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My concern may seem nitpicky, but I noticed it right away, and it may have been the reason that the V8 felt a little more "clunky" to me than the V6 version did. I'll have to drive both versions again to see if this was simply a defect in my impressions or if the V8 I was driving wasn't working quite right. It had only partly warmed up at the time. Otherwise, I'm concerned that the V8 will always feel a little more clunky.
If this is consistent behavior, I'm wondering about causes. Could it simply be the effect of the extra torque of the V8 at low revs? Maybe made worse by a lower first gear (if the 5 spd vs 4 spd difference means that the V8's first gear is actually lower)? Maybe the more "drive-by-wire" nature of the V6 allows better throttle control and coordination of engine and transmission?
I like both versions of this vehicle, but I don't trade cars often and don't want to go off in the wrong direction. I'd appreciate hearing any other perspective or experiences on this.
http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/bestcars/
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This has been discussed earlier in this thread and the, now 'read only', new 2003 4runner thread. In fact after a quick search I see that it was YOU who asked about this in the "New 2003 Toyota 4Runner" discussion in December, and I also actually found a reply to your same question in there that was also in December. Yeah, so I can stop the RTFM attitude, I'll just post the answer that was given in there from klc5610 in post #358:
"There are several posts awhile back complaining of squeaks in the seats. I have 2500 miles on my V8 Ltd and was having similar squeaks in the passenger seat only. On calling the dealer they reported getting a bulletin from Toyota and a kit to fix the problem. The air bag is rubbing against the leather causing the noise. The kit includes a thin felt piece that is placed around the air bag opening. They installed the felt, got the seat back together perfectly and the noise is gone."
I think the edmunds hosts should know that their search does work great.
-Jared
Steve, Host
Is the color keyed cladding available in white? From what I gather, that gives the same appearance of the LTD. Is this correct? How much are people paying ($300ish)?
Also, does anyone have experience getting the leather seating w/out going through the dealer? I've seen Classic Soft Trim mentioned on this message board, but they won't quote prices until the car is purchased ( b/c of their contracts with the dealers). I would assume it's cheaper to buy it on your own and better quality leather, but I wanted to know what experience other people have had. Can anyone give me a price? I'm guessing the $1000-$1500 range. Quality? Thanks for any help.
Steve, Host
They will direct you to a installation dealer in your area. Excellent leather and they also have seat heaters as well.
I was quoted about $1050 for full install with leather. This included the center armrest. $1200 included leather on all 4 doors.
The price will more than likely vary with different installation centers.
I'm thinking of buying some aftermarket audio equipment from www.autotoys.com Does anyone have experience with them - good or bad. I'd like to know before I plunk down my hard earned $. Or can you recommend a good place to go for aftermarket audio & alarms.
I purchased a black SR5 V8 at about the same time as you. I also asked the dealer about color matching the cladding and was told that it was not an option for the SR5 model.
Yes...I am not happy that I could have waited a month too for the new appearance package that is now offered for the SR5.Well, I recently called Toyota customer service to express my displeasure. I was told:
1) That Toyota can make production changes, outside of safety, at any time without obligation to the customer.
2) The new appearance package is a factory-installed option.
3) Toyota has no plans to offer the appearance package to Toyota customers who purchased a 2003 SR5 without it.
I told Customer Service that this was a major production change to a newly released vehicle, and that customers who previously purchased an SR5 should be given the option to purchase the new appearance package also. Most of what I was told was BS. The only thing of value I got out of my call was; if there is a large volume of LOUD complaints something may be offered.
To all of you that are in this position, I suggest you call Toyota customer service at 1.800.331.4331 and file a complaint of your displeasure immediately. In addition, which I have done, is call the Toyota office of the President. That number is available through Toyota Customer service. Ask for it.
You must call and be heard!
Post your call results, and don't let up! Spread the word. Each person can make a difference.
Anyway, I decided to buy then because I thought I was getting a great deal ($200 over invoice, SR5 V8, 4x4, JBL Sound, SR)and was afraid to pass it up. Anyway, it doesn't look that bad with the gray clading, but I would have MUCH preferred the black! I think I'll take you up on placing the phone call and voicing my opinion. Thanks for the help!
Gary
A few week ago, I left work and was on my way home on the interstate. It was very cold (+5 degrees). I went to pass a car and heard a back fire. Suddenly, it was as though the engine powered down. I couldn't go above 20 MPH and the RPMs wouldn't go above 1500. The car didn't stall, it bucked a few times but I eventually had to pull over. After a few moments sitting idle, I pulled out on the interstate again, and it did the same thing. Couldn't get the car to go above 25 MPH. The more I pushed the gas peddle, the lower the tach went, almost as though I was flooding the car (if thats possible).
I made it home, turned off the car and called the dealer. They told me to start it again. (5 minutes later) It started perfect! No problem! I dove it to the dealer (30 miles away) without a problem. The dealer checked it out, no problem!
The dealer said it could have been bad gas.
I must admit that a few days earlier, I did get gas at a station that had 7 out of 8 pumps out of service. They said they were running out of gas! (Should have realized! Stupid me!) Anyway, its been running a month now without a problem, so I guess it could have been the gas.
Any thoughts? Would bad gas (or water in the gas) exhibit these symptoms?
Good move in deciding to call Toyota Customer service. Ask them for the number of the Toyota Office of the President, and follow with a call to that department as well. Post your results. Thanks
If you don't like this behavior, you can deselect Auto mode or simply press one of the fan speed buttons.
I agree you may have a load of bad fuel causing your running problems. I'd dump a couple of bottles of Isopropyl fuel antifreeze (DON'T get the Methanol variety) in your tank to chase the water away.
-Karl, '03 Limited
I have not experienced any problems with the engine's response to throttle changes at low or high speeds. I am very pleased with the well behaved manners of the engine/transmission. It appears that the design of the electronic throttle control has been well done as far as smoothness, ease of modulating the speed and mechanical resistance as you press the gas pedal. As a bonus, the cruise control maintains the desired speed within +-1 mph. Of course, both the V6 and V8 have the electronic throttle.
I am not sure what you experienced on your test drive that made the V6 seem smoother than the V8 but my assessment is that the V8 powertrain works beautifully. I hope this is useful in making your decision. Good luck.
I remember reading something about this in an earlier discussion. Does anyone know any specific information? Is there a fix?
Thanks!
I succumbed a few weeks ago: 2003 V8, 4WD Limited, Pacific Blue, Taupe. Came loaded, even with the seat squeak. Looking forward to critiquing it on here. The power and handling and AWD are huge steps forward. Interior design has a few shortcomings.
RSHolland, what did you decide to do? TBCreative, where are you?
If you ever need a great price on a extended Toyota factory warranty, contact Cliffy1 on here.
I talked to a friend who knows modern engines & transmissions well, and he said the problem might also be an adaptive interaction between the electronic throttle/engine controls and the electronic transmission. The vehicle I tested had very few miles, and the software may have not have been done calibrating things. I have found that some things in engine management computers at least, take a while to adapt and the calibrations thus derived are retained in memory. They may then change slowly over time.
As for reliability (another post), I'm not too worried about an aluminum engine, as manufacturers have been making good ones for quite some time. The other pros and cons of both engines and transmissions have already been brought out here.
About the different versions of the sun visors, apparently random: The V8 I drove didn't have side airbags and had the auxiliary mini visor rather than the visor extension. The variations may be caused because they only do certain visors with side curtain airbags, to prevent the airbag striking the visor and driving it into one's head.
Thanks for your feedback. I do understand how the HVAC system works in auto mode. In auto mode, it typically takes 10 minutes (in cold weather) for the motor to start ramping up to speed. Personally, I like this feature. It doesn't make sense to blow cold air on everyone! However, the blower would not come on at all, even when I switched to manual mode. The only resolution was to remove the fuse a few times until it turned on. Strange! Anyway, the dealer ordered a new motor. It's been 3 days since my first experience with this problem and it has been working fine for the past 2 days!
Anyway, I already added the dry gas that everyone suggested. Haven't had this problem since. This problem was very disturbing at the time. 20 MPH on the interstate with trucks barreling down on me at 80 MPH!
I'd like to thank everyone for their input. This is an excellent forum!
Thanks again,
Gary
-Jared
You really need to remove the motor from under the fender. It could be broken into several pieces. Once the motor is removed, there are some screws you remove to open the housing. Then, you can make sure and remove all the old mast. I have replaced mine, twice, on my T100.
If you decide to do, you need to pick up 4 or 5 fender cover clips, because you will more than likely break them off trying to get the plastic fender skirt off. Then there is one nut that holds the motor in place and you must disconnect the power cord. Readily available once the skirt is partially removed. To re install new mast, hook everything back up, turn on ignition, turn on radio, feed new mast into hole until it catches motor teeth in bottom, and then have someone turn off radio, so you can feed new mast down into motor and metal antennna into place.
I've now done about 2,000 miles in my truck and so far so good. This is my second 4Runner and I really think they've done a great job. My truck has performed flawlessly in some really bad Canadian winter conditions.
I truly value the information that's posted on this forum. Here are some of my findings...
- When I'm parked, snow doesn't accumulate on the glass because it has a water repellant coating (except for the windshield).
- It's a matter of personal taste but I actually like the body cladding. Looks aside, it has really protected my paintwork.
- Gas consumption is pretty poor. My best results so far have been 18.5 mpg. That's on highway and good roads. I'm hoping that this is because it's still fairly tight and we've had very cold weather.
- My only problem was that the doors wouldn't unlock automatically when I selected Park. The owner's manual says there are four programmable modes which can be selected. I had no luck at all but the dealer has now fixed it. They said the directions in the owner's manual are incorrect. They used a service manual to find the proper directions.
Otherwise, great engine, excellent handling, lots of space and all the other goods things mentioned on this forum.
Please respond with your make and model to jfallon@edmunds.com by February 28.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
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Share your vehicle reviews
-Jared
There is a reason to own an SUV. Your neighbor may not agree with your reason but that's his/her problem now isn't it?
Snowstorm gives proof that SUVs aren’t all bad
Nasty weather, acts of kindness
Steve, Host
1. The light auto cut off no longer works...(it used to turn off after 30 seconds).
2. When I press the lock button twice, it no longer turns off the lights.
Did I accidently disabled this feature?? Or is there something wrong?
Thanks for your help.
SV
Overall I'm happy with the V6. It has good power and runs pretty smooth. I'm not worried about the aluminum engine, as another poster said, manufacturers have been making aluminum engines for a while and I also checked with Toyota before I bought it and verified that it is steel sleeved. I think it'll do fine on 87 octane gas even at lower altitudes. The manual says 91 is recommended but not required. Plus they've thrown in some new technology like variable valve timing and with the aluminum block there is less weight. I also like the option of being able to run in 2WH. All of that with the $800 cheaper price tag made it seem like a good choice to me.
I don't know about you but I NEED my SUV. It gets better mileage than a lear jet...
With regard to drivability, the car that I have was driven from a dealership in MI to one in OH. The person that drove the car had driven V6 and V8 4Runner's for some distance and remarked that he thouhgt that the V6 "handle better" and accelerated quicker.
My work commute is about 70 miles roundtrip and in driving this vehicle the last few weeks I have been very impressed. The only noise that I have noticed is that the license plate rattles against the lift gate!!! I had a 1998 Ford F150 prior to the 4Runner and the wind and tire noise was much more evident in the F150.