PSA - check your engine compartment after getting your vehicle serviced (3 Viewers)

[nor_cal_cyclist]

Pretty sure I dodged a bullet. Had my truck serviced at the Reno Toyota shop a few weeks ago and never thought anything about double checking their work. Went to make a cardboard template for a plate to hold my RedArc junction block and noticed a redish thick residue on BOTH my main and aux battery. After looking everything over, I saw the coolant overflow reservoir lid was off and sitting in the space between the radiator and the reservoir...and no coolant visible in the reservoir. Think my lack of driving much due to living in a small town (our towns longest road is just over 3 miles long - only 3 stoplights in town) and a new puppy keeping me home more probably saved my truck. Popped the radiator cap and it was full, so I added some Zerex to the overflow tank and fired the truck up. No error codes and the short drive I took, didn't get too hot. Will keep an eye on it, but...take a good look under the hood after someone else works on your truck. Better safe than sorry!!

 

[dudemancool1904]

Ugh bummer. I have business that takes me to Reno a few times a year so I’m always looking for cruiser shops in the area.

 

[Artie]

Pretty sure I dodged a bullet. Had my truck serviced at the Reno Toyota shop a few weeks ago and never thought anything about double checking their work. Went to make a cardboard template for a plate to hold my RedArc junction block and noticed a redish thick residue on BOTH my main and aux battery. After looking everything over, I saw the coolant overflow reservoir lid was off and sitting in the space between the radiator and the reservoir...and no coolant visible in the reservoir. Think my lack of driving much due to living in a small town (our towns longest road is just over 3 miles long - only 3 stoplights in town) and a new puppy keeping me home more probably saved my truck. Popped the radiator cap and it was full, so I added some Zerex to the overflow tank and fired the truck up. No error codes and the short drive I took, didn't get too hot. Will keep an eye on it, but...take a good look under the hood after someone else works on your truck. Better safe than sorry!!

I’m glad nothing was damaged, sounds like you’re good to go now.

The most difficult aspect of ownership for me is finding good shops to work on ours. The sad thing is that even a good shop may misidentify it and apply 4Runner torque specs to critical fasteners like your LCA cam bolts. There are only a few things I can’t do myself because they require equipment and space but I’m trying to rectify that.

 

[04UZJ100]

The PSA is DIY your work. Dealers kill more 200s than anyone or anything else.

 

[gasman4u]

There's a lot of experience in this thread that needs to be echoed yet again - cautionary tales and all that. @nor_cal_cyclist good catch on finding what the shop messed up. It sucks to have to go behind and check up on what a lazy/incompetent tech did after you have PAID to have ________ done to your car. I too have been burned bad in prior cars, and a couple times with near misses with my 200 in having to find a shop that can actually execute repairs and even basic maintenance with a degree of competence I will accept for my hard earn money to be spent there. Thankfully, I've found a couple shops I trust with the caveat being the one I trust and have the most experience with is several hours away. @04UZJ100 is on the nose IME. Unfortunately even with this awesome forum, hive mind, cumulative experience, and reliable internet videos there's some stuff I still don't trust myself to do. Basic stuff, maintenance, moderately difficult things, absolutely - BIG lift items however....

 

[nor_cal_cyclist]

Ugh bummer. I have business that takes me to Reno a few times a year so I’m always looking for cruiser shops in the area.

Try Folbeck 4WD - good off road shop that ALWAYS have Cruisers there

 

[Boston Mangler]

Here in SoCal, dealers are generally horrible

I have stacks of receipts from several dealers here in SoCal that I got with the truck when I bought it.

It’s ONLY been serviced at dealers

What I’ve found, so far:
-All hardware holding brake hoses from calipers to frame were removed, and bolts put back in holes. So all the lines were just dangling, no connected to anything. Bolts were all in bracket holes, so this was obviously, not a bolt falling out thing.
-ALL the little plastic clips that hold the engine cover in place were missing, it was just floating in the engine compartment
-radiator was replaced few years ago and was literally missing the upper hose clamp, no clue how it wasn’t leaking, and that’s not something that falls off
-seller (a friend) brought it to dealer before sale and dealer said brakes checked good. All 4 were VERY close to metal on metal and rotors were grooved to all hell
-checked air filter when I first got it, and the damn thing looked original, it was horrible

So yeah, when people/sellers try to brag “dealer serviced” take it with a grain of salt, if that

Dealers have young techs to help their bottom line and have the backing of corporate Toyota

Mom and pops are incentivized to do a good solid job because repercussions of bad work has much bigger consequences

I assure you my LC will never see a dealer for any service work again, ever

Repeated Lazy shoddy work years prior are what motivated me to learn how to do this all myself. For the harder jobs than I’m not comfortable with, I’m fortunate to have friends with the skills.

But yeah…

 

[Artie]

-seller (a friend) brought it to dealer before sale and dealer said brakes checked good. All 4 were VERY close to metal on metal and rotors were grooved to all hell

Holy lord, the fact that they let this simple and easily over priced service leave their shop is a testament to their utter incompetence.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Holy lord, the fact that they let this simple and easily over priced service leave their shop is a testament to their utter incompetence.

Yes. In my giant stack of “dealer records” they’re all from the 3 main dealers here in SoCal, and the radiator, serp belt and brakes were all done at different dealers, and all were done shoddy

So yeah…. Nosireebob for me

 

[Umbrarian]

Pretty sure I dodged a bullet. Had my truck serviced at the Reno Toyota shop a few weeks ago and never thought anything about double checking their work. Went to make a cardboard template for a plate to hold my RedArc junction block and noticed a redish thick residue on BOTH my main and aux battery. After looking everything over, I saw the coolant overflow reservoir lid was off and sitting in the space between the radiator and the reservoir...and no coolant visible in the reservoir. Think my lack of driving much due to living in a small town (our towns longest road is just over 3 miles long - only 3 stoplights in town) and a new puppy keeping me home more probably saved my truck. Popped the radiator cap and it was full, so I added some Zerex to the overflow tank and fired the truck up. No error codes and the short drive I took, didn't get too hot. Will keep an eye on it, but...take a good look under the hood after someone else works on your truck. Better safe than sorry!!

What bullet was dodged? Is there not a low coolant light? Did the engine temp go up?

Anyway, yeah always do a once over. More than once a car/house burned up due to rags left on engine block.

 

[Artie]

rags left on engine block.

Or next to impossible to diag rattles that end up being some poor techs 10mm deep socket left somewhere.

 

[bloc]

Is there not a low coolant light?

There is not.

 

[Sandroad]

What bullet was dodged? Is there not a low coolant light? Did the engine temp go up?

Anyway, yeah always do a once over. More than once a car/house burned up die to rags left on engine block.

Potentially a big bullet. @bloc noted there is no low coolant light, so the only indicator of low coolant is the temperature gauge and eventually the dash lights for overheating. Both of which are slow enough in response to leave you lord knows where with a hot engine and we know serious overheating is one of the few things that can end the life of a 5.7L. Taking care of the coolant system is mechanics 101 and some dealers need remedial courses for even basic stuff.

 

[bloc]

and we know serious overheating is one of the few things that can end the life of a 5.7L.

I would modify this and say it’s seeming more and more likely even mild overheating is killing engines.

Which just underlines your point about cooling system mechanics 101.

 

[tbisaacs]

Why do enthusiasts love “dealer maintained” when shopping but hate when owning

 

[Boston Mangler]

Why do enthusiasts love “dealer maintained” when shopping but hate when owning

Not me sir…. “Dealer maintained” has always been a red flag for me.

This particular truck was a friends wife’s, so I accepted it anyway

 

[Mingus Dew]

Why do enthusiasts love “dealer maintained” when shopping but hate when owning

The one nice thing is that if it goes to a Toyota dealer you can search the service records and verify independently. Nice feature that.

But yeah holy grail seems to be a truck that has been owner maintained and such owner has detailed records of the work and parts.