LC shop in Medford/Ashland area? (1 Viewer)

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mechanixhorseman

mechanixhorseman

Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Threads
24
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427
Location
SO Oregon
Hey guys. Just got relocated to Medford. I'm pretty excited as there seems to be a lot of cruiser friendly terrain about these parts.

I was hoping someone would be able to point out a shop that specializes in cruisers, or at least toyota off-road rigs. I try to do as much of my own work as I can, but my AC just died and I don't have the time or specialty equipment necessary to fix it.
 
Theres really not a toyota specific shop around.

I would recommend using Wheeler Toyota in grants pass.
Also Bob Thomas auto in Medford. He was toyota/Honda only when they first opened.
 
Unfortunately I have heard more bad than good about local shops. There is a small AC shop off of Scenic in Central Point near the Rock Museum who has good reputation.
 
Last edited:
Kief said:
Unfortunately I have heard more bad than good about local shops. There is a small shop off of Scenic in Central Point near the Rock Museum who has good reputation.
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Ya, I've used him before. He made a replacement a/c line for 1/4 of what the dealer wanted. Good shop. But seems last time I drove by didn't look like he was still in business. Hopefully I'm wrong.
 
That's too bad. I'll try to find it and see if they're still up and running anyways. I might just DIY it. Strange there's no aftermarket toyota shops around here. There seem to be plenty of cruisers and tacos.
 
Hi all,
I know this is an old thread but I just moved to the area from out of state and I'm also looking for a good shop. Any improvements in the last two years? I've been in town three weeks, I've been to Lithia Toyota twice, and I don't trust them to do more work. I'd be willing to drive to Wheeler if it's a lot better but I'd prefer an independent shop who I didn't feel like they were always trying to sell me snake oil. I've had a 2006 LX470 for almost four months. I've had pretty bad luck with it and I don't have a ton of time to work on it myself.
 
I've got a vibration when my foot comes off the accelerator, makes a subtle but clear grinding noise. Lithia recently replaced front right axle seal that was leaking and said there was dye in the diff oil. PO was good about oil changes but nothing else. Lithia says diff is shot, wants me to replace entire front axle/diff assembly for over $3k. They say it'll seize on the highway and I'll die if I don't do it. I suspect it could be the diff but also might be knuckle, bearings, cv, etc. Toyota has no interest in troubleshooting. To me it sounds very different from the diff death noises I've heard on videos here on Mud.

They also insisted that I should never need to flush my AHC fluid because it's a closed system. It was done around 60k and now I'm at 140k. After a long drive on dirt roads it'll drop from N to L. Plus I'm overdue the recommended 60k interval. And it just doesn't feel right. I'm hoping to refresh the fluid and see if I'm happy with it before I swap out the suspension.
 
Yes. It came all of a sudden driving about 65 on I-5 between the Ashland exits. It was real loud. I went straight to Lithia Toyota and they told me the axle seal was blown. I had noticed dropping under front skip plate starting about a week before, getting slowly worse. The noise is not popping or clanging or crunching like I've heard diff noise. It's a steady grinding. And it goes away underload. Stops when I accelerate, lessens when I brake (but still there some).

I read a 'front end noise' thread lately where the OP heard a low rumble drone noise like from the bass of the car stopped along side at a traffic light. I can't find the thread any more but I'm hearing s bit of that as well.
 
Yep I would Get that baby up on stands and jacks and get all 4 wheels off the ground. Put it in drive and have someone help you accelerate and let off etc... If the front diff is making the sound I would pull the plug and check the color of the oil and see if you have excessive metal in it. But I would lean more towards it being the Driveshaft as Gnob said. Get underneath (Not while its moving) and grab that drive line and try to push and pull on it to see if you have play at the U Joints.
 
My leaky right axle seal was just replaced at Toyota (two weeks ago) and they replaced the diff oil. Said there was metal in it and I should replace the diff, but were unable to tell me if it was an unusual amount of metal. I got the impression they were trying to scare me into a lot of work. To be fair, though, the oil was likely low since it had been leaking for a week or two.

I also had the diff oil flushed as PM about 8000 miles ago when I bought the truck. At that time I was told it looked real dirty. The Lexus service history doesn't show it being flushed after 60k. It's at almost 140k now.

What I'm hearing sounds not like broken diff gears that I've heard recordings of, but more like worn or dry gears. Maybe it is the diff but I'll do as you suggested and locate the sound for sure. At least then I'll know what sort of project I'm getting into.
 
I agree with gnob and james. Try to get up on stands. Could try a poor mans stethoscope (aka long metal bar or even a dowel) to narrow it down. Just press the pole against varies spots with your ear against the other side....safely.
 
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