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Steve, Host
gwkiser@yahoo.com (not a dealer or affiliated with Toyota USA in any way, other than being an owner of a Highlander).
Steve, Host
Well, it HAS been a wet season this year!!
Oh, and if you wanna join "our club", give us a shout!! (<=== meant as a joke, not a REAL solicitation!!)
Toyota utilizes VVT-i [Variable Valve Timing - Intelligent] on most engine designs. It is described as "continually optimizing valve timing over a broad range of engine speeds. It increases torque at lower speeds and horsepower at higher speeds to improve engine performance and fuel economy, as well as help reduce emissions".
The best technical source is the HL shop manual if you want a precise description of parts and design . . sorry I can't quote the page resource. Since valve timing is controlled by the camshaft, consider that in this case, the valve timing is controlled by the computer based on operating demands.
Hope this helps!
I neglected to include another link to VVT-i information:
http://www.toyota.ee/eng/i/i01.html
Good luck!
Now do you or anyone with the shop manuals have the location of and torque spec for the driveshaft bolt that is to be checked every 5000? miles? TIA for any help.
GregB
You can go to nadaguides.com and punch in the 2001 or 2002 Highlander to get the retail value. When I did that - I found the value had only dropped about a grand the first year on a Highlander.
(Personally, I totaled my 4 year old RAV4 and received 62% of what I had paid new for it (from the insurance company) - based on the NADA retail value.)
- new owner of 2003 bluestone metallic w fender flares and side air bags
I was driving in the HL with my wife and the door on the passenger side opened??? We were on a paved road with typical bumps, but nothing major to cause this. The door was closed but not locked and I had no indication of a door adjar (lights)????!!!! The HL is new with just 2400 miles on it...we did notice that the passenger side door is harder to shut and has been this way since day one. You must slam the door much harder than the others. I intend to take to the dealer and see what can be done. Hopefully its just a latch alignment issue and not the entire door. Any other similar experiences??...this is the 1st for me and a bad experience for a loyal and long time Toyota fan (this is my 5th Toyota over 30 years).
If you need that middle console, the 2002 had it standard, so skip over the '01 and look for an '02.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The torque spec you requested for the [four] driveshaft bolts is 54 foot pounds. Hope this helps!
Sirfile
(2) What is Gentex mirror ? If these are the automatic adjusting ones they are available from Toyota or toyparts.net or toyotaparts4u.com
Do you find the HL to be quicker than the RX300?
Does anybody actually get this or better?
thanks,
Bigboy10
V-6 4WD LTD, 10690 miles
19.2 MPG average overall, with 50/50 mix city/hwy.
On highway only trips, 70 mph, some mountains(we're in beautiful Oregon)I consistently get 22 or 23 MPG.
Happy HLing to all.
GregB
PS. Thanks sirfile for the torque data.
One of these days I'll split out my gas records by local driving, out of town trips, and trailer towing and see how it averages out for each. Just off hand I'd guess I get around 21 on the highway and around 17 city (maybe 16 with the trailer?), but that is just a guess. Of course, as EPA says, your mileage may vary!
Would I buy a Highlander again? Absolutely, although I am probably going to sell it and buy one of the new 4Runners.
Maybe the H/L can drive under water?
Gary
2001 H/L V6 2WD Millennium Silver
I have a 2001 V6 FWD. I'd buy it again and I've had no problems with it at all.
I find the highlander has a faster takeoff than the RX300. It also has lighter steering(which I don't like, she does). In all, I think the highlander is 90% of the Lexus RX300 at a savings of $8000.00 to $9000.00, depending upon options.
The ride seems very little changed and the noise level is very close to the Lexus.....Glad we decided to switch....The Lexus maintenance schedule is obscenely EXPENSIVE!!! She is VERY happy to be in the highlander group. I also have a 2002 Camry and love that car too....
Looks like Toyota forever!! Thank you for the info. By the way, has anybody installed these "nerfbars" themselves?? Or should I let the dealer do it. From what little I have read, it is supposed to just bolt on with no drilling...Anyway, I am rambling.....Thanks
But some other reviews say that the HL is using the old pre-2002 redesign Camry platform, just like the Lexus RX300.
Which is correct?
I've narrowed it down to 3 choices.
Michelin Cross Terrains
Michelin LTX MS
Toyo Open Country A/T
Comments on these two brands would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Also, do I have to replace the Integrity spare or can it still be used in an emergency even though it would have a different tread pattern?
The CrossTerrain is a breed of 4 season tires developed by Micheling specifically for SUV use.
The Honda Pilot and Acura MDX come standard with the CrossTerrains.
As for me, I live in Ottawa and travel to Montreal quite a lot so I've bought a genuine set of winter tires, the Michelin Arctic Alpin. Since I only got my Highlander not too long ago, I am planning to use the Integrity strictly for summer driving and let the Arctic Alpin do the winter driving work. And when the Integritys get worn down, I am planning to get a set of CrossTerrains myself.
I was thinking about the Michelin Arctic Alpin or the Bridgestone Winter Dueler. I finally settled on the Michelin because www.tirerack.com said that the Arctic Alpin is designed for winter driving on dry pavement.
Also I've also bought a set of genuine Toyota-made Highlander steel rims to mount the Arctic Alpins. I got those rims at a very reasonable price, 75 $CAN each plus taxes. The Toyota steel rims do not require any wheel covers because the rim is already stylized with a silver finish.
The Toyos are the most inexpensive of the bunch - I have had Toyos in the past and know they make good tires, but have not had the open country tires.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Has anyone gone with a lower profile?
65's or 60'S
It's tough to get leverage with a powerdrill while underneath the HL, but manageable if you're motivated.
Frontal
Driver ****
Passenger ****
Side
Front Seat ****
Rear Seat *****
Rollover ***
As a side note, the new Honda Pilot received 5 stars across the board and I would imagine the IIHS score will be the same as the MDX best pick overall. Now there’s a company that takes safety seriously.
ad. fee, fin. reserve, etc......
In my mind, I have break down the price to four components
[1] the amout factory charged dealer (base + options)
[2] regional advertise fee
[3] financial reserve (should not this be part of the dealer holdback?)
[4] dealer/sales profit (not include dealer holdback)
So what is included in the "invoice price" quoted on Edmund?
Also are there any HL owners in S.F. Bay area who recently purchased
a V6, 2WD, NonLTD with the following (or close) options:
AG, CQ, HE, DR, RL, BE, TO, VD, RF (most likely VD is not in your combinations),
care to share your experience?
Thanks.
Any idea what the ad. fee is in NorCal & SouCal?
I think I saw a post mentioning it is $300 in SouCal, did not see anything
about NorCal.
I own a 2001 Limited V6 AWD, 32,000 miles. Maybe two months ago, the left rear power window seized up. The switch and motor tried to work, but the window would not move (other tahn occasionally dropping 4 - 5 inches on its own while I was driving).
A trip to the dealer indicated some of the clips had failed, causing the window to come off the track. After the parts were ordered and installed, the window has worked well.
The last few days, I heard the right window catching on something just before it closed. Last night, bang! The right rear window is now seized up. I'll be back at the dealer Friday (I already had an appointment for the door seal problem). Because I've changed jobs, I'm at a new dealer, so he won't order parts without inspecting the window, so I'll be back again next week.
Otherwise, I've had no problems with this vehicle in 18 months of hard driving, other than the mileage. Oh, not the gas mileage, 19.5 mpg overall according to the info center, but the fact I can't seem to stop putting miles on it!
[QB]Porsche doesn't get it.
Yes, the whole SUV craze started with the jeep, four doors, good turning radius, sit high above most traffic, sensible cargo capacity, and yes, a damn good AWD/4WD system. Off-road or on-road.
Women were buying minivans. Men didn't like driving a minivan with a soccer mom image.
Compromise time, a Jeep, with more of a Macho image.
Two of the hottest sellers in this segment today, the Toyota HL and the Lexus RX, don't even have a reasonable level of on-road AWD/4WD capability for true wintertime conditions.
The Chrysler AWD T&C is a much more capable "SUV"
than either of these.
Do those owners care? No, hell, most of them don't even have a clue.
So here we have a Cayenne with true off-road capability and absolutely TREMENDOUS mud-slinging capability, just in case.
So who cares?
NOBODY!
Now, give me a Cayenne with more finesse, weighing less than 2 tons, open diff'ls front and rear, the 03 4runner center torsen diff'l, PSM & A-Trac, and a nice V8 with about 240HP (or something on the order of the HL or RX V6) and I'd be one of the first ones in line to buy a Porsche SUV at their price.[/QB][/QUOTE]
Any feedback on choice of floormats for the 2002: fit, price, appearance, etc.?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Front Liners $70
Rear Liners $70
Cargo Liner $85 - $100