Los Angeles area: need recommendations for some work - Page 2 - Toyota 4Runner Forum

socalkid · 08-08-2019, 10:57 PM

guess I need to get my eyes checked, only looked like the little sweat on the axle and not the whole wheel to me, sorry about that OP

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BrianSD_42 · 08-08-2019, 11:48 PM

OK so it is SUPER important that you ALWAYS take the part numbers from your Toyota dealership estimate and type them into the internet as "Toyota __#__" to see what the actual price is.

Here in San Diego the stealerships (except for Acura Kerney Mesa) all seem to add 20-30% OVER MSRP to the cost of Toyota parts. Now this is totally freaking ridiculous since you can just Google the parts MSRP but most people don't do it.

Find an independent mechanic, order your own parts online or through them (at sub MSRP) and stop going to the dealer.

gamefreakgc · 08-09-2019, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beklemmung

You're correct, the entire back side of the wheel is wet. I was afraid (but not surprised) to hear that it didn't look good. This is the driver's side for comparison:

If the driver's side seal seems OK, should I just replace the seal only? Leave it alone? I think it's got about 12 years and 90,000 miles on it.

The diff breather seems clogged to me. It doesn't move up or down, though it will spin fairly freely. Does that sound clogged? This truck has really only seen pavement with occasional trips on gravel in the LA area, but there was quite a bit of grime on/around the breather.

I wish I had checked this sooner. I've only been driving around 30 miles/week since I got it a few months ago, but for all I know it's been leaking for the last 3-4 years / 5,000+ miles...

Thanks for advice, I really appreciate it.

If the driver's side is dry, it's fine. You can pull the ABS sensor (the black sensor on the top of the axle next to the tire) and look and see if there's any gear oil starting to creep through. Odds are it might fail in the next couple of years so when you rotate the tires just check to see how it's doing.

beklemmung · 08-09-2019, 11:06 AM

Dezert, I'm not sure if it could draw air in, I didn't test that (and not sure how... just clean it and use my mouth to try to gently blow air through?). In any case I'll just get a new breather, and replace the passenger side seal, bearing, and brake pad.

Brian, I agree, the previous owner paid a lot of money to have all of the work done through the dealer. All of the work receipts I've posted are from the previous owners, but so far I haven't had anything done other than have the oil changed (which I did at a local independent place). The point of this thread is to get recommendations for a local independent mechanic since I don't have one.

Gamefreakgc, thanks, I'll ask about that the next time I have the tires rotated.

socalkid · 08-09-2019, 05:17 PM

there's a mechanic thread in the SoCal section of the forums where folks posted recommendations for shops

beklemmung · 08-09-2019, 05:26 PM

Well hot damn, I had no idea, thanks!

SoCal 4Runner Shop Thread

4rFrog · 08-10-2019, 12:11 PM

IF you can drive to Orange County take your rig to Japanese Car Specialties in Mission Viejo (949-583-0811), John is a 4runner Guru! His shop has become a Toyota truck shop. He can fix anything you throw at him and he is very honest.

This is the guy for Toyota trucks.

beklemmung · 08-10-2019, 03:08 PM

Yeah, I saw it mentioned repeatedly in the thread I linked, and it's a bit far for me but doable. Thanks for giving it another +1. I actually PMed @mwray8909 since he offered to help a lot of people, though it doesn't look like he's been active here for a few months.

808Waterman · 08-12-2019, 11:38 PM

I used to live in the Los Angeles area and when I couldn't do something myself, I would take it to Kondo Motors. Reliable, honest, and do very good work. Facility is not anything to brag about, but they've been in business for 30 something years.

Serving Santa Monica's auto repair needs for over 30 years!

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