Need Help with List of Problems from Dealership

[GoDawgs22]

My dad took my 4runner into the Toyota dealership today because I needed a new CV axel (damaged it while on the trails). They got under it and did an inspection and gave him a long list of things they said needed to be fixed. Honestly I don't know too much about these vehicles so I was hoping that someone on here could tell me what my best bet would be to go about fixing these issues -- if I should pay the dealership to do it, fix it myself, or buy aftermarket parts. (I know that aftermarket UCA's are popular, and are a lot less expensive than the factory ones.)

Here is the list they gave me and the cost for them to do it. I have an 09 Trail Edition with 213,000 miles. I have a 3" lift on it (Bilstein 5100 shocks + Old Man Emu springs) and 33" tires. There are no service records for it so the list includes a lot of cleaning and general maintenance

- Replace Both Sides Upper Control Arms (worn out upper ball joints) $1400
- Replace Both Sides Sway Bar Links (torn boots) $413
- 4x4 Alignment $300
- Spark Plug Replacement (due to age and miles) $300
- Front and Rear Differential Gear Oil Exchange $260
- Replace Drive Belt (worn out and cracked) $230
- Brake Fluid Exchange (due to age and miles) $160
- Coolant System Exchange (due to mileage) $170
- Power Steering Fluid Exchange(burned/overheated, reservoir stained) $100
- Transfer Case (Gear Oil Exchange) $130
- Fuel Injector Cleaning Service $110
- Top Induction Platinum Service $150

Totals to about $4500 with tax. Any input would be greatly appreciated, as I am not very experienced with Toyota and trucks in general.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

My dad took my 4runner into the Toyota dealership today because I needed a new CV axel (damaged it while on the trails). They got under it and did an inspection and gave him a long list of things they said needed to be fixed. Honestly I don't know too much about these vehicles so I was hoping that someone on here could tell me what my best bet would be to go about fixing these issues -- if I should pay the dealership to do it, fix it myself, or buy aftermarket parts. (I know that aftermarket UCA's are popular, and are a lot less expensive than the factory ones.)

Here is the list they gave me and the cost for them to do it. I have an 09 Trail Edition with 213,000 miles. I have a 3" lift on it (Bilstein 5100 shocks + Old Man Emu springs) and 33" tires. There are no service records for it so the list includes a lot of cleaning and general maintenance

- Replace Both Sides Upper Control Arms (worn out upper ball joints) $1400
- Replace Both Sides Sway Bar Links (torn boots) $413
- 4x4 Alignment $300
- Spark Plug Replacement (due to age and miles) $300
- Front and Rear Differential Gear Oil Exchange $260
- Replace Drive Belt (worn out and cracked) $230
- Brake Fluid Exchange (due to age and miles) $160
- Coolant System Exchange (due to mileage) $170
- Power Steering Fluid Exchange(burned/overheated, reservoir stained) $100
- Transfer Case (Gear Oil Exchange) $130
- Fuel Injector Cleaning Service $110
- Top Induction Platinum Service $150

Totals to about $4500 with tax. Any input would be greatly appreciated, as I am not very experienced with Toyota and trucks in general.

Wow - If you have the time and are handy at all, I would just do it myself.

1aauto has pretty good youtube videos

1. upper control arms
- easy to replace. I recommend JBA UCA Toyota 4Runner upper control arms, though theres others You may need a pickle fork or ball joint separator you can rent from autozone

2. sway bar links - super easy to do
How to Replace Front Sway Bar Link 02-09 Toyota 4Runner - YouTube

3. Youll need an alignment (after everything), $300 is a little high, so find a shop you like

4. Spark plugs - easy to do. Generally just get 6 new Denso brand plugs and make sure not to drop anything in when you remove them

5. The differential and transfer case fluids are messy, but easy to do. Just get a good fluid pump for the rear and the font you'll need a large 10 mm hex for the front. Its just as easy as changing your regular oil except awkward to get the fluid in

6. Drive belt should be replaced. Its a pain in the butt, theres a tensioner pully you have to loosen and remember how to snake it back, but cheap to do

7. I dont touch brake fluid because its caustic, so I would let a shop do that, but others do it

8. Power steering fluid is also not too difficult to pump out or drain and replace

9. Fuel injector cleaner - meh. Just pick some up at autozone for $10 and waste your money there as opposed to a shop

10. Did they give you an indication your fuel wasnt pumping through well? see #9. Try seafoam engine cleaner , or just use a top tier gasoline when filling up

None of this is complicated. Can be messy, take some time. Biggest issue will be if you run into a frozen or rusted bolt, such as on the skid plates

Id say prioritize

1. Drive belt

2. Upper control arms

3. You dont really need a sway bar, unless you feel that its rolling when turning, so this isnt an emergency

4. Everything else - just make a list a do it one weekend at a time. None of the rest is emergent

Let us know if you have specific questions about one of the jobs. I guess one of the benefits of being up north is our fluids change themselves when the lines rust through - power steering, brake fluid . . .

 

[AuSeeker]

You didn't mention where you live, and if your T4R is or came from the rust belt, if you have a lot of rust underneath on the frame, etc. I would most likely let pothers do the work that requires removing hard to remove bolts, etc., hard to remove bolts are much harder to almost impossible to remove if they're rusted badly.

If not rust, I agree, do as much as you can yourself, what you have never done before just watch a few videos on "how-to" and it should make you feel better about doing it.

Just a word of caution on changing the differential fluids, be sure to loosen the fill plugs to be sure you can remove them before ever loosening and removing the drain plugs, sometimes they are either very tight or rusted causing them to get stripped and if your drain the fluid and can't remove the fill plug you're screwed until you can get the fill plug removed!!

 

[Bluesky 07]

[MENTION=701511]GoDawgs22[/MENTION] - if that's for the Georgia Bulldogs and you live in the state, or better yet metro Atlanta, reply here or PM me and I may be able to steer you to a couple of shops known for straight shooting. They'll give you the real scoop on how much of that stuff is really needed and a fair price.

Also, you're welcome to my OEM UCAs if that would help. I replaced them in January 2021 at 199K. Mine were fine to my knowledge but I bought some front coilovers that a guy had taken off his 2020 Tacoma and the UCAs came with them. If nothing else, you could replace the wear parts and essentially have new OEM UCAs to put on.

 

[GoDawgs22]

[MENTION=701511]GoDawgs22[/MENTION] - if that's for the Georgia Bulldogs and you live in the state, or better yet metro Atlanta, reply here or PM me and I may be able to steer you to a couple of shops known for straight shooting. They'll give you the real scoop on how much of that stuff is really needed and a fair price.

Also, you're welcome to my OEM UCAs if that would help. I replaced them in January 2021 at 199K. Mine were fine to my knowledge but I bought some front coilovers that a guy had taken off his 2020 Tacoma and the UCAs came with them. If nothing else, you could replace the wear parts and essentially have new OEM UCAs to put on.

Thank you man, I'm actually in North Carolina but I am a huge UGA fan! I really appreciate your offer for your UCAs, but I have been meaning to upgrade them anyway as I get more into four wheeling, so I think I will pull the trigger on some JBAs.

 

[GoDawgs22]

You didn't mention where you live, and if your T4R is or came from the rust belt, if you have a lot of rust underneath on the frame, etc. I would most likely let pothers do the work that requires removing hard to remove bolts, etc., hard to remove bolts are much harder to almost impossible to remove if they're rusted badly.

If not rust, I agree, do as much as you can yourself, what you have never done before just watch a few videos on "how-to" and it should make you feel better about doing it.

Just a word of caution on changing the differential fluids, be sure to loosen the fill plugs to be sure you can remove them before ever loosening and removing the drain plugs, sometimes they are either very tight or rusted causing them to get stripped and if your drain the fluid and can't remove the fill plug you're screwed until you can get the fill plug removed!!

I'm in North Carolina, truck is from South Carolina and it has minimal rust. Thank you for the note on the differential fluids, I will definitely make sure to do that.

 

[GoDawgs22]

Wow - If you have the time and are handy at all, I would just do it myself.

1aauto has pretty good youtube videos

1. upper control arms
- easy to replace. I recommend JBA UCA Toyota 4Runner upper control arms, though theres others You may need a pickle fork or ball joint separator you can rent from autozone

2. sway bar links - super easy to do
How to Replace Front Sway Bar Link 02-09 Toyota 4Runner - YouTube

3. Youll need an alignment (after everything), $300 is a little high, so find a shop you like

4. Spark plugs - easy to do. Generally just get 6 new Denso brand plugs and make sure not to drop anything in when you remove them

5. The differential and transfer case fluids are messy, but easy to do. Just get a good fluid pump for the rear and the font you'll need a large 10 mm hex for the front. Its just as easy as changing your regular oil except awkward to get the fluid in

6. Drive belt should be replaced. Its a pain in the butt, theres a tensioner pully you have to loosen and remember how to snake it back, but cheap to do

7. I dont touch brake fluid because its caustic, so I would let a shop do that, but others do it

8. Power steering fluid is also not too difficult to pump out or drain and replace

9. Fuel injector cleaner - meh. Just pick some up at autozone for $10 and waste your money there as opposed to a shop

10. Did they give you an indication your fuel wasnt pumping through well? see #9. Try seafoam engine cleaner , or just use a top tier gasoline when filling up

None of this is complicated. Can be messy, take some time. Biggest issue will be if you run into a frozen or rusted bolt, such as on the skid plates

Id say prioritize

1. Drive belt

2. Upper control arms

3. You dont really need a sway bar, unless you feel that its rolling when turning, so this isnt an emergency

4. Everything else - just make a list a do it one weekend at a time. None of the rest is emergent

Let us know if you have specific questions about one of the jobs. I guess one of the benefits of being up north is our fluids change themselves when the lines rust through - power steering, brake fluid . . .

Thank you for the reply, this helps me out significantly! I think I will pick up some JBA upper control arms and save some money. I'm thinking about removing my sway bar and seeing how it handles, and if it's rolling too much I'll just put it back in. Everything else I will try to do myself with the help of YouTube and threads on here. They never said anything about inefficient fuel pumping, I think they added this due to the miles of the truck.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

Thank you for the reply, this helps me out significantly! I think I will pick up some JBA upper control arms and save some money. I'm thinking about removing my sway bar and seeing how it handles, and if it's rolling too much I'll just put it back in. Everything else I will try to do myself with the help of YouTube and threads on here. They never said anything about inefficient fuel pumping, I think they added this due to the miles of the truck.

Where in NC? Check out Carolina 4runners Off road group on facebook. I lived in Winston Salem for a while - you should be able to get advice there. Most will push you to Apex Overland if you're in the triad/ Charlotte area, but if youre in the triangle, Wilmington, etc theyre should be a few good suggestions as well