Engine Bay Body Rips

[dbbd1]

w5wi previously said:

Hardrive, I suggest you reread the posts. There is no mention of any "fix" failing. Concern that it may, but no failures. If you were paying attention, you would have read that the new panels are the post 01/07 panels.

I also suggest you keep your obviously tainted viewpoint to yourself and keep this post on subject as many other members and my self have suggested many times.

cheers,

dale

I thought that there was a post about the replacement on someone's FJ was starting to bulge again?????

[w5wi]

dbbd1 previously said:

I thought that there was a post about the replacement on someone's FJ was starting to bulge again?????

Yes, but as I recall, the folks reporting the bulge were going to compare it to others and post findings.

Although a bulge may be an indication of a failure, several "bulges" have been reported that, upon further examination were normal.

As far as I know, no fixes have failed to date, bulges notwithstanding...

cheers,

dale

[RoverGGM]

w5wi previously said:

Hardrive, I suggest you reread the posts. There is no mention of any "fix" failing. Concern that it may, but no failures. If you were paying attention, you would have read that the new panels are the post 01/07 panels.



I also suggest you keep your obviously tainted viewpoint to yourself and keep this post on subject as many other members and my self have suggested many times.



cheers,



dale

dbbd1 previously said:

I thought that there was a post about the replacement on someone's FJ was starting to bulge again?????

Yep, there is a post

Relic hunter previously said:

Posted this in "Engine Bay Body Rips". I thought it might be good to post here too. The problem may or may not be resolved. I will post in the other thread when I know more. The following will bring everyone up to date on what I have experenced so far.

Round two begins. Last May the left side inner fender was replaced. Now it’s beginning to bulge and crack again. I met with the Toyota rep this morning. He said that Toyota would replace both inner fenders this time with the updated version. However there is a caveat to this story. The rep doesn’t know if the “new” inner fender that was replaced last May was the updated version. He is checking to see if it was the old or new version. The rep told me that all 2008’s have the newer inner fender reinforcement and some 2007’s were updated during production. The VIN number that the updated fenders started with is not available to me. What’s more is if the “new” inner fender replaced last May is the updated version, Toyota engineers will want to take another, closer look at my FJ. That’s good in that they are trying to resolve this problem. I’m good with that; I just don’t like being without my FJ!

A curious note, Toyota has been using exactly the same inner fender on the Fourrunner since 2005. I can find no commentary on inner fender rips for that model. What this means, and this is pure speculation on my part, is that the problem is not the inner fender alone. I won’t speculate on what the problem or problems are but clearly this is something that Toyota did not expect or could anticipate.

[LandCruiserSteve]

w5wi previously said:

LCSteve, did you ever decide whether or not to have the "fix" done?

Yep, I've decided to have it done. However, since I was told by Toyota that I can have it done at my convenience, and that the authorization to repair mine has no "expiration date," I'm going to take a little more time as I watch the results of other concurrent repairs.

Fortunately, my cracking has not noticibly worsened, nor was it as severe as bernd's. So, perhaps some waiting on my part will put me that much closer to the repair being done when an absolute known cause of the problem has been determined. Like others have already said, this is not a repair procedure that I want my FJ to have to go through twice.

[SonicFJ]

I acautlly SAW the metamorphosis of this problem in the beginning stages.

I met a friend who has a 6" Pro Comp lift at Buttercup sand dunes. We looked under the hood since he had no idea what to look for. The driver side had a slight dimple, and the passenger side was straight as an arrow.

We hit a few whoops (no jumps, just running the big hill, and hitting the bumps at the bottom on the way) and then checked it again.

Yep! You guessed it, the passenger side now has a dimple.

[mungk]

Sorry haven't read through all the 200 posts.. but this problem is caused by bottoming out then?

[LandCruiserSteve]

mungk previously said:

Sorry haven't read through all the 200 posts.. but this problem is caused by bottoming out then?

Nope. That's why you might want to read many of the preceeding posts. A lot of different variables, speculations and conclusions.

[JoeUser]

Whoa, that's wild, Sonic!

Was there any torsion, twisting, at the bottom of the hill? That would lead credence to the frame torsion theory...

[spincycle]

OK, My story: at about 7000 miles or so, I noted the now common cracks along the rear end of the front apron inside the engine bay.

I filed a report with the NTHSTA (or whatever the right acronym is....), called my dealer, and made an appointment to have them look at things.

When I met with my local dealer's reps, they said that they hadn't seen the issue, but would bring it up at an upcoming meeting with the regional tech rep from corporate.

I was later asked, after that rep saw the pictures that were taken, to bring in my vehicle again so that he could take a look himself.

Yesterday (11/15/07), I got a loaner and dropped off the FJ. Today I picked up the FJ and got the following info. I was not asked to withhold or otherwise not share this info:

As of 11/16/07, and according to both what I was told and the paperwork I received:

a) Toyota Corporate *IS* aware of the issue.
b) Toyota has attempted repairs using standard parts and knows that the issue reappears.
c) Toyota does not have an immediate solution, but IS working on one, in spite of a lack of public announcement.
d) It was made clear to me that the rep did NOT hold any of my mods accountable: meaning that Warn bumpers & winches, supercharger, etc, were not held, by him, to be the cause of the problem.
e) I was charged nothing, naturally, and it appears that any future issues WILL be warranty covered, in spite of my mods.

Current Mileage: 7600
Buy Date: 1/07

[cruiserlarry]

w5wi previously said:

Yes, but as I recall, the folks reporting the bulge were going to compare it to others and post findings.

Although a bulge may be an indication of a failure, several "bulges" have been reported that, upon further examination were normal.

As far as I know, no fixes have failed to date, bulges notwithstanding...

cheers,

dale

That is not correct - I have seen one, and heard of another repair, that have started to bulge AGAIN. Don't ask for names, as I am respecting the privacy and re-repair efforts of the individual whose vehicle I saw, and of the other I heard about. But, As I have said before, and many others have agreed, the inner fender rips are a SYMPTOM, and not likely the PROBLEM - so replacing them, no matter what the change in design, does not seem to cure the actual problem. I have also been told by Toyota that my repair, for which the parts and the body shop are ready to go, can be delayed so I can see what is up with the repair and recurrence issue.

I have tried for two weeks to get in direct contact with any factory engineer directly involved with this issue, but to no avail. Customer service, while courteous, has repeatedly denied me any access to higher level personnel, to discuss the issue of subjecting my vehicle to a fix likely to fail.
My frustration is growing, as it seems Toyota's efforts are not coordinated on a way to keep up with the results of their mandated repair regimen, and their lack of communication with their dealerships regarding the existence of this problem. I am hoping that enough complaints are received that some pressure from the NHTSA will prod Toyota to investigate further, and stay in direct contact with owners of affected vehicles to save everyone time and money on repairs that don't permenantly fix the problem at hand.