Mechanic recommendations in Oregon?

Judge02914 said:

Sadly I don’t have the resources for it myself and I’m not very experienced with auto work. Planning to change that. Take some auto classes, start small.
She’s got 105k miles on her. Sadly most of her history is a mystery to me. I think she has the original transmission so when I bought her I figured she was due. First thing I was hoping to do with a mechanic is ask if there’s been any after market stuff installed, cuz I can’t tell. Former owner seemed more focused on rims and the stereo. I plan to transition her into an overland rig…eventually.

so where do all these custom Toyotas go? Honestly there’s a buggy mechanic at every intersection but I haven’t seen a normal shop yet.

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It's a sad state of affairs that most repair shops can't be trusted, even a lot of Toyota dealerships. But that's where I'd try first since I don't know any shops in Reedsport. There's a Coos Bay Toyota Dealership just south of you that's got good reviews, so try there. They know your vehicle's systems better than anyone else that's independent. I'd at least get the oil/filter changed and maybe even a couple of auto transmission drain and fills with some driving inbetween since your FJ is at that point where it should be changed and is now displaying shuddering issues. Not a full flush since all that new fluid will act like a solvent and remove any varnish on the clutch plates and potentially cause shifting issues. Maybe get all the drive line/spider zerk fittings greased and the air filter checked. Coolant should be replaced if you don't know how old it is. Ditto with the brake fluid (the most likely item to be not maintained or ever flushed). You can replace the cabin air filter yourself since it's easy to remove the glove box to get at it and yes, that thing fills up with dirt and bugs. Gross. Then start learning how to maintain your rig. A lot of good information can be had here if you have questions and accumulate the tools.

Judge02914 said:

Yeah planning to swing by the Coos dealership this weekend or possibly Tuesday. They don’t do much customization work but they can handle the basics.
Stupid question: if the transmission possibly needs work or to be replaced, can it be replaced with something better? The way I plan to replace this suspension with something better once they act up?

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Give a couple of drain and fills the chance to help the transmission. You may even want to try putting in some shudder stop as a last resort. Have patience. Many times fluid transfusions can solve the problem. Transmissions aren't cheap and even finding a reliable trans tech is hard. There are also remans, but I can't give you a comment on those since I've never had to replace a transmission. As for a new transmission, the one that came with the FJ is top notch and nearly bulletproof, as long as owners regularly service the fluid, which unfortunately seems to be the common cause of it's demise. Maybe others can comment on a rebuild or replacement.

As for the spare, have you looked at the date code to see if it's less than 10 years old? If it's been hanging on the back for years unused, the internal oils have not been allowed to work through the rubber via driving on it, so the outer part of the tire may start to crack and fail, especially on the sidewalls. Concerning Les Schwab, they were sold to a large company years ago, so it's now hit or miss on service quality. Some of my neighbor's have complained about crappy service at our local Schwab since the company changed hands and have gone to local independents. Look for reviews online for any local Schwab or other retailers before you go there in your area. Discount Tire is a sponsor here you may want to check out if there's one around the area to perform a tire balance on all 5 wheels. Here's my date code and yeah, all 5 tires need to be replaced due to age since they are still OEM tires, Feb. 2011. My summer project and yes, I've been rotating them, so they are all equally bad. If you look closely, there are spots of rubber now starting to spall off. And look, I still have the nibs.

Update to post:
sad news folks. So keeping in mind that I JUST made my 2nd payment to the dealership TODAY. I pulled into Toyota in Coos Bay and asked for some advice. A nice experienced gentleman who I think was the Service Manager spent 30 minutes looking over my FJ and warning me of future expensive eventualities all trailing back to the nightmare that is New England road salt. I myself always new that future work would be pricy but as long as I spent wisely the vehicle and myself would benefit long term. I pulled in thinking AT WORST I might need a new transmission. Holy **** was I wrong.
Noticing rust last week as I unloaded my vehicle we too a glance at my rear Control arm for the slip. It had completely rotted off and was hanging midair grinding against the brake line.
This vehicle passed an inspection 7 weeks ago. There is no way the dealership didn’t know about this because they ran a new sensor wire on the thing.
I looked them dead in the eye and said” I am driving 3500 miles to Oregon immediately after purchasing this vehicle. If it needs any work I WILL PAY FOR IT for you to fix before I drive her off. Separate transaction.
They never said a peep.
So now I am on the look out for: OPTION A, a skilled vehicle frame welder to cut the rot and weld a piece on to attach to.
OPTION B: a new rear differential. From a junkyard or what not, but that’s a challenge all on itself cuz I don’t know what to look for.
Soo….yay.
Original post

This was REALLY helpful. You answered all the questions I had about transmissions and some I didn’t think of. I’ll go get a quote for a gentle drain and fill and ask the mechanic nicely if he can go over her underside and point out anything he notices.
But regarding the wheels it’s my fault, I wasn’t clear. The kid(I’m choosing to call them a kid) put new wheels that say TRD on them and new tires prolly immediately before it A: was sold to the dealer or B: the dealer did it. 5 of them. So what I meant to say is the four on the ground had a couple thousand on them but #5 had never been rotated in. So I rotated them before the difference became too noticeable.