I recently bought new tires on my 2015 GX 460, car drove smooth and straight with new Michelin Defender tires. As a best practice, I had my car aligned and the alignment shop ended up causing damage to the lower control arm (LCA) bracket. The bracket was bent and the flange where the LCA eccentric bolts go into bracket (see attached) was stripped/flattened.

The alignment shop filed an insurance claim and I took to our local Park Place Lexus dealer to have it fixed. After multiple assessments, the cost to fix is in the $15-25k per the dealer. Majority of the cost is labor to remove entire engine, cab and other parts to replace the crossmember in which the LCA bracket is welded on.

Not sure what to do… Such a simple thing gone horribly wrong. Any body have a recommend frame shops that can weld on a new LCA bracket without having to remove half of the car in the Dallas, TX area? Please help!

 

I strongly suggest you get a 2nd opinion. I think you need to hire a lawyer and get the vehicle replaced with one as good or better or at the very least be compensated for diminished value which will be substantial given the amount of work required.

In fact having to get a control arm mount point welded is suspect to me from a safety point of view there is no way for your to know if the weld was done properly. BTW I'm wondering if that happened during a joy ride.

 

So to be clear ... this damage was caused by the alignment shop ? ... if so, that "technician" did a hack-job on your GX ... they are clearly liable ... so whatever it takes to make it right is on them.

 

I cannot fathom what the "technician" did ? ... used a prybar in an attempt to loosen the eccentric ? None of this makes any sense.

Get some more pictures while the metal is fresh and shiny ... once oxidation starts, they could claim the damage was existing.

 

The tire shop admitted fault and their insurance is covering the cost of repair. I had multiple years of tires, alignments, service history on the vehicle with them without issues. The location by my home closed last year due to covid and I had a 3-year alignment warranty and took it to a different location.

The tech at the different location was taking hours for the alignment. When asked was the cause of the delay, they said they had some issues. Come to find out, they spun the eccentric bolt without properly securing the nut on the other end because of clearance issues with the protective skid plate. You can’t even change the oil on the GX without removing the skid plate. As a result the flange that positions the eccentric bolt was completely flattened out. And to “fix” it they used a pry bar and other tools to try to bend back the flange resulting in bending the LCA bracket and destroying flange further (all without my knowledge or authorization).

 

The GX lower control arm setup is identical to the Toyota 4-Runner / Tacoma / FJ Cruiser. The eccentric is notorious for seizing up ... so those "in-the-know" slather antisieze compound on the eccentric bolt assembly before assembly to avert this future challenge. Unfortunately Toyota does not lubricate on original assembly. Any competent alignment shop understands this challenge and should soak with penetrant before attempting any adjustment. I do not see any sign of penetrant being applied in your pictures. Removing the skid plate takes less than 2-minutes ...

... so no excuse for incompetence in this case. The "technician" who did this needs to go back to their fast food job where they belong.

 

So for those that do not understand ... the automotive repair industry is completely unregulated. Anyone with tools can claim expertise ... so the consumer is at the mercy of the shop as to the competence of their technicians.

Do yourself a favor in the future ... insist on ASE Certification for anyone working on your vehicle. This is a voluntary program that at least guarantees that the technician is so motivated (a professional) that was not fired from McDonalds the week before.

 

I totally agree, personally I attended two years in technical college, followed by a four year apprenticeship, writing both a completion of apprenticeship and red seal certification exams before I received my Journeyman Automotive Mechanics License. Then automotive manufacturers (i.e. Toyota, Lexus, etc) offer their own specific training and certifications. Repair shops will have their own standards for hiring qualified technicians, and it is the knowledge and skill of that technician that is reflected in the work performed on your vehicle.

 

There are two tools in the toolbox that should only be used with absolute discretion ... the (metal) hammer and the prybar.

 

This may be a possible solution ... reinforcement that welds to the existing lower control arm bracket ... fits GX460 / FJ Cruiser / 4-Runner ... installing would be an actual improvement ... original tabs need to be ground off anyway to install these reinforcement plates ...

https://www.toyteclifts.com/59860-10...b-gussets.html