Unnecessary background info: Well, I thought I'd finally landed on a great LC after keeping an eye on various listings over the past several months. Last week I bought a 2011 with 165k on the clock, but with impeccable dealer service history. Had I done just a few hours more research, I'm quite sure I would have know to take a peek down the valley to see if there was any coolant remnants visible. I did carefully check the radiator and water pump for the crack/seal leaks, and the truck had a perfectly normal coolant level in the reservoir when I looked at it. Sadly, I didn't do those few extra hours of research, and after coming across the various threads on here I went to check under the hood and found a low coolant level in the reservoir, and clearly visible pink crud in the driver side of the valley (I couldn't see the passenger side, but can only assume it will be in there as well.) End unnecessary background info.
For those of you who have tackled this issue in the past year or so, what kind of pricing have you received from both dealers and independent shops? My longtime dealer who I've taken my previous 4Runners to quoted it at "10.5 hrs plus parts will put it between $1800-2000." I've seen folks mention prices of $700 all the way up to $3k in the various threads. My longtime dealer did say they have a tech who has performed the service multiple times, which does instill a bit of extra confidence, but the price they quoted definitely hurts to hear. Unfortunately, I don't currently have access to a space to do the repair myself, and in all honesty the threads I've read lead me to believe it would be a bit over my head regardless.
On the same subject, does anyone have recommendations on Independent shops in Southern New England? I called both shops who were listed in the local service contact thread for my state (RI,) but the first told me he is unfamiliar with the 200 series, and the other hasn't returned my call.
For those of you who have tackled this issue in the past year or so, what kind of pricing have you received from both dealers and independent shops? My longtime dealer who I've taken my previous 4Runners to quoted it at "10.5 hrs plus parts will put it between $1800-2000." I've seen folks mention prices of $700 all the way up to $3k in the various threads. My longtime dealer did say they have a tech who has performed the service multiple times, which does instill a bit of extra confidence, but the price they quoted definitely hurts to hear. Unfortunately, I don't currently have access to a space to do the repair myself, and in all honesty the threads I've read lead me to believe it would be a bit over my head regardless.
On the same subject, does anyone have recommendations on Independent shops in Southern New England? I called both shops who were listed in the local service contact thread for my state (RI,) but the first told me he is unfamiliar with the 200 series, and the other hasn't returned my call.