Thanks guys for your detailed
Thanks guys for your detailed responses, and for providing the dealer names. And I believe Pete is real. After reading your posts, I crawled back under my truck this morning and took another look. I did notice surface rust on the frame rail itself, but everything is solid. Nothing in the wheel wells and certainly nothing I could make crumble or put a pointy object through. The truck looks no worse for wear than it did when I bought it 2 summers ago from the original owner. At the time of purchase I noticed the frame had surface rust (the vehicle was driven on Michigan roads), but nothing serious. After purchase I spent half a Saturday under the vehicle dabbing on Prep & Etch solution to the affected areas, followed by a spritz of Rustoleum. Everything still looks good today, at least except for a couple spots I missed, which I will treat this weekend. So I am still on the fence at this point, not sure I want to pull the trigger on the frame replacement. (Why fix what ain't broke?) The truck has 133k on it and drives like a new one. Believe me, I do not take lightly that the dealer says my vehicle qualifies for a frame replacement. I love free stuff, especially beer. But the photo the service rep showed me (and sent into Toyota) does not seem to match what I am seeing under the vehicle. Could if be that the dealer is sending in a bogus photo to the factory in order to secure the work? How would the factory know otherwise? I am going to call the service rep tomorrow and ask him where the photo was taken on my vehicle and better yet, forward me the photo(s). If he complies I can compare the pics to what I am seeing on my vehicle. And if he doesn't, well.. that should make my final decision that much easier.
at least the cancer hasn't spread. I am still leaning toward the camp of
Because there are both honest and unscrupulous dealers alike out there, I wonder at this point if I have the option of having the repair done at a dealer of my choice?