So this happened this weekend..

[Franky_Dabbs]

An old man decided to pull out from a shopping center into the main street and into my lane.. I couldn't prevent from hitting him. Bumper, fender, grill, rim is cracked, lights are all trashed and my alignment is way off now.. Do you all think this may total my vehicle??

1996 T4R Sr5 - 190k miles

 

[jgue467]

doesn't appear to be much damage, mostly cosmetic but unfortunetly old vehicles don't have much 'head' room for $ cost and get classified as "totaled" pretty quick. I used to say no to something like this but now this is 50/50 to me. On the otherhand, perhaps you can buy it and fix yourself (or thru your mechanics). In texas law requires totalled vehicled be made available to the previous owner for 15% of value. Luck. :cowboy:

 

[Scramble]

Looks like the alignment was already off by the way that tire is worn.
It's fixable.

 

[JayRolla]

If it totals out. Buy it back and fix it.

 

[Victor_inox]

It`s total alright. 190K miles and faded paint.

 

[Cree]

Looks like the alignment was already off by the way that tire is worn.
It fixable.

I will be damned if I wasn't about to say the exact same thing!

 

[Franky_Dabbs]

I will be damned if I wasn't about to say the exact same thing!

Alignment was off last year and fixed it around December 2015 along with inner/outter tie rods.. I got it fixed and replaced the driver tire cuz wires were showing the same day.. But i never replaced the passenger tire cuz the driver tire was the only one showing wear and tear. Passenger tire has been wearing out slowly but surly but my alignment has been corrected since December 2015, so not sure what else it could be if the alignment was fine this whole time?????????????????????

 

[SpidermanGeek]

I will be damned if I wasn't about to say the exact same thing!

lol, ditto. I think I see cord. Yeesh.

Gotta be careful with that, well where I live anyway. Insurance tend to look at things like worn tires when it comes to accidents. Anything that can help them justify them not having to pay out. "Collision could have been avoided if tires weren't bald".

 

[SpidermanGeek]

Alignment was off last year and fixed it around December 2015.. I got it fixed and replaced the driver tire cuz wires were showing the same day.. But i never replaced the passenger tire cuz the driver tire was the only one showing wear and tear. Passenger tire has been wearing out slowly but surly but my alignment has been corrected since December 2015, so not sure what else it could be if the alignment was fine this whole time?????????????????????

Camber and/or Toe was still off. Best way to know for sure if alignment wasn't done correctly is to look at the wear on your new tire.

Could also be that your front suspension (coils/shocks) are worn, causing the front end to remain in a more "compressed" state, which keeps your camber out of whack and wears out the inner portion of the tire.

More often than not (in my experience) is that alignment shops tend to actually make things worse. It's really hard these days to find a reputable and knowledgeable alignment specialist, not someone who just looks up OEM tolerances on a spec shit and blindly follows that. There's a certain skill involved in factoring in a bunch of variables when dialing in an alignment.

 

[frodiesel]

Alignment was off last year and fixed it around December 2015.. I got it fixed and replaced the driver tire cuz wires were showing the same day.. But i never replaced the passenger tire cuz the driver tire was the only one showing wear and tear. Passenger tire has been wearing out slowly but surly but my alignment has been corrected since December 2015, so not sure what else it could be if the alignment was fine this whole time?????????????????????

Worn bushing, bad ball joint, sloppy tie rods, worns or leaking steering rack, lower and upper control arms are likely toasted from age, uv, and heat.

Theres alot more to a front end than an alignment. You can put worn parts straight, but the tires will still wear funny.
I cringe when i see people replace front end components one a time, and one side at a time, usually waste a tire each time. You'll find this person at the tire store at least every 3-6months. Of course, paycheck depending.

It has been my experience that no matter how experienced your aligment shop, they cant fix worn, used up parts. No front end component last forever, and it can be dead straight, but with worn a arm bushings it will still wear.

So where does blaming the shop get ya.
Maybe if people spent more on the maintenance of these rigs than go fast parts, rims, and accessories they wouldnt be so easy to find at the pick n pulls.

Sorry for your luck, but i would buy it back and fix it, then sell in CO.

 

[Franky_Dabbs]

Worn bushing, bad ball joint, sloppy tie rods, worns or leaking steering rack, lower and upper control arms are likely toasted from age, uv, and heat.

Theres alot more to a front end than an alignment. You can put worn parts straight, but the tires will still wear funny.
I cringe when i see people replace front end components one a time, and one side at a time, usually waste a tire each time. You'll find this person at the tire store at least every 3-6months. Of course, paycheck depending.

It has been my experience that no matter how experienced your aligment shop, they cant fix worn, used up parts. No front end component last forever, and it can be dead straight, but with worn a arm bushings it will still wear.

So where does blaming the shop get ya.
Maybe if people spent more on the maintenance of these rigs than go fast parts, rims, and accessories they wouldnt be so easy to find at the pick n pulls.

Sorry for your luck, but i would buy it back and fix it, then sell in CO.

Appreciate your feedback Sir. The inner/outter tie rods were replaced. But i havent replaced anything else since my mechanic said everything still looked fine. Ill have to have him re-inspect all those parts and see what needs to be changed out to fix this issue.

 

[Franky_Dabbs]

Camber and/or Toe was still off. Best way to know for sure if alignment wasn't done correctly is to look at the wear on your new tire.

Could also be that your front suspension (coils/shocks) are worn, causing the front end to remain in a more "compressed" state, which keeps your camber out of whack and wears out the inner portion of the tire.

More often than not (in my experience) is that alignment shops tend to actually make things worse. It's really hard these days to find a reputable and knowledgeable alignment specialist, not someone who just looks up OEM tolerances on a spec shit and blindly follows that. There's a certain skill involved in factoring in a bunch of variables when dialing in an alignment.

Very helpful advice. Appreciate it.. will look into that.

 

[frodiesel]

Appreciate your feedback Sir. The inner/outter tie rods were replaced. But i havent replaced anything else since my mechanic said everything still looked fine. Ill have to have him re-inspect all those parts and see what needs to be changed out to fix this issue.

Its tough to just check the front end out, sometime things like wheel bearings and drive axles can translate side to side and also my bushings kinda seemed ok, but after replacing them, the change is extremely noticable behind the wheel. Sometimes you just don't know until you change it out. Or, at least take the part off the car. So dont get soaked for him only visually inspecting the obvious. Good luck buddy!

 

[Franky_Dabbs]

Camber and/or Toe was still off. Best way to know for sure if alignment wasn't done correctly is to look at the wear on your new tire.

Could also be that your front suspension (coils/shocks) are worn, causing the front end to remain in a more "compressed" state, which keeps your camber out of whack and wears out the inner portion of the tire.

More often than not (in my experience) is that alignment shops tend to actually make things worse. It's really hard these days to find a reputable and knowledgeable alignment specialist, not someone who just looks up OEM tolerances on a spec shit and blindly follows that. There's a certain skill involved in factoring in a bunch of variables when dialing in an alignment.

For example, I replaced the rear struts a few weeks ago. They were blown bad. I wanted to replace the coils also but financially at the time i wasn't able to purchase them. The rear is still a bit bouncy but way better than before. Before, just going over a speed bump that rear would slam to the frame. Im sure the suspension on this vehicle is all original (ive only owned this t4r since 2015). Are coils something that should also be replaced all around along with the struts??

 

[Franky_Dabbs]

Its tough to just check the front end out, sometime things like wheel bearings and drive axles can translate side to side and also my bushings kinda seemed ok, but after replacing them, the change is extremely noticable behind the wheel. Sometimes you just don't know until you change it out. Or, at least take the part off the car. So dont get soaked for him only visually inspecting the obvious. Good luck buddy!

Do you or anyone else reading have a certain site you recommend to use where you buy aftermarket parts engine/body/suspension etc..

 

[3bears]

at 190k you could be having lots of wear parts going out
how long have you had it, when were the ball joints replaced, these are a major fail point

also the rear springs are known to be a replace item on these rigs causing a rear sag

you will notice a big difference in ride if you replace the springs and shocks at same time

of course what brands etc opens a big can of worms...lots of opinions out there

 

[frodiesel]

Do you or anyone else reading have a certain site you recommend to use where you buy aftermarket parts engine/body/suspension etc..

I avoid aftermarket parts where i can, especially for critical parts like a ball joint. I go oem all the way. My local dealer gives me a hell of a deal when i gave him my business tax ID and now i also do not get charged tax, and most every part comes the next day and you can return if you dont use or open.
Or camelback toyota or toyota of dallas you can do it all online and get a great deal on the OEM parts

 

[SpidermanGeek]

For example, I replaced the rear struts a few weeks ago. They were blown bad. I wanted to replace the coils also but financially at the time i wasn't able to purchase them. The rear is still a bit bouncy but way better than before. Before, just going over a speed bump that rear would slam to the frame. Im sure the suspension on this vehicle is all original (ive only owned this t4r since 2015). Are coils something that should also be replaced all around along with the struts??

In a perfect world, yes. It's true that most people are restricted by their own wallets, so understandably, we can't live "in a perfect world" and just replace everything in one shot.

With that said though, you do need to realize that you are already putting "extra" wear and tear on your new shocks if you're still running on your old worn-out coils. You're shocks are "picking up the slack" so to speak.

Each is only part of a larger equation. When it comes to suspension, as much as possible, you'll want to try and change things as assemblies and in the very least in pairs (front or rear, but almost always both sides at once). This will help with longevity and avoid premature failure.

 

[Cree]

Do you or anyone else reading have a certain site you recommend to use where you buy aftermarket parts engine/body/suspension etc..

If you buy the upper shelf stuff from NAPA you'll be happy with suspension/drivetrain from them (BJ's, OTE/ITE's, Axles). Body parts, I'd search Salvage yards. If you're in TX, there should be plenty to choose from.

 

[Scramble]

Do you or anyone else reading have a certain site you recommend to use where you buy aftermarket parts engine/body/suspension etc..

Free shipping on over $150. Cheapest prices on the internet. DO NOT BUY AFTERMARKET LBJ's

https://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/p...gle.com&utm_campaign=camelbacktoyotaparts.com