AntleredRuin
New member
So FYI, be advised that there is an auto mechanic (maybe more than one) in the Galleria area 'preying' on 3rd gen owners, using the LBJ scare as bait.
I've been approached on 2 separate occasion.
The 1st time was a few months ago. I was driving, when someone pulled up next to me and honked and pointed at my front passenger wheel/tire. I could not make out what he was saying.
I had experienced a random act of kindness before, where a stranger pointed out a flat tire to me, so at the next parking lot I came to, I pulled in to check it out, just in case.
I did not realize that when I pulled in, the guy had pulled in behind me. I was checking the tire (and it looked just fine) when he walked up behind me knelt next to me to look and scared the crap out of me.
So, I was already on the defensive (luckily had a pocket knife on me).
He proceeded to tell me that he saw sparks coming from my tire (tire, not wheel/suspensions, etc), and that he thinks its "bad struts or springs or something. I think that 4runners can have bad ball joints, where the wheel just falls off. I work for a shop down the street, follow me back and we'll take a look".
So, naturally, I told him off and sent him on his merry way. He had no rear plates, so I had to real identifier other than 'black Silverado' to tell the cops about.
I had changed my LBJs just a year ago with OEM, and I had done an oil change earlier that week and had visually inspected everything while I was down there, so no issues there. I did check the struts just in case, once I was sure that he was gone. Haha
I was just approached for the 2nd time in a WalMart parking lot by 2 women who said they saw me drive in and that it looked like 'my wheel is falling off'. She said she worked for a shop down the street and I was welcome to take it in for a closer look. I just kinda laughed in their faces and told them, "Oh God, not again", and just kept walking. She got all affronted and said "Geez I'm just trying to help you", like I was the *******. When I came back out, I verified, yeah, there was no problem.
On both occasions, the people were Hispanic (not that that's a great identifier in of itself), and everyone looks like they were rolling in it, so apparently this ploy works a lot.
I've been approached on 2 separate occasion.
The 1st time was a few months ago. I was driving, when someone pulled up next to me and honked and pointed at my front passenger wheel/tire. I could not make out what he was saying.
I had experienced a random act of kindness before, where a stranger pointed out a flat tire to me, so at the next parking lot I came to, I pulled in to check it out, just in case.
I did not realize that when I pulled in, the guy had pulled in behind me. I was checking the tire (and it looked just fine) when he walked up behind me knelt next to me to look and scared the crap out of me.
So, I was already on the defensive (luckily had a pocket knife on me).
He proceeded to tell me that he saw sparks coming from my tire (tire, not wheel/suspensions, etc), and that he thinks its "bad struts or springs or something. I think that 4runners can have bad ball joints, where the wheel just falls off. I work for a shop down the street, follow me back and we'll take a look".
So, naturally, I told him off and sent him on his merry way. He had no rear plates, so I had to real identifier other than 'black Silverado' to tell the cops about.
I had changed my LBJs just a year ago with OEM, and I had done an oil change earlier that week and had visually inspected everything while I was down there, so no issues there. I did check the struts just in case, once I was sure that he was gone. Haha
I was just approached for the 2nd time in a WalMart parking lot by 2 women who said they saw me drive in and that it looked like 'my wheel is falling off'. She said she worked for a shop down the street and I was welcome to take it in for a closer look. I just kinda laughed in their faces and told them, "Oh God, not again", and just kept walking. She got all affronted and said "Geez I'm just trying to help you", like I was the *******. When I came back out, I verified, yeah, there was no problem.
On both occasions, the people were Hispanic (not that that's a great identifier in of itself), and everyone looks like they were rolling in it, so apparently this ploy works a lot.
