"Your post in retort bascially said everything any of us needed to know. You dont work on your own truck and you took it to the dealer to get it fixed.
Maybe, just maybe, had you taken it to a cruiser shop to have it worked on you would have been in better shape."
So taking it to a dealership is a bad idea? I wonder what CruiserDan and CruiserDrew would have to say about this. Is the quality of workmanship so bad that you should void your factory warranty by taking your rig to Urban LandCruisers because they hold the sacred keys of Cruiser knowledge that the factory techs lack? Especially when those techs have owned more cruisers over the years than Landpimp? You make a statement that is partially accurate due to the fact that most dealerships are not well versed in Cruiser technology. You probably are better off taking the truck into Urban LC. On the other hand, the guys I have used often have more years of Cruiser experience than most guys on the board have been alive. I can appreciate your statement but have difficulties believing that a basic belt install is beyond the abilities of most dealerships. Yes, you have probably done more LC belt installs in a year than most dealerships will see in a lifetime, but it does not involve rocket science to do the job right. If I lived around Atlanta, I'm sure that I might be one of your most frequent customers. As I do not live around Atlanta, I have to resort to the next best thing, a noncruiserspecialty shop, A.K.A., the Toyota dealership. The OEM belt failure was the root of the problem. The engine has always been maintained by myself and the dealership to run efficiently. Yes, I have had the dealership do work for me. That doesn't mean that I don't do much of the work myself. My day job does not involve working on LandCruisers. That is your job. A belt change is a simple affair. Yes I can do the job easily, but the rear transfercase output seal was being replaced at the same time so I had the new belts thrown on because it was in the shop anyway. Can I rebuild a t-case. Yes, I can. I can also rebuild engines and manual transmissions. I stop short of getting involved with automatics. Does this mean that I want to wrench? No. I have other interests and responsibilites. Pay the techs. They like the work and have mouths to feed. Just because a truck goes into a shop doesn't mean that the owner is unable to do the work himself. It's cheaper for me to pay someone than to take the time to do it myself. I'm sure that you have customers like this. I own a mig welder, tubing bender, oxy/acetylene setup, etc. etc. and have a fully equipped shop. I've taught welding at the university level. I also taught engine building and heavy equipment maintenance and operation. Maybe if I knew how to do a basic tuneup, the fan belt wouldn't have failed, leading to a cracked head, right? As for the mileage, show me a 92 with a Kaymar roofrack, ARB & winch, OME lift, and 33's on stock gears that gets better than 10-11 mpg. Thus the mileage issue. I am happy that your business is great. It's great that you offer a valuable and much needed service. It's great that you can work on and provide products for other Cruiser fans and make a living in the process. The original basis for this post was to show that just because you pay to have it done, doesn't mean that you can't do it yourself. Tuneups do not always prevent belt failures. New matched OEM belt sets that are installed correctly sometimes fail. Also, a reliable 350 is often less expensive to operate over the long run. Once again, I appreciate your posts and don't have a desire to make enemies. I felt that more questions could have been asked before a blanket statement was made regarding "tuneups" and "ignorance equaling dollars". Although ignorance does often equal dollars, it did not apply to this situation. I have no quarrel with you as I feel that you were uniformed regarding the full situation and made a statement off the cuff. Yes, I took it too seriously, but we all have pride issues at times. I'm not perfect. I don't know everything. I spend time on the board to contribute where and when I can and to gain valuable information from people like you, Slee, and others. I work hard for what I have and maintain my equipment with a religious fervor. Like I said before, water under the bridge. I wish for happiness for you and your family.
Maybe, just maybe, had you taken it to a cruiser shop to have it worked on you would have been in better shape."
So taking it to a dealership is a bad idea? I wonder what CruiserDan and CruiserDrew would have to say about this. Is the quality of workmanship so bad that you should void your factory warranty by taking your rig to Urban LandCruisers because they hold the sacred keys of Cruiser knowledge that the factory techs lack? Especially when those techs have owned more cruisers over the years than Landpimp? You make a statement that is partially accurate due to the fact that most dealerships are not well versed in Cruiser technology. You probably are better off taking the truck into Urban LC. On the other hand, the guys I have used often have more years of Cruiser experience than most guys on the board have been alive. I can appreciate your statement but have difficulties believing that a basic belt install is beyond the abilities of most dealerships. Yes, you have probably done more LC belt installs in a year than most dealerships will see in a lifetime, but it does not involve rocket science to do the job right. If I lived around Atlanta, I'm sure that I might be one of your most frequent customers. As I do not live around Atlanta, I have to resort to the next best thing, a noncruiserspecialty shop, A.K.A., the Toyota dealership. The OEM belt failure was the root of the problem. The engine has always been maintained by myself and the dealership to run efficiently. Yes, I have had the dealership do work for me. That doesn't mean that I don't do much of the work myself. My day job does not involve working on LandCruisers. That is your job. A belt change is a simple affair. Yes I can do the job easily, but the rear transfercase output seal was being replaced at the same time so I had the new belts thrown on because it was in the shop anyway. Can I rebuild a t-case. Yes, I can. I can also rebuild engines and manual transmissions. I stop short of getting involved with automatics. Does this mean that I want to wrench? No. I have other interests and responsibilites. Pay the techs. They like the work and have mouths to feed. Just because a truck goes into a shop doesn't mean that the owner is unable to do the work himself. It's cheaper for me to pay someone than to take the time to do it myself. I'm sure that you have customers like this. I own a mig welder, tubing bender, oxy/acetylene setup, etc. etc. and have a fully equipped shop. I've taught welding at the university level. I also taught engine building and heavy equipment maintenance and operation. Maybe if I knew how to do a basic tuneup, the fan belt wouldn't have failed, leading to a cracked head, right? As for the mileage, show me a 92 with a Kaymar roofrack, ARB & winch, OME lift, and 33's on stock gears that gets better than 10-11 mpg. Thus the mileage issue. I am happy that your business is great. It's great that you offer a valuable and much needed service. It's great that you can work on and provide products for other Cruiser fans and make a living in the process. The original basis for this post was to show that just because you pay to have it done, doesn't mean that you can't do it yourself. Tuneups do not always prevent belt failures. New matched OEM belt sets that are installed correctly sometimes fail. Also, a reliable 350 is often less expensive to operate over the long run. Once again, I appreciate your posts and don't have a desire to make enemies. I felt that more questions could have been asked before a blanket statement was made regarding "tuneups" and "ignorance equaling dollars". Although ignorance does often equal dollars, it did not apply to this situation. I have no quarrel with you as I feel that you were uniformed regarding the full situation and made a statement off the cuff. Yes, I took it too seriously, but we all have pride issues at times. I'm not perfect. I don't know everything. I spend time on the board to contribute where and when I can and to gain valuable information from people like you, Slee, and others. I work hard for what I have and maintain my equipment with a religious fervor. Like I said before, water under the bridge. I wish for happiness for you and your family.
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