I find it really strange they didn't keep the vehicle and furnish a loaner. They have the power to do that. Rather, replace fluids and send it home. What is acceptable mileage under those circumstances.....5, 10, 20, 200????

Also, not properly cleaning areas, not acceptable and tightening fasteners are not acceptable.... I see a lot of circumstances that could occur there.

I can't find anywhere where Toyota states one needs to add conditioner in diff fluids!


BTW, being picky is not a fault!
The techs and service managers need to be concerned with how their customers vehicles are treated and delivered back to the customer!

The service writer is clueless.

The BD21BN rear axle is open, unless the diff-lock is engaged, then it acts like a spool. There are no friction plates requiring a friction modifier.

Most service writers are often little more than salesman. Their technical expertise is frequently nonexistent.

Thanks for all the responses. I will be back to update hopefully a successful outcome when the part arrives.

yes the service writers are basically salesmen and you also have all the master mechanics on internet forums who know better than the dealer techs.

I know you're being sarcastic, but that is true in some cases. Unfortunately there are too many parts-changers and just plain hacks, employed as mechanics.

Occasionally you'll find someone competent, who takes pride in their work.

Yeah! them online armchair techs know way more than their certified monkey counterparts!

So I found out why the Skid plate bolts were not secured all the way. These freaking hacks for some reason could not get the holes to line up so it looks like they took a dremel and ovalized the holes. There were metal shavings all over the place. WTF!!! Not to mention that they removed the locking washers that secure the spacers up front. And 2 of the 4 holes now need to be retapped because they buggered up the threads. I am taking the Skid up to the dealer tomorrow morning to show it them. I am beyond pissed at this point. Just hoping now that when the Diff arrives that they don't screw something else up.

Do this mod:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...TRD+Skid+Plate

And never take your truck to the dealer again.

Thank you for posting this. Way too many here worried about surgical precision on this transmission fluid change. They're over thinking it. Thank you for clarifying it.

Finally got my 4runner back and it appears to be a Happy Ending to the story. When I dropped the 4runner off I told them about what I found with the TRD skid etc. They told me so sorry that was our express service techs that did the trans service. They assured me that their best master tech would be working on my vehicle. When I picked it up we took it around for a test drive and the noise is gone. So Happy. They replaced the entire rear diff assy. Everything underneath looks like a Pro did the work. All bolts paint marked. Everything clean and tiddy. I have driven the truck now for about 100 miles and it is purring like a kitten again. Some of the comments made during the pick up make me almost 100% convinced that they drained the rear diff and forgot to fill it. Any how the 4runner is fixed and the Tech did great work!

I'm really glad they made it right. However, you shouldn't have had to go through that to begin with. I know mistakes get made, but there are small mistakes and then there are large mistakes.

That reminds me of the airbag recall my local dealer had to perform in the past.
They had to remove my alpine radio as part of the repair and somehow the screen was cracked during the process.

They admitted fault and corrected it. Went on a road trip without a radio but was fortunate enough to borrow someone's JBL bluetooth speaker.

Just saw this thread for the first time and happy to see you got a proper resolution. I would also suspect the express lane tech drained your rear diff during your first service and either forgot to refill or didn't fill it properly, causing the metal shavings and diff failure.

This really goes to show the difference between having a new tech or an experienced tech work on your vehicle. Most dealers have someone or multiple master techs who could do this high quality work all day long, but those guys get the more complicated jobs, for obvious reasons. This leaves the express techs (fresh and green) to do the basic maintenance, which can lead to this kind of experience and mistakes. Luckily, the dealer called in someone experienced to clean up the mess your initial tech made and to try and save the relationship.

I'm glad to hear that everything worked out! Yeah... I kind of figured someone ****ed up on not filling up the rear diff, just sounded too much like what I've seen before. Glad it's all fixed though!

Oof, how the hell did they crack the screen? Even if they hadn't figured out how to pop those suckers out without pulling the dashpad off, did they just chuck the radio?

I will tell you right now, that it could have entirely been an experienced technician who did the original ****-up. I've unfortunately had that happen once or twice in the past (though I thankfully haven't blown up an engine or a diff); hell we were so overbooked and slammed last week that I was doing a large service and forgot to fill the oil before starting the fuel injection service (just was so busy/task focused that when a writer asked me something it interrupted my flow and brain skipped the "add oil before firing it up" step); cranked the engine and like three seconds later was like, "NOPE, that's got no oil dipshit!" Thankfully that's not something that will hurt the engine, but say I had not caught it and parked the car to give it to the customer that could have been very bad. Point is that sometimes even experienced technicians can be stretched a bit too thin or be put in a situation where the likelihood of things going wrong gets higher than they would like for the sake of "making the customer happy." But I am glad that the dealership stepped up and took care of the customer, granted it was a bit of a journey and probably should have been done far more smoothly than the OP ended up going through, but for me customer service matters and I will work with a company who is willing to take care of their customers any time over one who may have a nicer product but will leave you out to dry if something goes wrong.

Well said! thanks for the insider input. Makes a lot of sense for sure.