I heard a loud crunching sound coming from the passenger-side rear wheel the other day while backing up. Turns out my right rear wheel was suddenly visibily bent at a 10-15 degree angle on its axle. I got it towed and the shop said that my rear axle is cracked and rusted out. They recommeneded I get it fixed at a Toyota dealership. I bought the vehicle a little over ten years ago now and I think any warranties I had have lapsed. Is there any reason I should specifically have the dealership make this fix? I am pretty broke, don't know much about cars, I and assume this will be an expensive repair. I'm worried the dealership will charge a lot more for this fix than a regular auto shop. Attached is a photo of my rusted axle that the shop sent me.

 

Sorry to hear about the issue and you can go to a junkyard to get a good rear axle and have a shop swap it out. The axle is over $1K from the dealer but it's probably $200 from a junkyard. It's fairly straight forward but with the amount of rust that caused the axle to snap, you should be prepared to replace some bolts and the rear trail arm bushing. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

As Lulu posted grab one from a junkyard, or order one from LKQ, and swap it in. They are heavy but not difficult to swap. Just make sure the one you get doesn't have the same rust as yours. I'm assuming you live in an area that salts the roads in winter from the look of it?