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Comments
Your dealer will know what type of oil to put in as well.
While there may be some oils superior to others and some people like synthetic (it is relatively expensive) almost any oil that meets the certification will be acceptable.
I would offer that timely changes may be more important than the brand of oil you choose.
It has been the dealer once, and of course they said "this is normal with toyota's V8's" I really have a hard time believeing this. Has anyone else experienced this? Cliffy1 any suggestions? I appreciated any post here, I am going back to the dealer and would like to be armed with any replies from other owners.
"tickers". In fact my 2002 is a little worse than the previous one. It is only bad in cold weather and it goes away after 3-5 minutes. I would say you probably have something significant going on there that requires attention.
Be persistent and get the problem written down on paper so you have a record. That will help get the result you want and will protect you in the future if you have problems as you can refer back to documentation.
Wandering--None at all. This vehicle handles like a sports car even up to speeds that I wouldn't mention here.
Tires--I have the Dunlop Grand Treks. They are excellent, but they are 50 psi tires. I use at least 37 psi.
Booming base--some people put big booming subwoofers in their vehicles and like it. The best approach is to turn down the bass control. It does work, believe it or not.
ABS coming on to prevent wheel spin. In the snow when I really got on it from a stop or near stop this did kick in. The sound of the ABS from the dash was a bit odd but it is very functional. (I wonder if there is a way the this sound could be eliminated or reduced with a different ABS unit). The sound seems to be much less or not at all under normal acceleration in the snow.
Brakes--so far at 10k miles the brakes are in good shape.
gohabsgo: Thanks for the toyotaguys.com link. Ordered those mats and door sill protectors. Got them in two days ! I have the oak interior in my white Limited.....those mats look way better than the carpet mats. Great link.
posted problems: I have not experienced any of the posted problems (other than the open window thing which is really not a problem). My 2001 was built in July so might have had the '02
modifications with V chip and radio amplifier. Some CD's sound great on that system, others are weak. I too just adjusted the bass way down.
wood trim: Someone asked for a recommendation on this. I installed a 38-piece kit from woodtrim.com last Saturday. Took me 7 hours. Came out flawless and I am very impressed with the quality of the product and accuracy of the cuts. Really dressed up that interior. I ordered the walnut burl with my oak interior.
going in snow: Still waiting for our first Seattle snowfall.......dread driving in snow but am eager to try this baby out !
How many avg. size adults can you fit comfortably in the 3rd row seat??. The specs on the Toyota say 8 total, but do they mean 5 adults (1st two rows) and 3 kids (rear)?.
I do a lot of carpooling. Thanks
Anyway, got to drive as yet unreleased '03 Expedition back to back with '02 Tahoe, and '02 Sequoia. Driving route was approx. 15 miles with good mixture of city, winding canyon road (Agoura Hills, CA) and freeway.
Expedition had refreshing front-end styling but side and rear looked very similar to existing truck. Interior is really changed with 3.5" chrome trimmed ring'd air vents highlighting pass side. Interior was nice but not great. (My opinion of Seq too.)
Rear seats fold flat with electric rocker switches located in front and in rear lift gate area. Nice touch but tooooo slowwww. 3rd seat access was very good and best of the three for room and comfort - especially legroom.
But... same old unrefined sound of engine at start-up. Engine noise loud during acceleration. OK if right (varoom!) but it wasn't.
I digress. Bottom line is that I went there with an open mind. (Have even thought about Denali as second vehicle.) But... the Sequoia was so much better. Ride comfort in Seq was firm but quietest over bad roads. Least wind noise on the freeway. Least engine noise. Felt screwed together well. Most confidence inspiring in the curvey roads.
Tahoe was nice too. Steering is too light (IMO). Seats are better than Sequoia and ride quality (suspension) is good. More wind noise and slightly more road/tire noise than Seq. Ingree/egress to 3rd row is just stupid.
To the dismay of focus group, I rated the Expedition last. I really tried to be honest.
One part of their eval was ease of loading gym bag through glass in rear and also after raising the hatch. Did this in both the Expedition and Tahoe. Coming to the Seq, I was told that the Seq's back window was fixed so only rear hatch access load/unload was compared. They were surprised when I showed them the switch for the rear glass (no key fobs were available).
Sequoia is really the best overall of the three (IMO) although with some work and reliability improvement the Tahoe/Yukon can be a contender.
The Ford fans will have to wait until 2007 or more I am afraid. Too bad. Good competition improves the breed. Hope I don't offend anyone. Just trying to give some feedback.
I'm interested given your very unique evaluation opportunity to read your feedback on the differences if price was part of the evaluation. Given your assessment which appeared to give the nod to the Sequoia with the Tahoe as a "contender" and the Expedition in third. How would each vehicle have faired in your assessment given the $5K difference between the Sequoia and the other choices? In essence, were the advantages you cited for the Sequoia worth $5-7K more than the Tahoe and Expedition?
I'm likely amoung the worst to make the kind of comparison you ask. I am not as price sensitive as I probably should be. I have more the perspective to shop within relatively wide price ranges to first choose what I want. Then, I work like hell to get the best price possible on my selection. I don't really look back to see how much more/less I could have had something else for. OK, this is admittedly a lttle crazy but it is the way I am wired.
At the end of the focus session, you are right in in that this is EXACTLY the questions they had us answer. If the vehicles were priced at x and y and z, what would be your selection. Then, they changed the price points a couple of more times with the same question. Again, I will say that I wasn't what I believe a representatively good test case for this part of the eval. I rated the Seq as my preference in one case and the Tahoe first in another scenario. In all cases the Expedition was last. For me, the Expdition was the last place finisher... and it should be priced accordingly. Again, I don't mean to offend anyone but this was my subjective opinion.
I came away from the session respecting the Seq more.... although I would still consider a Denali in the future but doubtful that I would look Ford's way in this SUV market.
Thanks to the folks who posted their experiences with this - saved me a trip to the dealer.
I love the look, the feel, the WAY IT MAKES ME FEEL INSIDE! O yeah!
Like some of you pointed pointed out, there are always good pts and bad pts.
You know that old Toyota commercial where people are jumping up with their legs kicked up-that's how I feel when I drive this vehicle.
I went thru all the local dealers and all the internet buying programs and found the lowest price thru carsdirect.com ask for Martin. I am not Martin. Do your own shopping and compare, try carsdirect last. I actually brought the same vin for less thru carsdirect.com
You will send me an email to thank me.
Good luck with your shopping.
Tony
I am about to move to Maine and was wondering if anyone has experience with the 2WD Sequoia's in the snow. I currently own a 2WD Limited and am wondering if I should go ahead and trade it in on a 4WD. I am afraid the 2WD won't drive too well in the snow. Are my concerns valid?
We love our Sequoia and would only consider replacing it with another Sequoia, but with 4WD. I noticed a few posts out here about comparing the Sequoia to Yukon's or Expedition's. I can honestly say they can keep their 0 financing and thousands of dollars of cash back, I'm sticking with Toyota. Hopefully this will help people in there decision before buying a competitor's vehicle.
Thanks,
John
So check with the local Mercedes or Lexus dealership to see who they recommend.
Thx,
H
Regards
I guess it depends on weather or not you will live out on the "pond road" in Hartland or in town Bar Harbor or Portland. (don't complain folks, I can spell, this is a snow related question) I can tell you that my Sequoia gets put into 4wheel drive each time it snows. I live in WV and have a very steep hill of a driveway (paved) and a steep hill to get out of our subdivision. I must admit that this is the first 4wd I have owned so I can't compare to other brands, but love this Toyota.
I will tell you that the Sequoia gained far better traction after my orig equip tires wore out and I installed Michelin Cross Terrains. (big bucks but worth it) Vehicle grips the pavement now in 4wd even when snow covered. I even use the 4wd on the interstate highway when snow covered, and back to 2wd if only wet.
Back to your question, If you will live and drive in town and they take good care of the roads in the snow, AND you live in a relatively flat part of Maine, you will be ok...
BUT.... you will be far better off with 4wd in general. Personally, I have spent a lot of time in Maine, Rangley to Houlton to Portland and Waterville and can not imagine moving there and not having a 4 wheel drive. Forget the snow, what about Mud Season, or summer when you want to explore the back country and logging roads? Get the 4wd, a tent and fishing rod, thow a canoe on the roof and enjoy.
Good luck. Have fun, enjoy Maine and have a Lobsta' fuh me.
Mark
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with someone making money on a quality product like this car appears to be, but it seems kind of slimey to put all of these different silly fees and overpriced options on the car. Just charge more for it if you need to. And by the way, why do I have to pay for your advertising? My customers would laugh at me if I tacked on an advertising fee to my products!
Sorry for the diatribe. I think its the cold medicine....
I previously towed with a 2000 Silverado Ext. Cab, 5.3L, 3.73 rear, and tow pkg. (Same drivetrain as Yukon/Burb/Hoe) I can say, through direct experience, the towing permormance of the GM and Toyota are very comparable. No real differences - maybe 1mpg better for the Chevy. This may equal out at more modest speeds.
iglow - my tongue/dry hitch weight is 580# (without the propane tanks filled). When adjusting the hitch height - always take measurements with the "load levelers" in place. They do a fantastic job to reduce the sag on the rear suspension. On my unit, the levers (aka weight distributing hitch) take 3-4" of squat out of the Seq.
Most if not all boat trailers use regular hitches as the tongue weights of boats tend to be lower, therefore the limiting factor is often the towed weight, not the tongue weight.
It's a different story for travel trailers and horse trailers. They tend to be hitch heavy thus the limiting factor is the tongue weight. To get around this you use a weight distributing hitch.
You should not exceed the 6200 lb. or whatever it is towing capacity of the Sequoia although it is a very conservative tow rating.
Another factor to consider is the frontal area of the trailer. That adds considerable drag and is the equivalent of towing more weight. The dealer should be able to offer more info on this.
You may want to check out www.reeseprod.com for more info.
I have towed extensively with the Sequoia (5500 lb. boat) and it is an excellent vehicle with ample power and outstanding stability. You should have no problems.
To make a long story short, 5 of us decided to go to a movie that night so we took my Sequoia (nicely equipped SR5, no leather but sunroof) and the Yukon owner sat in the front with me.
He seemed really blown away with the Sequoia. He commented how big it felt inside, what a great ride and said many times "this is a really nice vehicle". Then he asked me if my sunroof squeaks and rattles like his? No it doesn't!
Made me feel proud of my purchase.
For price, see my post #4535.
Happy shopping.
It may not be the cheapest but is the best value IMHO!
For any serious towing like that I would probably stick to a full size heavy duty truck.
Don't be fooled by higher towing ratings for Yukon etc.. There still has to be common sense applied and some towing situations require bigger rigs.
Only other suggestion is to ask a lot of questions of the trailer seller and get proper honest specs.
Even a 1/2 ton Suburban or Yukon XL can be setup to handle 8500lbs compared to the Sequoia's tow limit of 6200lbs. Given the size of the rig you're looking to tow, if you're looking for an SUV to do the towing, one of these domestics would be a safer setup. Having owned two previous 3/4 ton Subs, I can assure you they can handle the travel trailer you referenced more comfortably and with a wider margin of safety than a Sequoia.
I'm sure there are several travel trailer clubs in your area of which you'll find many that use the Suburban with similar trailer packages to the one you're considering. Good luck, but leave yourself plenty of cushion on the tow limit whatever tow vehicle you end up choosing. You'll never regret having a higher tow capacity than your rig, however you'll always regret it if you go over your tow capacity or leave yourself little room for unexpected extra weight that typically comes when loading up for a vacation.
I will concede you are correct about the Excursion and the 3/4 ton Suburban. They obviously would be a better choice and would do the job.
As stated in previous post the higher tow rating of a yukon would not overcome common sense. The two vehicles (Sequoia and Yukon) are remarkably similar in performance, size, specs etc. Would you really want to tow something that was that much heavier than a 1/2 ton based vehicle. I sure wouldn't.
While the weight of the tow vehicle matters, its not the only factor and its really not even one of the top two or three factors. As we've covered before, the HP, torque and rear suspension are all more important factors than the weight of the tow vehicle. Some would argue that the chassis design and rear transfer case ratio also matter more than the weight of the vehicle.
If weight mattered more than these other factors that the Excursion @ 7688lbs would have the highest tow capacity and yet it doesn't at 11,000lbs. In fact, a vehicle that is too heavy for its suspension "spends" too much of its CGVWR (Combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ie tow vehicle + tow package) on itself rather than on the tow package, as in the case of the Excursion.
BTW, even the heaviest duty 1 ton dualie crew cab pickups weigh about the same as a 3/4 ton sub at 5800lbs and has a tow capacity of 12,000lbs. The advantage of a pickup is that you can place a 5th wheel hitch in the bed of the truck and carry more weight on the tongue than a frame mounted hitch. A pickup has not greater advantage in the total weight of the trailer being towed.
OTOH, a 3/4 ton Suburban weighs 5796lbs and has a tow capacity of 12,000lbs. A 1/2 ton Suburban weighs 5224lbs and has a tow capacity of 8700lbs, while a Tahoe weighs 5133 with a capacity of 8200lbs. The Sequoia by comparison weighs 5295lbs and can tow 6200lbs.
Each tow vehicle's capacity is based on the combination of its rear suspension, engine, chassis and drivetrain setup. The lighter duty rear suspension of the Sequoia combined with its weight actually diminishes its tow capacity. A lighter Sequoia on that same chassis, same engine and same rear suspension would spend less of its capacity "carrying" itself and more on the tow package.
There are of course limits to these calculations however it would serve well for anyone looking to tow with any of these vehicles not to go over the tow capacity and preferably to keep the tow package to less than 85-90% of the max tow rating for safe and comfortable towing.