Toyota Tacoma 2005+

maxvenum

According to a response I finally got from Scorsche (sp?), they are planning to release one in late May to June.

rideamtn

Another option of material to use is MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). I'm replacing my front 6x9's with 6.5 components and replacing the 6.5's in the rear, making the adapters out of 3/4 MDF.

cmitchell

You guys were right! The bed mat is just what I needed. My local dealer had it for $79.00 and would not give ANY discount, even though I bought my truck there. Luckily, I had saved a $10.00 off coupon which I used. I got my Tubes from Toyotaparts.com and saved over $100, including the shipping.

vmiman

Does anyone have a truck with body side mouldings (rubber strips on the doors to protect from dings, etc)? Where did you get them? How much? I'm paranoid parking next to anyone with the bowed-out bottom of our doors. Some jerk is just bound to slam his or her car door into mine creating a nice dent or ding. I'd like to get a heavy triangle shaped (pointed end outward) rubber strip to put on the doors. Any leads?

vmiman

wooddorker

I've read this before.

The tailgate also improves body integrity in a crash, if it's closed.

tacoguy

Nice truck. For the record, my Impulse Red double cab, which was built in CA in Feb, has this chip guard in the same areas you show in your picture. The majority of my chipping issues are in that area! It gets worse by the day, and the dealer is waiting from word from farther up the food chain as to course of action. The dealer agreed that this chipping goes beyond excessive. In fact the word from the service manager is "it looks like hell." :mad:

bigman016

I want to add an aftermarket sirius sat radio to my truck (2005 Tacoma d-cab shortbox) I havent seen any radio dash kits, any news on when of IF they are comming out with one? :confuse:

buffalonickel

Impulsive,

Below are two url's. One brings up Classic Soft Trim which is the national company that installed my moon roof.

The second is Webasto which is the company who made the moon roof. They are in Holland. I have the Solaire Series moon roof in my '05 Tacoma DC.

http://www.classicsofttrim.com

http://www.webasto.us/press/en/am_auto_sunroofs_792.html

The moon roof is electric and has a fully open setting; a tilt up setting; and you may preset two other settings of your choice. It is fully in roof when retracted. The controls are lit so you can see them at night. It has an automatic closing feature that is really spiffy. And it detects rain and closes automatically. This could be nice if you hit a downpour and have to concentrate on the road. This is my second moon roof from this company and I have had no problems at all with either one. It cost $900 and some change. My dealer had the payment built into my monthly payments and that ran me about $10 more a month.

The roof opening starts about 8 inches from the windshield. I do not have the TRD with the compass and sunglasses holder. I don't need to know which way I face in the universe and my sunglasses fit in the glove compartment very well. But if I did, they could mount the roof just behind it. The opening is about 18" front to back and spreads across the roof the same distance as most moon roofs. The installation is professional and upholstery looks like it was factory installed. The warranty is better than Toyota's.

I will post photos asap so you can see what the installation looks like.

Hope this helps the jitters. This is the weather to open up that roof and let the sun shine in and the air rush through your hair as those 245 "horsies" pull your rig down the interstate.

B

volley

Sweet! Let's see those pics!

buffalonickel

Just checking something: is your surging Tacoma equipped with an automatic transmission?

B

maxvenum

Scorche (sp?) says they are coming out with one, and it is supposed to be out late May or June sometime.

pb2themax

MDF is good to use with sub enclosures and stuff that's inside the truck's cab, but MDF is not good to use in moist areas. And sometimes water can get inside the door through the felt seal at the bottom of the window, especially if your truck gets washed with high pressure water, like in a car wash. MDF gets weak and brittle when it gets wet. In a quality built vehicle like the Tacoma the interior of the doors should stay pretty dry, but I'd still use plywood just in case. Just my opinion.

And depending on how you mount the wood adapter, you'll want to watch the thickness of the wood you're using. You don't want to make the speaker stick out too much and vibrate against the door panel. A 1/2" thick piece is more than solid enough for this kind of application.

I've seen lots of GM and Chrysler door speakers that had rust on the back of the magnet and basket. So when I'm replacing the stock speakers with some nice aftermarket ones I always use these in the doors to protect the speakers. Plus they make the low frequencies sound a little tighter, by working like an enclosure.

Speaker Baffle

buffalonickel

Update:
(For the one or two of you who might find this interesting)
Took my '05 Tacoma into the shop Tuesday April 5 to find out what they are going to do about my malfunctioning intrusion alarm--it goes off on its own at any time at any place. The service manager received three inquiries from Toyota California asking what he did about it. I needed the truck last week so he told them he did nothing as he hadn't had the chance yet. They persisted to call him twice again anyway. This problem was assigned a case number and the folks at Toyota must earn their pay by calling shops and asking them what they did whenever they are assigned such a status.

The service department ordered a whole new intrusion alarm system. So they will gut the old one and install the new one in hopes that it will be a fix.

In the meantime Toyota is paying for my renting a Hyundai Accent from Enterprise. Man that car's suspension must be designed from Fred Flinstone's family sedan. What a hard ride!

I expect to have the Tacoma back and working at 100% after the dealer repairs this on Friday. Now I just hope it doesn't decide to hail.

B

B

pb2themax

Has anybody compared the MPG of a 6spd manual to a 5spd Auto? The window sticker on my AT says 21 mpg highway. Does the sticker on a MT say any different?

wrighttr

Hey Volley,

I'd sure appreciate your 2005 Tacoma Audio Upgrade How-To information.
Thomas.Wright@bp.com

Thanks in advance.

TRW

bjw1

I too got a red impulse dcab, but i dont have any paint issues, also from fremont on jan 05 about to get first oil change next week, I hope you get good service from toyota, and dealer. I did have white spots on my hood(did not know what it was), washed and waxed it came off,, but other than that nothing wrong, post your results when you get the response from toyota,.

leob1

The Tacoma doesn't have sound insulation under the hood. I think some reasons for that are to increase the air flow and cooling abilities, because this is a truck. We have more noise as a result. I would think some other Toyota models do have the insulation which makes them quieter.

pb2themax

True. It seems like most truck hoods don't have insulation like they used to.

I think I might add some Dynamat Hoodliner. I've done this before with good results. Plus it really dresses up the engine compartment.

HoodLiner

brodeyo

Hamma- I was flirting with going with the more expensive fold backs, but couldn't pass up just paying 215 for this. Even if it is gone in 5 years, I'm sure I'll get my money on it. The product information indicates that it is the strongest of it's type...
I am somewhat concerned about the tongue and groove system....

Acutally, my cover is being shipped today. Below is a reply I received from Tgrosso- a user who just installed his. I was also worried about the possibility of cutting/drilling into the bedliner. However,Tgrosso also indicated (in another thread) that they have engineered it to work with the deck rail system...It seems they need to updated their product information.

tgrosso wrote on message #2858--
"I bought the top of the line X-Tang. Very simple install. Open the cover in a warm area to stretch out. Not in your driveway. It will get scratched. Wife and I put it on in 30-45 minutes.Hardest part was lining it up so it was all even. Paid $215 shipped to my house. autoanything.com "

impulsive

Great to hear back, got to see the photos ! Mine is not TRD, but I do have a center section that comes off the windshield that has the garage door opener case, the front seat map lights, and furthest compartment away is a sunglass holder, that should be standard... do they have to cut into those compartments to get it closer to the front...did they move your center maplight back some, and where are the switches placed for the operation of the sunroof....pictures from overhead and inside will speak volumes...I'll hang loose with the rest. Thanks!!!

joessla

Buffalo, yes the transmission is automatic. It is still at the dealership and I was supposed to meet with the regional manager this week, but they haven't called. Kinda got a feeling it is the throttle position sensor or some of this drive by wire. Understand that the service manager cannot get it to happen again. He told me that he had not done anything to it, but when I was up there Monday, the breaks had a lot more pedal. Could be the computer self adjusting. Don't really know. I'm not much of a mechanic. My concern is, are there cases out there that ended up in wrecks that were blamed on driver error. Or possibly fatalities. Sure hope not. Have you heard of any other instances of this happening? There seemed to be lots of talk on this about a month to a month and a half ago. Regards

wes240

Joessla - the talk about a month or so ago (at least on here) was not anything like what you are describing. I think you are talking about our discussion of the brakes releasing slightly after being held down for a minute or two - say a stop light. This is of course after the truck has come to a stop and is sitting there for a minute. I visit a few Tacoma boards regularly and you are the only case I've heard of the truck surging forward and having difficulty stopping. I'm very confident in saying that yours is an extremely rare case. I certainly do hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction and you are able to enjoy the truck as most of us have. Good luck and keep us updated.

coldfoot

joessla......a friend of mine had similar problem a few years ago with his Tacoma. It had something to do with the computer. He is deceased now so I cant be sure exactly what the problem was.

volley

Those white spots get on the paint during the assembly process. They USUALLY get taken off before the vehicle is shipped. My mom retired from GM and she was one of the people that had to buff the cars to get those specs off. As bjw said though if anyone has them they should come off pretty easy with a wash and wax.

volley

I know several owners that have the Extang. I haven't heard any major issues. When they first came out apparently they were letting a lot of water in the bed, but a member over on TS worked with them extensively on a resolution. I don't know if the design was later improved or not.

As for the hook and loop systems. I had a Truxedo before and loved it, absolutely no problems at all. In fact I loved it so much I'll never go back to a snap cover. I now have the Access cover on this truck and love it even more than the Truxedo. It is very heavy duty. The hook and loop is a must have it you open/close the cover in cold weather IMO.

hammaa

brodeyo - thanks for the info. I'm getting itchy to add a bed-cover, and this one may be the way to go. I like the support it seems to provide...seems strong at least in the pic with the person standing on it... Please post your experiences and thoughts once you get it on. Thanks!

maxvenum

I don't know what kind of covers these are that you are looking at, but brodeyo's comment reminds me of something. The tonneau covers that snap on can be a royal PAIN in the winter. I have one on my S-10. When I first got it in at Christmas in Michigan, we could not get it on! We had to wait until it warmed up a ways in order to get it to stretch enough. Even after having it a couple of years, it can be a pain to put on in the cold. Just my 2 cents.

wes240

Does anybody have or know where to get a picture of the Extang cover on a 2005 Tacoma? When the cover is rolled up, can you still use the factory tie downs or does the mounting hardware get in the way? Thanks all.

vmiman

I've had my truck since Nov 11, 2004 and have almost 8000 miles on it. I've waited until now to complete the e-mail survey Toyota sent. I wanted to break it in some and give them my thoughts.

I've not had any leaks or major problems. Here's what I told them:

Dislikes: wind noise from driver door; fan noise when heating/ac is turned off; engine revs do not come down quickly when shifting with manual transmission; no gas shocks on hood (cheap prop rod); no lighted ignition ring (can't see to put key in if you wait more than 5 seconds for the overhead light to go out); no light on dashboard to indicate fog lights are on (only headlights on light which is dumb); no lock on fuel door or locking fuel cap available; no body side moldings available to protect from door dings; no chirp when using remote fob (as advertised in owners manual); cannot see clock time unless ignition is on.

Other than those items, I'm very happy with my truck. Great power, styling, and practicality. Gas mileage is 20-22 unless I exceed 60-65 mph. (I have the indigo blue access cab TRD sport with PT package and V6 manual.)

robl2

I have noticed this issue with my automatic Tacoma (built 2/05) but not to the degree that you seem to be experiencing it. I can best describe it as being similar to disengaging the clutch when you are coasting up to a stoplight with a MANUAL transmission in gear. The engine produces drag on the vehicle until you press down the clutch pedal at which time it rolls much more freely. I must admit that it startled me the first time it happened and I am more cautious when I brake. I want to emphasize that this action is not severe enough to me at this point to warrant a trip to the dealer service department.

canadiantaco

hey i cant log in im sure lots of the people on this site use both but it says error everytime i try to go to it... anyone else xperiencing this

maxvenum

have you been able to get on it before? I have had no problems whatsoever using tundrasolutions, and I have been on it for a month or two now.

kbshadow

I was just on it, no problem in fact on it several times today.
kbshadow
stockton Ca

primo

I have an 05 prerunner , 2wd auto, 6cylinder that i'm getting @ 22mpg now on my 4th tank of gas. Most of my driving is in town, but i usually take it easy. So far I've not had any paint, ticking, or water problems as I'm reading that others have had.
I did just put on some dee zee chrome tube steps that help with stone chips, and I also just bought a Truxedo tonneau which is very nice. It fits right in the rail system, no drilling, and rolls uo in about 30 seconds. The only drawback is thta I can't use the sliding tie hooks.
I've had my silver Taco for 3 weeks, but i think this truck is awesome. My only concern is that the stereo is pretty weak. I may try replacing the factory speakers first to see how much of an approvement that makes.

02guy

I am just back from 12000 kilometer trip from Dryden Ontario Canada down to USA Border at Pembina / Emerson then down through Dakota into Montana, then Idaho,Utah,Nevada. We laid up here for a few days of rubber necking and gambling then on again to Arizona and in to Mexico and then back up into Arizona and into New Mexico,then Texas to New Orleans Louisiana,then Biloxi/Gulf port Mississippi for a few more days of gambling. Then up to Memphis Tennessee for the blues and Martin Lather King anniversary of his death. Then on to Arkansas,Missouri,Illinois,Wisconsin then into Minnesota crossing back in to Canada at Fort Frances Ont/International falls border.On the trip we averaged 20-21 mpg at 70 mpg. We drove in snow, ice ,sand, dirt, mud, rain. with no problems or leaks . Truck handles well and is quite comfortable to drive I weigh 260 pounds. Did notice squealing noise when encountering strong cross winds.Pretty well uneventful trip as for driving portion.Truck is a Tacoma 4 wheel drive six cyl speedway blue,we had 1400 klms when we left and have almost 14000 thousand klms now or about 8,699 miles. Changed the oil and filter while on the road trip and am getting oil changed again next week at dealers for tire rotation and scheduled check.All in all very pleased.

aa00

Anyone using strictly 93 in the truck? Thinking of doing this even though the price is getting pretty high!! Anyone think the truck runs better on higher octane? Thanks........

wooddorker

I'm with you on:
No light on dashboard to indicate fog lights are on (only headlights on light which is dumb); no body side moldings available to protect from door dings;

I don't hear wind noise, or have a problem with RPM drop in my 6 speed. I HATE lock chirps and disable them, the key ring is no big deal for me. Locking gas caps are >$10 at any decent auto parts store, and I still don't buy them, but my el' cheapo '85 Toy had a locking door. I have a watch. The prop rod is something I'm used to, but the shock really might be nice!

II'll email Toyota as well about the one s I agree with. I'd like to see heated mirrors.

I also LOVE this truck. This is the first vehicle I've had in 15+ years that makes we want to customize and build it! Mine's a Radar Red Access Cab 4x4 TRD (OG).

tgrosso

I believe it is the Extang lll. It's the top of the line model. $216 right to my door. It uses the side rails and you will lose the sliding of the tie downs. The clamps mount in the rails. You can still move them some. It rides right on the bed caps. To early to tell how well it will hold up. I had one on my Chevy for three years and it looked great.

juandehavasu

Gracias tgrosso! I contacted Extang customer service (?) and they had no idea how their tonnos attached to the new Taco. The Extang, based on my research and your feedback, appears to be the best way to go for occasional hauling and day-to-day coverage. Thanks again and best wishes from the Arizona coast.

bjw1

I strongly reccommned changing at least the speakers, i did on my taco and its much better, have not chagne the radio yet, dont have dash kits yet, but thats cool about the cover, hope you enjoy your taco.

volley

I run 92 octane and I have tested a few tanks of 89. As for mileage there was really no difference, but the truck did seem to have a little more zip running 92. That's just seat of the pants feel though, no hard data to back that up. So it could be just in my head!

brodeyo

I've only used 93 and as of the last fill up, I got 18.6 mpg. Of course, I used the 4x4 on that tank of gas(as the owners manual says to use it 10 miles a month to keep it oiled). I think I usually average around 20. I should state that I'm pretty used to getting up to speed quickly, as I used to drive a Nissan Altima 3.6 - 240 horse. It's safe to say I drive pretty hard on acceleration, and average 75 on the highway. As for performance, I can't really give you any details, as I've only used 93. Let me know your experiences, though. With these prices, I am leaning towards moving to a lower octane.

wanderer00

To the question about MPG for the 4.0L V-6:

2WD: 16/21 6-spd MT; 18/22 5-spd AT

4WD: 16/20 6-spd MT; 17/21 5-spd AT

I know it seems backwards, but those are the figures listed in the DOE Fuel Economy Guide for 2005:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG2005_GasolineVehicles.pdf

The sticker on my 4WD MT does indeed state 16/20 as the estimated MPG.

jackhammer

Hello fellow Canadian, in your calculations (20-21MPG at 70MPH) did you use the Canadian gallon or US gallon for your figures ? I have gotten as high as almost 24MPG but that is a Canadian gallon which is larger than US gallon. Thanks

rdsoxx

I just purchased the TRD seat covers for my Tac. I have yet to put them on, but was wondering what others opinion of them are. Were they worth the purchase?

pb2themax

Wow, that's weird. Well now I'm glad I got an AT. Thanks for the info.

kbshadow

I like the looks of them but am waiting to hear from someone that has installed and used them before I get some.
Please let us know how they look and if they are hot to sit in look like they may very hot.

Thanks
kbshadow
Stockton Ca

tacoma

Dear Sir,
I like the looks of those bed tubes. I jstu got an 05 D-Cab in White and looking to do the same. Wehre did you get them, locally or online?

Thank you for your time.

Harry
hsbowers@bigplanet.com

canadiantaco

i cant get into tundrasolutions its drivin me insane the site wont even come up arrr any canadians havin this prob or emericans

lakevillelarry

Did you ever find a solution? I Googled Tail Gate locks and found the PopLock.