Short version: this place is a rip off.
Long version: I usually go to another mechanic for everything. Been going there for years and they are absolutely honest and do great work. I actually had my truck in there at the beginning of December for much needed brake work. While they were doing this, they noticed that the right rear wheel bearing needed to be replaced pretty badly, so they did it ($644). Once that was done, and the noise from the right rear bearing subsided, they noticed that the front left wheel bearing was making noise as well. I asked them to do it but unfortunately it was end of day and they are a very booked out shop and couldn't fit me in until Dec 27th.
For the next week, I could feel and hear the front left bearing getting worse, especially after a trip up to the mountains. I called my usual shop and asked if there was any way I could get in there sooner and they said they were still booked out. They recommended I avoid highway speeds until the 27th. Unfortunately, I had a couple more trips to the mountains planned, so I hesitantly looked for someone else to do it sooner and called 5th gear since they've done oil changes for me in the past. Big mistake!
I called them up and asked them how much a front left wheel bearing replacement on a 2015 Tacoma would be. The answer was that they don't give rough estimates over the phone, and that I should just bring it in and they'd take a look. Big mistake! At the end of the day, I got a text with a link to all of their findings. "Front right wheel bearing should be replaced. And front left wheel bearing should probably be replaced. $2,392, plus another $122 for realignment." I said no thanks. But I did get to pay $223 for their diagnosis. All I needed to know what how much they'd charge for a single wheel bearing replacement. They should have just said "assuming no other issues or hurdles, $1,200," but they insisted that they look at it so they could charge me $223 for looking at it. I asked the guy if I did get the work done (which I had zero intention of doing), is the $223 deducted from the charge? He said no, the diagnosis charge was separate. I told him that when I called, I already knew I needed a wheel bearing replaced and all I wanted to know what how much they charged. He said that it's their policy to not give quotes over the phone in case 'other stuff comes up.' In the 25+ years that I've been taking cars to mechanics, when 'other stuff comes up,' the mechanic calls the customer and tells them of other stuff, and how much other stuff costs. But not this place! They want to make sure they know about all of the stuff so they can charge you for looking at it. It's not a policy. It's a business model. Stay away from this place.
I ended up doing as my mechanic advised and used another car for the trips to the mountains. Took the truck into my usual mechanic on the 27th, and they replaced the front left bearing. They called me and said that the front right bearing was making a bit of noise and will eventually need replacement and I said let's do it. Final bill for 2 bearing replacements... $1,245.
5th Gear is a rip off. They double charge for jobs like wheel bearing replacements. You can google it and the first result for that specific year/model states exactly this... "The average cost for a Toyota Tacoma wheel bearing replacement is between $476 and $601." But not at 5th Gear. They need $1,200 per bearing because they sprinkle magic fairy dust on it and have it blessed by the pope.
If you get your oil changed here, just stick to that. If you need anything else, go to a real shop that has a bit of integrity.
And to the owner who will no doubt reply "I don't know this person and we have no record of them."... Dec 13th, 2015 Toyota Tacoma. I waited until after the 27th before submitting this review just to give you guys the benefit of the doubt and see what my mechanic charged. If you'd like, I'd happily upload a photo of your insane itemized estimate. read more