We need to give Toyota engineers more credit for the 3rd Gen.

.

 

Looks like surface mud, no big deal

 

When you have 5 different coolers in front, you need every openings to let the heat escape…

 

Just wait till you have to replace your power steering rack, only to find out that you HAVE TO remove the whole front differential!

That's right.
Got hit a couple of weeks ago, and among other relatively minor damage, the driver side inner tie rod is/was bent.
Needed a rack replacement.
Body shop took multiple pics of the process to prove to the adjustor (and to me) that in order to remove the steering rack from the vehicle the front diff has to come off first!
Why?
Toyota engineering geniuses decided to shove a 12" long bolt (which holds the steering rack it the middle) from the rear of the vehicle, instead of the front.
Had they just inserted it from the front all the tech would need to do is drop the front sway bar slightly and it would come right out.....but no, thanks to great engineering/assemble choices @ Toyota the ***in bolt can't be removed unless the diff is out of the way.

I swear......disassemble 1/2 the front end to remove one part.
GG

 

hopefully rough country will soon have inner wheel well liners for our trucks. They are inexpensive and work great.

 

So what. Insurance is paying, right? Are you replacing steering racks frequently!? Just be glad the tow hooks didn’t need to be removed! Oh, um… yeah.

 

@Eurodriver these plates should serve you well. You’re probably one of the few that is actually using this truck to its max potential. Tree stumps be damned now! Full speed ahead!

 

I'm glad you clearly see exactly why I bring this up; GJ

 

Guess I’m missing it. Why exactly are you bringing it up?

 

I emailed, they responded that they had no intentions on making them.

 

I certainly hope that bolt threads into something, and doesn’t have a nut on the other end. If a nut, the solution is as easy as:

• Order new bolt and wait patiently for the rush order to arrive
• Loosen bolt
• Cut head off of bolt
• Slide out shank of cut bolt
• Install new bolt the other way around. Maybe even tighten it.

 

Definitely what a sensible home shade tree mechanic would do, as would I, but a body shop which is possibly fixing their 1st new Tundra? Granted, they are well more equipment to hack anything apart or together, but they chose the "official route."

I found out afterwards (as I'm not there every day checking up on things).
...and this not some 'average body shop.'
1 of the very few top rated (by both customers and insurance companies) in the Tri-State area...and did I mention that my father in law was the main painter there for 10+ years?

Friends and fam, and I trust them...but cars are cars, and a repair is only as good as quality of the mechanic's work.
We'll see if it's "like new" again.....and if forever..

Still,
In the end, why make any one improvise or make unnecessary disassembly, if it can (apparently) be easily avoided?
GG Toyota