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Details: 2008 4Runner 60,000 miles. Mostly freeway miles. Took it in for the 60k service. They called back saying the water pump is leaking. Charge us $1100 to replace the belt and the pump.
I was floored, not so much because of the price--all dealerships are crooks, but my main concern is "Is it possible the pump was perfectly fine and they fed us a line of BS to make some money off us?" I requested the old parts be returned and the pump looks brand new. The service rep was careful to say the pump was leaking, not that it was cracked or anything visible to the eye.
Is there any way to test this pump short of installing in another 4Runner? I just have the gut feeling, especially with such low miles, that we were cheated.
I just did both a radiator and water pump in a '93 Chevy 20 350 V8 van last week. It was less than $200 including antifreeze. The radiator was new and the water pump a rebuilt.
Granted I did the work myself, but damn......over a thou for a water pump?
Don't buy Japanese again....no matter how AMERICAN they say it is......
You can't tell if a water pump is bad by a visual. You need to know the condition of the bearings, seals and impeller.
Old rusted up ones work perfect, yet a shiny one could be defective.
What is the manufacturers recommended replacement interval. And what belt was changed. Timing belt or accessory belt? If its a v6 I think its timing chains ( which you really don't replace) and the v8 is belt. 1000 doesn't seem completely unreasonable if its the timing belt. but you should shop around. Plenty of import shops can do the work a lot cheaper IMO.
Last edited by Electrician4you; 09-10-2014 at 08:55 PM..
When you're water pump is leaking your usually smell anti freeze and your tempature gauge fluctuates. Did u notice any antifreeze on the floor wherever u Park the truck?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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You were not ripped off on the price, you were simply paying the normal dealership price. Find a good independent mechanic and save a lot of money over the dealership. If you don't trust a mechanic, you could always go down and have them show you the leak. I actually did have a Dodge dealer tell me my front brake pads were barely legal and wanted to change them (went in for a Jeep recall). I took it to my mechanic for the new pads, and he called to tell me they were still at 60%.
Details: 2008 4Runner 60,000 miles. Mostly freeway miles. Took it in for the 60k service. They called back saying the water pump is leaking. Charge us $1100 to replace the belt and the pump.
I was floored, not so much because of the price--all dealerships are crooks, but my main concern is "Is it possible the pump was perfectly fine and they fed us a line of BS to make some money off us?" I requested the old parts be returned and the pump looks brand new. The service rep was careful to say the pump was leaking, not that it was cracked or anything visible to the eye.
Is there any way to test this pump short of installing in another 4Runner? I just have the gut feeling, especially with such low miles, that we were cheated.
You could hear the bearings grinding when it ran and also once it was off when you spun the hub. It also was running through 1/2 to 1 gallon of antifreeze a day at the end. You could smell it and see it on the ground when you stopped/parked. The radiator had been cracked for some time, over a year and had been jerry rigged to last longer by orders from the boss. That radiator stop leak gunk is nothing short of putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound in the first place, tried to tell him.
Yes that's why I drive old junk I can fix myself. I told both my daughters when they moved after college ask around work and around town find a good mechanic and stick with them. stealerships rip you off everytime. works for them so far.
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