2008 Toyota Highlander

bikeman3

Mfgs. put tires on cars that meet their needs. Most tires on new cars aren't supposed to last. In fact most people wouldn't want them again. The tires that came with my 03 HL were Goodyear Integrity They rode ok but wore out very quickly

mattyd

Well, I'm SO frustrated that I'm fuming... how could Toyota have created this great new 2008 Highlander without a split third row seat?! It is just nuts. And now that I've been reading through the forums, I realize "boy, I'm not alone in my sentiments"!

This lack of a split is a huge impediment to putting any sort of long load, like a long shelf or box, or carpet, when there are more than 3 people in the car. I say 3, because once a baby seat is in the 2nd row (in an outboard position, the ONLY place a child's seat can be anchored), it is not possible for a person to sit in the middle "20%" seat. In a car like the Pilot -- whose third row is split 33/66 I think -- you can have SIX people and still retain a very big cargo area: two in front, 2 in 2nd row, and 2 in the 3rd row!

So, I had to walk away from the deal. But then I was thinking about all those involved interior mods you see in car audio and customization mags and TV shows, and thought -- wait, why don't I get a pro customizer/upholsterer to actually cut and split that seat??

Honestly, it's the difference between buying it or not. Cost wouldn't really be an issue. What do you people think is the viability of this?

nimrod99

I had OEM bridgestones on my 2003 HL and they lasted for 29,000 miles
I changed to Michelin LTX MS and got another 66,000 (changed them at 95,000 for another set of Michelin LTX MS)

The Michelin LTX MS handle great on dry roads, in the rain and on snow. Best tires I have ever had

toyseeker

Toyo 19 inch-ers on my 4WD Limited. No complaints so far. They worked really well in the snow. These are the first Toyo's I've had. Going to roll 8,000 miles today. I rotated them at 6,000 mi. Not sure what they will be replaced with and when, as the size is a concern.

Previous [bad] experience with Bridgestone Potenzas (OEM on a '99 Solara v6) - they wore out and were replaced at 22,000mi. To add to my distaste, after about 10,000 mi, if the road was wet and the grade was level or uphill, I usually had to start in 2nd gear to keep them from spinning !!

Replaced with Michelin Pilots... they lasted 26,000mi. Michelin HydroEdges were the 3rd shoes and they were still going strong at 56,000mi when I traded it in.

ronn

Well, if you find someone who can do the job you want, and the cost doesn't matter, I would stay with the Toyota Highlander. I am single, so the third row doesn't matter to me.
I think the Highlander is much better looking than the Pilot, and I personally think you would be happier with the Highlander. I love mine, and it has a great smooth quiet ride.

texases

"The Michelin LTX MS handle great on dry roads, in the rain and on snow. Best tires I have ever had "

Same here, have had nothing but good luck with that tire.

odybill

I knew buying my HL that it didn't have a split 3 row, but I personally have no need for it and I only use it on very, very rare occasions and don't need it split. It is 99% of the time folded for me. I love the rear window that can be opened, that is more useful for me. Enjoy!

jilin74

Same here.

By rear window, do you mean the glass hatch on the backdoor? Is that powered or you have to lift it by hand?

odybill

The rear hatch glass is manual (button on liftgate or you can use the remote button to open). Many of the minivan/suv/cov have fixed glass now, most of the time I just want to dump something in the rear and not have to open the whole hatch for the world to see what's back there.

odybill

>

How did you changed the color? Is it a dealer thing or can DIY? Is it for the standard radio or the JBL radio only? I have the standard radio in a Sport.

yorf

Thanks for the reply. When you had the tires rotated at 6,000 miles, did you get any feed back on how they are wearing? I'm trying to get an idea if they will make it through my lease period (48mths). Not much selection in this size. Only know about the Bridgestone Duelers and Toyo "Open Country A20s". It sounds like people are happy with how the A20s handle in wet and snowy conditions. Just hope they remain sticky for longer than the first year. Some tires' grip drops drastically after the first year. I have BFGoodrich Traction T/As on my other car and they were great the first year. Not so great after the first year. It's funny how Toyo makes no mention of the A20s on their website. I'd be curious to see what kind of mileage they expect from them. Would also like to know what A20 replacements might cost.

ronn

Do you have Navigation screen? If you don't, I'm not sure if yours will change. On the information center, you can change settings which includes colors for the screen. My radio is part of the Navigation screen, so I'm not sure if yours does or not. If you have the information center, the small box at the center, see if you have settings there, such as setting clock etc. If so, find the setting to change color. There are several to choose from.
Good luck!

Ronn

toyseeker

It will be very hard to tell how long they will last until a few people wear them out.

I did the rotation myself, but I never looked at the tread depth, I usually just look to see that they aren't wearing faster in one band than the others (left, middle, right)...

So, I just dug out my tread depth gauge and gave them a measure. With 8,100 mi on her, I have used 2/32" of tread. The unused spare has 10/32", and you usually replace them at 2/32" (inspection fails). So I have 3/4 of usable tire remaining. If they continue to wear at this pace, then they will be a 32.4k mile tire.

It is interesting that the front and rear measurements were very close, with less than 1/64th more tread on the current fronts --- especially since the fronts only lived up there for 2k miles so far.

I believe it is possible that the first 2/32" will wear faster or slower than the rest, so no one really knows. It also depends on driving style, etc. So if you want them to last and last, be gentle !!

As for my driving style, the fist 2k miles so were probably pretty aggressive. I was coming from a two door coupe that could easily double the exit speed limits, etc... It took me a while to remember to slow down. I've been very easy on it for the last 2k miles (as the gas prices have gone up). Mix is prob 70 highway and 30 city/local.

(Note: I have the Toyo Tires on my Limited 4WD)

rbingley

have 18000 miles on them and am replacing them due to irregular ware (front sholder) rotated at 5000 then missed the 10000 at 16500 rotated and ballanced due to a slight vibration. vibe got worse actually shook steering wheel from 65 to 85mph. re-ballenced then road force ballanced to no avail. went to toyota with complaint and slight pull to left Toyota says is within spec.contacted toyo and had tires inspected by qualified tire tec (discount tire) back to toyota this time they actually put it on the rack, made minor adjustments from yellow (in spec but not at exact spec) to the green (good ) zone and stated that the slight outage would not cause wear that they, I, and tire store see. Toyo has graciously offered a 50% pro rate on the tires reducing my cost to a mere 560.00 before road hazerd certs $795 after certs I will be watching the wear and rotating faithfully at 5000 mi . New set goes on tomorrow,stay tuned I drive about 2000mi. or so a month shouldn't take long. p s anyone else this lucky????? lets hear it oh yea toyota mfg. says since toyo is being so nice they will do nothing for me so mutch for customer relations from the manufacturer :confuse: :mad:

tarugs

I have a 2008 HL Limited FWD bought last October 2007 here in TX and it has BRIDGESTONE tires. Package came with EXTRA MILE option so I am following tire rotation schedule to keep warranty. It has 7500 miles on it now and has only been to the dealership once for oil change and tire rotation at 5000 miles.

yorf

Thanks for the info. You pretty much validated my concerns about this OEM tire. It's not going to make it through my lease. To date, I've never leased a vehicle who's tires didn't make it through the lease. I'm in Canada, so everything is represented in kilometers. If I'm not mistaken, converting your calculated tread life estimate to kilometers would make this almost a 50,000 kilometer tire. Our lease is for 4 years and 24,000 kilometers a year. For a total of 96,000 kilometers. If we drive the maximum per year, it appears the tires will be done in just over 2 years. My crude calculation based on the A20's treadwear rating of 300 had them lasting 3 years. Looks like they won't make that. I'll have to read the guarantee again but from what I remember it is pro-rated for 5 years with no mileage guarantee. I guess there's a couple of ways to look at this. I'll have pretty new tires on the vehicle for the duration of the lease. However, I'm going to be paying for it. Doesn't sit too well that Toyota has done this. They could have picked the Toyo 'Open Country' sister tire to the A20 named the H/T. It has a treadwear rating of 640. Even the Bridgestone Duelers have a better treadwear rating. It looks like Toyota wants to help Toyo move product at the expense of people who lease their Toyotas.

yorf

I've only filled up my new 08 Limited once and was expecting the fuel consumption rating from the first tank to be populated in the fuel consumption history screen. This did not happen. The screen I'm referring too is displayed on the multi-information screen. Can anyone inform me how this screen gets populated?

mtairyordge

I think you need to reset the display. You can do this by pressing the DISPLAY buttonj on the sterring wheel until the screen comes up that says "PRESS AND HOLD DISP TO RESET" it is on the left side of the screen.

This has worked for me and I am on my 3rd tank - - Yippie.

mtairyordge

Can anyone direct me to the link/place to purchase 2008 Highlander Shop manual?

Also I need to install a tow bar, I don't want to trailer anything but it is a good way to travel with kids/adult bikes.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

stever

For paper (and online) Toyota manuals, try Toyota Technical Information System

For online sources, try the Online Repair Manuals guide.

wwest

Or subscribe to:

techinfo.toyota.com

ronn

You do not need to reset the screen each time you fill up. The computer does it each time you fill up. It willl give you the average after you fill up, and as you drive, the milege will change.

carlupi

Does anyone know when the 2009 Highlander will be avaible?

rodonnell

The aftermarket has not yet published any manuals, nor has All Data incorporated the 2008 model year. Your best bet right now is the Toyota Information System. Costs $10 a day so the price is probably not worth it, unless you have a problem.

Of course, you could always rely on the information from this forum.... :

thardgrave

Not sure if any of you have read the recent Edmunds challenge of cross-over suv's, but I did today..........was shocked that they rated the Highlander Limited next to last.......last place was the new Honda Pilot. What was weird was the negative comments on things that didn't get criticized when they did their full review some time ago.........mentioned the 2nd row seating was just "ok", said that many interiors panels didn't even line up, and that the trim was "orange". Overall, they didn't like the interior much at all, and also didn't like the brakes much, the handling, the 3rd row seat, etc. They did say it got good mileage and had very good acceleration....engine and trans rated high. They do not have all the other cars posted yet...just the Highlander and Pilot.........they ripped up the Pilot...terrible brakes and stopping distance, and a full 2 sec slower to 60 than the Highlander. They seem to love the Enclave and the Mazda CX9. I know I am still very happy with my Highlander, and have close to 10,000 miles since January. I have totally gotten used to the light steering they keep condeming, and find it handles just fine for me, and I think the brakes are great....and the second row seating is very nice...lots of leg room. Am curious what the rest of you think!

ronbo4

A dealer close by told me mid August.

We were considering buying an 08, but the only one with the options we required was still on the boat, which would not get to port for at least another week--this was last week so it could be here by now. As mentioned--this was a 2008, so Japan is still building 2008s. The dealer does not "expect" ANY changes, except an increase in price by a small amount. I asked him if they had any on order, and he said they would be getting a few in (he did not directly answer my question), but he did not know what models or options.

hth, ron

mtairyordge

No offense but he information in this forum is not always 100% reliable.

I'll look inot the TIS and download it or copy it page by page when I have 2 days off. Got to be worth $20.

qs933

.was shocked that they rated the Highlander Limited next to last...

I think the original "full review" was on the Hybrid model, not the regular gas model. Also, in a comparison test, I would imagine testers would be more critical than in a standalone review. Something that seems fine without any frame of reference may be poor when you have other vehicles to compare it to.

That being said, you have to take reviews with a grain of salt -- whether they are written by journalists or even the consumer reviews on this site. Every person's needs are unique.

For me, my criteria for comparison is:
- needs to be around 190 inches or less
- third row is a nice-to-have, but not a necessity
- higher gas mileage is better (but I'm not expecting economy car figures)
- reliability
- resale value

Features that appeal to me are:
- Rear view camera without navigation
- Smart key
- Bluetooth
- Power rear liftgate
- iPod integration (actual control of the iPod, not just an aux in port)

Not important:
- 8 passenger capacity
- Rear seat entertainment systems
- AWD (FWD is fine for my area)

So far, the Highlander "fits" my needs the best (the only real miss from above is the iPod integration). I'm still considering the Murano as well. I liked what I saw of the Enclave and the CX9, but they are just too big for my needs.

If constantly transporting 5 or more people was important to me, my priorities would probably be different and the Enclave or CX9 would be above the Highlander.

bilcal

I had been having problems with the alarm system going off on its own. I had the vehicle in to the dealer a number of times. I read a post here printed it off and took it with me to the dealer, who replaced the hood sensor as suggested. NO MORE PROBLEMS since then. Thanks to all who checked out the solution.

BILCAL

qs933

No apparent changes for 2009 (just a slight increase in price for the regular Highlander and a larger increase for the Hybrid).

Here's the press release from Toyota:
Toyota And Scion Announce Prices On Select 2009 Models

Edited to add:

The Toyota PR doesn't mention it, but JD Power's site reports that a 4-cylinder/FWD version of the Hybrid will become available:

"The only change for the 2009 model year is the availability of a 4-cylinder engine and 2-wheel-drive (2WD) version of the Highland Hybrid, which had been available only with a 3.3-liter V-6 engine and all-wheel drive (AWD). That powertrain remains available. The standard Highlander carries a 270-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine."

www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/ What’s-New-for-2009:-Toyota

toyseeker

For the DIY-ers... NAPA has the 08 HL Filter Cartridge Kit available (WIX). Just bought a couple today.

toyseeker

Just changed my oil...This was the 2nd oil change, but the first one I did myself (10,002 miles). A couple of things I noticed:

1. I bought two NAPA (WIX) filter cartridges, same number, etc. but they were different. One had a plastic 'cap' over the filter element and one just had a plastic 'core'. The OEM filter in it was like the latter - so the other one goes back !

2. The filter drain plug did not come out (dealer over tightened it). It is supposed to be torqued to just 10 ft-lbs. I could not break it free. I just dropped the whole cannister and did it that way.

3. Resetting the "oil change needed" warning (LTD/NoNav/Smartkey): Turn headlight switch to "DRL off", make sure the ODO is set to "Trip A", turn the vehicle off. Then keep your foot off the brake and press the ignition button. Then press and hold the trip-reset button while pressing the ignition button again. The LCD display will say "resetting oil maintenance" and show a status bar, when complete, let go of the trip reset button. Press the ignition button a 3rd time to shut the computer down. Thats it.

Hope this helps... as I did not see the reset procedure posted here.

bigbutr

Just wondering if anyone's heard when the 09's will be coming out. :confuse: I've heard late August, but dealer won't confirm (surprise)
We've got a few months left on our current lease (06 Honda Odyssey) and wife really likes the 08 Highlander, but it doesn't seem like they're really getting much of a discount on them right now. She's worried there won't be a Salsa Red with all the goodies on it like she likes available in Oct/Nov. when we want to deal, but I would think we could get a decent deal on an 09 by then anyway
Not only that, but isn't that around the time the Venza comes out? She likes the looks of that, but like me, is a little concerned about it being a first-year model even though it seems to be cobbled together with current parts.

ronn

I must say I am suprised as well. I love my Highlander Limited. It is a great SUV. On a recent trip, I got 28 mpg on the highway. I find that hard to be for the size of the Highlander.
While the Highlander may not be quite as luxury looking on the inside, it fits the bill for me. I get alot of looks with my Highlander, and people comment on what a gorgeous SUV it is. I have not seen too many SUV's that I like any better.
I cannot stand the front of the Enclave. I think it is down right ugly ! I guess we all like different things. For me, the Highlander is sharp, and I love it !

sallen10

Do think that possibly you over filled the gas tank before driving and underfilled the tank after driving to get a 28 calculation? That seems high? Anyone else getting 28 repeatedly?

hsvillage

See my post #127 "REAL WORLD MPG". There is a mistake, I should have typed 87 octane, but the rest is correct.I also have a 2001 HL AWD that gets only 23-24 mpg on the highway. I believe the extra gear and 2wd accounts for the 3-4 mpg improvement.

vtgk7

I hope that the 09 Highlander has a better sounding horn. My 08 Ltd Highlander is a very nice vehicle but the sound of the horn is sure whimpy.

stever

All the recent mpg posts really would be a better fit over in the Real World MPG discussion so they've been moved over there.

If you are keeping track of your mileage, either via the odometer gizmo or by hand (or by both), please add to the info there. Thanks.

gymnbat, "Toyota Highlander Real World MPG" #130, 2 Aug 2008 1:03 pm

1headlight

Anybody, past threads by others have said mid August. Well now we're here and no '09 in sight.

Anybody.........????

carzzz

MY 09 will get a new I4 2.7L (187hp/186lb-ft) mated with 6 speed auto. This is a good try level with today gas price! It's going to debut mid to late January next year though.

http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases/View?id=TYT2008081403106

nimrod99

Anyone heard when the next Nav DVD update will be available?

Thanks

wwest

It's about time someone realized that mating a 6 speed automatic transaxle with a poor(er) torque band I4 makes more sense than with a wide torque band V6. Not that the V6 can't take advantage of same, just that a 6 speed with an I4 makes MORE sense from an FE standpoint.

Now if they would just adopt Ford's variable displacement ATF oil pump to make up for the brilliant (FE wise) yet thoroughly FLAWED ATF line pressure control design introduced late in the last century and since propagated across the fleet.....

mck1

I had the same problem. My dealer said he already had seen it twice and was able to fix it in about 2 hours. Now I can get a full nights' sleep. Thanks for the posting.

tarugs

the tire pressure warning light on my 2008 Limited HL has also come on, and I have increased air pressure to all tires to 33 psi, except for the spare which needs to be removed. I have tried resetting the TPM based on instructions on manual but no luck. Was it the spare tire that is causing the TPM turn on?

tarugs

I had my 10k maintenance early August and asked the service tech if they will do the fix for the 2008 HL recall notice for third row seat but he said they have not received any official instruction from toyota. This was publicized early this year and was supposed to be fixed in July. Anybody here received the official recall notice from Toyota?

johnnyv1

I have not received the recall notice either but I did see a new Highlander on my dealer's lot by the service department with a note in the windshield that said "do not sell - tag for recall". Also, I saw the Toyota tech bulletin on the government recall notice web site for the third row seat belt replacement. It is not a simple procedure. It shows that they have to remove all the rear panels, side and floor, and the third row seats to replace the belts. Since I don't use the third row seat, I may not have it done.

qs933

If it's like my 4Runner's TPMS, the spare tire has a sensor. You'll need to lower it and check the pressure. Inconvenient, yes, but better than finding yourself with a flat spare when you need to use it.

fspatt

Hello - I'm moving to Turkey at the end of this month and am planning on taking my '08 Highlander Limited. I have two main questions that nobody seems to be able to answer. 1) Will I be able to get NAV DVD for Turkey and the rest of Europe? 2) Will the radio be able to use the even number sub frequency ranges on the FM dial? Often in Europe, the use the entire FM freq spectrum (i.e. 98.0, 98.1, 98.2) where in the US we only use the odd numbers. I've called Toyota Customer Relations and my local dealer and nobody can answer these questions. I've even tried to contact Denso who makes the radio/GPS system but they don't talk to consumers.

Help is appreciated!
:confuse:

sunilv

I own a Highlander Sport 2WD. I know the Sport suspension is a little firmer than others. I have some questions. Could someone please help me....

Is the Base model and Limited is having the same suspension?
Can we convert the Sport Suspension to a Limited Suspension?
Is it easier to convert?
Whether it can be made with some alterations in the sport tuned one?

1headlight

Is there anybody who has changed out the rims on an '08 Highlander (any trim line).
The stock ones on the new car are nice, but has anybody upgraded yet?

Pics may not be uploadable here, but maybe just let us know, brand, size, etc....

I thought maybe a 20in rim might be too much for the Highlander. Any comments???