yep replace it first, thats what I just did. That way the alignment they give you is good to go for a good amount of time rather then them align it then you tear it all apart and have it be off again. No they won't do it for free, I asked and as you can read my dealer is apparently alot nicer then others.
And to everyone else yes it is pretty nice to have a friendly dealer I can count on even if my truck has only been there twice (Brakes when it was first bought, now relay rod). I guess it might be true that they are the #1 Toyota dealer in North America for customer satisfaction (at least thats what the "official" Toyota bulletin says thats plastered all over the service, parts and showroom) Hopefully everyone else gets their situation rectified, I can't believe how some of these other dealers are treating all of you.

Isn't it funny that almost every Toyota dealership you go to has the #1 in Customer Satisfaction plaques posted throughout the showroom floor and in the service dept, I have yet to visit a dealer that didn't have one, go figure huh, lol. Glad to hear of a good experience. I still have to get mine done.

I went to bring my 90 pickup in for an alignment after i had changed the idler arm. When the service manager called me to tell me my truck was finished he told me that their was a recall on the relay rod so they went ahead and did that and that i wouldn't be charged for the labor on the front end or the alignment. FREE TRIP. Great service,

Courtesy Toyota, Orlando

does a free front end alignment automatically come with the recall or not?

I take my 4Runner in for the recall Saturday (01/21/06) for the:
"Steering Relay Rod Replacement" Safety Recall.

They, told me that when they replace this it will include the alignment!

Kelly

It appears different dealers are interpreting the instructions different ways.

Some just check - this is what mine did, and it wasn't in spec. I had to have it redone and back charge the dealership for the rework.

Some just do the toe, claiming that's all that's affected by unhooking the components from the relay rod. This really doesn't make sense to me - if you're going to all the trouble of putting it on the machine, why not do the whole thing?

Some are doing a complete alignment, as they should.

IMHO. the key is to ask them (up front) for a printout of the alignment results. If they say they won't do it, take it to another dealer.

Had my 97 T100 in for a timing belt and had the recal done at that time. My idler arm was only 1 year old, all other suspension parts were original. Newark Toyota replaced the relay rod and tie rods with alignment with no charge to me. Just thought I would post up my experience.

I just finished reading ALL of the posts in this thread. Brain hurts. Thanks a lot, Honger and 4Hummer for the PDF! I just called a 2 local dealers, and they said my truck is covered for the relay rod, but will not need an alignment. Thanks to you guys, I printed out pages 1,2, and 18 where it clearly says "Inspect and adjust the front end alignment". Now I have some ammo when I go in for my appointment Monday morning.

PS. Talk about coincidence! I was just writing this post when my notice came in the mail!

I just had my recall done, all ok. I just replaced my ball joints, so I paid an extra $40 to have the full alignment done, otherwise they were just going to adjust the toe. For anybody in or around Calgary Alberta, I went to Stampede Toyota in the NE.

I finally got my recall notice in the mail.

I still haven't got the recall notice, not that I need it. I just have to get the recall appt. set up.

I got my truck used and took it in based on info in this thread, and they replced it, gave me an alignment and car wash, all for $0.00. they also gave me a ride to work and picked me up when it was done. Never had that kind of experience at a dealership before...

Good for you ! I knew that in New England there had to be at least one good dealership. Next time I need something that has to be done at a dealership I'll make the trip up from Ct . What was the dealerships name?

I can't believe it! I called the local dealer way back and they said my VIN wasn't part of the recall. I called the 800 number a few weeks ago and they said that my VIN wasn't part of the recall. Yesterday I got a recall notice in the mail. Seems fishy.

So, now I need to put on my BJ spacers and get the free alignment?

More than likely they will only set the toe and if it's anything like mine it'll be so far out of spec you'll have to take it someplace to get it redone anyways.

So I just got home from dumping mine off at the dealer for the recall.
-I asked them what all is covered.
-They said only the relay rod.
-I said "OK, but won't it need an alignment? You are removing and installing steering parts."
-They said they would not do the alignment.
-I said "Why not?"
-They said they do not have tire or alignment services at their facility.
(Aha!!!)
-I said " What if it needs an alignment after though?"
-They said if I notice a difference afterwards, they would set me up an appointment at Les Schwab down the street, and they would pay for it.

Well, I will see how it feels when I pick it up. I have never had problems with a Toyota dealer before, although I do not go there much. I do feel like they were trying to slide one by me in this case though. A little conversation doesn't hurt, huh?

Tell them to make the appointment. It is specified in the instructions (see the post near the beginning of the thread).

What kind of Toyota dealer can't do alignments? That's a total crock...

Just got my recall notice in the mail today. Now I gotta find a place around this hillbilly hole that does the recall.

I stopped by my dealer and they said they'd done about 60 recalls so far. They said they haven't had to replace any tie rods. I asked about alignment after the recall work and they said "no problem".

Ok, so my dealer said it would be finished between 3 and 4. I just got a call (almost 4) and they said they would not be able to do the recall because I have an aftermarket stabilizer on my truck, and they would be liable if it broke after they re-installed it.
-I said "So what do I do know?"
-They said nothing. I could just chance it. It would probably be fine.
-I said " So what if it breaks and my steering goes out?"
-They said there is nothing they could do.
-I said "What if I pull it off, then get the recall done, then I put it back on?"
-They said that would be fine.
-I said "What if you pull it off, do the recall, then I put it back on?"
-They said that would cost me a $45 removal fee.
I said "For 4 bolts? That's crazy! I'll pull it myself."
The thing that bothered me the most is I had my truck down there a little before 10. They said it would be done between 3 and 4. I get a call at 4 and they say they can not do it. I took the day off of work to get this finished, and now I have to take another. They could have called me when they first realized the bogus "not able to do it". Then I would have went there, parked it on the curb, removed the stabilizer, and drove it in. It could easily have been finished today. Very irritated.