thx10

Have a 2006 with 109,000 and love it. Did the belt at 100k and some other less expensive items. I am pretty good at getting oil changed at every 6,000-8,000 miles (depending on my schedule).

So I picked it up yesterday at dealer after oil change and replace spark plugs (only $295 for both after coupons). But they gave me other items to consider.

Front shocks and struts need to be replaced as they are starting to leak. They are original. Estimate is $900
Power steering fluid needs to be flushed and replaced. Estimate is $175 - which I will do at next oil change
TPMS is flashing due to a bad sensor. $290 to replace. I can deal with flashing light and will take care of when I get new tires.

My rear suspension has no issues.

As i eat this elephant one bite at a time i wonder (or my wife) do I continue to chip away and keep it or sell it before something really expensive needs to be done.

I am thinking about taking it to someone other than dealer for the front shocks and struts. I would assume it would be less.

Thanks

BlackCat81

What exactly is your question? My air suspension gave up at 146,000mi, after a lot of off road abuse. And not to be a jerk, but I never understood people's logic about ditching a car before it needs some work. In my opinion, why sell it if it needs a few thousand dollars of work to save the money and buy a new $15,000, $30,000, or whatever priced car. But that's just me, I don't get the logic. It's like, "ugh, the truck needed $2,500 worth of work and I didn't want to spend that, so I sold it and bought a $30,000 replacement".

TRY666

This. 100%.


Lets address a few things, dealer or not I do not see why you are being quoted $900 for 2 front dampers. I would do some Bilstein 5100 all around on that truck.


PS fluid should be no more than $100 parts and labor.


TPMS sensors are no where near $290


You need to find a trusted mechanic because I don't understand these price quotes.

thx10

Sorry. I guess it was more of a light rant rather than a question. We didn't have water this morning so I typed that while waiting for the utility company to fix the watermain break.





So here is their assessment and prices.

I used to use an independent but they are now gone. I do use a tire place for tire service and will talk to them about shocks and TPMS.

I agree with the new car cost over maintenance. Plus I will be buying a new car in about a year anyway (or a used one) as we will soon have a third driver in the family He won't get new car. Either a hand me down or used.

The reason for my posting was to hear opinion and or experience of these issues and reasonable costs.

chiph9

You don't need to swap all the PS fluid. Get a syringe or turkey-baster and suck out what's in the reservoir and top-up with Toyota-brand fluid. Then drive it for a week and repeat. If the fluid is still cloudy/dark after a few days, do the process one last time. And you'll be good for 3+ years.

Chip H.

PhilthyLex

Front OEM (electronically adjustable) shocks should not set you back more than 250$ per side. The rears can be found between 400-500 per side depending on where you look.

Bilstein 5100 shocks are known to be a great replacement for OEM shocks (you lose the adjustability however) and can be found for 90-120$ each. A set of 4 Bilsteins can run you less than a single rear OEM shock absorber. Depending on what you want to do with your truck, I would suggest finding your parts online and having a trusted local mechanic or yourself to perform the installation instead of the dealership.

Regardless of which way you go (OEM or Bilstein), the above advice will save you $$.

Good luck

Phil

ALAN553

one sensor for 290....wowser...they arent more thatn 50 bucks at best, pluse the cost of remounting and balaning the tire, maybe another 30 bucks?

Morphyne

THX10. To answer your original question. these vehicles are known to run over 300k miles. So there are no big surprises coming. That being said here are the four biggest issues these trucks have:
1. Leaking radiator
2. Secondary air pump failure
3. Bad front brakes (caliper pistons seize up on you)
4. Cracked Dash (dealer will replace for free)

The suspension will eventually crap out on you but the replacement is not bad if you go with traditional springs and shocks. But this is more of a maintenance item as all things eventually break.

You biggest issue, (and Im not trying to be a **** here) is that you are hemorrhaging money by taking it to the dealer. I will use the oil and plugs as the example and leave it at that. If I buy the best oil, filter and plugs, it will cost right at $100. I know this because I just did this.

Changing the oil and filter take 15 minutes. Changing the plug, another 15 minutes. That mean they are charging you $400 per hour to work on your car and that is the real problem. So with that in mind, if you are not mechanically inclined, don't have time or whatever, that's cool. but you can save yourself a lot of money by finding an independent you trust. If you can't do that, and your intention is to keep going to the dealer then I would recommend selling your GX470 and get something new.

If you do sell, try an enthusiast website like this one or over at www.t4r.org. It is loaded with people who find joy in turning wrenches and they wold love to have a solid, well maintained GX470 like yours.