Hi Scotty and Friends,
Car: 2007 Toyota Highlander, V6 FWD 104000 Miles
I recently took the car for a periodic oil change, hoping I won't run into other repairs. But sigh 😶 The mechanic came back with a leaking front axle, and mentioned that they would have to replace the front right Axle shaft assembly, I guess that's the CV assembly ?
I looked up the kit on a toyota dealer's website it sells for like 50$:
https://parts.stevenscreektoyota.com/p/Toyota_2007_Highlander-SPORT-33L-2WD/CV-Joint-Boot-Kit-Left--Right--Front/62988873/0443808080.html
The mechanic is quoting 180$ for parts and 372$ for labor after taxes.
Am I being ripped off ? I showed it in SJ, CA
Also, can I postpone this repair and drive for another 1300 miles ? I already put in 1500$ (vale-cover gasket, sparks, tranny fluid), 800$ (brake pads|akebono and rotors|OEM) and I am paying out in cash for these repairs 😥
Any advice will be deeply appreciated.
PS: adding pictures the mechanic took and the quote:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zNZ6hEbveOKKow0ZgD9ukZA0fCRn56jK?usp=sharing
Find another mechanic. AutoZone has the entire front axle assembly for $91.49.
his price seems high. Try getting another quote elsewhere.
Do you hear any noise while turning? If not then you can probably put off a little while. But don't wait too long. I have seen CV joints separate and lead to ugly situations.
Agreed, I felt the hourly charge is a tad too much. No, no noises or weird symptoms at all. Which is why I’m taken by surprise.
Did the mechanic show it to you? If you're up to it, look underneath the car and check for a torn CV joint boot and any obvious leakage. As others have said, that sounds like too high a price. The part is inexpensive and it's a pretty straightforward job on most vehicles.
unfortunately I couldn't inspect it on my own. I will take it to another mechanic.
@harb7nger it is pretty easy to spot on most vehicles, especially a highlander that is off the ground some. I spotted a torn boot on my GX470 when changing the oil. You may not even have to get on the ground, if you turn the wheel pretty far, you can likely see the boot. Along with the others, the prices the mechanic is charging, seems very very high to me.
@nlord thanks for the suggestion, I turned the wheels as you suggested. There seems to be grease/oil on the inner joint boot, the outer joint is bone-dry. Pictures updated in the drive link. Thank you.
@harb7nger So where is the car now, is it at the same mechanic shop that gave the high estimates?
I am feverish after the covid booster so this may sound crazy, but if I were you, I would make sure that the clamps are actually on the boots that are leaking. It is probably just covered by the grease and you can't see it, but you never know.
@nlord I brought the car back, thankfully they were not pushy about he repair job. Thanks for the detailed advice, I'll check it out. Take care !!!
There are 3 senarios you might be dealing with. 1- a leaking output shaft seal that's actually mounted on the side of the transmisison and the shaft has to be removed to replace replace it. 2- a fractured or torn rubber constant velocity (CV) boot that encloses the universal joint, that lets the lubricant leak and/or dry. 3- both. I'm surprised you need a seal or CV shaft already with only 104K miles unless it's been exposed to harsh conditions. If you have drips on the ground under where you park your Highlander, I would suspect a shaft seal leak. If there's no oil spots on the ground but your CV rubber boot is covered with greasy dirt, I would suspect a cracked/torn boot. I agree with privious responders to get a 2nd opinion.
Hi @jdavidm,
on nlord's suggestion I turned the wheels and took pictures, updated the photos in the link. The outer CV boot is bone dry, I see some oil/grime on the inner boot. I don't see any oil dripping, it's not a shaft leak phew :beg: . Thanks.