Toyota 4Runner

skipjakk · January 2003

I believe the cladding change has been addressed on earlier emails, and will actually take the form of an Appearance Package option(AP) for the SR5 model. I believe the earlier email mentioned a cost 370.00, I have obtained some additional info from dealers:

The Appearance Package(AP):

This package begins with January production, meaning Feb/early March arrivals. It will include the following:

· Color-Keyed overfenders
· Color-Keyed Front and rear bumpers
· Color-keyed cladding
· Color-keyed REAR License plate garnish
· Fog Lamps

Should be available on both the V6 and V8 models.

I have also tried to find a LTD without a sunroof, to no avail, I have been quoted lead times of 3-4 months on a custom order LTD, so I am looking at the SR5 with the appearance package as an option.

topgun10 · January 2003

Currently, I'm driving an 01' Highlander which I like a lot. But admittedly, the Runner is a bit more masculine.

1) Is the back seat in the Runner any wider or more accommodating of 3 child seats? A larger vehicle doesn't appeal to me and I do not perceive the 3rd row seats in SUVs comparable to the Runner as being very safe. And don't say mini-van.

2) Does the XREAS help reduce brake dive?

3) How much adjustment is there in the rear air suspension?

4) Is there merit to equipping the I-Force V8 with VVT-I technology?

5) What are the 3 buttons between the seater heater buttons are the center console for?

6) What are the 3 buttons on the dash to the left of the steering wheel for?

7) Whenever the wheel/tires are balanced the weights are invariably repositioned, which typically leaves marks on my beautiful alloy wheels. Can this be avoided? I've seen other cars utilize an adhesive tape?? that is positioned on the ID of the wheel itself, is this do-able?

Thanks

cliffy1 · January 2003

The cladding package will be a port package. Why is this important? Because it means dealers will eventually be able to add the same package to existing vehicles. Don't expect them to be able to do it for $370 but anything the port can do, the dealers also can.

jaredmsd · January 2003

To all who have helped me in the past week.. thank you! I took the advice of Cliffy and SteveB and gave Carson Toyota and Dianne Whitmire in particular a call. Well, I ordered my special order 4Runner from Japan yesterday. She seems to be the most knowledgeable Internet manager that I had spoken to, and she was confident without a doubt that my order would go through, and it will be delivered in roughly 4 months (yes I'm willing to wait).
According to her, she thinks I will be the ONLY owner of a '03 4Runner Sport Edition V-6 4x4 with NO options added. Haha, I'm such a cheap skate! Again, thanks for the suggestion cliffy, I told her you suggested her, and she seemed happy about it.

Here was my only concern with ordering (of which she had a reply of 'you are being REALLY paranoid'): I have read about every article on edmunds about buying, and the 4-square sheet, and to keep your guard up during financing, blah blah. So I thought to myself, if the financing people knew that I did a build order when I came to pick up my truck, they would know that I couldn't walk away from the deal without loosing my down payment ($1000), they would have a mighty big bargaining chip on their side, so they could heavily inflate the APR without me walking away from the deal. Dianne told me: "Well they won't know you did a build order so don't worry about it, but that is a very interesting point!" Anyway, if they did that, I could just finance somewhere else, but yeah, that was my paranoid thought.

4 months to go!

-Jared

jaredmsd · January 2003

Just in case someone cares. I got the truck for $1000 over invoice, which I was told was the minimum for a build order (from all the places in California that I checked). So I figure, I saved $3000 on options, of which I could've gotten a truck on a lot for probably $500 over invoice... so I'm still up $2500. I reached my goal, new, 4wd suv, for under $30k!

cliffy1 · January 2003

Easy solution... have alternative financing available. I get this all the time. I offer a rate to a customer and he informs me his bank or credit union can do better. No big deal. More often than not, I can beat the banks and most credit unions.

Get a pre-approval from your bank and see what they offer.

carjim · January 2003

Thank you bear64 and tl586 for suggestions. I will follow up with Texas Toyota in Grapevine and FowlerToyota. My wife has a 97 Explorer and our independent mechanic told us to avoid Fords of any kind until they improve the quality. He said that the most recent problem his Ford customers are having is that the 4.6 engines are coming apart at the seams around 90,000.

servo_fan · January 2003

I've read hundreds of posts here and on usenet and I think I understand the various Toyota 4 wheel drive systems. However, I have not found any information regarding a limited slip rear on a '97 SR5 4x4. I know a rear locker was available, but ours does not have that option.

We have a '97 SR5 4x4, manual, v6. My wife bought it used before we were married and it does not have an owners manual or window sticker, so I don't know exactly what options it has. It does have the under the rear bumper towing hitch from the factory, (at least it looks like all the other 4Runner hitches I've seen), so I don't know if that implies it has some "towing" package or not.

Question, was a limited slip rear differential available on '97s? If so, how can I tell if I have it? If there is no LSD and we don't have the rear locker, does that "limit" the 4Runner's off road ability? Thanks!

cliffy1 · January 2003

The 97 did not have an available LSD. In fact, from the late 80's until the 2002 Tundra, there was not a LSD in any Toyota truck. It could be had by special order on a RAV4 and Highlander but those don't count as trucks.

Also, there is no "tow package" other than a hitch. They came standard with a transmission oil cooler and a 5000# tow capacity.

sween77 · January 2003

Sorry to have your name and cladding in the same title Cliffy. In post 4713 you said the cladding option would happen at port. Does this mean that all dealerships will be able to order the mono-clading and have it delivered to the dealership in order to convert Sport models etc.? Also if it is 370.00 at port what would the cost be at a dealer site? I guess it would vary based on the dealership.? Would all dealers be wiling to do this or would you have to shop around? From your experience Cliffy how will this play out?~Thanks

sween77 · January 2003

One other thought if you changed the cladding at a dealer sight instead of the factory would all the trim match? The sport has other appearace trim (front end etc.) that I fear is made for the current cladding and might not look good if you changed it. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

toyotaken · January 2003

Yes the dealer should be able to get the parts, but the labor involved along with the fact that the parts department doesn't get re-imbursed for the parts coming off of a truck already in stock may make it price prohibitive to purchase the cladding at the dealership. You'll have to check to see pricing to be sure.

As for the earlier post about 3-accross child-seats in the 4-runner, it will really depend on the type of child seat you're using. The only real way of telling is to bring them into a dealership and try it. Some child-seats are much larger than others so it may not work for some while it may for others.

Also the buttons on the dash left of the steering wheel are as follows from left to right. The furthest left is a button to turn on the 115volt outlet for Limited models. The second is the center differential lock. The last two are place-holders for other accessories.

For those buttons on the center console: The far left is the DAC(downhill assist control) button. The other two are also place-holders for additional accessories.

Hope this helps.

Ken

cliffy1 · January 2003

If history is any indicator, here is how it will work. The dealerships will not be able to get the parts for a few months. When they do, the cost of the parts alone will be about the same as the MSRP of the option. The dealership will charge the labor fee based on Toyota's guidelines. My guess it they will get 2 to 3 hours labor rates so add that into the equation. Many dealers may never figure out that they even have the ability to do this.

As to the Sport... I have no idea. I heard it will only be for the SR5 but the cladding is the same.

brestle · January 2003

I love my 3 week old 2003 Limited. Today I went shopping for a simple hitch mounted bike rack. First tried the Yakima hitch mounts. Their insert was far too long and hit the tire. I couldn't even begin to see the holes on the hitch insert through the hitch holes. Then they brought out an extension for small hitches. That one also rubbed up against the tire. This one was much closer but I would have have to shaved about 1/8th of an inch off the extension to get the holes to line up correctly. Even if this worked, the rack would hang out ridiculously far.

Then we tried a Thule hitch mount. Same thing as the extension. I would have to shave about 1/8th of an inch off the hitch post to get the holes to line up correctly. The two people that were helping me couldn't believe the tire was so close and the hitch was so short.

If I want a hitch mount rack it would seem my only options would be to buy the Yakima and shave off about an inch, buy the Yakima with the extension and shave off 1/8th of an inch off the extension (and have the rack out way far), or buy the Thule and shave the 1/8th of an inch off. Part of my dillema is that I really prefer the Yakima racks.

Any ideas? Why did Toyota mess with the tow hitch so much that NONE of the hitch mount racks on the market fit it??? Should I consider a new hitch (is that even possible)?

Chris

sovang · January 2003

Chris,

I will double check again tomorrow morning, but I have a two year old Yakima ROC-4 and I think it fits.

brestle · January 2003

Sovang,
I tried the SuperRoc today. It has the same hitch as the ROC-4 (I believe). The incredibly short hitch along with the spare tire makes the fit not even close...

Do you have the factory hitch on your 2003? Is there a difference between the hitch on the V6/V8 or SR5/Sport/Limited??? Hmmm....

bigairlar · January 2003

brestle,

As you have discovered, not all hitch inserts are created equal - the length of the insert and placement of the holes of any given insert is entirely dependant upon the manufacturer of the insert.

For all practical purposes, however, insert tubing material forward of the point the insert exits the receiver is unnecessary and could be cut off if it conflicts with something such as the tire you mentioned.

I would suggest you take the insert to a local metal shop and ask that they cut off the offending material plus a little extra so that the insert has no chance of conflicting with the spare tire (keeping in mind that the tire's current placement may change somewhat if it is dropped and remounted). This is a simple fix that should cost no more than a couple of bucks and will allow you to utilize your preferred rack.

As an alternative, you could always deflate the spare tire or remove it entirely since we all know spare tires are unnecessary, especially on a Toyota...;)

sovang · January 2003

Brestle,

I took my Gary Fisher Paragon out for a spin today and the Yakima ROC-4 fits just fine on my factory 2003 4runner hitch. What kind of problems are you having? Is it hitting the spare tire or does it not go into the hitch at all.

BTW..I measure the distance from the placement of the pin hole to the end of the ROC-4 and it is less than 1 inch.

SV

rstebie · January 2003

I have the 03 sport with the JBL system. I haven't tried the MP3 but the book says no use only standard CD's
Bob

lpap · January 2003

I'm hoping that the 2003 Limited will have a mid season color addition of white or pearl white, or that the 2004 will come with this option. Does anyone know if this color will be available this spring? One dealer casually mentioned that the 04's were coming out this May in pearl white, but I wanted to double check before I put off buying this great SUV for 4 months. I was pretty shocked when I starting pricing out these cars because I assumed that some type of white was standard, especially in So. Cal. Thanks for any input you may have.

poseidon · January 2003

May for the 04's? Isn't that kinda early?

lpap · January 2003

I know it does seem early, hence my post. I never pay any attention to cars except when I'm buying, but I have heard that new models of some cars are coming out earlier and earlier. Still, I don't trust anything a salesman says until I can confirm it from independent sources. Two other people shopping with me that day heard the salesman volunteer the same comment : "There should be a pearl white in the '04 which comes out in May--they want to differentiate the Limited from the others which come in the natural white." I was thinking perhaps he meant a mid season color addition, nevertheless, I do want white, so I was really checking the veracity of both parts of that statement. Thanks, in advance, for any insight.

toyotaken · January 2003

Unless it is a re-designed model such as the Matrix or Corolla this past year, Toyota typically has their new model year vehicles come out sometime around September. For some domestic units, they VERY occasionally come in late August. For Japan built units, sometimes they don't come in until October or later. So May for '04 models for the 4Runner seems like a VERY optomistic guess which it is this early in the year.

Ken

jaredmsd · January 2003

I have a question about the '03 runner. Can anyone with a tech manual (or owners manual, if it has it) tell me the speaker sizes of the stock 6-speaker cd system? And tell me the location, for instance 6 1/2's on the doors, 4x2's on the dash, etc..

Thanks.

passthegravy · January 2003

Can someone please try out some CD-R's in their 2003 4Runners and tell us if the stock player and/or the JBL system will play CD-R ok? In this day and age when everyone has a CD burner on their computer, it's hard to believe the manufacturers would still peddle players that won't at least handle a CD-R. Sheesh.

pschreck · January 2003

The JBL unit in my '01 Sequoia handles CD-Rs with no problem. However it DOES NOT play MP3 files. Hopefully the JBL unit in the '03 4Runner is more friendly with MP3s.

brestle · January 2003

Thanks for letting me know. That is really strange! Maybe the SuperRoc is different than the Roc4. I tried the SuperRoc and it wasn't even close (the post would hit the spare and I couldn't even see the holes beginning to line up). That's when I tried an adapter for shorter hitches (hit the tire and was about 1/8th of an inch too long) and the Thule (same as the adapter).

BTW, is that less than 1 inch from the edge of the pin hole or the middle of the pin hole?

Thanks!

phistration · January 2003

Currently Toyota does not offer any head units that are MP3 compatible. However the newest units are CD-R/RW compatible.

lpap · January 2003

Thanks, Ken, for the info about the new models. Does Totoya add mid season colors? Any suggestions for getting a White LTD short of getting it painted myself?

sovang · January 2003

Brestle,

It is less than 1 inch from the edge of the pin hole to the end of the ROC 4 carrier. I am not sure how much space is left between the carrier and the spare, but I can put my fingers in between the two. Also, I don't know if this makes any difference, but my ROC 4 is about 2 years old.

SV

cliffy1 · January 2003

There are two different people with Yakima accessories and 2003 Runners. One has a fit and the other does not. My only question to each is... what tires do you have? My suspicion is that Brestel has the SR5 with 16" wheels and Sovang has 17s. That would account for one fitting and the other not.

leodogs · January 2003

We are able to play CDRs in our '03 4Runner but it will not play any MP3s. I use MusicMatch to burn my MP3s to a CDR in music CD format and I can play these with no problem in the vehicle...and they sound great!

sovang · January 2003

Cliffy,

I actually have the SR5 with 16inch wheels and Dunlop Grandtrek at20 tires.

SV

cliffy1 · January 2003

Oh well... I've been wrong once or twice before.

sovang · January 2003

Cliffy,

You raised an interesting question though. So which tire has the bigger diameter? The 17inch or the 16inch?

SV

jbhnc · January 2003

I ran into the same thing with a Performance rack. Ended up getting the mount that screws into the tongue...not the best but seems to work okay.

Anyone have the inside track on why Thule doesn't yet have feet that fit on the factory rack yet? They have said the next couple of weeks for a while. Are they doing anything special for the 4runner like custom feet, etc?

J

Yakima has feet (their standard) but nothing yet from Thule.

brestle · January 2003

Cliffy,
You hit the nail on the head (you just had the names reversed). Sounds like Sovang has the SR5 w/ the 16 inch wheels and I have the Limited with the 17 inch wheels. Doh!

Metal shop here I come...

sovang · January 2003

Anyone know where I can purchase a cross bar for my roof rack? I am trying to install both a small basket and a cargo box at the same time. I figure having three cross bars should do the trick.

SV

backroadfan · January 2003

Actually, the two tire diameters end up very nearly the same. The 16 in wheel with a P265/70R16 is 30.61 inches while the 17 inch wheel with the P265/65R17 is 30.56 inches.
My off-road friends prefer the smaller wheels to allow more room for airing-down on sand and other interesting surfaces.
There is little that can be done to improve the clearance on the factory receiver hitch.
I see where the Toyota indicates on the Lexus GX470 that the factory hitch will be discontinued once they have a proper dealer option hitch available. The dealer kit installs under the bumper.

toddgreen · January 2003

Earlier in the thread I reported that my dealership told me repeatedly that the NAV-equipped '03 4Runner included an in-dash six disk CD-changer. However, it did (does) not.

It took a month of phone calls and emails, but I am happy to report that this morning, 355 Toyota in Rockville MD installed a six disk CD-changer in my 4Runner and all is well.

The CD-changer takes up about half of the basket space in the center console. It is completely integrated into the NAV system (the single in-dash CD player still works, too) and is also integrated into the steering wheel controls. You can change both disks and tracks from the steering wheel.

NOW I'm happy. <g> Thank you to 355 Toyota for standing behind their promises and making things right. The service department was great and even through in a complimentary carwash.

Stay safe ...

sovang · January 2003

Brestle,

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the old ROC-4 were designed differently then the new ones.

Good luck.

BTW--How much are you guys paying for your 03 4unner insurance? I am paying nearly $800 per six months---seems steep to me (colorado).

SV

jaredmsd · January 2003

Toddgreen,

Thats great. When I first started reading the thread, your problem was the first one I saw, and I really felt bad for you. I'm glad everything worked out. Did it end up having to come out of the car salesman's pocket??

jeffjeff · January 2003

Does anyone know if these can be disabled and if so how? I spoke to a toyota service dept. specialist and he told me that they really can't be disabled, it may mess up the wiring and other circuits in the vehicle. I don't think that was a great answer. I know these things can be disabled. I want to do this because I want to get different headlights, the bright white/bluish lights and I don't want these lights to be on every time I drive my truck. It would certainly lessen the amount of time the bulbs will last.

beagles3 · January 2003

Just FYI~In my previous 99 SR5, I had Toyota install factory mounted foglights and I had the PIAA bulbs installed at the same time. I never got the bulbs to last longer than a couple of months before they burned out. I had the fog lights come on when I had my headlights turned on, so they only ran when I wanted the headlights on. Those bulbs got expensive after replacing several. I finally gave up and went with the stock bulbs:(

I had the service dept mystified with this and they checked with Toyota and got feedback that the bulbs ran too hot for the system? I now own a 2002 Limited w/ the factory set-up and I am not even going to go there again:(

cliffy1 · January 2003

Are you sure about those tire diameters? Just eyeballing them you can see that the 17" rims have larger diameter tires. That is unless there is an optical illusion with the larger diameter rims. I don't rule that out.

If it were not 20 degrees outside right now, I'd go measure them.

beagles3 · January 2003

Sorry to hear about the 20 degree temps,out West here we are having the Pineapple express (near 50):( Not enough snow in the mtns to really talk about....What I would give for snow:)
Wrong year to buy a ski pass:(

jaredmsd · January 2003

Sorry for repeating the question, but I'll try only once more.

Does anyone know the speaker sizes in the stock '03 configuration? (non-JBL)

I'm sure someone with a tech manual on the vehicle can find out, and I would much appreciate it.

Thanks,
Jared

vodgut · January 2003

Looks like I may be getting an '03 Limited V8 pretty soon here. I've priced out the insurance with my agent, and the quote I got was $734/6mos on that vehicle. I'm 28, married, clean driving record, with a multi-car discount. This is suburban Denver, if you live somewhere with fewer people or less traffic, your rates should be less. My moves from Loveland to Boulder to Denver all bumped up my rates.

Colorado insurance rates are horrendous due to the No-Fault thing. The legislature has been talking about doing something about it....hopefully sooner than later.

backroadfan · January 2003

Yes, I am sure of the numbers on the two different wheel/tire combinations. As further confirmation, you can see that the ground clearance for the SR5 and the Sport/LTD is identical at 9.1 inches. In past years, the upgrade wheels/tires on the 4Runner actually gave you more ground clearance because they were taller.
There are several web sites that let you key in various combinations of wheels/tires and shows the characteristics. Here's one:
http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/tire_diameter.htm

tacoviva · January 2003

I have an 03 SE, V8 with a few extras. For those with X-REAS, please check your shocks. Mine were leaking. It took the shop 3 times to trouble shoot it down to the left rear shock. To make a longer story short, Toyota says "when a shock leaks we have to replace the connecting hardware and the other shock" In my case they ordered the LR, RF, and all the connecting hardware. For parts alone it is $600.00 USD. With labor it easily exceeds $1000.00 USD. FOR 2 SHOCKS! Needless to say, I'm Shocked! Granted warranty covers this but this is a bit much. I've called corporate and gone through that ordeal. It all started with a slight noise in the front end. Don't get me wrong, this is by far the best vehicle I've driven, but I'm not pleased with Toyota Service. Also, you can purchase them for invoice, just pay attention and purchase when they need to sell not when you want to buy.

Toyota 4Runner

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