[Bradthetech]

Just got my Tundra back from the frame replacement. Along with the frame I got Gibson headers, cat-pipes, radiator, shocks, and all new fuel/brake lines. As i pulled it out of the dealer I heard a loud ticking noise coming out of the engine. I got decided to drive it a while and them go home and check the header bolts after it cooled. I have gone through the bolts twice now and have only got a few to budge. I have also tightened all of the flange bolts on the pipes. The ticking is only loud at accelerating under load. Can barely hear it at idle, but sounds more like the injectors than the headers. This truck did not make any noises before all the work. I called the dealer and they are already playing the blame game. They admitted that the mechanic heard the noise, but he decided to give the truck back anyway. I have read about the replacing a ripped steering column boot to get the noise out of the cab, but I would rather fix the noise itself. How in the world would them doing this work cause this loud noise? Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated!!!

 

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

maybe they ripped your boot somehow and NOW you can hear it as it might have been there all along. mine has a slight ticking but i think it's the injectors. see if the boot is missing or obviously torn. then focus on the rest of the universe of problems.

 

[Bradthetech]

maybe they ripped your boot somehow and NOW you can hear it as it might have been there all along. mine has a slight ticking but i think it's the injectors. see if the boot is missing or obviously torn. then focus on the rest of the universe of problems.

The boot is torn. I cannot say if the dealer tore it or not, but I def never heard any ticking in the cab or echoing out of the engine before they worked on it. I will try to tighten the header bolts again tomorrow. It's great that Toyota is backing up these trucks by replacing the frames, but the Dealers are held to no accountability and try to charge you for everything they can. They agreed to put on any after market parts for no labor during the frame swap, but refuse to back up their installation of the parts? BS

 

[Remmy700P]

I'll say it again.... the folks who just drop off their vehicles for work this extensive without documenting in detail the condition of the vehicle, getting signoff/confirmation of said condition from the service manager, and a written agreement about what will and will not be covered in the event of any "problems" post frame replacement, deserve the problems they're stuck with.

 

[Bradthetech]

That is sound advice but not much I can do about it now. I just assumed there were still service reps who had honesty and integrity. I will talk to the dealer on Tuesday and hopefully get this resolved.

I tightened the headers again today and tick is still there, but not as loud. Looks like they kept the original studs with new nuts so may be an issue if they were corroded. I will stay on them until they agree to take care of it.

 

[Bradthetech]

OK. Tundra got dropped off again this morning. After standing my ground with the service rep, service manager, and PR Manager, they agreed to give a loaner and take a look at what is wrong with the truck. It's amazing that as extensive as the recall was they weren't even willing to take a look at the truck. I expected " Sorry for the inconvenience sir, please bring the truck in so we can take a look at it and go from there. Took several phone calls and a lot of arguing to get my truck back in. Anyone in North West Ohio - avoid Lariche Toyota in Findlay and just take it to Bowling Green. Anyone else getting the recall - think twice about any aftermarket parts!!! Their ace in the hole for any problems is THEY DO NOT SUPPORT AFTERMARKET PARTS. You will be lucky just to get the stuff installed correctly. Will post back once I hear what they find and if they will fix it. Thanks for all the replies and good luck!

 

[01fxdx]

i'm sure it has been mentioned somewhere here with all the frame threads, but the moco will not pay for engine coolant with this campaign. the dealer is supplied with a parts kit and frame. anything else toyota is not on the hook. beginning of the deal, they wereen't even buying front lower control arms. these things rust out same as the frame.

if the tech installing tore the boot, they should do the right thing. if it was torn before, he should have notified you and upsold you one. that's a perfect world, we need to make a living at this. waiting on special order parts and authorization equates to ill productivity. given it already being torn, you not complaining of it beforehand, the line needs to be drawn somewhere. not doing this campaign, i'm not entirely sure the tech even came close to the boot. our guys loosen shaft from the rack below and raise cab from the frame. never really compromising part in question. you results may vary.

 

[Bradthetech]

i'm sure it has been mentioned somewhere here with all the frame threads, but the moco will not pay for engine coolant with this campaign. the dealer is supplied with a parts kit and frame. anything else toyota is not on the hook. beginning of the deal, they wereen't even buying front lower control arms. these things rust out same as the frame.

if the tech installing tore the boot, they should do the right thing. if it was torn before, he should have notified you and upsold you one. that's a perfect world, we need to make a living at this. waiting on special order parts and authorization equates to ill productivity. given it already being torn, you not complaining of it beforehand, the line needs to be drawn somewhere. not doing this campaign, i'm not entirely sure the tech even came close to the boot. our guys loosen shaft from the rack below and raise cab from the frame. never really compromising part in question. you results may vary.

This dealer did replace my lowers, and provided the coolant for the refill. They got me on a few items like the rear shocks and radiator, but was not a huge issue for me. This really has very little to do with a torn boot. The noise is the issue. They had an obvious loud ticking noise from the engine/exhaust that only showed up after all the work. The technician heard the noise and decided to give the truck back anyway. I had them lift the truck so I could inspect , but didn't test drive before leaving. I expected the truck to run as good as it did before the recall. I think this was just a very poor install on the headers. This also has to do with what should be common courtesy from a dealer and what I would expect from a dealer. I have got neither from them at this point.

 

[01fxdx]

Understood. As a 15 year veteran, I've seen a lot change in terms of customer satisfaction at the dealer level. However, from the tech's point of view, are you going to be willing to pay for r&r of the header that may or may not have been welded completely?

Myself, would have diagnosed that right out of the gate and covered my backside before you saw the truck. Sorry your dealer has succomb to the 21st century way of doing business.

 

[Bradthetech]

I'm willing to be fair and work with the dealer depending on how bad a problem they find. I understand things happen, but I do hold them responsible for a correct install. The headers are Gibson Stainless which have a lifetime warranty. They also use factory hardware so I thought this would make it easier for them. I should have an update later today. I guess plan B could be just buy the OEM set you have for sale and replace them myself!!!

 

[Bradthetech]

Well, I am moving on from the dealer. I went as far as talking to the owner of the dealership. They agree there is something wrong with the headers/gasket, or engine, but they refuse to work on it more than inspecting the bolts. They refunded the small amount i paid them to install the headers while the engine was out and actually brought the truck back and took their loaner while I was at work. Lesson learned here is do not count on the dealer to install any aftermarket parts correctly. More importantly, find a dealer that is personable and willing to talk to you about the recall in depth. This dealer does the frame as fast as possible and once they have been paid by Toyota, they move on without any suppport or customer service. Beware of who you chose to dismantel your entire truck, especially if it runs good and has low mileage as mine did. ***Do not go to Lariche Toyota in Findlay, OH****

 

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

send them a link to this thread. and the local newspaper! bastards!!!

 

[tundra3400]

well that terrible but atleast they refunded you. they should be doing great work though. the head tech that going to be working on mine said that each person working on it is getting paid $40 an hour by toyota corp for doing this job so by doing good work it will take a little longer and they can make more money. thats how i look at it. hope you get that noise fixed somewhere though.

 

[Bradthetech]

Made a few calls today. Better Business Bureau and Toyota Corportate. Toyota apologized after hearing this story and opened a case for me. Will let you guys know what happens. If things go well, I will post the Toyota Customer Relations number I used for anyone else that needs it. I also spoke with another dealer (Thayer in BG) and the service manager agreed this was completely unprofessional. He said they would be happy to tear into it and verify what the actual problem is for me and then we cld decide where to go from there. He said he would only charge $45 to find the problem. Not bad. He also said if was an actual problem with any of the parts i provided, they wait for me to get replacements from Gibson or Magnaflow. May take them up on it depending on what Toyota Corp decides to do. My favorite quote so far is from Thayer's service manager "Life is too short for that kind of crap! Bring the truck in and we will work with you on fixing it." Nice to hear a little common sence.

 

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

if Toyota gets them to budge i'd be very careful to document the condition of your rig before/after.

 

[Bradthetech]

I will not take it back to the same dealer. I'm gonna tell Toyota I do not trust that dealer and want to take it somewhere else. That is if they even agree to take care of anything. Will see.

 

[Remmy700P]

Sounds like Thayer has earned a shot at your business. I'd drive it there forthwith.

 

[Bradthetech]

Case closed. Toyota WILL NOT override a dealer on anything related to a service dispute. The dealer/owner has the final word. I am moving on and have decided to let the my local exhaust shop take a look at my truck and replace the incorrectly installed gaskets with new header gaskets. I believe my dealer did not get them sealed at first, thus allowing my drivers side to blow out. I just hope this helps someone else from making the mistake of providing after market parts at the dealers request or replacing things that are working perfectly fine. Thanks for all the support/feedback!

 

[tundrunk]

I'm surprised they agreed to install them to begin with. The dealer I used to go to for parts wouldn't install ANYTHING that wasn't Toyota.

They probably didn't get them tightened in sequence and made the gasket leak at the head. They can only leak there or at the collector, if it's the collector you are in luck, that is a quick fix.

 

[pirates712]

I had my frame done and headers done at the same time. When I got the truck back I also had a ticking noise. Turns out my steering shaft boot is almost gone. Engine still sounds the same from under the hood, I'm just getting noise in the cab now.