Trusting Your Auto Mechanic

[Telly]

Looks like typical Northern road salt condition, except the shocks should be rustier.
T-Al, you need to stop spraying around that aerosol salt mist cologne, find another scent instead

I HAVE to trust my mechanic... he is me!

 

[Nords]

What do you think?

I think it's a good thing you took that job to a trained professional who had access to all sorts of sophisticated power tools. Those must not have been much fun to get apart.

As for the need... you replaced them now when it wasn't inconvenient, so you've hypothetically avoided Murphy's Law of breaking a strut or a spring at the worst possible time.

But if the car passed the bounce test then you were probably good to go. The only question was how much further you'd get.

As some on this board will tell you, however, my credibility is suspect. I'm accustomed to pushing mechanical systems to their full design parameters. We recently got 10 years (and nearly 50,000 miles) out of a pair of steel-belted radial tires. We didn't replace them until the car developed a noticeable vibration caused by one of the belts wearing through the tread. I thought we were doing fine in an environment where the car rarely exceeds 60 MPH, but from some reactions you would have thought that I was being exceedingly foolhardy just to save a few bucks. Not, of course, that anyone has ever accused you of similar behavior.

 

[REWahoo]

As some on this board will tell you, however, my credibility is suspect. I'm accustomed to pushing mechanical systems to their full design parameters. We recently got 10 years (and nearly 50,000 miles) out of a pair of steel-belted radial tires. We didn't replace them until the car developed a noticeable vibration caused by one of the belts wearing through the tread. I thought we were doing fine in an environment where the car rarely exceeds 60 MPH, but from some reactions you would have thought that I was being exceedingly foolhardy just to save a few bucks. Not, of course, that anyone has ever accused you of similar behavior.

Driving around at 60 mph on 10 year old tires is nuckin' futz, especially in a rubber-destroying vog environment.

Not that I have a strong opinion on the subject of course...

 

[samclem]

We didn't replace them until the car developed a noticeable vibration caused by one of the belts wearing through the tread.

When I was in college I did the same thing, waiting until the belts peeked through the tread at the edge (I figured the wear bars were the "advance warning" system, and that the steel belts constituted the no-kidding sign of need to replace the tires). It's risky behavior, as police can easily spot and ticket folks who do this--the wires make tell-tale sparks against the concrete at night. I don't know if it's the same on your coral-shell trails in the Sandwich Isles.

 

[dex]

What do you think?

I think you went deep sea fishing in that truck!

I just too a look at mine 2000 Dodge Dakota 130K mi. - not a speck of rust.

 

[TromboneAl]

The general opinion on the Tacoma forum is that it was reasonable to replace them, but the cost was a little high. So I think I'll continue with this mechanic.

Looking at the rear shocks, it would have been super easy to replace them myself and save a few hundred.

 

[Texas Proud]

The general opinion on the Tacoma forum is that it was reasonable to replace them, but the cost was a little high. So I think I'll continue with this mechanic.

Looking at the rear shocks, it would have been super easy to replace them myself and save a few hundred.

Yes... with the right tools and the ability to get under the vehicle (truck is easy...)... it is a very simple job... just a few nuts off bolts.. put in the new and go...

I never did struts... but once I bent an A frame on an old car hand had to take the whole wheel assembly... now that got a few choice comments from me when I was trying to put it back together... fortunately for me I had a BIL who knew about the spring and warned me...

 

[TromboneAl]

What kind of coolant do you use? $34

The owner's manual made a big deal about using only Toyota's brand of coolant. I might have gone with another brand, but I couldn't get a reliable answer on which color to get, so I caved and bought the overpriced Toyota stuff.

 

[travelover]

I was thinking about your post as I was prying and pounding on my front suspension to replace a cracked ABS tone ring, this morning. While you may have gotten more miles from the struts / shocks, you have gotten most of the useful life from them and it is no waste to replace them now. You will get a better ride and hopefully better tire life.

 

[ERD50]

What do you think?

I think you should ask your mechanic his (her?) opinion on your pants problem:

Looking at the rear shocks, it would have been super easy to replace them myself and save a few hundred.

Maybe, but you'd have to include three hours to come up with the written procedure

-ERD50

 

[Nords]

It's risky behavior, as police can easily spot and ticket folks who do this--the wires make tell-tale sparks against the concrete at night. I don't know if it's the same on your coral-shell trails in the Sandwich Isles.

I'm not sure-- I could never lean my head far enough out the window at night to see. I tried sitting on the door frame to get a better angle but my right hand wasn't strong enough to keep the broomstick on the accelerator and I didn't want to take my left hand off the doorframe.

HPD is hell on wheels with speeders and DUIs, as they should be, but otherwise you really have to annoy them to get their attention.

 

[Keim]

I think you should ask your mechanic his (her?) opinion on your pants problem:

-ERD50

You must be kidding! He'd want to approach the problem with a wrench and an acetylene torch!

 

[ERD50]

You must be kidding! He'd want to approach the problem with a wrench and an acetylene torch!

Yep, he might say "looks crappy, has a lot of miles on it, better replace something"

-ERD50