So I took my 4Runner in Saturday to the dealer for an oil change and inspection of the leaky passenger side front shock. They said it would have to wait until Monday because Toyota Warranty is closed on Saturday. They called early Monday and said the shock was leaking and Toyota Financial approved the repair. There was only the one that had a leak.

It's funny because I was told by one of those "National Tire Places" that both the front ones were leaking. They also said the cabin air cleaner was bad even though I changed it two weeks ago.

I took the 4Runner there because they had the Hunter balancing machines.

P.S.-just got off the tire stores website and sent an email to Corporate regarding some very dishonest practices I encountered at this particular "Franchise Tire Store". It won't do any good...but makes me feel better!!

:awais:

UPDATE- Here it is Tuesday (14th) and they still don't have the part. It's not stocked locally (Southern California) so it's coming from San Francisco. They have provided a rental car. The parts due in Thursday morning!

Another update on 8-14-08. My wife finally picked up the 4Runner. Mind you, even though we dropped it off on Saturday they didn't get warranty approval until Monday. Those X-Reas shocks are very hard to come by!

Follow-up on my origninal posting. Dealer said it would cost close to $800.00 to replace 2 lines! The parts guy unofficially suggested I just take off the X-REAS and replace it with 4 shocks. The dealer had no intention of helping me with this matter since the vehicle was out of warranty. I called Corporate Toyota, and they could not care less about it. Sad to say I had a similar experience with Ford a few years ago and that was my last Ford.

So, I bought 4 Bilstein Shocks from shox.com for $289 and took off the X-REAS. The fronts were tricky to replace, and I cut the top studs off the rears to get them off. The car handles fine, and I am glad to be done with this issue! BTW, the guy at Shox.com was very helpful and I got the shocks right away. I definitely recommend them! I hope this is helpful.

The X-REAS shock on my invoice was $175.00 plus labor. I don't know if this is a special price billed to Toyota since it's under warranty or what.
Question for you-Were you able to use the original brackets and everything? Just bolt the new shocks on or what?

There is no way I want to deal with this system if I keep the SUV after 100K! (When the extended warranty expires!)

AS I tell others-knowing what I know now, I wouldn't go anywhere near this system!

To remove the X-REAS, I disconnected the hydraulic lines from the front shocks, the front fittings on the center pressure devices on each frame rail, and removed it all from the vehicle. I used a saw-all to cut a bracket behind the rear wheel well that holds the line near the rear shocks. It was just a matter of replacing the X-REAS shocks with the bilsteins.

Hi there...I know this is an old post, but my '05 just got diagnosed with a problem similar to the one described in this thread. (Rust ate a hole into the line, lost the fluid, and now my baby rides rougher than a lumber wagon) I am wondering if anyone that has eliminated the XREAS system previously has any input/words of advice/hindsight as to what they did and wish they didn't, or didn't do and wish they would've. Or, if anyone has found a way to hack in or splice into the system, replace the fluid from the compromised unit, and keep the system intact. Any input is much appreciated! Oh, and budget friendly suggestions are especially needed! Thanks in advance!

Everyone, is there anyway to extend the life of the suspension? I wonder why it hasn’t been perfected yet? Just ordered new Limited because my Gen3 has been so reliable. Does heavy off-roading stress it more?

First question: yes, don't drive it.
Second question: because people drive them.
Third question: what do you think, a high speed blast down a mildly whooped road wouldn't result in more stress on the suspension?

What a smart___ response. Thanks