and Torque Pro for your phone. ($5?). That way, you can monitor your trans temp in real time and see if temps are high. Also, see if the truck drives better with OD off.

Also, just for grins, make sure that one of the trans hoses coming off the front of the engine going to the radiator and cooler didn't get pinched off by something when the guy was doing the TB job.
 
The newest 100 series is now 14 years old, not many dealerships have techs that are still 'up' on these vehicles. So....unless the vehicle requires some 'Toyota/Lexus' specific testing or equipment.....then chances are a good 'indy' can do the same thing. Dealerships have high overhead and as such need to concentrate on getting vehicles in and out quickly. The higher the profit margin on the job, the better.

That is not to say there are not dealerships with older experienced techs, but that is fast becoming a rare thing. As for pricing....it is for good reason that folks try to avoid the dealerships, we aren't picking on them just for fun. Many times their reputations (good or bad) are well deserved. With respect to transmissions (the subject in this thread) a dealership is unlikely to be able to diagnose it better than a good transmission shop. And if any work (other than minor) is needed they are going to send it out to a transmission shop anyway, mark up the work and then send you on your way.
"Take it to the dealer" implies that any Toyota dealer still has techs trained on the LC100 platform. They almost univesally don't. Most dealerships are not incentivized to troubleshoot a transmission problem. They aren't going to swap a shift solenoid for you and charge you $500, they are going to tell you "replace the transmission" if they find something. They are mostly interested in folks that have newish-car warranty issues, that is where they make almost ALL the profit for the entire dealership. Everything else is a convenience thing for people they want to get in to buy new cars. That's just the way the dealership model works. There is no bonus for them making your service experience a good one, or saving you a buck. They'd be happier having a vehicle under warranty in their bay than your old LC, and their tech working on something they can bill to Toyota than tinkering with your truck.
 
So transmission shop was super honest with me. I will go back there if I ever have a transmission or drive train issue, seem like really good guys. (Dr nicks in rocky point Ny). Told me he believes my trans is in good shape and it seems like it’s either the fuel pump or a spark plug/ coil issue by the codes he was seeing. Got it towed back to the shop I had the tb done at. The a/t oil temp light made me think it was a transmission issue so I am only out $160 for the tow to the trans shop, they didn’t charge me anything for the road test and inspection. He said he tried to look into it further but the first spark plug he tried to remove was frozen and he didn’t want to move forward and suggested bringing it back to the shop that did the tb. So I don’t have my truck for a bit but I didn’t get ripped off yet. The mechanic I have used has missed every deadline he has given me. Hope to have my truck back soon, but am not very optimistic.
 
That is a broken heater t in your picture. Your coolant will be dangerously low. Something you should have requested being replaced a tbelt service.🤦
Yes!

So update -

Tech at my new (!!!) shop took a look and had it fixed in 20 minutes. He found that when they did the TB/WP, they had left the cover off a little, didn't put back in some of the bolts, in addition to not putting in enough coolant. He said it looked like hell in there and never go back to that shop...

Apparently fried the ECT sensor, so he replaced, put in a GALLON of coolant, tightened up everything, car is running flawlessly now as it should. No CEL, no EVAP issues, no VSC lights, humming along as the UZJ should.
 
The newest 100 series is now 14 years old, not many dealerships have techs that are still 'up' on these vehicles. So....unless the vehicle requires some 'Toyota/Lexus' specific testing or equipment.....then chances are a good 'indy' can do the same thing. Dealerships have high overhead and as such need to concentrate on getting vehicles in and out quickly. The higher the profit margin on the job, the better.

That is not to say there are not dealerships with older experienced techs, but that is fast becoming a rare thing. As for pricing....it is for good reason that folks try to avoid the dealerships, we aren't picking on them just for fun. Many times their reputations (good or bad) are well deserved. With respect to transmissions (the subject in this thread) a dealership is unlikely to be able to diagnose it better than a good transmission shop. And if any work (other than minor) is needed they are going to send it out to a transmission shop anyway, mark up the work and then send you on your way.
Agree with this.

Dealership lads have quoted me 80-100% more than what I've been able to get with a independent "toyota" shop.

Where I live I would guess 60% of the cars on the road are either Subaru or Toyota/Lexus, so the local guys probably have a ton of experience.
 
Yes!

So update -

Tech at my new (!!!) shop took a look and had it fixed in 20 minutes. He found that when they did the TB/WP, they had left the cover off a little, didn't put back in some of the bolts, in addition to not putting in enough coolant. He said it looked like hell in there and never go back to that shop...

Apparently fried the ECT sensor, so he replaced, put in a GALLON of coolant, tightened up everything, car is running flawlessly now as it should. No CEL, no EVAP issues, no VSC lights, humming along as the UZJ should.
Replace the heater t's asap.
 
Replace the heater t's asap.
For sure, already did this. Of course, that area in the engine bay is all the way back, in the middle and all the hose clamps were positioned downwards...

It was a real Cirque du Soleil show for a while there 🤩
 
I can only do that work laying on 2 by 10s across the fenders.
 
I can only do that work laying on 2 by 10s across the fenders.
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