the frame dilemma

[marathonracer]

So as some folks in the salt belt know Toyota has no expanded their service campaign to 04-06 tundras. The campaign ends in march of 2015... And there in lies the dillema.

A few years ago I had the frame replaced on my Tacoma. Which was awesome. They did a great job and I can't say enough about Toyota standing behind their product. Fast forward to the present and the taco is gone traded for a tundra.
So the question is do I have the inspection and CRC done now? Or take the gamble and give the truck another winter hoping for a new frame?

 

[Stone_Blue]

I would do a self-inspection.

The main issue with the 00-03's was with the rear crossmember rotting out, then the frame replacement came when perforations elsewhere in the frames started showing up, just like on the Tacos.

I would gently poke around the frame/crossmember with a small ball-peen, and then maybe gentle poking with a phillips screwdriver or brass punch (Do NOT use the hammer on the screwdriver/punch!!...Just gentle poking tapping with the driver/punch by itself.. ) Dont ADD any holes, or make it obvious you poked around...

IIRC, supposedly any hole bigger than 10mm is pretty much grounds for frame replacement...But that was with the earlier Taco and Tundie campaigns...

I was going to attach the pertinent TSBs for the 00-03 Tundies, but I guess the files are about 3MB each, which is over the forum limit of 198K..??...They all detail the actual inspection procedures the Toyota Techs use to determine repair eligibility.

Hit me up with a PM if you would like me to email them to you.

EDIT: Actually, i just poked around Google, and came up with a .pdf copy of the 04-06 campaign here:

http://media.fixed-ops.com/Toy_Campaigns/D0D-phase1.pdf

 

[marathonracer]

Thanks I actually have them I think it was on TS at one time. My frame isn't super bad but I thought that abt my taco frame also... I guess the question is to risk another winter of damage and maybe not get a new frame... Or just have the CRC done now.

 

[surlydiesel]

Go in and have it documented. My truck had the frame replaced after the Tacoma time frame had closed only because I was documented as having the frame checked and undercoated prior. I had the frame checked yearly for 3 years after I bought the truck before it failed. They checked it every time for free and documented it. When it did fail, they were able to look back at their records showing I was bringing it in yearly. I also always get a few oil changes a year at the dealer just so I'm a semi familiar face. Seems to have worked in my favor frankly. You also can't beat a 29.95 oil change and tire rotation. Also the dealer looks for items to sell you, so I get a list of what I need to fix/or get a clean bill of health every time I leave the dealer.

Cheers,
Jorge

 

[marathonracer]

Thanks for the input Jorge. I was looking at it as an all or nothing one shot deal...

 

[surlydiesel]

That was the feeling I got. Let us know what happens.

-jorge