Hello From Toronto, Canada.

I agree with what you said about waiting for what you really want. I also ordered a 2007 Tacoma and have been waiting for close to a month. I currently own a 2005 Tacoma but regret not getting 4x4

 

Thank you. Too bad, you are upgrading from 05 to 07 because of 4X4. We live and learn, don’t we. Hey, look at the brighter side. You get a new start and get to enjoy it all over again. Like someone (Banshee, maybe) on this Forum said, its OK to over buy because you can't go back and correct your error in choice, except to buy again. From what I know, the Toyota's depreciate slowly so you don’t lose much. I think there's a big demand for the 2 WD version. Good Luck Jesse.

 

Themaster, thanks for the info on the block heat, good to know but where I live, we don't have an electrical hook up off of our porch and we do have some foot traffic in front of our apartment, as we live in a two familily old house.
I would hate to have anyone trip over the cord if I could find a place to hook the heater up. Thanks for the offer of getting it for me, too.

You really made the best decision on that truck you tested. Wow, what was wrong with that thing? There seemed to be something very wrong with that particular truck and with the dealer for letting it out of there lot.
The steering wheel shake sounds like the front tires were out of balance, perhaps the weights had fallen off or they were not balanced correctly, the real key was the dash being cracked or broken and they could not bother to fix it before they could show it too you, no wonder they said it would take 3 days to clean it and get it ready. Very smart move to decline that truck, probably a lot of headaches with that one.
My truck was sitting in a dealers lot for a month or so, at least and it had those plastic sheeting that they often put on cars so that they don't have crap all over the hood or truck/roof etc. It of course was very clean inside and when my dealer got it, they justed glazed it( with a small buffer) this puts a wax like coating on it, so that it beades up when it rains.
This is all fine, when the car/truck is new, but when you get your new truck, if you have a garage a good coat of wax is the best.
A good wax is any wax that has a high percentage of carnuba wax in it. The higher the % of carnuba, the longer the wax lasts on your truck.
Meguiars and Mothers are good places to start. You can find on line some very expensive wax, up to $40-60. I have not bought any of these yet but I would like to try some of them.
These wax's are of the paste variety and take a good amount of time to put on. A few guide lines, which can be found on Meguiar's site, use soft applicators, make small circles when applying and use old soft 100% cotton cloths when rubbing the wax in. I buy 100% cotton baby diapers .
You will probably get lots of different ideas on waxing as there are many opinions, just like oil changing techniques and frequency.

The sooner you get wax on the truck the better, pay lots of attention to the area's that get dirty first below around the rocker panels, bottom of fenders etc.

I also like to put a coat of wax on the inside of the bottom of my doors and door sills. It cannot hurt, as these places get hammered by dirt and wear.

I hope other TW members will comment on waxes etc. There is always something new to be learned.

"Devlivery and processing and handling fee" was $600 here in Mass. I believe this is the same as your PDI and freight. The dealer ship that I bought mine from is one of the largest in Mass. and has at least, 10 tech's and numerous guys cleaning, vacuming, buffing etc. They also have 6-8 service writers on at all times and many guys who work out in the area that has all the cars,trucks in inventory and they have a gated area where you cannot sign out a vehicle for a test drive with out being stopped at the gate and they write the number down of the vehicle, who took it out etc. They are very careful and the numerous workers may explain why it only took them 3 hours to get the truck ready for sale.

I am not sure how I get my pictures of my truck on to this sight but I will try to send a few.

 

Thanks Themaster, Can you beleive, after talking about waiting, the dealer just called me a little while ago to tell me that my truck is in. I am going to miss my 05 when I trade it in but looking forward to the new one. Also lucked out because I was informed that the new one comes with JBL sound system and towing package which wasnt part of the deal.

 

Jeff,
With all the talk about block heaters, I’ve decided to get one. You have no idea how cold it gets up here especially at our weekend home up North. I guess it will protect my engine from cold start damage. What do you think? I’m thinking of NOT getting the Nerf bars since they have to drill the underbody to install it creating a place for rust to start. Up here, rust is a vehicle’s worst enemy. You should see Toyota trucks with over 315,000 miles with half the body missing. Totally eaten by rust.

My dealer didn’t know the condition of the truck. It’s a brand new dealer trade. I was the first to drive it on behalf of my dealer which was also my test drive. If the truck was PDI’d (pre delivery inspection) they would have fixed all the problems. It was a blessing in disguise because I will now own a 07 for only $20 more a month. The reason they need 3 days to prepare my truck is for rust proofing and to install the extra’s I bought. I work right next door to my dealer and one of my security cameras is zoomed in on their new car pound. The moment I see a Speedway Blue move on that lot, I’ll be on there like flies on crap. My dealer is also a tenant of mine so I kind of get a little bit of special treatment.

Thanks for directing me to Meguiar’s site and the interesting tips on waxing. Meguir’s suggestions for the truck are about 2 pages long. I’ll need a trailer to bring home all the products they suggest. That’s crazy. So what the dealer puts on is no good huh? Should I remove the dealers wax or put another coat over that? Since its almost winter for us, I will bring the truck from the dealers to my work place. We have a heated underground garage where I can wax my truck before I expose it to the elements.

Yeah, get your pictures on TW. I like to see your ride and your float.

 

Yes you will miss the truck but only for a couple of days. Then you will have fun till your monthly payment is due. Life goes on. I didn't know of a JBL upgrade option . Is that a part of the TDR package? I heard it had JBL speakers but the 06 sounds ordinary. I could use more oomph.

 

Yeah, I think the JBL is part of the TRD package. It comes with a 6 disk CD changer and an 8" subwoofer. Honestly, it doesnt sound too good. I really cant tell the difference between my 05 without the JBL and my new one. The one thing that I do like is that it has the radio controls in the steering wheel. I dont plan on keeping the stock sound anyway. If you go to Crutchfield's website where they show custom cars, You can see my 05 Tacoma with my sound system. Of course I removed it and replaced the factory sound when I traded in for the 07. Also, a comment about the nerf bars you mentioned to Jeff, I had the nerf bars in my 05 and they did not have to drill holes. If you get the ones from Toyota, there are pre-existing holes. Just look under your truck to see if you have them. I am sure you do.

 

Jesse, I need to investigate this. I know nothing about a sub that comes with the TRD. I'd love to go after-market but then the steering wheel controls become useless. Let us know if there is a way around this. I’m an audiophile and need quality sound in my rig. Toyota is installing an iPod interface for $344. I wonder if this money is well spent or on a new stereo??? Thanks for the info about the Nerf bars. That’s cool. I'll check that tomorrow. I went to Crutchfield.com but couldn’t find a link to custom cars.

 

Themaster, when it comes to the dealer prep, they will not spend lots of time putting a good coat or two of wax, factory paint is very hard and usually they put a glaze coat on to give it that new look and just to give it some protection and usually most new trucks just need cleaning after shipment. There is no need to remove what the dealer puts on,just apply a good coat of paste wax .

I don't think the nerf bars will be a problem, as Jesse said, there are probably preexisting holes and if you install the nerf bars yourself it always doesn't hurt to put a bit of silicone in the hole prior to bolting everything up. It does keep water and moisture out . With all of the cold weather you have, especially at your winter retreat, I know the block heater will be the best thing. Not only does it keep the water at a certain temp but it will most likely keep the whole engine a bit warmer and in the dead of winter that certainly will help the oil and related engine parts survive during the first few minutes of start up.

All car and truck manufactures have made great strides in rust proofing, as they are liable for body panels rusting out. Of course as you know years ago Yoda's and most trucks had seamed panels and they were starting to rust from the time they were new. My two friends with their previous Tacoma's would have run them longer had not the bodys fell off! They also had problems on the upper doors near the mirrors and of course rocker panels and the beds.
That Speedway Blue is truly terrific, I am jealous as that would have been my first choice had it been available on my truck. Down in the US, it seems its only available on the Sport truck, at least thats what my dealer said.

Anyhow, thats one color you do not see in my area. Be sure and get a bottle of touch up paint to put on the small chips after a long winters use.

 

Jeff, I really appreciate all the nitty gritty stuff you keep bringing up. I will definitely put on the extra coat of wax before I expose it to the elements and the silicone as suggested. I wonder if one coat of wax is sufficient for about 6 months of winter abuse.

I was talking to the service manager of my Caterpillar generators about block heaters. My standby generators have oil sump heaters vs. coolant heaters we find on cars and trucks. He highly recommends them for engine longevity and better fuel consumption during winter since it brings the engine up to operating temperature very quickly. He claims having the heater activated by a timer needs to be on no more that 2-3 hours before the engine is started.

I like the Speedway Blue because my 03 Subaru was World Rally Blue which is almost the same. However, I think the Speedway Blue on the Taco is a little too loud. You could get tired of it over time. Jeff, visit often and share your know-how with the rest of the members. If you are coming to Montreal for the Grand Prix next year, drop me a line. In the meantime,
Eat Steak

 

Themaster, I would think that one coat would do, I only put two on because it was a great(warm fall afternoon) and being outdoors shining up my Yoda was the thing to do.
We all know that there are very few days in late Oct/early Nov when its that nice out.
Since the truck looks so nice and it is new, this is the time to put something on it, as lets say 7 months from now to get a good coat of wax on, you might have to use some type of cleaner, then wax. So I chose the easiest path. Its nice to get into the habit of keeping it clean.

We also have a Subie, a red 97 Legacy 5spd wagon, which my S.O. drives. Real good car, it has the usual Subie problems, but luckily we have Mobil One in it as it sits outside too, it has 120K on it and is due for a timing belt at the next oil change. Our Subie mech's are former Subie dealer mech's and they are great and very fair and when they do something its done right and they know exactly how and when to do things as they are primarily a Subie only repair shop. My SO has never owned anything but red cars, so I was not to disappointed when I could not get the Speedway color but did get that really nice solid red paint on my truck.
We recently had the starter motor not function on a couple of occasions, it did always start and we had it replace at $300.00 by our mech and it had a big flat spot in the starter.
We are very confident in there abilitys and we have been going there long enough to get an appt immediately if its a emergency. Like when her alternator died unexpectedly at 63K. We did get it down there on a fresh battery and they put one in with in a half hour.

I understand about the Speedway color but it looked so good sitting in the lot and no one around here has that color, and being a former auto body paint person, it really caught my eye.

The service manager of Caterpillar is right on, if you get one that heats the oil sump so much the better, that would really work well.
In the sixty's( you can tell how old I am, LOL) a friend who was a "mad scientist" , inventor, loved to tinker and his boys had some over the road big trucks and he made a heater type contraption that provide heat to the cab for overnight trips and yet also kept the engine, water and oil warm with out running the diesel truck engine all night. It did use the diesel oil from the trucks tank but the engine did not sit all night and idle and use unecessary fuel.

He was ready to put it in production when he died. It was a great idea.
We love Montreal and even though we are not city people, its a great place and we have made lots of friends up there.
We did not attend the GP this year, just the hassle of the extra expense of lodging and ticket prices. However if we do decide to get up there I will let you know, for sure. Jeff

 

Just wanted to say Thanks to you guys for this thread! I've learned tons of stuff just reading it and answered some questions that were in my mind about doing oil changes myself...
Thanks for all the info!!

 

Jeff, I agree you need to take advantage of warm weather this time of year. When do you plan on posting your truck pictures? We need more pictures on this site and you are not helping. Come on.

I can’t handle dark colors for too long. Every car a red one? Wow, that would have driven me insane. I would have done some serious talking with my SO if this were the case.

Subaru’s is the most reliable brand in North America according to a Consumers Guide report I read within the last 12 months. The most reliable model was the Hyundai Sonata. I’m surprised you are having problems. It’s hard to find good mechanics these days and the one you get tend to rip you off. The dealerships charge about $100 per hour for labor.

The Speedway Blue is nicer under low light conditions. Dodge Dakota had a similar blue a few years ago and those trucks look like crap now. I hope mine does not get the same tired look after a few years. My Subaru was easier to sell because of the blue color.

I don’t think its easy to find a oil sump heater for automobiles since I’ve not heard of or seen a port from which it can be installed. The coolant heater utilizes one of the frost plugs to gain access into the water jacket. The only other way is a glue a heating element underneath the oil pan. It might fall off while driving. How did the mad scientist die? Did he patent is contraption? When you visit Montreal, do you drive or fly in?

 

Themaster, I just made my own page on CarDomain, but cannot figure out how to get it to you guys. I will work on it, any suggestions. My friend, the mad scientist, died of natural causes and he did lead a hard life. He never did patent that thing because he was using his son's trucks as a test bed, after he died, they gave up the long distance trucking business to settle down more, as they both had kids.
The only problems with the Subie was the alternator at 62K , Subie refunded us the money as our mechanics fixed it. The starter just was clicking every now and then, never left us stranded and it was just a heads up to up coming problems and I guess starter motors replacements are not uncommon for that many miles, I guess.

When we go to Montreal, we take the Subie and drive up thru Burlington, Vt. then across the islands and there is a small border crossing and it takes only minutes to get thru customs and we approach the city from the south.
Very little traffic etc. We usually stay in the Berri-UQAM area, up along Sherbrooke, St Denis area. Our friend has the largest cheese shop, down at Atwater Marche and so we are always down there visiting and having lunch with him and his employee's, when we are not exploring the city, even after 20yrs. We often just get on the metro , pick a spot and get off and have lunch and look around.

I saw a Speedway Blue SR5 Access cab yesterday coming out of a Walmart, could not get her attention for a chat. Two great looking Taco's.
Got 1500 on my oil presently and will change it at 2000 or 2200, so that at 5K I will be right on the 5000 mark for the dealer. The engine is really beginning to loosen up and really drives quite well for a truck. jeff

 

Hi Jeff, you are way ahead of me… on CarDomain and all. You are asking the wrong guy for suggestions on this one. Try tcBob. Too bad your scientist friend couldn’t market the product. Why would you change the alternator if your starter was clicking? Was it not charging your battery? A clicking starter normally indicates a defective solenoid, doesn’t it? Did Subaru refund the money without any issues? Now that’s an impressive dealer committed to customer service .

The wait for my truck to arrive is killing me slowly. Wait a minute! Let me understand what you are saying…. You saw a Blue SR5… could not get her attention…. Two great looking Taco’s…. ? Are you thinking what I am thinking? You saw a woman drive a Taco and didn’t invite her to join TW. Come on Jeff. Don’t ask tcBob for help with CarDomain. He’s not very impressed with you right about now.

I wonder if winter is a good time to break-in an engine with all the cold temperatures between over night stops. Are you changing your oil this early to flush the metal filings? Good idea. Put in a good filter. You should stick with one oil manufacturer. Take Mobile 1 to your dealer and they should discount the cost of the oil change. What is your take on warming up an engine before you drive off vs. driving off slowly 15-20 seconds after start up with no warm up period? Which method would have the least damage?

 

Hi Jesse, you were right with the Nerf bars. The holes are already there. My truck arrived in Toronto today. I will get it next week.

 

Themaster, glad to know you found the holes for the nerf bars. I was sure you had them. Just to let you know that if you go to www.autotoys.com/x/cust/product.php?productid=597&cat=78 you will find an adapter to control your aftermarket CD player with the factory steering controls. Also you can go to www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/customcar/showroom/magana_tacoma.html you can see my 2005 Tacoma. It is actually the truck at the top right corner of this page on Tacoma World. If I were you, I wouldn't waste your money at the Dealership. I would buy an aftermarket CD player with the steering wheel interface. I did some research on that 8" factory subwoofer. I guess it doesn't come specifically with the TRD package. It is an option you can get for around $550 that comes with the JBL 6 disc CD changer and 8" sub. Like I said though, It is not really worht the money. It just so happened that it came with my truck. I did'nt ask for it but it was there when I got my truck after waiting for it for over a month.

 

Hey Guys,

This thread is off the hook! I am loving all of the topics being discussed, many of which pose similar questions I have such as "What do you guys think about driving your trucks after a 30 sec warm-up as per Owner's Manual". I live in an area with a fairly cold winter climate (it was 0 deg. Celsius or 32 Fahrenheit here today)and driving away without warming up the oil seems risky for long term engine life?

Also, I started runnning 87 octane then switched to 91 for 3 consecutive tanks. I didn't notice any change in mileage or performance with running Supreme fuel so I have no switched back to 87 Octane.

Themaster, I can echo your concerns surrounding the delivery of a damaged vehicle and the uneasy feeling you get from it.

To make a long story short, I bought my 2006 Tacoma D-Cab from the local dealer here in August. I had my doubts about this dealers integrity right off the bat but gave them the benefit of t'he doubt and decided to purchase locally rather than look in southern Ontario.

My truck arrived a week late, missing a couple of accessories that I had insisted on repeatedly. The truck had the worst wax job I had ever seen (swirl marks everywhere on a Black Sand Pearl finish)and there was Armorall all over the clock and gauge faces leaving a greasy film on them. I got halfway home when I realised I only had 1/8th of a tank of gas. The truck pulled to the left b/c of a wheel alignment issue that the salesperson initially blamed on the grade in the road.... etc, etc.

A month later when I re-waxed my truck to eliminate the ugly swirl marks I discovered 2 significant gouges in the door sill that were touched up as well as 5 pieces on automotive glass wedged within the cup holders. A very uneasy discovery indeed. I realize that I should have returned the truck ASAP and demand a replacement but it took 5 weeks to get it in the first place and this particular dealer was difficult to work with and full of excuses, so I figured it would be a futile attempt. I wrote to Toyota Canada in Mississauga and they recorded my experience but noted that they couldn't do anything for me.

All that being said, I have got over the negative experience and love the truck. I only wish that the new Tacomas would come with a chrome or steel front bumber instead of the plastic bumper cover. I can see the plastic not holding up too well when hitting the roads not so well travelled.

I have my first 6 or 7 tanks of gas and mileage recorded for the HWY and will let you know tomorrow what I am getting for distance. My first tank was 25 mpg (or approx. 720 km/tank), but that was breaking in the engine travelling 70 to 90 km/h on the hwy. My last 2 hwy trips resulted in approx 635 km/tank (397 miles) travelling an average of 100 -115 km/hour. I will work out the actual mileages tomorrow night for comparison.

I look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas relating to our trucks in the future guys. Take care.

SAM

 

Sam, being formally in the auto body shop environment, I would have to say that your truck must have had some glass work done at some time, I guess this is obvious, probably your windshield as that is the largest target on the car.
I am sure you have had the defroster on already but if you haven't turn it the fan on high as you might get some small pieces of glass to blow out.

The black sand pearl finish is always tough but it should have no swirls in it and it sounds as though they put an inexpierenced guy/kid on the buffing machine.
I have noticed a lot of Yoda's with very dry paint/clearcoat on the fender flares, mine included. Of course a dealer is going to just pass this off but in the business, no paying customer would accept the paint that way. It really doesn't bother me and obviously not other people either.But its something that the dealer really wants to fix and the fix is relatively simple.

Keep an eye out on the gouges on the sill, particularly for rust or have it fixed and repainted at a reputable auto shop, not your dealer. There is no use have rust on your new truck.
Its a shame that Toyota cannot pressure some of there dealers in to better practices.

I guess so far I have been lucky as I only had two small problems, the clock did not work and it was unplugged and that caused another warning light to go on. Very easy fix.
Good luck with your truck. jeff

 

Hey Jeff,

Thanks for your insight! I will try running the defrost fan on high and see if any glass flies out. I plan to make the dealer aware of the gouges and make sure it is documented for warranty issues.

I also notice the difference in paint found on the fender flares. I thought that it was just because the flares were made of a porous plastic and then painted, but what you say makes sense. I made sure I put 2 more coats of Mothers wax in addition to the 2 coats applied by the dealer. I hope that this will help protect the paint on the fender flares and the rest of the truck. I did notice that the paint is pretty delicate on my 2006 as I put a number of light scatches in the truck the first trip I took down a tight bush road this fall. I will just make sure I go nuts with the wax every year to help protect it.

SAM