I drove my 2006 Toyota 4Runner for a year and a half with a knock (only for lack of funds to get it repaired) but also it never affected the way it handled or drove - it never ran hot - it didn’t use any oil or other fluids - and at times the knock or clatter was almost non-existant. While driving home from Dallas it changed, the noise got real loud and the vehicle seemed to not want to shift gears, I ended up having it towed (over 200 miles) to home and haven’t cranked it since. I want to have it repaired as I love this truck, but don’t want to be screwed over in trying to get it repaired and I don’t know of anyone around the Beaumont, TX or Golden Triangle Area that would be someone I could trust to do a good job and be fair and honest about what the repair would be - can anyone help me?? I hate to be that woman they saw coming I just want a fair honest estimate from someone that really knows what they’re talking about and get it fixed in a timely manner.
Ask your friends, fellow church-goers, bar hoppers, relatives, co0workers, anybody you know personally, which shops they use. Then interview a few of the shop managers, shops that specialize on Toyotas or at least Asian cars. Make sure to tell the shop which of their customers recommended them to you. this gives you a little leverage b/c the shop then knows if you aren’t satisfied with their work you’ll tell this to another of their customers.
Hard to say what was causing the knock based on your description. Could be an inexpensive repair, or a really expensive repair. I guess worse case you might need a replacement engine, which would set you back $4-6 K P & L I expect. If you end up going that route, ask here fore advice on where to source the engine, what sort of warranty to look for etc.
The basic question would be what is the oil level at this point and how often do you, if ever, check it? Offhand, sounds like a bearing knock.
It seems to me that this could easily turn out to be an expensive fix if a rod bearing is involved. It also seems to me that you might well be equating an expensive repair to being ripped off and that is not the case.