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What did you do this week (and weekend)?
As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!
I own a first generation Toyota Tacoma, 2004 model. These are rugged little trucks, known for their durability, but they have two flaws that need to be addressed by their owners. The first is that they are vulnerable to road salt and the frames will rust out. I live in Texas, so this isn't an issue for me. The second issue is the design of the lower ball joints. They are prone to catastrophic failure when they reach a certain amount of wear, and most people recommend changing them when the truck hits 200,000 miles.
My truck has 219,000, so it was time to get to work. By the way, never, ever use anything but genuine Toyota parts for this particular job.
I bought a couple of tools, the parts and set to work on Wednesday morning. I've changed lower ball joints before, in a Chevy, and it was hell on earth. Working on the Toyota was so simple, it doesn't even compare. No rust anywhere, so the job went smoothly. It still took three hours, but time well spent.
Not sure how much I saved doing it myself, but probably $800 to $1000.