I have been a bit quiet lately...
Got a Detroit locker in the back of my Prado a few weeks ago - very happy with it. Decided to get a Truetrac in the front. Got it and went for a bit of a drive - seemed OK but seals soon started to leak. Took it back for a free fix, and then the fun started....
A bearing was stuffed - must be my fault, they said, because they didn't go near that area. Pointed out that it was fine before the job, and they do in fact remove the shaft that the bearing sits on - point conceded. They couldn't remove the universal cup from the diff centre on the other side, and proceeded to damage the housing and diff centre trying to get it out. Couldn't. They got a complete diff from a wrecker to get me on the road, and sent the problem item to
Sydney. The distributors got their local diff
shop to get it apart, put a new truetrac in, set it up as best they could and sent it back - no charge for their labour. Booked it in for the big fix - sounds not too bad so far, a few problems, but these things happen.
Picked up the vehicle in the afternoon - horrible noise immediately from front diff. Drove back - what's the noise? Don't know, drive it around and see how you go.... (!!). Next day, talked to distributor, who recommended I go to a specialist they knew of to
check it out. Went the same day - he agreed the noise was not good and started to look at it straight away. I went
home on the train but only got two stations away when the phone rings - they hadn't put any oil in it.....! Little wonder there was a bad noise. Crown wheel and pinion both stuffed with bits broken off. It gets better. They had also mismatched the crown wheel and pinions from the two diffs in play - not a good idea either. And there's more... The secondhand diff they had used to get me on the road was a different ratio - 4.3 vs the rear at 4.1. Because they had mismatched the parts, couldn't use them to recover the diff, so had to get one from Toyota ($$) Toyota were supposed to have one in
Sydney but didn't, so had to get the only one in Australia - from
Darwin..... Eventually the bits arrived and I now have the vehicle back - except the battery had gone flat while the diff joint had it for a week and a half - and then the car wouldn't idle, kept cutting out. Don't know why, adjusted idle up to see if it's battery charge related.
There is a silver lining.... I have not paid a cent more than the original cost of getting the diff. The fitter may have been incompetent in some ways, but they have stood up and paid for their mistakes, and for that I'm grateful. Lost the car for a couple of weeks, but otherwise no damage to the pocket... That's why I didn't put their names in here....
The lesson to learn? No, not buy air lockers, although I'm sure they're good. Detroit stuff is good too, and I've had nothing but outstanding support from them. If you're gunna get aftermarket diffs fitted, go to a diff specialist. I know who they are for Detroit in Melb and
Sydney, and can let you know if you want. These blokes out there who stock diffs should stay away from things they don't know about. After this episode, I believe Locked Drive Systems will recommend just that to their stockists.