I have a 2005 XLE Limited AWD fitted with Dunlop run flat tire..since i bought,,its the 2nd time, its changed and now its time to change again..
I need some inputs
1. Changing to Normal Tire--> Will it create any issues around the vehicle stability, Shock absorbers or Pressure monitoring system ?
2. If we need to change to normal tire, do we need to change the Rim as well ?
3. For Spare tire, Is there any method to put it up under the hood OR should we need to leave it in the 3rd Row ?
4. Can I buy a doughnut tire instead of regular tire ? would it create any issue with vehicle stability..
I am not happy with run flat for the following reasons
1. Expensive and need to be changed very frequently.. 2. Bumpy and noisy for the Ride. 3. Last but the Worst... Its very difficult to get a run flat tire..if tire goes flat..we might travel for 100 miles max but you are struck there for days to get a replacement..
Others have used normal tires without any of the potential issues bring up. I'll let them chime in since they would certainly know better than I would.
You can use a donut because mine has one - in fact most Siennas do. It'll just take up cargo space. A donut will have the same diameter but won't be as wide, basically. I've seen one on the floor of the 3rd row, so it will fit in the well.
Does anyone know if run flats can be plugged, like when you run over a nail? I keep a plug kit in the emergency kit and have used it on my Toyota pickup with normal tires for punctures. Can it be used on run flats?
I don't know what conventional wisdon says, but on our 06 Sienna we had 2 sets of Dunlop SP 4000 DST run flat tires. Each set lasted about 30K miles and in about 3 years we must have had 5 plugged tires.
Two plugs in the past 6 months, and just last week I had a 6 inch slice in one tire which could not be plugged so I had to replace the set. I decided to switch to Birdgestone's. These were cheaper at only $168 each, A LOT quieter at low or highway speeds, etc.
The Dunlops were a big disappointment, I hope the Bridgestone tires last.
I just had a new set of 4 Bridgestone RFT put on at a friends tire shop and he notice on my 2006 Sienna awd limited that the rear tires were a little slanted, more in on top and slighted slanted out at the bottom. He also noticed that the rear wheels cannot be adjusted. He suggested that I rotate the tires every oil change
Maybe this is why initial set of rear tires were worn on the inside. I called the dealer and trhey said this was normal.
Went to Prince Edward Island in Canada this past week and when I got there, the right rear tire was just about to come off the rim. Toyota refinished my rims last year after severe corrosion and apparently when they put the tires back on, they damaged the bead on this tire. I'm surprised it did not come off the rim on the highway.
The end result was that I could not get a replacement RFT on Prince Edward Island and had to purchase a regular tire at a cost of $170.00. After the new tire was put on, the tire light on the dashborad came on and even after resetting it, it would just come back on after 5-10 miles.
Now I have to decide if I want to throw the rest of the RFT's away and buy all regular tires, or eat $170 and spend another $200.00 to put another RFT back on.
What a crummy system. They build a great vehicle but having to deal with RFT's is a real pain in the [non-permissible content removed], not to mention the expense, especially when you are in a place where you can't buy a replacement RFT.
I wonder what Toyota expects you to do when you lose one of these tires and you are in a desert or somewhere where you don't find help for a couple of hundered miles.
Living in the mountains of central Pennsylvania and driving a number of gravel roads and tire ruts in all weather conditions, I replaced my run flats with Yokohama Geolander AT/S' s for my AWD Sienna. Not only do they have terrific traction in all weather and road conditions (including mud), but offer a better ride and are smoother and quieter than the run flats. By inflating to 42 lbs (max is 51) I still get very good gas mileage (23+ highway). I've gutted out the back and imitated a VW Westfalia camper with a fold out bench seat from Discount Van and truck, fabricated screens for sliding door windows, bought a plug in cooler, etc and now have an excellent small camper, only one that works well. I'm very pleased.
Hi This thread is a year later, but I hope you are still on this forum from time to time. I have terrible bubbling up on my rims too, I have a 2005 Sienna XLE AWD too. Was given the run around, while under warranty. I live in MIchigan too, north of Detroit. Where are you? In Warren, MI? What dealer did you go to for help? I went to FOx TOyota, totally worthless. What was your end result? I'd love some info and some help on this problem as it is unacceptable, my car rims look awful. Thanks p.s. my run flat tires make a rubbing noise or so they say. My Dad has had runflats on his vette for 10 years, and 200K miles and he has never heard the noise mine make. The dealer told me it is the runflats.
Hi, I am sorry for our dilemma on the RFTs. I caught a post of yours dated a year ago..on the rims bubbling up issue. Are you in Michigan, I am north of Detroit and have the same issue, I got the run around while my car was under warranty they could not fix my rims. I have a 2005 Sienna, XLE AWD.. all four looked damaged with the bubbling up. What dealer did you go to who got them repainted for you? I was going to Fox Toyota in Rochester totally hopeless. I am really steaming about this issue. I let it drop a year ago, but they;ve increasing got worse, not to mention the noise that the RFT make.If you could help I;d be greatly appreciative of your time Thanks
I live in New Hampshire but we probably have the same kind of weather here. My dealer would not do anything to help me and it took a couple of letters to Toyota Customer Service before they finally repaired the rims. As I posted before, the dealer damaged one of the tires when they remounted them after the rims were refinished. This damage almost caused a disaster when I was far away from home as the tire almost came off the rim.
I have written a letter to the dealer with, as expected, no response. Looks like another letter to Toyota about the lousy service from one of their dealers. I think Toyota builds a great vehicle but their dealers leave much to be desired.
Same problem on 2005 Sienna XLE AWD. Started the process with Toyota this past Monday. Toyota said the corrosion should be covered by 5 yr. corrosion warranty. Sent me to my dealer. Dealer said wheels are warranted for 3/36 (I'm beyond this warranty period). Thanks, Toyota, for wasting my time.
I've noticed several other Siennas with this same problem. The only way to go up against Toyota on this issue is with numbers. I will provide a link to my blog in the next few days. Link will describe the problem, document my experience with Toyota to date, and provide a "Toyota Hall of Shame" on which other affected owners can post a photo of their particular wheel problem. As the wall grows, we might get some attention from Toyota.
I just bought a 2010 Limited AWD and asked about a donut spare at the dealer, the parts guy said they did have a package on the older models but he couldn't find it anymore. He said to buy a donut it would be $300 for the tire and $100 for the wheel!
I said are you sure that is a donut and not some sort of high end performance tire and he said yes.
Anyone find a place to get a donut spare and jack kit for a reasonable price? I would like to get one eventually as I plan to replace the run-flats with regular tires when they wear out
Here's a tip - try your local county recycling center.
I went to recycle some used motor oil and once saw a huge pile of donut spares. The trick is to find one that fits. You need to get the right bolt pattern (5x100 I think but verify that first), and also the correct overall diameter.
My 2007 Sienna XLE AWD's run flat tires are all shot at 22,000 miles. I have been offered 2 replacements by Toyota and $100 form the dealer. This takes me down to $345. All this good will after many phone conversations and many unsurprised service people. Did I mention the brow beating from the Toyota Corp. representative. He sarcastically told me how lucky I was that I was getting any help at all. When I asked why Toyota continued to engineer a vehicle and supply it with substandard tires, I was asked if I would prefer that they provide a car without tires. Nice guy. Next time I'll go back to Honda.
We have a 2006 Sienna LE AWD with 42,000 miles. We took the car in for uneven wear in the tires and a shimmy. They replaced 4 tires and brake pads under warranty. Then we had the same issue coming up on 40,000 miles. We ended up with a flat and limped to Sams Club where we purchased 4 new run flat tires. I'm considering trading this one in for a 2010 Sienna and is thinking about having them swap these tires to the new van. They have to be better than the crap that comes on them from the factory.
I have a previous posting at this site with the same rim problem. I am in MI and also purchased my 2005 Sienna XLE AWD at Fox Toyota in Rochester Hills. They would do nothing except refer me to the zone rep who wanted to charge me over $900 for two rims and give me two for "free." Suggest anyone with rim corrosion problems go to http://www.nuckleslaw.com/software-negotiations-expert/toyota-alloy-wheels-bubbl- ing-toyota-quality-concerns/. Post your experiences and pictures. There is mounting group of angry Toyota owners that are trying to build a case to get Toyota to stand up and do the right thing. I was surprised but the Sienna is not the only Toyota having this issue.
I had rim problem solved for my 06 sienna. The dealer contacted Toyota and refinished the wheels for free. Sienna awd's wheels are a real pain. Tires are another problem.
It will be a cold day in hell before I ever buy another Toyota. After the dealer dismounted and remounted the tires after they fixed the corroded wheels, they damaged one of the tires which almost caused a disaster. I wrote to Toyota and they thanked me for my letter. Nothing else. I thought American made vehicles were crummy but Toyota has them beat. :lemon:
Sure the dealership screwed up but they did it on an order from Toyota to honor the corrosion warantee. If Toyota can't control the service that their dealers provide then they have serious problem.
As I said before, my relationship with Toyota will end when this piece of crap Sienna dies. :mad:
If this is the kind of service one can expect from an approved Toyota dealer then this company has a serious problem and it will catch up with them sooner or later. I don't expect a manufacturer to babysit my vehicle but when it is something that they screwed up then they ought to stand behind their product. Obviously, they have not done that. :lemon:
Can you tell me where you are located and who you spoke to at Toyota (and their number). I have the same problem. All 4 tires on my 2007 Sienna CLE Limited are shot- worn out at 26,000 miles.
Just keep this all in perspective, we're talking about a minor cosmetic issue on a hunk of metal, one that doesn't affect the reliability aspect of your car in any way.
It's not like you're on your 3rd transmission in less than 100k miles.
Good luck finding another van with such a minor problem as the primary focus.
If that's my biggest problem I will be thrilled and buy another Sienna if and when this one finally dies.
It's like dating a super model and then complaining that her finger nail polish is peeling off.
First of all, corrosion anywhere on a vehicle is not a minor cosmetic problem. Frame corrosion was the factor in Toyota buying back my Tacoma.
As I posted earlier, the TOYOTA dealer damaged a tire in the repair process that caused a near disaster and they would not stand behind their work. It cost me a lot of money and time to correct and it is still not done completely because I now have 3 RFTs and one regular tire on the vehicle. RFTs were not available on PEI.
You keep making excuses for Toyota. Do you work for them?
I sent a complaint to the BBB and they told me they don't handle that type of complaint. Why am I not surprised? The businesses own the BBB.
As far as sueing the dealer, what good would it do me? It would cost me many times more than what I would get out of it.
I am thinking of calling the 'Car Guys' on public radio and telling them the story. Maybe that would do some good. Obviously, writing to Toyota is a waste of time.
I have 2008 Toyota sienna and already got 2 flat tires. The Dunlop tires are among the worst in market. The TPMS (tire pressure monitor system) system also very light and I already got one broken when filling air and cost me $200. As long as tire and TPMS is concerned Toyota falls flat.
You must be lucky and I hope I am the same. I am going to leave for Florida from New Hampshire on January 2 with three RFT's and one regular tire on my Sienna and no spare. I do have a plug kit if I get a puncture but, knowing what I know, if the dealer damaged any of the other tires during warrantee service, I could be in deep trouble. Thank God I bought AAA membership. I may need it.
I have run flats on my 2005 Sienna. Getting ready to put my 3rd set of tires on at 60,000 miles. After reading all the negative comments, I'm ready to dump the AWDs in favor of conventional tires, but not sure about some details: Can I still use conv. on an AWD model? Do I need to buy new wheels? Will the conv. tires cause problems with the tire pressure sensor system? How does altering the tire system affect resale (if I decide to sell/trade-in, is the lack of a spare going to destroy the value?) Thanks much!
Hi artist, I have a 2006 AWD and made the switch as soon as the runflats wore out. I purchased the mini donut spare from the dealer and my car already had a jack in it. You don't have to change the wheels on this car, and the pressure system works fine since you are keeping the wheels.
The car drives twice as nice with the Yokohomas and they grip in the snow twice as well. You will not be sorry that you made the switch, only upset that you waited this long to do it!
Does anyone know if there is a 17" rim with a donut spare? I think my best bet is to get one from a junk yard, but I am not sure if there is a model that would fit the Sienna. I am not going to buy my 4th set in 5 years!!
I have a 06 XLE AWD with 60000 miles on it. We put 10,000 on it since purchase. The van came with nearly new Dunlop DSST's on it and we have just had our first tire failure. The dealer said it looked like a material defect and we should take it up with Dunlop for restitution. We knew these tires would be an issue when we bought the van and we budgeted to replace all four RFT's with conventionals as soon as we had reason. We made the dealer throw in the spare tire kit as part of the deal at purchase. My concern is two fold. First, we did not get a Tire Pressure Warning Light when the tire failed. We have the older detection system on the van which counts tire revolutions vice actual air pressure. The dealers mechanic swears the system is working as designed but can't explain why we did not get a warning light when the tire went to zero pressure. He says he has seen this before on other Siennas. Secondly, is anybody running conventional Michelin LX4 tires on their Sienna and how is it working for you? Our dealer is offering us these tires at $5.00 over cost plus installation and alignment costs if we choose to go conventional. The dealer says this tire meets all of Toyotas specifications and is strongly recommended by Toyota itself. We priced these tires out on the internet and locally and nobody is even close to our dealers pricing. We are giving this deal a lot of consideration, but wanted a some more feedback on these tires before we give the go ahead. I am also going to press them on the installation and alignment costs. Any input will be appreciated. thanks.
I made the trip to Florida and put 5400 miles on the Sienna with 3 runflats and one regular tire. No problems and the tire light never came on.
Also took the dealers emblem off the back of the car and sent it back to them with a nastygram about their lousy service.
Never needed the tire plug kit that I keep in the car and never had to call AAA. Guess I'll keep it till the whells fall off but the next one won't be a Toyota.
Looking for input on a replacement tire for the Dunlops that are currently on our 08 Sienna. The van has 38,000 miles. They look ok by the penny test and drive ok, but just looking ahead. I like bridgestone Turanzas, but have heard alot about Toyo and hydroedge(cannot remember the manufacturer). Any input would be appreciated.
My conversion was absolutely terrific. Although the gas tank had to be removed, the bench seat that converts into a bed went in very easily -- it is vertical behind the driver's seat and faces sideways. I removed the rear, left jump seat and put a spare, tire chains, tag along winch, etc. in it, and kept the right rear seat stowed in the floor. Yokohama geolander AT/S work much, much, much better than the run flats and alow me to plow through mud and snow in the central Pennsylvania mountains, while being quieter and giving me excellent road handling on the highway, plus 24 mpg on the highway with 40lbs pressure (max is 51; it's an AWD van with 6.9" of clearance). Screens for the sliding doors, a variety of hooks, bungy cords, indoor/outdoor carpeting, and a class III hidden hitch for bicycle rack or 500 lbs capacity luggage tray completed the job. I can now put my front passenger seat down and slide my Tophy 126 (10'6") fishing kayak (which I highly recommend) inside. It's an extremely functional vehicle. Alas, no pictures.
Comments
20k is a bit short, though.
Just get the same tires that gave you 40k the last time, and get a 4 wheel alignment while you're at it.
I have a 2005 XLE Limited AWD fitted with Dunlop run flat tire..since i bought,,its the 2nd time, its changed and now its time to change again..
I need some inputs
1. Changing to Normal Tire--> Will it create any issues around the vehicle stability, Shock absorbers or Pressure monitoring system ?
2. If we need to change to normal tire, do we need to change the Rim as well ?
3. For Spare tire, Is there any method to put it up under the hood OR should we need to leave it in the 3rd Row ?
4. Can I buy a doughnut tire instead of regular tire ? would it create any issue with vehicle stability..
I am not happy with run flat for the following reasons
1. Expensive and need to be changed very frequently..
2. Bumpy and noisy for the Ride.
3. Last but the Worst... Its very difficult to get a run flat tire..if tire goes flat..we might travel for 100 miles max but you are struck there for days to get a replacement..
You can use a donut because mine has one - in fact most Siennas do. It'll just take up cargo space. A donut will have the same diameter but won't be as wide, basically. I've seen one on the floor of the 3rd row, so it will fit in the well.
Two plugs in the past 6 months, and just last week I had a 6 inch slice in one tire which could not be plugged so I had to replace the set. I decided to switch to Birdgestone's. These were cheaper at only $168 each, A LOT quieter at low or highway speeds, etc.
The Dunlops were a big disappointment, I hope the Bridgestone tires last.
I just had a new set of 4 Bridgestone RFT put on at a friends tire shop and he notice on my 2006 Sienna awd limited that the rear tires were a little slanted, more in on top and slighted slanted out at the bottom. He also noticed that the rear wheels cannot be adjusted. He suggested that I rotate the tires every oil change
Maybe this is why initial set of rear tires were worn on the inside.
I called the dealer and trhey said this was normal.
Has anyone else noticed this and why is this.
Thanks.
The end result was that I could not get a replacement RFT on Prince Edward Island and had to purchase a regular tire at a cost of $170.00. After the new tire was put on, the tire light on the dashborad came on and even after resetting it, it would just come back on after 5-10 miles.
Now I have to decide if I want to throw the rest of the RFT's away and buy all regular tires, or eat $170 and spend another $200.00 to put another RFT back on.
What a crummy system. They build a great vehicle but having to deal with RFT's is a real pain in the [non-permissible content removed], not to mention the expense, especially when you are in a place where you can't buy a replacement RFT.
I wonder what Toyota expects you to do when you lose one of these tires and you are in a desert or somewhere where you don't find help for a couple of hundered miles.
My Miata has no spare tire at all. You get a can of fix-a-flat.
You can limp home slowly, on the reinforced sidewalls.
I have to call a tow truck.
My dealer would not do anything to help me and it took a couple of letters to Toyota Customer Service before they finally repaired the rims. As I posted before, the dealer damaged one of the tires when they remounted them after the rims were refinished. This damage almost caused a disaster when I was far away from home as the tire almost came off the rim.
I have written a letter to the dealer with, as expected, no response. Looks like another letter to Toyota about the lousy service from one of their dealers. I think Toyota builds a great vehicle but their dealers leave much to be desired.
I've noticed several other Siennas with this same problem. The only way to go up against Toyota on this issue is with numbers. I will provide a link to my blog in the next few days. Link will describe the problem, document my experience with Toyota to date, and provide a "Toyota Hall of Shame" on which other affected owners can post a photo of their particular wheel problem. As the wall grows, we might get some attention from Toyota.
Together we can and will get satisfaction!
Just go here and file a complaint:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
If enough people do the same thing, they'll be forced to recall 'em.
I said are you sure that is a donut and not some sort of high end performance tire and he said yes.
Anyone find a place to get a donut spare and jack kit for a reasonable price? I would like to get one eventually as I plan to replace the run-flats with regular tires when they wear out
Thanks
Worth a shot...they force recalls all the time.
I went to recycle some used motor oil and once saw a huge pile of donut spares. The trick is to find one that fits. You need to get the right bolt pattern (5x100 I think but verify that first), and also the correct overall diameter.
And get run-flats on their Touring model? They're no better. To make matters worse it's a 17.5" rim size so you're basically stuck.
The Bimmer owners I know who have them hate the rough ride, too.
Why not just get a vehicle without run-flats?
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
If enough people do and they find a pattern, NHTSA will recall them.
Angry web sites may make you feel better, but go to the ODI to take real action.
First, the Sienna is American made.
Second, the dealer's grease monkey screwed that up, not Toyota. Dealers are independently owned.
Sure Toyota didn't do much but the dealership was liable, not them.
As I said before, my relationship with Toyota will end when this piece of crap Sienna dies. :mad:
If this is the kind of service one can expect from an approved Toyota dealer then this company has a serious problem and it will catch up with them sooner or later. I don't expect a manufacturer to babysit my vehicle but when it is something that they screwed up then they ought to stand behind their product. Obviously, they have not done that. :lemon:
Thanks.
It's not like you're on your 3rd transmission in less than 100k miles.
Good luck finding another van with such a minor problem as the primary focus.
If that's my biggest problem I will be thrilled and buy another Sienna if and when this one finally dies.
It's like dating a super model and then complaining that her finger nail polish is peeling off.
OK, a Plus-sized model.
As I posted earlier, the TOYOTA dealer damaged a tire in the repair process that caused a near disaster and they would not stand behind their work. It cost me a lot of money and time to correct and it is still not done completely because I now have 3 RFTs and one regular tire on the vehicle. RFTs were not available on PEI.
You keep making excuses for Toyota. Do you work for them?
the TOYOTA dealer damaged a tire
Or you could say
the Toyota DEALER damaged a tire
No excuses - I think you should sue that dealer, and call the local BBB to report the problem.
You got 30K out of them and you're complaining??? Have you read the rest of the posts listed here?
As far as sueing the dealer, what good would it do me? It would cost me many times more than what I would get out of it.
I am thinking of calling the 'Car Guys' on public radio and telling them the story. Maybe that would do some good. Obviously, writing to Toyota is a waste of time.
Live and learn, I guess.
Toyota dealer maintenance sucks. :sick:
Thanks much!
The car drives twice as nice with the Yokohomas and they grip in the snow twice as well. You will not be sorry that you made the switch, only upset that you waited this long to do it!
Also took the dealers emblem off the back of the car and sent it back to them with a nastygram about their lousy service.
Never needed the tire plug kit that I keep in the car and never had to call AAA. Guess I'll keep it till the whells fall off but the next one won't be a Toyota.