I posted this on a different site, but there isn't much action there. Maybe you guys can help.

My brother in-law took his truck in to have a leak checked out. They told him the following:

Oil cooler pipes on tranny leaking (non 4x4)$440
Lower intake mani (gasket?)leaking coolant+replacet-stat$500
Front+Rear shocks leaking $400

I told him not to have any of the work done because thats a lot of money, and mostly in labor. I build and tune Audi/VW cars and have all kinds of experience and tools. I'm just wondering if after I verify this diagnosis to be true, are there any relatedDIY articles floating around here mainly for the tranny cooler and intake mani? Are these normal issues with these engines at ~70k miles?

I didn't see anything in the DIY section other than some fault code definitions.\

Thanks.

 

A good DIY article from D-tips has been posted quite a few times for the intake manifold gaskets.
4.3L Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement - DTips.com

As far as the transmission cooler lines, there is nothing special about them other than how they connect to the transmission. They clip into a special fitting that can be fun to deal with. I would recommend you find the area where the leak is, then cut the line and sleeve it with some rubber hose & hose clamps. Just make sure that the rubber hose is compatible with the temperature and transmission fluid.