Hey Guys! I went in to my local dealership here in greater Fort Lauderdale (Al Hendrickson). I had them address the campaign issue regarding the intermediate shaft spline (C0T). They went over the car very thoroughly and called me to inform me of the following: 1- Two bulbs were out (side marker and license plate) 2- Serpentine belt 3- Axle boot I had them do items 1 and 2 and declined #3. They told me that it would cost ~$400 because they don't replace the boot. They replace the entire axle as that is what Toyota recommends. Can you folks advise me on what I should do regarding item 3? Should I go to an independent and just replace the boot? Oh. BTW. Upon further examination of the bill they charged me $49 for labor to change the bulbs. Considering the car has 207,000 miles I'm pretty pleased that they didn't find anything else.
Go to any repair shop and have a new aftermarket or rebuilt axle installed. They are approx $85-$120 + 1/2 hour labor tops. Same procedure as almost every other FWD toyota car to install. Easy for any shop to do --no need to go to a Hybrid specialty shop. Some shops can replace just the boot, but at 207k miles you might as well install a new axle. $49 to replace two regular bulbs? That seems excessive for 10 minutes labor and $5 worth of bulbs.
