A Toyota Tundra owner took his truck in for a check before a road trip and came away facing an engine replacement. Add front axle work to the estimate, and the proposed bill reached roughly $25,000.
He held off on those jobs and took his 2016 pickup to Dave’s Auto Center for a second opinion. Dave walks through the inspection and calls the first shop in the video, giving its owner a chance to explain the work.
At his shop in Centerville, Utah, Dave starts with a truck that has been driven in. Its owner had reported no overheating or other signs of engine trouble, which gives Dave reason to question such a large repair.
But there’s a noise to track down. The owner has asked him to check a clunk when the truck runs in four-wheel drive, so Dave and a technician lift it for a closer look.
A Closer Look
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Dave finds the oil at the right level. The engine sounds smooth to his ear as he checks for leaks. He finds a small amount of oil near a valve cover, but calls it a slight seep rather than a drip. Removing the skid plate gives him a better view underneath.
Next, the truck runs in four-wheel drive while raised on the lift. Dave tracks a scraping sound to a metal dust shield that is rubbing. He bends it away with a screwdriver, then has the technician run the truck again. Dave says the noise is gone.
That still leaves the first shop’s reasons for recommending major parts. Before calling the customer, he phones the shop and opens with, “I’m here as a friend, not a foe.”
The Other Side
During the call, the first shop’s owner clears up the $5,700 axle quote. It included the entire front differential assembly. That unit sends power to the front wheels, not just one axle.
He also explains that a cooling-system pressure test had lost pressure, which his shop linked to a head-gasket leak inside the engine. His shop also found movement where both axles entered the housing. He points to the bearings as the reason for that repair quote, rather than a noise complaint.
Dave disputes the need for those new parts. At the time of the call, though, he has not yet run his own pressure test on the cooling system. He plans to check for engine gases in the coolant and measure how much the axles move. The video does not give results for those checks.
On a separate call, the truck’s owner says he has not been adding coolant. Dave finds the reservoir is not low and tells him he sees no need for a new engine or front differential.
The owner wants to keep the truck for years. He bought it with about 35,000 miles and has not changed the coolant since.
For maintenance, Dave recommends fluid service and spark plugs and asks the technician to check the air and cabin filters. He also wants the axle movement measured with a dial indicator, a tool that measures small movements. He asks for a photo and the result on the work order.