Toyota Highlander

toyotaken

Actually, for the most part breaking in the engine is not much like it was before. Older cars, the manufacturing of the engines were much less exacting than they are now. For the most part, now what you're doing is seating the rings on the pistons, and "tempering" the metal parts. You're not really rubbing off burrs and such like you were in older vehicles.

If it would make you feel better, you can certainly change the oil now, but it's not necessary. However, what you can do is take a look at the oil on your dipstick. If it has a lot of impurities and particles in it, go ahead and change it. Otherwise, just you're normal intervals.

Hope this helps.

Ken

cliffy1

Can I say something totally unrelated to this discussion? Who the heck trained you in this business? Whoever did, must have worked in the same store I did here in VA. Just about every answer I read from you is almost word for word the same answer I would give. Maybe I can stop posting now.

toyotaken

I'll take that as a compliment I think. Actually, I just probably have the same philosophy and work ethic that you have. I WILL NOT ever lie to a customer. I will say frequently, "if it were me", and temper it with, "but this is an individual decision, so it's up to you". I don't mind calling a spade a spade as the saying goes and actually, my mother-in-law likes to tell me that I'm the type of person to call a spade a "da*n shovel".

I think that I should know as much or more than the great majority of customers about my product and I don't mind saying that I don't know the answer if I don't. However, I will always find it out if it is at all possible. I'm just glad that the work is appreciated. So thank you Cliffy and I'll take the compliment as long as you know that you're as deserving of the same.

Ken

scanner

...that explains everything. ;-)

Dave

With the $500 over invoice HL.

scanner

What's the lowest over invoice the both of you have ever sold a HL?

toyotaken

Actually there are alot of factors going into the decision as to what we sell our vehicles for. During months where we have contests or promotions, there have been HL's that I've sold for a few 100 over invoice. Most times, they sell for between $800 and $2500 over invoice depending on the model, color, equipment etc. I know that doesn't help a whole lot, but as has been said many times here, each sale is individual and prices vary from dealer to dealer and for different vehicles and times of year.

Ken

scanner

"a few 100 over invoice?"

brad_22

I'd like to see how the A/Ts look!

A word of warning, though, with the 235's (I'm assuming you didn't get the aftermarket spacers). When I first installed mine I had no problems with clearing the rear-wheel struts. However, when I had the tires rotated, one of the tires began rubbing. I guess not all of them were uniform size! Just something to be wary of...

soco2

I brought my H/L in to Service today to have the "distant siren" noise (noted also by others on this board and the Problems board) checked out. Incredibly, but in line with one of the Laws of Perversity, the noise that had been present consistently at very low speeds for nearly two weeks did not show up today. Service said that a mechanic test-drove the vehicle, listened to stirring parts with a stethoscope, and visually inspected the wheel and axle area, but found no problem. At least, I had the mildly interesting experience of driving a Prius (my loaner).

saw11

With yesterday's record snowfall, I had a chance to try my Highlander through 16-18 inches of unplowed snow. The performance in this deep snow was spectacular. There was no slippage of any kind and the vehicle did not hesitate moving through this much snow. I would have to grade this vehicle's abilities in deep snow as nothing short of excellent. Much better than the Tundra and as good as the Wrangler 6-cyl. Hopefully, there are other driver's out there with the same experience with the Highlander.

cliffy1

I've actually moved to the finance office so I have never sold a HL (they came out after my move into finance). In general, the HL in the DC area will go between $500 to $2000 over invoice, depending on the demand for a particular model, equipment package or color. Every region can have different market conditions.

I will take this opportunity to remind you that the best price is not always the best deal. Shop for an honest dealer and you will get an honest price and far less headaches when buying a new car. You may not get the "lowest" price but it will be honest.

cliffy1

Did you read saw11's post? Did you?

toyotaken

cliffy, I'm sure that he'll just write that off as an anomolity as he knows everything there is to know about how they drive in ALL situations. After having 14" of snow here in Buffalo this week and digging out all of our vehicles one more time, I have to agree. The AWD system on the Highlander is VERY effective on snow and ice. Just remember that it doesn't defy physics and won't get you through packed snow over the bumpers. (from personal experience)

Have a wonderful new year everyone.

Ken

jjgittes

I'm seeing advertisements in the newspaper for Highlanders for $22k. I presume it is the 2wd, 4 cyl model. Anyone own one of these out there? Is the 4cyl. adequate? I don't need 4wd, nor do I tow or hot rod around. Any info would be appreciated. The $22k price sure is tempting.

patsyd

I test drove a new Honda Pilot and just loved it. Locally they are going for sticker price and not a penny less. As an alternative, my husband has been encouraging me to look at the Highlander and Rendezvous rather than the Pilot, because of Honda's marketing strategy which seems to hold the consumer hostage to low supply + high demand = big price. The Rendezvous was downright ugly but I was favorably impressed by the Highlander. I saw a used 6 cyl AWD 2002 S -5 (?) model with 16K miles, and they were asking $26K. That seemed like a lot for a used, though I did note the stickers on the LTD versions were $34K.... what do you think? Also - any known problems with the 2002 Highlanders?

dougweaver

jjgittes ... we are waiting for our Special Order 4Cyl FWD HL to be delivered. I took the 4 CYL for a test drive and I thought it did great. I would suggest you do the same thing. If you aren't going to be towing anything or carry a lot of cargo or drive in mountains and hills a lot in my opinion the 4Cyl is fine. The 27 MPG sounds very good to me also. One other thing if you want the AWD I would go with the 6CYL due to the extra weight. For the price you listed I bet it is a stripped down model. We loaded up our HL with a lot of options that we wanted. The options increase the price quickly. So it depends what you can live with and live without. Good luck. dpw

candyman85233

1. I went to try and find an air filter for my 2001 HL and pep boys or checker do not have numbers. Any idea where I can get an air filter from (other than the dealer, obviously)?

2. I live in Gilbert, AZ and want to know if there are any mechanics around here that I can take my HL to for service (A/T, Alignment, checkups, etc...)? Or does anyone know how to research a good local mechanic who may specialize in Toyota's? I find the dealer service prices way too high.

Thanks

stringfellowh

Recently, I've noticed that the weatherstripping above the rocker panels has developed cracks and pinches along the seams-at exactly the same spot on both sides. Has anyone else noticed any deterioration witht he weatherstripping?

landdriver

I test drove a 4 cylinder and it was plenty peppy for my tastes -- would have purchased a 4 cylinder if they had been available on Limiteds.

dominor5

1. The Toyota part # for the air filter is 17801-0H010 which you can get at toyotaguys.com for around $16.00. You can also try performanceproducts.com or truckperformance.com. The Purolator equivalent is part #A35432. K&N also has a reusable equivalent which you can look up at their web site. Kindly post the replacement procedure if you do it yourself. Thanks.
2. Finding a reliable mechanic is not easy: word-of-mouth is usually best, from experience. You can start with the AAA web site, enter your zip, and check out their list of recommended shops for your area.

Hope this helps.

silverltd

I know that the center console for the 2001 Highlander has been discussed often, but for those who are interested, I had the 2002/2003 center console retrofit into my 2001 Highlander Limited. According to my dealer, it was the first time they had done the work and the last time they will do it.

They had to order the center console by its many parts (and there are many), put it together, and then install it into my Highlander. It also involved getting a new side panel for the driver's seat as the console wouldn't fit in with the 2001 cup holders.

It was expensive (~$1400), but to me, it was worth the money. I love the way it looks and it now makes my Highlander the "perfect SUV" for me.

So, it can be done, but it's expensive and apparently not every dealer will be willing to do it.

stuartc

Hi all:

I have two fairly big (95lb each),older, non-athletic dogs. To make it easier for them to get into the Highlander, I was thinking of removing one of the 2nd row seats so that they would have a bigger floor section to jump on to when the jump into the car. I'm then hoping that it will be easy for them to jump from the bigger floor section into the back section of the Highlander.

Anyone have any thoughts on this ? Is it easy to remove one of the 2nd row seats ? Thanks in advance.

wwest

There is a world of difference, a whole WIDE world, between skiing on fresh untracked "dry" (DAMN COLD!) powder snow and packed or "tracked" snow.

I wouldn't hesitate taking even a FWD vehicle out on that, much like driving on loosely packed beach sand.

Then there is something some of us know, some all too well, as Pacific Northwest boiler-plate. Tracked or packed snow that was warmed by yesterday's sun and then refrozen overnight.

Even my Jeep couldn't, didn't, handle that.

pasqual

Mikey00,your post 7423 states 54 ft/lbs of torque is required for the drive shaft bolts. Are you quoting from the Factory Manual or owners' manual. My H/L is due and I hate to bring it to a dealer especially when I have a great Snap On torque wrench I'm itching to use. Have you found a decent after market maintenance manual? The factory one is outrageous.

mikey00

I don't have a manual. I got that spec from post#7048 by Sirfile on this board. If he is still out there maybe he will respond.

eenglish

I couldn't take the stock speakers any longer and Santa brought me some new ones.

I didn't want to invest tons of money to replace the deck, subs, component speakers, etc, plus Santa said I wan't THAT good this year.

I used Crutchfield (www.crutchfield.com) for research. I was looking for not too expensive, efficient speakes that would give a good upgrade.

I ended up with replacing all 4 with Pioneer TS-G1647's which are rated at
2-30 RMS
150 peak
35-22K
92 DB sensitivity
2-way coaxial
These are efficient and have a good low end spec.

These turned out to be close to the cheapest they had that fit, but still had decent specs.
They were $50/pr at Crutchfield but I got them on sale at $46/pr at BestBuy (reg $50/pr).
I also didn't want to deal with the install so I had BestBuy install them as well for $69 for all 4.
I also got an extended 4 year warrantee at $19.95, which I usually don't do but the salesman gave me a hint to only get the guarantee for 2 speakers and if there's a failure, then just say it's for whatever one fails.
So for about $180 I got 4 speakers installed with a 4 year guarantee, including reinstall.

The improvement was very noticeable. The treble is crisp and the boomy base is gone.
At pretty loud volumes there didn't seem to be any speaker distortion or amp clipping.
I used to have the treble cranked at +5 and now I use 0 or +1. I use +1 or +2 for bass.
I also set the fader a bit to the rear so I can then turn the volume up a bit and get more bass from the back. The bass is pretty good but not super but they are only 6 1/2"

The speakers they took out were a joke. They were lightweight single hard plastic cones. They looked like the kind you see in a cheap boom box. They didn't even have a 'whizzer cone' to improve the treble. The speakers in my wife's 96 Camry were even better.
The bean counter who picked these speakers should be fired. For an extra $20-30 total, they could have put in decent speakers

The installer said that he thought that the amp put out about 20 watts/channel.

If you are an audiophile or are into earthquake rap, these speakers may not fit the bill but it does seem that the speakers are the weak link and you can get a major improvement with just changing the speakers.

sirfile

To pasqual / Post #7470:

The 54 ft/lb spec is from the Toyota factory manual. You are right about the expense of those manuals but there is a cost-effective alternative. Most repair shops and dealers subscribe to alldata.com, which makes over a million pages of auto repair data available to the professional shops. You can subscribe to alldatadiy.com [do-it-yourself] for $24.95 per year for the first vehicle and $14.95 for subsequent vehicles and renewals. The site is also a good source for recall and technical service bulletin information. Its really slick and gives you many opportunities to use that new Snap-on torque wrench. Good luck!

Sirfile

mechatronx

Just bought the Cross Terrains after much research. They are great! Highly recommended! The tires make the HL have a wider stance. Once they were put on, the HL seemed about an inch taller, which was fine with me considering the tire is a little wider. Looks much more rugged too! The only problem is that there is a noticeable steering wheel shake at high speeds.

I've balanced the new tires once they were put on. Do I need to bring it in for an alignment when I put on new tires??

mikey00

Sounds like they did not balance one or more of the new tires properly. Sometimes a tire can be out of round but this is highly unlikely for Michelin. Alignment should not be an issue if your old tires had no vibration and were wearing evenly. I would go back to the installer, explain the problem and have them check their work.
If you want to check things out yourself. Replace wheels one at a time with the spare and see if you can find the problem one. This is assuming the spare is still the same size as your replacements. You stated the new tires are wider and taller which sounds like you went to a larger size. The same size from different manufactures should have the same overall diameter within .1".

bill01923

We have both a 2002 HL Limited and an 03 Pilot EX. They are both great but very different. The HL is much more carlike in size, ride and interior. The Pilot is more SUVlike. The ride is fine, it sits much taller and is a lot bigger. IMO it depends on what your planning on using it for. My wife drives the HL and loves the size and luxury. I drive the Pilot because I needed something similar but bigger.
Both are very good in the snow. The HL Limited came with everything included whereas Honda nickel and dimes you to death. If you want a moonroof or heated mirrors and seats you have to go up to the MDX. The quality of both is very good with the edge going to Toyota.
Our HL just passed 1 year and has only been in for maintainence and the gas tank clamp recall.
The Pilot has had a number of nagging little things but nothing major (we got it in June).

pasqual

Sirfile thanks for the info on the torque. You are right I'm sure the manuals are cost effective, as a matter of interest I missed the opportunity to win a bid on Ebay for the 2 volumes. The winning bid was 89.00. Anyway thanks again I'll check out Alldatadiy.com.Have a healthy New Year.

stuartc

Hi all:

I live in the Boston area where snow & ice are common in the winter months. I don't know much about VSC (Traction Control/Stability Management), but I would think it would provide added safety in winter driving. Correct ?

I found a dealer who will sell me a Highlander, Limited or non-Limited, at invoice. The Limited model has VSC. Any opinions on which model (Limited or non-Limited) to buy ?

Thanks.

toyotaken

To be honest with you, alot of that is going to be based upon if you value the additional equipment that the limited comes equipped with. At least in the area I'm in, the Limited models come pretty well equipped. Climate control vs. regular A/C controls. Leather seats vs. Cloth. Heated seats vs. non-heated. In-glass antenna vs. mast. 6-disc cd changer vs. single disc. Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever vs. plastic. and several others. The best way to see if you want the VSC is to drive a vehicle that has it on ice and snow along with one without. This will give you a real-world experience as to how the system works and if you think it is worth the extra cost. Hope this helps.

Ken

stuartc

Hi Ken:

Thanks for pointing out the differences between the two models. While the additional options on the Limited are nice, I don't think they're worth the money by themselves. I am concerned about safety and for added safety I will pay the extra money for VSC, if VSC actually provides added safety. This is what I'm hoping to get opinions on.

As for testing a Highlander with and without VSC, I would think that's kind of difficult. Wouldn't one have to drive the car in a fairly dangerous manner, such as taking a corner too fast, to get a real-world feel for what VSC provides. I guess I would rather have folks provide their expertise/experience on the matter in a forum such as this.

Thanks again for the info.

firewalker_

For those of you that still have the stereo/cd/tape player that came with your vehicle, I was wondering what everyone had there bass and treble set on. I have been trying to get the best possible sound out of mine, considering what we have to work with and I was wondering what othershad them set on.

brupop

I have a 2002 LTD w/VSC and have tested it on a snow-covered and ice-covered parking area. It worked as advertised and kept the vehicle going in the direction the steering wheel was pointed. I also had the VSC kick in while driving in a spirited manner on dirt roads this past summer. Again the VSC worked well. In fact, it was kind of fun to drive up to the limit on those dirt roads and feel the car stay on track.
I bought the LTD to get the VSC and side air bags for safety and would do so again with no hesitation.
GregB

toyotaken

The best way is actually getting out into an open parking lot with lots of ice and snow and trying to get the vehicle to get out of line. The VSC does actually do a very effective job of keeping the tail from wagging out and minimizing understeer, but at the expense of some performance when doing these types of maneuvers. They frankly will not keep a stupid driver from his own stupidity, but it is a pretty effective system. When I've driven a highlander with VSC on ice and snow, I have to work very hard to get it to kick the rear end out. This is not something that can readily be done without actually working at it. As I said, it won't help you if you're getting on an off-ramp 20mph faster than conditions warrant or making a turn at an intersection going 30mph. What it will do is if you hit a patch of ice in that intersection going a reasonable speed, keep you from kicking the rear end around when making the turn. Or in the example of getting onto an off-ramp, if it understeers a little bit, it will slow you down a bit and get the front end around a bit more than just using the steering wheel.

If you're a careful and conservative driver, I don't necessarily think that it will make a HUGE difference in the overall handling of your highlander, but as I said, part of that will be based upon what you think if you drive one with and one without the system to see how they work.

Hope this helps.

Ken

stuartc

Hey Guys, thanks very much for the feedback. This Highlander will be driven mainly by my wife, who has spun our Camry in snowy, icy intersections in the past. Based on your comments, I think the extra level of safety that VSC offers will be well worth it for us. We're going down to the dealer later this evening and we will be going for the Limited (with VSC). Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

toyotaken

kybill

We bought a 2003 HL Ltd 4WD which has VSC, in late Nov. Since then, we have had several significant snow and ice storms here in the Cincinnati area. I can tell you that on the "hills of Ky.", VSC has made a notable difference in confident handling of the vehicle. As ToyotaKen mentioned, it's not a substitute for common sense or caution, but it does add some margin of error in situations where you otherwise might have less control. I think it's worth the extra money.

jwfjwf

If you have the base audio system, you will notice a significant improvement by invoking the midrange trick. With your radio on, press the right-hand knob in and hold it there for what seems an eternity, but is only about 10 seconds or so.

Release when you hear a beep. Then start cycling through the tone and fader setting until you see one that wasn't there before: midrange, which looks a little like IIID. If you set it to about 3 or 4, you will think you have a different radio. The system still leaves a lot to be desired, but it is better.

If you turn off your ignition while the system is on, you will lose the midrange setting and have to repeat the process. Most of us have figured this out after 2 or 3 hundred resets.

firewalker_

I will do that. If only I can get my wife to remember to turn the radio off before she shuts the engine off. Probably won't happen....Again thanks for the info.

03bluestone

You do Not have to buy the Limited Highlander to get the side air bags and VSC ! ( We don't like leather seats so we got 6924 Model - V6, AWD, ABS, VSC, moonroof )

03bluestone

Geez, I hope you guys aren't spending thousands more on a Limited just to get VSC and side air bags. This is a major purchase and should be researched thoroughly. Visit the toyota.com "Build your own" area and learn about the various models and the packages available. Your dealer should be able to do a dealer trade with many other Toyota dealers in a multi-state area. He can do a search on his computer for the colors and packages you want. (The package codes are at kbb.com and may be here at edmonds.com too). You also could consider emailing area Higlander dealers for their prices and availability. I have found that some have very good web sites showing inventory, prices, and photos. Good luck and Happy Highlandering!

dougweaver

I've enjoyed the VSC discussion. We are waiting for our special order HL to be delivered. It will have the VSC but ours is a FWD 4Cyl with a load of options. Any opinions on how the VSC will work on the FWD instead of the AWD are appreciated. Thanks dpw

wwest

My experience is with an 01 AWD RX but the drivetrains, firmware, etc, should be the same.

Unlike the Porsche PSM the T/L VSC is non-aggressive, I. E. "Soft", possibly for the woman's touch. These are, after all, simply minivans that are just macho enough to satify the men in their lives.

VSC with FWD vs AWD. Save the expense, short term and long term, of AWD by buying the FWD with VSC. The HL and RX AWD system isn't. On dry or high traction conditions it is truly AWD, not that it's useful at those times. On adverse roadbed, slipping, conditions it quickly, instantly, converts to a 95/5 F/R torque distribution ratio, basically a FWD.

The only real shortcomings I have found with the VSC is the short duration of availibility and total lack, seemingly, of traction control. Not sure if it's concern about the ABS pump overheating or just simply low pump reservoir capacity, but it kicks off fairly quickly and then cannot be activated again until you have driven about 200 yards.

highinkc

Hello everyone..greetings from sunny kc

We have owned our Highlander Limited for a few months now and have loved it. I have a few questions for seasoned owners.

1. When auto climate is selected and heat is on in winter why is the AC automatically on? Will this decrease gas mileage?

2. Is the paint on Highlanders susceptable to easy chipping? We've had two major chips so far.

3. Is there a timer on the heated seats. It seems if they are on for a awhile they start to get cooler or is that just us getting used to the heat?

4. It says there are 8 speakers in the stereo system. I only count six. Are there two subwoofers hidden somewhere. Also is there a separate amplifier apart from the head unit.

Thanks

nimrod99

wwest claims the HL AWD is 95/5 front/rear.

I tried the following test.
I parked on a dirt road that was somewhat hard packed. From a standstill - I floored the gas pedal for a quick second or two. I observed the spot where I was stopped. All 4 wheels has dug into the firm dirt. Now if what wwest claims is true - only 5% torque is going to the rear - then why is there 4 equal sized divots in the dirt? From the effort required to dig into the hard packed dirt - I would conclude that each wheel received 25% of the torque.

To say that high traction is AWD, yet slipping conditions are 95/5, doesn't make sense. If there is high traction and AWD comes into play - that should suggest that the drive train always splits the torque 50/50 front/rear

wwwest - please stop implying the HL is not AWD 50/50 when you don't have one

I would politely suggest that wwest stick to the Lexus RX300 forum.

stuartc

Hi all:

Any thoughts about or experience with the Auto-Dimming mirror option ?

It seems kinda gimmicky to me, but maybe that's just because I've never used one, nor heard anything about them.

TIA

jrborne

Hi have been reading your comments...i live in boston area...who is the dealer that will sell at invoice????thanks