My '11 Tacoma, 75k miles later.

Hey all, I thought some might be interested in my experience using my Tacoma for real work, in the last two (and a bit) years. I am a logging supervisor, and put upwards of 1000 miles a week, at least half of that on logging roads, at speeds from walking, right on up to 75mph or so. I wouldn't call it abuse, but fairly hard use. I also tow our 26' Spree travel trailer a half dozen times or so per season, less than 75 miles per direction, on flat terrain...

It's an Access Cab, 4x4 2.7l 5 speed. I bought the 6year/125k ECP plan.

I am very pleased with my fuel economy, 20.7mpg, every mile logged since new. (I got 12.5 with my 4.8l Silverado). Fuel savings almost make the payments.

I'm also very pleased with the Kelly Safari TSRs (load range E), they have 50k on them, and should go another 10-12k. The sidewalls are all cut to hell, but so far, I've only had one flat, that was fixable (pinhole). In the winter, I run a 235/85 Michelin Winter LTX, which I am also quite pleased with.

As far as repairs needed, I will list, along with approximate mileage.

20k, front axle seal (inner)--warranty (I had to pay for the diff fluid, though).

25k, blower fan squeak, replaced--warranty

30k, front diff replaced (bad bearing, I suspect the earlier seal failure and diff filling with water had something to do with it)--warranty

30k, two rear shocks--warranty

50k, front wheel bearing driver side--warranty

55k, front brake pads--my dime, as it should.

58k horn stopped working, will wait until next oil change to get fixed

59k, box bouncing around, ruined one mounting bolt. 23$ for a bolt, fixed by using washers to get to good part of bolt. Remaining three loose also.

61k, horn turns into spiral cable replacement --80% coverage--not impressed with this, I waited for the next oil changed to get it looked at, if I had brought it in at 59k, 100% coverage under PT warranty.

62k, box loose again, turns out rough use squishes mounting shims. Not impressed, never had a truck bed go loose on me, no matter how rough the use.

65k, broken spring leaf, passenger side--self replacement with leaf from my junk pile.

68k, broken spring leaf, drivers side, same fix as other.

70k, front bumper cover, after 50k of rattles (mounting rivets loose) finally falls off, held by light bar. patched up, will be fixed this morning with steel plate, a bunch of bolts and washers. I'll post pics.

70k, leaking back shock, will monitor and change when performance falls off noticeably.

Dealership was given full disclosure as to the future use before I bought the truck, and they assured me it would not be labelled as abuse come warranty time. They've been good, except for the box issue, which they said was due to rough use, and I was on my own. I went to the showroom, picked up a brochure, and showed them the picture of the Tacoma on the side of a mountain. This is what I do to mine, every day. They just shrugged...

All in all, except for the loose bed and front bumper problems, I'm quite pleased. I just don't buy into the "Tacomas never break" mantra. I don't argue with anyone who does though, it keeps the resale value high, lol!

I'll likely be keeping it until next fall, when hopefully I will be able to buy a new Tacoma that doesn't look like an '05...


I think that's all!
Cheers!

 

Another thing I forgot, and am fixing today is the plastic box broke where the rear fender bracket attaches to it. I'm guessing heavy muck on the mud flaps was just too much for the flimsy (IMO) bed material...

 

Nice user report. Really, that's not too shabby at all. No vehicle is going to come off the lot, and perform that type of duty without some hiccups here and there.

That sucks about the bed issues though. Would have been good if Toyota had some steel plates molded into the mounting points, to distribute force. Like the broken spot in your picture, if they had some metal molded in, maybe that would have helped keep it from snapping off there. I think it's pretty chicken $hit that they charged you for gear oil when they changed the front seal though. I know it's a cheap cost, but the idea of it just rubs me wrong. If you get a critic form sent after service, I would mark it accordingly.

Surprisingly, the best customer service and dealership service I've ever received was with Hummer, on my wifes H3. If you brought it in, they fixed it no questions asked. They didn't seem to have a "rough use" mentality, as Hummer invites all new customers to a Hummer sponsored off road trip each year. So, they encourage you to use it as intended. I watched the service guys, who were on the trip, plunge a new H3 into a mud pit so steeply and hard that they busted the grill out of it. The other dealership folks that were on the trip were like "Cool!" .. ha ha, ok.

 

Thanks for using miles/mpg and not jibberish! Looks like it's doing well given the environment!

 

It is. I'm really surprised that I didn't need to have any front end parts replaced, like ball joints, tie rod ends, and the like. This is where I feel the Tacoma is superior to Ford/Chev/Dodge...

This is what the bumper repair looks like:

 

No i totally agree. they are superior to chevy/ford. Bumper looks good!

 

76.5K, 2 front wheel bearings, warranty.

 

Good log & information, 1000 miles a week must be rough :\

 

Thanks for this.

 

78k

Sway bar bushings (rubber)
2 back shocks.

Warranty.

The extended warranty is paying for itself...

 

81K,

Front wheel bearing again (don't know what the heck is going on here) warranty
Front crankshaft seal, warranty
Rear wheel bearing, warranty
Rear wheel seal, warranty
Rear diff (loud hum under power, likely pinion bearing), warranty
Rear brake pads (done in by leaky rear seal), my dime. No biggie, they were likely half worn anyway.

This instalment would cost $3000, had I not taken the extended warranty.

So far, moral of the story, Tacomas break, just like any other truck, get an extended warranty if you're going to use it like a truck...

That said, I'll likely buy a new Tacoma in the spring. No complaints...

 

I have 36k miles on my 2011 doublecab V6 and get almost the exact same mileage and I have not had to take it in for a single item. That seems a like a lot for Tacoma. Maybe I am wrong. How often do you go offroad?

 

says in op......^^^

 

Everyday is what the OP said? I was asking how often he REALLY goes offroad.

 

Every day. I usually go to two or three sites a day, and none of them are less than twenty miles off the pavement, with the last four or five usually pretty nasty (ruts, rocks, mud holes, etc, and the site is usually messed up by heavy equipment. Friday, for example, I had to drive into the ditch in order to get closer to the bulldozer that needed a boost in sub zero temps (still didn't start, but I had to try). Tractor trailer pulled me back out.

My truck ain't no grocery getter. If it weren't for work, I'd be driving around in a TDI Jetta...

 

If the roads are that bad for a 4X4 Tacoma, how do they get a service truck in there?

 

The same way I get there with my Tacoma. The roads aren't impassable, they're just rough. Most of the time, my truck is also used as a time machine (need to be there yesterday). Some of the crews also keep a service trailer on site. When trucking starts, I try and get the road fixed (funds are limited, we'd like for the road to be smooth all the time, but we can't afford it)...

 

Yep. 45mpg, 250 ft/lbs of torque.

My wife's MDX can tow the trailer...

 

Pretty impressive! I travel logging roads here in NB to get to the remote mine site I work at, and half the year the 30kms of gravel road isn't too but but spring of the year and after it rains it's not the best. I'm going to check my bed bolts when I get home, just in case they are loose. I've also developed a strange noise when going over washboard sections, sounds like something pretty loose on the front end, I'll have it checked out this week sometime. I'm thinking my front shocks are shot, they have 120k kms on them now, and my taco looks slightly lower in the front than other tacos around. Great review though! Where I work they have a fleet of 11 Honda Ridgelines, some with 400+k kms on them and they don't miss a beat. I was very impressed with the ride of one that has 360k on it, you would only think it had 50k on it with the ride.

 

Ridgelines? What kind of work does that fleet do?