On August 11th, 8 months after installation, at 9:30 at night on US21, 30 miles east of IH35 and Austin, the rear drive shaft dropped out of the truck. I pulled over and looked under the truck and saw the rear drive shaft missing.
I called the mechanic shop the next business day and talked with Greg. I explained what had happened. His very first question to me was asking if I had a dash cam and could I prove I didn't hit anything that might have caused the drive shaft to fail and drop out of the truck? I said no I had no dash cam but assured him I hit nothing and was on dry pavement at the time. He told me he got calls every few months from customers with some "fantastic" story about something his shop did wrong and how could he believe me when I was telling him the same kind of story. I told him I didn't care what other customers called him about. I had a drive shaft in my truck for more than 150K miles and this was in for less than 10K miles. He owed me a drive shaft.
I had to go to Dallas the next day so I took the parts that were left on the rear end and by the carrier bearing as well as the drive shaft to him that next morning.
I went to the shop the next morning and spoke with Greg in person again. Then I find out that the drive shaft repair shop, a third party vendor they used, said the u-joint that failed looked good at the time and so wasn't replaced. I asked how that was possible. If other u-joints are going bad then it follows that these that were not replaced would be going the same way as well. I was getting very frustrated by the lack of care and concern. Just then the owner walked in and Greg cried out "Daddy, can you handle this guy. He's making me mad and I don't want to talk to him".
Danny told me that he wouldn't warranty the work done because it was a 4x4 and how did he know if I had abused the new drive shaft by "bouncing over hills". He told me he would have it repaired but the cost would be $450. Then he told me I had to have the yoke that came off the drive shaft as well or it would be more. He told me the drive shaft repair shop said it was missing so more money for the repair.
I was shocked. No warranty because my truck was a 4x4? Why hadn't he told me that when I asked to have the work done. The dealership, had they done the work, would have warrantied that work no matter what. He said he didn't care what a dealership would or wouldn't do and walked away, saying louder and louder there was no warranty. I got the old drive shaft back from him and left.
Here's what I've found out since that day.
1. The alleged new drive shaft was the original Toyota drive shaft and this was confirmed by a service repair person at a Toyota dealership.
2. The yoke was still on the drive shaft that fell out. So it's probable that he never took the drive shaft to a third party vendor and never had it repaired by a third party
My thinking is that he had a sucker that didn't know anything about trucks. He and his son told a great story that I believed. And why wouldn't I? I wouldn't walk into a hospital and diagnose someone's illness because I'm not the expert and I'm not a doctor. I went, or so I thought, to the expert. I'm no mechanic and so could do nothing except trust what I was told.
So the owner and his inept and incompetent staff tried to install new u-joints into the original drive shaft, one of the most delicate and complicated jobs a mechanic can do. This description from the service staff at the Toyota dealership. No surprise it failed he told me.
So what are the lessons? I won't go to this mechanic ever again and urge you, the reader, not to either. I was lied to, wasn't told the actual truth regarding the warranty of their work, treated as if I were trying to rip them off when in fact they had ripped me off to the tune of $635.
And as for the 4 and 5 star ratings.... these people simply don't understand they are being over charged and ripped off for less than mediocre work.
Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware. Beware of using this mechanic shop. read more