My New 1st Gen Update* Denso Radiator Arrived Cracked..Ugh!!

As I posted previously I sent my (new to me) 1st Gen 2006 Regular Cab 2WD straight to my mechanic to have the “Big 3” preventative maintenance performed because it has 174K miles and no record of prior Timing belt/ Water Pump (AISIN), Lower Ball Joints (Toyota) or Radiator (Denso) having ever been replaced. Mechanic informed me this AM the radiator was broken right out-of-the-box and he would have a new one in the AM. He said the truck was in great condition u-joints, frame, etc.. He replaced the O2 sensor causing the CEL and adjusted the rear brakes. I should be getting it back tomorrow or Monday.

Also, he agreed that doing a simple drain and fill on the ATF -WS in the near future wouldn’t be an issue even at 174K miles.

 

Nice little truck, really dig those 8ft beds

 

Nice truck. Just curious who you ordered the radiator from? I just returned my 2nd Denso radiator to RockAuto. Both arrived broken. I've got a 3rd one coming from NAPA.

 

I think he ordered from Rock Auto…. Not sure though
Update** Oreillys

 

Just curious if the 3rd one was the charm? My replacement arrives today, it got delayed via FedEx on Friday. I am praying it arrives in one piece.

 

I gave up on RockAuto and ordered one from NAPA which was fine. I inspected it in person before I left the store.

 

He ended up paying a premium (he said 60% more) buying it from NAPA locally. NAPA does sell an array of authentic Denso products, but you'll pay a premium unless you get wholesale/shop rates with NAPA.

EDIT: Damn. We replied at the same time.

 

It took me three tries to get an undamaged one from Rock Auto. I don't know how they make any money on these due to the poor packaging and frequency of damage.

 

I read somewhere that RockAuto is just the middleman and has them drop shipped. But yes, Denso should do a better job packing them for shipment because someone is losing money.

 

I'm going to take a stab and say Denso probably gets the damaged units back, slaps a new cap on, and sends them right back out the door. I'm guessing the cost to update the packing on every radiator exceeds the cost of recapping the occasional damaged radiator.

 

Buddy had three in a row form Oreillys that were damaged, gave up and went to NAPA.

 

Damn. I got lucky. Rock Auto, undamaged on first try! I agree though it's likely not Rock Auto, it's whoever they partner with, then the particular UPS/FedEx handlers. I worked for a month unloading UPS trailers during Christmas. Had to get entire semis unloaded onto conveyor belts headed to where the delivery trucks were waiting, and believe me, there was no way to get all the packages onto that conveyer belt fast enough without being really sloppy and really not worrying about damaging boxes and whatever was in them...

Nice truck!

 

Second one arrived and it appears good to go. I should be getting the truck back by noon tomorrow. I’ve had the truck for a month and have only put about 10 miles on it so far…. I was really not wanting to take a chance with the original timing belt w/ 174K miles on it.

 

Smart man!

 

My family would beg to differ. I’ll be all in nearly $10K for an ole p/u truck, but the way I see it is I’m all in $10K for an ole p/u truck that will still be running after I’m dead an gone.

 

I didn't go through my expenses in detail, but my rough calculations are that I probably spent an additional $10k on my truck, after buying it for $10k. I'll admit I went a little crazy...and that includes a topper, new rack, seat covers and tires. The only things it "needed" were upper and lower balljoints, radiator and tires, and a good flush of all fluids. But I went ahead and did shocks, radiator hoses, timing belt/water pump (and had a mechanic do them, so that jacked up the cost), Sumo Springs, new trailer connections & wiring etc. Plus any tools I needed to do those jobs.

It adds up. Even though I'll for sure be spending a little here and there on my truck, I'm pretty confident I've got a solid vehicle for the next 10+ years, set up the way I want it.

 

Well, you may be right but let's be real: Common sense ain't so common anymore.

I rolled the youngest to a car show this weekend and we passed a couple of the big name dealerships going from there to grab a burger. With starting prices on a similarly-equipped pickup being in the $50k-60k range, I'd spend $10k to be free and clear on payment for something that lasts a lifetime than dropping $60k on something brand new, especially seeing all these new 3rd gen Tundra owners with exploding engines, and Ford truck drivers with transmission failures. The recall notices I keep seeing in my car news feeds on vehicles manufactured during/post-Covid (i.e. mid-2021 and later) are absolutely comical.

The common sense solution is to find the 10-15 year old vehicle that'll last just as long as the latest rigs, in fair to good condition, and refresh it.