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Comments
Joe
I had my truck in, in August for the same thing. On the rear door jam of my double cab, (passenger door on drivers side) it was like the paint was sand blasted off in that one spot. I think it did it before I installed my running boards as there have been no problems since. I believe what you are looking for parts wise are called 3M strips. The little patches that you see in certain areas on the body that are painted over. Hope that helps
Robert
anyways, i live in los angeles and have to deal w/ the over-crowded highways for my daily commute. at times, i have a very heavy foot. looking for recommendations on possibly improving performance and gas mileage (currently averaging about 17-18 w/ 80% freeway).
1) invest in aftermarket air intake system? or just use aftermarket air filter?
2) exhaust? yes or no?
3) any other street-legal parts?
btw - how many miles can i go once the gas warning light comes on? i usually fill up w/ 89 at about 350 miles.
also, plan to put work into the sound system as i believe the stock is sub-par...will post another topic later.
If you just want to mod your truck 'cause it's fun and you've got the cash to do it, right on. But if you're concerned about the cost of fuel, you'll be hardpressed to make a sufficient improvement in efficiency that will offset the cost of the gadgets.
Your best bang for the buck- remove unnecessary items that you're carrying around (weight) to help w/ stop and go, and, most importantly, try some exercises for strengthening the muscles to lift some of the weight off the accelerator.
Best Regards,
Lori
Next it's used a quart of oil in 2,000 miles. I had a 2000 Corolla with 210,000 miles on it when I sold it and never used a drop. It also had a VVTI motor in it and was one of the 1st with that motor. I checked the exhaust and it was oily and black. The dealer says it could possibly be a bad ring in the motor. I was in the dealer Saturday and they told me to bring it back today and they'd put me in a rental. I told them it's 1 problem after the next and I want Toyota contacted and something done. This is starting to get old, I told them I'm going to file a complaint with Toyota and send it to arbitration about making them buy this truck back.
I love my truck but it seems like it's spending more time at the dealer than in my driveway.
I think that I would let the dealer take a look at it and see what's up -without yet involving Toyota.
1 qt in 2000 miles is not considered "excessive". Some mfrs will even quote a qt in 1000 miles, though any more than that and I'd get really concerned. However, like you, I've never had a vehicle consume much oil, though my 1994 Suzuki did consume about 1/2 qt in 1000 miles when it was new (less than 12000 miles) for a while. I drove it for 10 yrs and 80000 miles and it never re'qd add'l oil btwn changes after the first year or so. Sometimes this is a matter of breakin.
However, if your exhaust is oily, that's a concern. The black is not quite so much of an issue as that can be deposits of carbon from a number of possibilities. I would have someone follow me while I drove in stop & go driving with both hard and soft accelerations, and also at high way speeds, closely observing for signs of blue smoke from the exhaust. Also check the coolant tank for oil while you're at it.
My thought though, is that if the dealer is saying it might be "be a bad ring in the motor" I would let them investigate further. If you involve Toyota, somebody may look at the 1 qt in 2000 miles and say "that's considered normal", and everything will stop with regard to looking into the prblm. But I'd be a little concerned about the oily residue in the exhaust pipe.
I have gotten as high as 22.8MPG US and I find that anything over 70MPH and the truck is alot harder on gas. I find that cruise helps alot if the terrain isn't hilly. After I added a cap my MPG went up by about 1.5MPG. I imagine a tonneau cover would supply the same results. I also too have heard rumblings about nitrogen in the tires being benefical as well. Because it is lighter than air the truck doesn't have to work as hard and the tires last longer as well. I guess that is what they use in NASCAR. A K+N air filter would likely help a little too. I have gotten another 75 miles on a tank once the gas light comes on but that was at 22.8MPG so I guess another 50miles would be a safe bet.
Thanks for any advice...
I have a 2005 access cab w/dark blue paint(toyota calls it
idigo ink). I had an A.R.E. "MX" model put on last week.
Send me an email and I'll send you some pics. I'm sure i took about
30 of them.
It attaches to the inside rails (ie the ones that the sliding tie downs
are on). with 4 bolts. I waited about 5 months for this cap, because
I wanted the extra rise in the back for taller cargo. I live in Delaware.
This pic will give you an idea of what the cap looks like.
http://www.4are.com/img/new/full/mx_06dodge-dakota-blue-18.jpg
troy
Dreddie,
Can you post some pics on here? I'm sure there are lots of us who would like to see them.
Actually Nitrogen is about 70% of the atmosphere, the next larger (approx 20%) is oxygen which is about 12% heavier than nitrogen, the other 10% is water vapor, compounds such as CO2, NOx, CO, then the lighter stuff like helium, etc.
Granted that as compressed, it's the weight of the gas that would fill the volume of the tire 3 times, but if you take out your CD case, sunglasses, all the junk in your glovebox and the old BigGulp cups in the back, you'd probably save more weight.
ARE Top1
ARE Top2
Top is very well constructed. One option I'd recommend is "remote locking". It ties top's back door lock into truck door locks. Uses your key fob to lock and unlock top - VERY convenient.
If you have any questions, just let me know.
fgs_nc did you research the difference between the ARE top and the snugtop? Any reason to go with one over the other? And do you mind letting me know $$$$ spent for the set up?
Thanks!
My top (which included a roof rack, tilt down/sliding front window, and remote keyless entry options) was $2066 (includes taxes). Have a feeling I may have been able to get it for a few $$ cheaper if I had taken time to get quotes on Leer, etc. and used it for negotiating. But I was in a hurry to get it ordered and installed before taking an upcoming trip.
Hope the info helps
How easy is it to remove if you had to?
Can you still use the track system at all?
Additionally, does anyone know if the 2006 Tacomas will have an illuminated 4wd switch. My wife was unable to find the switch one evening. I have done some research into the switch and found that provisions for a small bulb/LED are present but the wiring harness does not contain wires for the correct pins. Anyone else experimented with this switch illumination. I am still working on an LED from the Climate Control lighting as a possibility.
Looking to buy a bad extender (7t) at 282 or the cargo divider(d2) at 295 from toyota I know there are other places with better prices but I do not have it in my comp at home, could you guys post the links, I am looking for a good decent price.
v/r
fig.
I've had some pretty heavy stuff on the gate as well, but others have gotten damage with far lighter loads.
My guess is that it's all in how the load meets the gate, the speed of any impact, etc...
Doesn't look too difficult to remove - 4 "screws" that lock into the track system (2 each side). Top weighs around 150 lbs (per ARE site). So would probably need help removing, unless rig up some type of hoist lift. ARE dealer had to loosen and lift a small amount to re-seal around front corners for two small leaks. I watched him and wasn't much to it. But that would be my only concern removing - worrying about creating new leaks.
And yes you can still use track system. Just have to place d-rings either between or outside of ARE connectors on side. And front track is completely accessible.
The tube steps are Aries Stainless Steel Nerf Bars #6561 purchased off Ebay from trexmotorsports.com (YourWheelMan). Came pre-drilled and with all required hardware needed for mounting. Were VERY easy to install (less than an hour).
First, I changed the 6x9 fronts with Infinity Kappa 693.7i (Ebay) - I was amazed with the clarity of sound and nice bass. Door removal was easy, install simple with TacoTunes mounts.
Second, I changed the rear 6.5 speakers also with Infinity Kappa 63.7i and that was quite a hassle - the doors are a bit more difficult to remove and quite a pain to put back; plus, TacoTunes put their logo in different places on rear mounts (very confusing if you use the lettering as a guide) and there's only one way to screw them right. Sound improvement wasn't as drastic as with the front 6x9's.
Also, I should mention, that if you go with Kappas and wire harnesses from TacoTunes, you will need to cut the spade connectors on them and use crimpable butt-end connectors or something similar ( I bought some 3M heat-shrink connectors from Walmart which worked out fine.) You will also need some tie-wraps to organize/tie down the wires and external crossovers.
To sum it up, I HIGHLY recommend changing the front speakers at least. Before the upgrade after having played with Bass/Trebble controls (-3/-4 Bass) I thought the stock speakers were good enough. Boy, was I wrong!
Thanks, Channelcat
I would recommend either running boards or tube steps based on what I went through. The paint was worn right off in one spot on rear passenger door on drivers side and was starting to wear on opposite side. This started in the winter months as I never really noticed it due to road salt etc. After I installed the running boards that I purchased at the dealership the problem did not worsen. I chose the running boards due to them covering more area and the fact that they were cheaper than tube steps. I just step over them but at least my black lab is able to use them !
Saw some posts about the tailgate being flimsy... gees. Sounds like I'll need to reinforce it...
Does anyone know if the Tow Package option includes more than a hitch and wiring?
Thanks! (Should have my Taco in 4 weeks)
I have the 100XL cap for my double cab. Did you want me to take pics of the inside to show you the types of clamps used to hold it on ? I was also the bent tailgate guy, I can send pics of how I re-enforced it if you are interested
jessupr at yahoo dot com
It sounds like the valves may have to be adjusted. Take it in!
For some reason the manual cluch start is no longer working - I have to use the electronic button to start every time. Any one else had this problem??
the next week or so.
Does anybody know where I can get just the mounting hardware?
I'd like to develop a system to mount other things, and that hardware sounds like just the ticket.
I bought the extended maintenance plan from Toyota when I bought my Toyota pickup and I'm just getting ready to go in for my second oil change. I talked to my mechanic when I had it in the first time, and asked him if I should be concerned with the oil and filters Toyota uses in their garage. He told me these vehicles are built to run off of regular gas and regular name-brand oil. He also told me that the oil should always be changed at 4000-5000 mile intervals.
I guess I'm lucky -- I have not had any problems or noises since I purchased this truck -- I am absolutely happy with it so far! I know folks who bought Chevy Colorados or some other type of truck in this class -- they have had lots of problems/noises/performance issues.
I'm lookng to get a 6spd DC 4x4