The Tacoma's owner took the truck in for because the timing-chain cover was leaking. While the truck was in the shop and the engine was out, the customer took a look at things and chatted with the technician. Getting a look at the truck with the engine out taught the customer some lessons.
Here's what they had to say in a Facebook post. We've lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
I stopped by the dealership and they let me go take a look while they had her engine out. Kinda wish I didn’t lol. The technician was super cool, though, was also prior military so we chatted. New engine oil and coolant and a bunch of new connections, etc. super glad I caught this before the powertrain warranty went out and they didn’t fight me at all on the warranty repair. Nothing out of pocket and a free rental car for two weeks at least.
2021 TRD OR with just 27k miles on her.
It's tough to tell from the Facebook post, but it sounds like the customer got the dealership to take care of some maintenance -- like changing the oil -- and some other repairs while the engine was torn apart for a repair that appears to have been covered under warranty. In other words, the warranty work was the repair of the timing-chain cover, but the customer was able to get other repairs and maintenance done as part of the job and also covered under warranty.
Torque News Says: Here's What This Means For You
Here is what you, the customer, can learn from this. There's actually a few things you can pick up on.
For one thing, if the engine or transmission needs to be out of the vehicle to perform a repair, you might as well see if the shop will perform other necessary work that's easily done with those parts out. Or, at least, have the technician do a quick inspection for any issues.
Second, it doesn't hurt to ask for work to be discounted if other work is already being done. In this case, if the engine is out for warranty work on the timing-chain cover, and the tech recommends changing oil and coolant during this time, why not ask to see if what would normally be a customer pay job can be done as part of the warranty repair? Or, at least, done a discount, since some of the labor is already being done as part of the warranty work? The worst thing the service writer and/or tech can say is "no".
This is also one of the reasons to perhaps take a car to the dealership. There's an ongoing debate on what is best for consumers -- but for warranty work, you have to go to the dealership. And if the shop is concerned with earning customer loyalty, they will work with you.
Torque News Says Make Sure That Timing Chain/Belt Is Changed
If your vehicle has a timing belt or timing chain, this is a reason to get it changed at the manufacturer's recommend interval. The main reason, of course, is that a broken timing chain or belt could leave you stranded by the road, waiting for a tow truck.
But having the engine out can give a technician a chance to see if they are other problems to be addressed or maintenance that needs to be done.
Yes, it's true that in this specific case, the customer wasn't paying for scheduled maintenance for a timing chain, but rather, there was a leak. Still, what we said above applies.
We'd also note that for this specific truck, some owners thought it was odd that the engine had to come out to address the leak. We're not Toyota technicians, so we'll not pass judgment there, but that kind of feedback is why it might be important to join a Facebook group for owners of your vehicle. Or a forum, or a Reddit subreddit.
In this case, it's all's well that ends well. The customer gets his or her timing-chain cover leak addressed, plus some maintenance (new oil and coolant) and some other needed work apparently taken care of, all at no cost out of pocket. The dealer earns a happy customer, one who might be more apt to return to the shop, even if for customer-pay jobs.
About The Author
Tim Healey is an experienced automotive writer and editor from Chicago. He has covered automotive news at Consumer Guide Automotive, Web2Carz, AutoGuide, and was the managing editor at The Truth About Cars. Tim is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association. You can find him on Facebook, X/Twitter, and on LinkedIn.
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