I took my 2008 4Runner Limited 6 cyl, 58,000 miles, in only for the yearly PA state inspection. The service rep said that though the brakes front brakes showed a little more than "4" and would pass inspection, he'd recommend new pads, resurface the rotors (new rotors were installed at 35,000 with pads) for $346 plus tax. Also, brake fluid flush at $129.95 plus tax, a tune up with new iridium plugs at $165.95 plus tax and 4WD diff service at $175.95 plus tax for a grand total of $817.85 plus tax. I suspect the propeller shaft lube is included or maybe he didn't want to push the estimate over a GRAND!
This all seems very excessive to me. I can replace plugs and simple maintenance stuff. I do some work on my '71 MGB. Is there anything complicated about this stuff on the 4Runner? Also, as far as grease, can I use just a good synthetic grease for everything needing greased? The maintenance schedule mentions two different types of grease.

Thanks,

Gene

What city do you live in?

Because maybe someone here can recommend an honest mechanic (who knows Toyotas) near you.

Yes that is ridiculous. You've got options.

NO way man, you can do all of that yourself or at least find another shop. Dealerships are crazy.

Thanks guys. I'll be back with a few questions.

That's about right for dealer pricing I'd say...

It is recommended to resurface rotors when replacing pads, not sure what a "tune-up" on a modern car is... but dealer part pricing and labor that's about right.

Most everything you could probably do yourself, I think we use a synthetic moly grease at work for the driveshafts.

You can get the work done cheaper yourself or elsewhere.

Save lots of money, do it all yourself and itll be a good learning experience with the rig.

Plugs are due every 30k on the 1GR V6, all the fluids he recommended should be done no later than 60k if they haven't been done before.

Do that stuff, hold out on the brakes if that makes your wallet happy. I assume he meant "4mm", that is likely an undercut measurement. Probably have a few oil changes left in them.

That is nuts! All that stuff needs to be done periodically, but not for that $$. All that stuff can be done in a full day of wrenching. So very simple in your driveway with no special tools.

That's maybe $300 worth of parts and materials.

As my Dad always said; "Those who can - Do, Those who can't - Pay" and I say the internet has removed a lot of the knowledge gap that prevented folks from doing in the past. If your inclined, do a bit of reading and do that preventative maintenance yourself. If not, those prices didn't sound outrageous to me.

I personally would just run those rotors till they get completely chewed up, then toss new rotors and pads on for the same or less than the $358 quoted by dealer. You have to ask if the rotors are so worn in only 23k miles (you say you replaced them at 35k) if its worth spending more money on them.

I'd pay the $129 for a brake flush. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, i.e., retains moisture, and that causes calipers to rust and seize. Bleeding brakes is a PITA at home, so I always pay a dealer.

I'd do everything else myself. Quite simple to do on the 4R.

Recommended means recommended, not required or even necessary. And when a dealer says recommended, I am always skeptical. My Iridium plugs are rated for 90k. Check on yours. 4mm is plenty of pad left. Especially on the rears, they last a long time. I would never turn the rotors unless you actually have pad build up on them and are getting uneven braking or steering wheel wobble. I waited until 80k before I started flushing all my fluids, other than oil, and spread it out over the next 30k miles to help with the cost. I live on the west coast, so yo may need to do some things sooner because of the weather you deal with in PA. Also, these other guys are right. Dealer charges way too much.

In reguards to doing it yourself.

Ask yourself, do you have the tools to do it? to you have the space? Second most important thing, do you have the time? Most important, is it interesting to you? Don't do it to save money, as you will not save money. You will spend more time and money then having someone else to do it (initially) . Trust me! Jobs like this is all preparation, even for simple task. if you are prepared it is a simple easy job. After your first job you will learn a lot, and better be prepared for next time. next one will be easier, but for now expect it to be a tad more costly and time consuming. but knowledge is the best reward!

If you have someone else do it. Ask them exactly what they will be doing and what you want.

if you are just a daily driver, demand OEM. demand new shims pads and mounting clips. ask them to test your calipers. ask them to clean off any rust and clean everything with brake clean. Ask them to grease where it needs to be greased and apply fresh silicone grease to the slide pins. Ask them to torque. make a check of list and a spot where the mechanic initializes it. You pay top dollar for your brake job, make sure it is done right. if they say their machines are torqued or they know what they are doing. say, so does the other toyota down the street. the moment you come back for a second visit, you have already wasted your time on the mechanic, and it would have paid to go to a better one.

hopefully you don't know what a bad brake job is, but I do. its a pain in the ass trying to get people to honor their word. this way if everything is signed of in advance of you want you wont have to come in again.

If you want to do it yourself, you have come to the right place, cookies on the table, what questions do you have

Those numbers look pretty reasonable to me for dealer service work. If you have the time, space, tools, and expertise to do it yourself, then great, save yourself some money. Personally, I don't have the time, space, tools, or expertise. So I pay someone else.