Hey there, I bought a 2006 land cruiser with 130k miles in January with a great service history. I love driving it but over the last few months it has developed some vibrations which I have attributed to the cv axles and some of the old rubber bushings up front. It also isn’t riding very Good and after checking the damper pressures I have concluded the rear springs need to be replaced. I just priced out replacing most Of the bushings up front, cv axles, rear springs diff mounts and motor mounts. This came out to $4300! This is close to 1/3 what I paid for this vehicle and as much as I love the truck it really has me questioning using this as my daily driver when I haven’t even added in labor. How do you guys justify this?
Sticker shock
- Thread starter Joshuak172
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I do all of my own labour and learn new skills.
You had me at 1/3.
I think you want to confirm its CVs and not tires or driveshaft u joints. Free.
If CVs and in good shape, rebuild them. $150. If it's u joints, you can get replacements for $50 or a new DS for $230.
Then, do the front suspension bushings and ball joints that are needed. That's $300
To $400
Rear springs can be takeoffs from another 100 for free, or a set of OME springs for $150.
Diff bushings are $50 -$100
Motor and trans mounts aren't something a lot of people are replacing. I'm seeing $1500 or so here. They are reliable vehicles (don't leave you stranded) but not necessarily cheap vehicles to maintain or keep up unless you're in it for the long haul and will get all of the value (miles) out of the parts you're replacing.
If CVs and in good shape, rebuild them. $150. If it's u joints, you can get replacements for $50 or a new DS for $230.
Then, do the front suspension bushings and ball joints that are needed. That's $300
To $400
Rear springs can be takeoffs from another 100 for free, or a set of OME springs for $150.
Diff bushings are $50 -$100
Motor and trans mounts aren't something a lot of people are replacing. I'm seeing $1500 or so here. They are reliable vehicles (don't leave you stranded) but not necessarily cheap vehicles to maintain or keep up unless you're in it for the long haul and will get all of the value (miles) out of the parts you're replacing.
DIY, my friend. That's how most of us do it.
Paying a professional to repair everything on any car out of warranty gets expensive - the 100 is certainly no exception. Pony up the cash for someone else's labor or pony up the smaller amount of cash for a tool set and some working space to tackle it yourself.
Also, watch out for part prices. Dealers charge absurd (some would argue unethical) markups on parts. It's common for parts to be marked up over 100% by a dealership. By online or support a local dealer with near-wholesale prices.
Not everyone does everything themselves. But, I think we all (should) avoid the dealership for anything - parts, labor... advice. Dealerships should be considered exclusively for warranty work and recalls.
If you're not going to DIY it, find a good independent shop.
If you're not going to DIY it, find a good independent shop.
I've priced most of the same stuff you mentioned before, and I'm not sure that 4300$ is an accurate quote. Was this from a dealership parts department or online with good discount? (toyotapartsdeal, mcgeorge toyota, etc).
Also, one thing at a time. diagnose the issue. Many of us on mud have 200k+ on almost all original drivetrain bushings. Have you pulled the front and rear drive shafts one at time and driven around and seen if the vibrations went away? then move to suspension bushings, shocks, sway bar, control arms, then maybe diff and motor mounts.
and on the total cost, this is a 50k+ vehicle, and I think that msrp represents that quality of the parts that went into it. So the oem parts are expensive. But the labor is the same as any other toyota truck. So if you just pay for parts and not labor, it's not gonna be cheap but you wont be paying for anything extraneous.
Also, one thing at a time. diagnose the issue. Many of us on mud have 200k+ on almost all original drivetrain bushings. Have you pulled the front and rear drive shafts one at time and driven around and seen if the vibrations went away? then move to suspension bushings, shocks, sway bar, control arms, then maybe diff and motor mounts.
and on the total cost, this is a 50k+ vehicle, and I think that msrp represents that quality of the parts that went into it. So the oem parts are expensive. But the labor is the same as any other toyota truck. So if you just pay for parts and not labor, it's not gonna be cheap but you wont be paying for anything extraneous.
DIY FTW
Trunk Monkey
Moderator
You can also do a lot more troubleshooting/narrowing before throwing money at a problem. CV's can be ruled out easily by isolating the front drive line, bushings generally cause squeaks vs. vibes, and you'd def. know if a motor mount is shot.
Keep in mind this vehicle was not 4300x3 when it was originally sold. The repair cost should be more in-line with its original cost.
I always tell people when they buy an older, depreciated vehicle that they can't believe how cheap it is. You either need to be rich or be able to do your own work.
I always tell people when they buy an older, depreciated vehicle that they can't believe how cheap it is. You either need to be rich or be able to do your own work.
Well a $67k msrp car will have the repair bills of a $67k msrp car, not one of a $13k car.
If it makes you feel any better, some people on here have $15-20k into their 100 series that cost them $6k. I personally have spent 1.8x the purchase price of my 100 on just parts, repair and little things, not counting modifications
If it makes you feel any better, some people on here have $15-20k into their 100 series that cost them $6k. I personally have spent 1.8x the purchase price of my 100 on just parts, repair and little things, not counting modifications
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Also Suprarx7nut's youtube channel has all of the info on all of the stuff you mentioned: diff mounts, AHC pressure, CVs. All the resources are there for you to be spending $1500-2000, not $4300 and still have questionable results because the shop isn't familiar with the 100 series.
D21FJ60
#LiveLaughLove.
Save money and DIY, but, did you research cost of repairs on here before buying?
If not, check out the repair cost of brake master cylinder and ABS booster.
If not, check out the repair cost of brake master cylinder and ABS booster.
This truck has had the highest maintenance and repair costs of all my Toyotas by far. Even buying parts as cheap as you can and doing all your own work, expect to spend a pretty penny keeping it relatively reliable.
^^^ This. I budgeted a $14k-$15k spend on refresh and enhancements during the 1st year. I usually spend 3x the purchase price on a vintage (mid to late 90s) Japanese car restoration. The reward is 8 to 10+ years of trouble-free and exceptionally low maintenance operation. Granted I spend a lot of personal time during the first year completing the restoration. I've been doing this with 90s Japanese cars for over 10 years now. Without going into too much detail, the money I save on depreciation, insurance, taxes, and license fees over the 10 year period compared to a new vehicle, results in a saving that covers the cost of the used vehicle's purchase and mid-life refresh enhancements.
For me, the cost model only works with these conditions:
1) The vehicle has already bottomed out (no further depreciation expected at the end of the run period).
2) I can DIY all of the maintenance except bodywork. Any bodywork would need to be a minor expense.
3) A reliable low-cost source for OEM parts.
4) I can run factory diagnostic software on my PC.
5) No rust.
6) Reasonably decent interior.
7) A good transmission.
8) Engine can pass a coin balance test or be very close.
9) No more than 250,000 miles -- knowing a properly cared for version will run to 400,000.
10) Has a timeless look that I can live with for 10 years.
Yep, DIY if you have the time and are able.
Just did mine recently. (front end work)
Just did mine recently. (front end work)
Mine had what appeared to be a fairly new set of quality Michelin tires when i purchased my truck. The vehicle had sat in one spot for over a year after the death of the po's wife. Sitting caused the tires to develop flat spots which caused serious vibration issues that became really noticeable after the first couple weeks of driving when the "newness" of my new to me rig wore off. I was going crazy, feeling ripped off, and second guessing my purchase. Like you i was pricing replacing all the front end components and my AHC was also way out of spec. So i started reading MUD 24-7 till i figured out where to start with AHC flush and adjustment. So i got a mini VCI cable, downloaded Techstream, How-To: TechStream In 5 Minutes flushed my AHC system, adjusted the front sensors and cranked the torsion bars till the front was in spec again. Rear pressure was still high so i added 30 mil spacers to the stock rear coils instead of replacing them. Next i replaced warped front rotors, cleaned and re-packed bearings, and added new pads and hardware. Found my steering rack bushings were shot while doing the front brake and bearing re-packing work so they were next. Replaced rack bushings but still had pretty bad vibrations at speed and now need front end alignment so i finally took the truck in for alignment and have tires balanced. That's when i was informed the tires had flat spots so i added a fresh set of tires and voila- no more vibrations. Long story short- read, read, read, here on Mud- get Techstream- try spacers in the rear in lieu of new springs- check your rack bushings- Get your tires balanced or replace them. Put your eyes and hands on the truck by doing your own work and you will find out what she really needs instead of throwing a whole parts catalog at her. Good luck
get the lexus part numbers and call toyota lol, I did the caliper mounting bolts on my wife's gs400 from lexus they were like 8 bucks a piece , from toyota they were 2.14 each for the very same bolt
