Toyota Sequoia

pemarsh

Anyone have any experience how much over invoice I can expect to sell in the Chicago-land area?

janaschicago

What year Sequoia are you selling? Limited or SR5? Options?

mmz5944

Sorry if you guys are already through the brake issue but on other Seq. forums I have read some horrible things about the brakes on the Seq. It seems as if they took the GM midsize approach to designing brake systems for the Seq. I had a GM product a few years ago and ended up suing to get some satisfation over the continued problem of having to change brakes and rotors every 10K. That is incredible!! I swore I would never own another GM as a result. Now I hear it about the Seq. and if Toyo does not want to get that reputation they best address it asap. Some of the stories I have heard about the Service Managers simply telling people to stop riding the brakes is unreal. They need to design braking systems to handle the weight of the vehicle without having them heat up and warp all the time. I have cancelled my test drive and will hang on to my Nissan PF. Unfortunately I loved the size of the Seq. The PF is just a tad small for 6' plus persons. If you are having brake problems or even a pulsation from your $40K+ vehicle I would IMMEDIATELY begin addressing the issue. If not you will be too late to get any recourse. Best to all.

minuteman26

20k miles on my 2001 SR5...no brake problems whatsoever. More than 50% remaining front and rear. Maybe there was a bad batch somewhere, but mine are no problem at all.

cliffy1

I'm not sure what you are referring to. I don't recall seeing a large number of complaints about the brakes. There certainly will be a few complaints and many of those are the result of differences in driving habits. People not used to a 5200 pound vehicle may ride up on traffic until the point that a hard stop is required. Still others are two footed drivers. Some drive too fast and tailgate. All those situations contribute to excess brake wear.

I would also point out that the rotors are actually covered under the 3/36K warranty. If they do warp, they will be replaced unless they warp as a result of neglect (ex. allowing the pads to wear out completely).

nighter50

just thought I would add one more voice to the brake issue. I have been impressed with the brakes on the Seq. I expect that they will wear faster because of the size of the vehicle but so far no problem.

bigred18

I was also interested in the Sequoia vs. the Tahoe.
I live in Florida. The TMV is a very close estimate of what the going rate is. By doing research on the internet and having the TVM as well as Quotes from other dealers that I got using Autobytel etc. I was able to bargin for slightly lower price than TVM. It really helps to have quotes in hand from other dealers around the state. take all this info and go to your favorite dealer close to you and start bargining. If you don't like what they have to say ...walk and try another. After test driving both trucks, we opted for the Tahoe. It was more comfortable and the blower motor less noisey, the turning radius narrower. We now have almost 10K miles on it am very pleased. we also opted for the Auto ride. It is worth it.
The BIGGEST reason was the insurance difference between the two trucks. The Tahoe was cheaper by $300 / 6mo. Check insurance rates before you buy.

Dave

edavis58

I am sure that if you have lowered the rear window while driving you have noticed exhaust in your vehicle. Does anyone have a suggestion, either repositioning the exhaust pipe from the rear to the side, or whatever to remove the smell with the window down? Also, what are the best fitting and most efficient aftermaket fog lamps for a SR5 2002? Thanks Edavis58

paisan

Why not try out a 2002 Trooper? They can be had loaded for around $25.5K w/o leather. They are bigger than the PF and have a lot more headroom. Not quite as big as the Sequoia and no 3rd row, but brakes last 70K miles generally (and that is the pads) I've had 2 isuzus, my rodeo went 120K on 2 sets of pads, and original rotors and I drive in NYC and am a pretty expedient driver. So far 40K miles on my 00 Trooper and no brake issues.

-mike

714cut

First of all you shouldn't drive with the rear window down. The same thing would happen to any vehicle driven with a back window open. This is also mentioned in the owners' manual.

If you insist on driving with rear window open, open other windows as well.

No substitute for original Toyota fog lamps. I've seen pictures of PIAA's (959's?) but they tend to stick out and give a "bug-eyed" look.

paisan

In my experience factory fogs are pretty much eye candy only. Get a Nudge Bar and throw some Hella 4000s on there then you'll have some actual useful light. Cibie, Hella and IPF are the only real good fog light manufacturers out there. Best reflector/lens technology, not cheap, but worth it.

-mike

pschreck

Six hundred dollars a year extra for insurance? You might want to shop for a new insurance carrier. Good luck with the Tahoe.

pschreck

What about PIAA lights? Who makes a Nudge Bar?

714cut

While I agree with your blanket statement about fog lamps, the Sequoia fog lamps are actually very good. Good reflector, clear glass lens, a very large size, a 9006 bulb and good, accurate light output. Compared to my Explorer factory fogs and the Expy fogs when I test drove, the lights are very good.

The factory fogs also can't be beat for appearance (stating the obvious).

If looking for much increased light output or lighting the road ahead of you, fog lights are not a great choice anyways. Go with driving lights. I've ordered a set of Hella Micro Xenon driving lamps for real light output.

I don't believe the Hella 4000 is available but check out the light tunnel which actually shows you the difference between fog, halogen driving and xenon (h.i.d.)driving at www.hella.com

I would stay away from PIAA. Overpriced with sub par performance.

There is an excellent resource for discussion on lighting- www.lighting.philips.com

The nudge bar you recommend will also add $$$ and change the appearance of the vehicle, but probably is the best way to add auxilliary lighting. Try www.waag.com for starters.

714cut

I wouldn't base my vehicle purchase based on the brake pads. While we would all like them to last a very long time, brake pads are relatively easy and cheap to repair. Compare this to replacing major components, resale value and overall quality of the vehicle.
The Sequoia excels in stopping distance compared to Expy, Tahoe etc. I would worry more about that than the brake pads. Maybe there's a trade off for stopping power?

paisan

Yep my factory fog light assesment was a general one, haven't had the pleasure of driving a Seq. with factory fogs. I also agree on the PIAA lights. Overpriced highly marketed and sub-par performance.

The Hella 4000s are nice but pricey, the also come in std. bulbs and a VERY Pricey HID version. A set of 4000s with 130w bulbs will run about ~$300, a set of HID 4000s run around ~$1200. A good place to get light advice and purchase is http://catalog.com/susq/index.htm Ken will talk to you about your needs and suggest the best lights for you. Nudge Bars I've seen that are cool and I use on my Trooper are http://www.ecb-usa.com http://ecb.com.au

-mike

714cut

Hella calls the 4000 the "Illuminator" hence the lack of reference to the 4000. Thanks for the web site. Will keep you posted on my xenon driving lights.

I would shop around a lot for light purchases. The price on my lights varied by $400!!! from website to website.

petro33

Just my two cents on brakes. I had a Ford E-150 before this and needed new pads every 12-15,000 miles. I just replaced my front pads on the Seq at 23,000. I have taken three extended trips pulling a trailer. Like it was already mentioned I would like them to last longer, but 23K is much better than 12-15K. BTW I find it saves money to have my local mechanic change brakes but I supply him with the Toyota Pads. I had him do "his" pads on my Echo and they were very noisy!

rividich

Anyone have any info regarding changes in the 2003 Sequoia?

slackers

Just had my 10K oil change today at the dealer and they checked brake wear. I have 85% left on front and 90% on rear. I negotiate hills routinely out here in the burbs of Seattle. Unless you're driv'in like a jerk, I don't think the Sequoia is different than any heavy truck !

heatwave3

slackers: you stated "Just had my 10K oil change today at the dealer and they checked brake wear. I have 85% left on front and 90% on rear. I negotiate hills routinely out here in the burbs of Seattle. Unless you're driv'in like a jerk, I don't think the Sequoia is different than any heavy truck !"

I would have agreed with that view given my previous experience in 3/4 ton Suburbans where the brakes lasted between 10K and 15K before needing replacement.

However the new f/s GM suvs are getting tremendous mileage from a heavy vehicle with very large 4 wheel disc brakes. I just had my 18K mile maintenance visit to the dealer (about a 1000 miles ago) and both the front and rear brakes pads on my 2001 Denali XL had greater than 90% of their pads left. And that includes some rather lengthy and heavy towing last summer.

Obviously the manufacturers can design braking systems that can last greater than 50K miles on a heavy truck. I for one, am glad GM placed them on their new vehicles as its quite a pleasant surprise not to have to replace brake pads every time you rotate tires.

714cut

Seems odd to me that your front and rear are wearing out at the same rate. That has never happened to me on any vehicle.

Does your experience match that of others? You are making a blanket statement about all full size GM vehicles.

714cut

If you want to feel better about the fact that you may have to replace the brake pads a little earlier than you would have liked, check out the Denali forum and the people that have to replace and/or had problems with their transmissions!

pcomusa

I wend to a Toyota Dealer last week to change the engine oil for the first time.

According to Sequoia Manual, you have to use 5W30 in order to prevent any engine starting problem. However, the Toyota dealer only carried 10W30. They told me that they are only using 10W30 for all Toyota cars they work on. They refuse to change the oil with 5W30 as the Toyota manual says. They asked me to trust what they are saying or prove 10W30 can do such a damage to the car. What the h#$2 is that?

Therefore, the Sequoia Manual is wrong or the dealer is wrong. Either way, Toyota is wrong.

Anybody had this problem before?

paisan

On my 97 Rodeo I was actually suprised that my rears went at 60K and the fronts at 70K previous to that I was used to them being worn in the front more than the rear!

-mike

714cut

Well I'm sure there are people out there like you who have had the rears go first, however I believe that to be the exception not the rule.

willfl

What is a reasonable price to pay for the platinum 7/100 extended warranty on the sequoia?

cliffy1

The retail price for the 7/100K Platinum warranty is $1650 with $0 deductible on the 4WD Sequoia. You should be able to get it around $1300 to $1400.

cliffy1

the above price is for the genuine Toyota warranty. Aftermarket ones should run less but generally are not worth it.

fanman8

Cliffy I am in Florida and when I purchased my Sequoia I did get the extended warranty, however, I cancelled the coverage when I noticed that it was not from Toyota but from some underwriters insurance Co. instead. If you can point me to the website of Toyota's own Extended Warranty service that would be great.

cliffy1

Living in FL, you're going to have a hard time finding a dealer to sell you the Toyota warranty. The Southeast Region operates very different than the rest of the country because the distributor is privately owned. The same owner group that has the distributorship also owns a big stake in World Omni Financial and some other warranty company. This is why the dealerships don't use Toyota Financial Services. You can buy your warranty from a dealership outside your region. The warranty would be honored at dealerships within that region just like the original warranty.

Here is the link to the Toyota page with the coverage details. http://www.toyotafinancial.com/pyv/extended_service_coverage/index.html

willfl

Thanks Cliffy for the response. What would be an estimate on a 2WD Seq. 2002 7/100?

I too am in FL and did not realize that SE Toyota region preferred to sell another warranty program other than Toyota's.

So if I was to buy a warranty from a dealer, what would guarantee that it is Toyota's genuine warranty?

Thanks again

fanman8

Thank you for the warranty information. If seems that the Southeast Toyota division isn't satisfied enough with fleecing its customers with unnecessary port installed higher priced options but go's the extra step in putting more dollars in its pocket by giving customers extended warranty's on their own passing them off as Toyota's factory extended warranty.

2heeldrive

I know this is stating the obvious, but what the heck do we (Sequoia owners) care about brakes on other vehicles -- totally irrelevant and a waste of disk space.

Oil (re visited). I wouldn't worry to much about 10W-30 oil. 10W-30 is OK per the manual as long as ambient temps are above zero farenheit. On page 284 in the '02 manual, it says "If you use SAE 10W-30 engine oil in extremely low temperatures, the engine may become difficult to start, so SAE 5W-30 engine oil is recommended". What's the point in arguing with the dealer anyway... my dealer thought that they were so smart they could replace the Toyota Scheduled Maintenance Guide with their own version and pretended that they couldn't find the one that came with the owners manual! I had to go to a different dealer and buy one from the parts dept!

thirdsuv

Has anybody used toyotawarranty.com?
Their Sequoia wasn't listed but the landcruiser was about 25%-30% lower then Toyota.

Jim

thirdsuv

If I go to a non-toyota place to align wheels how
do I know they got the right specs instead of the incorrect ones that were first published.

Any pointers to the correct numbers?

Jim

nighter50

I haven't used them but I found the Sequoia 4X4 info from www.toyota.com:

Toyota Platinum Plan $0 deductible 72 Months or 100,000 miles for Avalon, Prius, Sequoia 4x4,Tundra 4x4

Price: $1,065.00

oac3

quite an age ! welcome back....

the major issue of the alignment has to be using the right equipment - Hunter's - to spec out the alignment. If your non-Toyota shop has this equipment it should not be a problem.

As to how to find the correct specs, I heard it is in the Technical Service Bulletin which your Toyota dealership should have, or which you can purchase for ca. $200 or so... There are some owners on this forum that has this manual and maybe they can help you out on this.

glad to see you back here... and don't let the GM crowd scare you away again, ok ?

cliffy1

First, the Platinum warranty for a 2WD with 7/100 and $0 deductible has an MSRP of $1425 and can normally be purchased for around $1150 to $1250. The way you ensure that it is a Toyota warranty is to look at the top of the application form. The form title is "Toyota Motor Insurance Services, Inc. Vehicle Service Agreement" If it doesn't say that, it isn't a Toyota warranty.

heatmiser1

Seems to me if you can get the Platinum Warranty from Toyota with $0 deductible for $1,150 on a Sequoia 4x2, it should be a worthy investment if you plan on keeping the car that long. I know from experience (not on a Toyota) that repairs on a full-size SUV can add up quickly.

Toyota is known for their reliability but for less than a 3% additional cost to know you are covered for just about anything that breaks seems like a small price to pay.

What does everyone else think?

paisan

I'm a big fan of FACTORY extended warranties wit $0 deductible. With the complexity of todays vehicles a minor problem could cost several $1000 easily.

-mike

heatwave3

714cut: you retorted "Seems odd to me that your front and rear are wearing out at the same rate. That has never happened to me on any vehicle.

Does your experience match that of others? You are making a blanket statement about all full size GM vehicles."

Nothing odd about it. I said the brake pads were 90+% of their original thickness. Not likely that a visual or even a measurement with so little wear is going to show much of a difference between rear and front brake pad wear. As the mileage increases and the wear approaches 50-70% I suspect there will be a difference between the front and the rear.

And No... I don't speak for all f/s GM SUV owner's brake wear experience. Just like you don't speak for the experiences of all Sequoia owners. However most forum input shows the brake pad wear of similarly designed f/s suvs from GM to be consistent with my experience.

petro33

can you purchase the 7/100K factory warranty even though you did not at the time of purchase?

cliffy1

You can buy them up until the original 3/36 expires. Most dealer will offer a lower price if you purchase now. At the end of the 3/36, they have you at a distinct disadvantage.

pschreck

Isn't New Jersey a fairly flat state topographically? That would certainly account for low wear on your pads compared to a area with hilly terrain. Just a thought.

vader6

Jersey is pretty much flat. Wouldn't you use more braking going up and down hills though?

bucksfan

Any thoughts on which way to go on 2v4wd? 96 Blazer is terrible in snow (2wd). Tahoe/Sequoia much heavier though. I live in Ohio so while we get 20-30 inches of snow a year it isn't a major issue. Am I making a mistake considering a 2WD full size suv?

714cut

You probably wouldn't use much braking going up hills

blackdog4

I am surprised at all the interest in extended warrantees. Realizing that no one can predict the future, I feel I paid a premium for my Sequoia so that I can drive a vehicle with a low freqency of repair record. I own three vehicles at a time and keep each one 10 to 12 years. I service them regularly and tend to signs of adverse change
promptly. At age 66 I have bought a lot of cars but no warrantees. In the past six months we upgraded a TV, bought our first DVD player, and replaced an old VCR. Each sales person tried to sell me an extended warrantee. (I researched these also for reliability.)I did have an Olds diesel that the engine died at about 67,000 miles (6 years old). This was my only GM vehicle but I do give them credit that they replaced the engine for less than an extended warrantee would have cost.They admitted that engine was defective. As you can see I believe in self insurance if the rare large problem would not put me out of my house. I do have excellent health insurance because I am not a high stakes gambler. The dealers and insurance companies make a lot of money on these products and vehicles are more reliable than ever.

jq3

Has anyone seen a Sequoia with the TRD package? I saw one yesterday at my local dealership while getting my Tundra serviced and it was sweet!!! It was black, had 18" BBS wheels, carbon fiber dash, "TRD Racing" in red on the front fenders, TRD grill, 4x2,and a Borla exhaust. It was stickered at a little over 41K.

If I can talk my wife into trading our '00 Land Cruiser, that is definitely my next SUV. We don't ever use the 4x4, so its wasted money.

I'm not sure if it was special made for the dealership or not. But, man it looked awesome!!