Tailshaft "clunk" warranty denied due to lift

[rwo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rwo]

So I have my car in for it's 40k service (with only 20k on the clock) and asked them to deal with the tailshaft clunk that has been happening more or less since new.

Anyway, after they looked at the vehicle they admited that there was a fault with the tailshaft but were not going to cover under warranty due to the vehicle being fitted with a 2" lift (king/bilstein).

They did offer the option of "pulling the tailshaft apart and regressing" at the cost of $200 (which probably meant they want to charge me $200 just to grease it).

I understand mods void warranties, but does this just seem like they are looking for a way out of the claim or does lift genuinely cause the clunking problem? Has anyone with a lift managed to get the tailshaft replaced?

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

That's horsesh&t!
I'd be taking my business elsewhere....

[Bazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bazza]

That's rubbish! 120's & 150's are well know to have "tailshaft clunk' from new. Dealers have been greasing them up for years. Threaten to take legal action and I'm sure their attitude will change. They would have no hope in proving that a 2" lift causes this to happen when hundreds of stock Prados have been doing it for ages.
Bazza

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

I had mine changed with aftermarket springs up front and the washer trick up back to trick the rear bags. Took me 2 goes at them re-greasing it first at no charge before they agreed to replace it though. Springs have never been raised as an issue with any of my services either.

[Rogerthatv2 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Rogerthatv2]

Mine has the lift as well as slightly larger tyres, no question... Motorama Brisbane, highly recommend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

Toyota Brendale changed mine at 40000 km. 50 mm lift from new, no problems. New tailshaft clunked after about 20000 km. toyota do not have a fix for tailshaft clunk other than pumping more grease. If it really worries you buy a new shaft from a driveshaft repairer with a better quality spline,
Rusty.

[rwo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rwo]

Thanks guys, that pretty much confirms my suspicions they are just trying to dodge the claim.

Has anyone had success getting it changed at a WA dealer, I'm off to find a new one?

[wifecallsmegrumpy Member Find all posts View Profile Close wifecallsmegrumpy]

City toyota fixed mine in 2010 and said they replaced it with a new tailshaft with a different spline coating.

[rwo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rwo]

So I picked the vehicle up yesterday afternoon and this is what they had to say on the service report:

Carried out inspection to tailshaft, found air evident in "prep" shaft slip joint, suspect to be from improper greasing when lift kit was fit, would require both "prep" shafts to be removed, dismantled and greased correctly.

(I assume "prep" means prop but they wrote prep?)

During the discussion the service person said "If we installed your lift we would NOT have pulled the tail-shaft apart or greased it either". /facepalm

And you can pretty much guess where the conversation went when I said "so if I got my installer (not toyota, I put it in myself under with assistance from a mechanic mate) to grease the shaft when they did the lift you would be covering this under warranty?"

Anyway, if air is present in the slip joints due to insufficient grease, it seams to me that the last two dealers who serviced the vehicle (with the lift in) didn't bother to grease the tail shaft as this would have forced the air out would it not? Apparently they have greased it properly as per the service, so I will see how long it takes for the clunk to come back and the let the fun and games begin....

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

I'm pretty sure they don't remove the tailshafts to grease them. IIRC the service procedure calls for them to be greased every 10,000 kms. I had mine done twice and the clunk came back each time.

[rwo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rwo]

It didn't occur to me at the time, but I need to call them back and ask how my lift is the cause of the problem with the front shaft when the front suspension is independent and the diff is fixed to the car? I don't have a diff drop (haven't found one that works with BD bash plates) so the distance between the front diff and the transfer is how it was when it came from Toyota...

[jayden82 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jayden82]

Thanks guys, that pretty much confirms my suspicions they are just trying to dodge the claim.

Has anyone had success getting it changed at a WA dealer, I'm off to find a new one?

Hi RWO,
Big rock Toyota changed mine under warranty.
Have a read of the "drivetrain" threads.
Cheers

[Riv39 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Riv39]

I'm pretty sure they don't remove the tailshafts to grease them. IIRC the service procedure calls for them to be greased every 10,000 kms. I had mine done twice and the clunk came back each time.

Actually one of the fixes you normally have to endure prior to them agreeing to replace he shaft is to have the shaft removed for ALL of the grease to be replaced with a different type. Doesn't work of course but that's just part of the pain you need to go through with some dealers before they can have the replacement approved by Toyota Aus.

[rwo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rwo]

Ok so I have been crook for a few days so didn't get a chance to come on and post an update.

Anyway, had a call from the Toyota dealer on the Monday following the service for the standard "service follow up" call to see if I was happy. Needless to say I was not, so I told them so.

About an hour later I had a call from the service manager saying "we need to look at your vehicle again regarding this tailshaft issue as I found a service bulletin that covers your vehicle", the missus just happened to be over near the dealer (they are over an hour from home) doing some other things, so you can imaging how ecstatic she was when I said Toyota need the car again ...

She dropped the vehicle in, they were all nice as pie (unlike the previous Friday we were there for the service) and 15 minutes later they came back out and said "we will have the parts in stock for next time you are in the the area....". They haven't said exactly what they are changing under warranty, but I suspect it's the tailshaft...

I'm glad they are doing something, but really annoyed and frustrated that they wouldn't listen and do it when the vehicle was in for service and then tried to charge me $200 for the privilege...

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

Sounds like a good outcome is on the way.

People have off days. Maybe they had an off day.

Keep in mind, if they wanted to be pricks they could dig their heels in.