Thank you TacomaWorld!

Ok, lots of 3rd gen bashing happens here - much of it warranted. But as I continue to learn more about my truck through necessity, I am continually reminded how lucky we are to have such a great community to lean on. Here's why TW has become my go-to. How about you?

Edited 9/1!

• Without TW I would have likely sold/traded in my truck within 3-4 months of ownership.
• I wouldn't have known that U-bolts would ever come from the factory loose and cause ridiculous suspension issues.
• Clunking due to dry U-joints? Never would have guessed a new truck would come out this way.
• There's a TSB for the wonky transmission shifting that won't hold 5th on a .005% incline!? SCORE!
• Transmissions came without proper fluids!? Damn glad I learned this before I put 60k on it and my transmission fried on mile 60,001 (post warranty..)
• TRD "Performance Intake" - don't fall victim to the hype and muck up your intake with oil...
• Axle wrap? How do I avoid it - ah yes. Stay out of 4WD if you wheels can't slip!
• What's a MAF? Ah, when my engine feels like it's about to explode on me with high occurrences of misfires and insane vibrations... How do I clean it? Ah! SCORE! ...and why is this clamp that's supposed to keep the air contained to the intake slip off when I'm disconnecting my MAF? ...probably should tighten up that baby.
• My truck feels confused? How can I reboot it easily - disconnect negative terminal for 5 mins and watch magic happen and little elves spew from your exhaust with excitement.
• Rotten egg smell from my exhaust? Rich fuel? At least I know where to start... still waiting for my CAT to give up on me (probably after warranty...)
• The CPS is a really tiny thing that makes a MASSIVE difference in performance, even if not failing entirely (yet). There's a CPS recall, but I'm not on the list (yet)... but someone suggested it would be worth a shot. Result: It was.
• Steering is a complex animal in this truck... but the power management from the engine based on RPM load and A/F has a big impact and makes a night/day difference in drivability.
• My Taco sounds like a squeaking rat-infested Manhattan sewer drain. Oh, you thousands of people have the same sound. Great, let's start a rat/cricket orchestra named The Chirps. First major hit, "Silence, Please"
• There's a cool, custom looking badass rack made by some dude in Utah named Zack? Love it. Oh, there's work you need to do to get it to your "liking" - thanks for the tips all, wind noise to a minimum now.
• We can pick up these little OBDII adapters and geek out on live data through our Phones? ...and use them to customize beeps, blinkers, locks, etc., to our liking!? YES!
• Aerospace 303 saves polar bears. and black plastic.
• McGuires spray wax is underrated and highly effective between detailing...
• Chemical Guys makes some awesome stuff
• We can get free access to a field service manual that has all kinds of stuff I didn't yet understand to help with learning and self-maintaining my expensive truck!? I'm willing to learn if it will help extend (or even get what I expected) the longevity out of this truck.
• Piano letter inserts should be standard on these tailgates, but saw them here first and love them.
• Weathertech bug deflector is the only one I've seen that actually keeps MOST bugs off your windshield - I get maybe 2-3 when driving a couple hundred miles in the misty south and never in my main field of vision. The WT floor mats are a no brainer too. How else you gonna catch the buckets of water seeping through your dash?
• Crappy MPGs I had written off (wasn't a major buying factor) were in-fact abnormal for my driving conditions and low weight... so I shouldn't accept 15-16 mpgs on normal combined driving...
• Dealers are not as wise as I had once been naive enough to HOPE... lesson learned. Zero of the performance-related things above were acknowledged or addressed by the dealer. I eventually got the tranny topped off and TSB done, but wouldn't have known to ask if not for TW.
• I'm not alone, and not crazy to think they really screwed up with this "learning" experience the first 2 model years have been - but working together we're making some good headway.
• Subaru tweeters are less than $100 and make this truck's sound come alive with ease of install!
• OVTune... because well, you know....

So, for today (and that's really all we got, amiright?) my truck is running decently and pretty fun to drive. Tons of hours, reading, buying tons of stuff I wouldn't have needed/wanted otherwise, and each tweak makes some level of improvement. While i'm still hesitant to say I'm out of the woods - let's be honest, a new truck with that many things wrong with it with so few miles will forever be suspect and history has shown me several times that if I like (or don't like) how my truck drives, give it a few days. I'm still expecting more sensor issues, perhaps fuel delivery issues with the HPFP and/or exhaust... It lives by the saying that variety is the spice of Taco ownership...

What pain and frustration has TW saved you from, and made your 3rd gen ownership a bit more bearable as a result?

 

I really liked my truck until reading your post, thinking it's time to trade it in....jk, TW is pretty cool.

 

Great write up.

 

You're welcome. Probably better to scrap it for parts though. We're all gonna need them. (j/k... halfway)

 

Recently converted to Tacomas from the Land Rover world. And this forum is chattering with activity and lots of great info! A complete 180 from the Rover forums recently

 

Hah! Hell yeah! A ton of the above listed stuff plus:

• Picking up some cheap plugs for the lower control arms to stop the whistle.
• AC drain mod
• Hood rippling/craptastic hood glue issues.
• Driveline/pinion angle issue.
• Tons of mods and awesome setups for the bed/storage spaces/tools.
• Torque specs/maintenance tips & tricks!

 

Pretty sure TW CAUSES more anxiety than alleviates it...
There is something to be said about that old adage "Ignorance is bliss" especially when people who don't understand something go unhinged over a minor issue.

Yes, TW does have a lot of benefits but in some cases will create problems where none should exist. Have some posts helped me? Absolutely. Other posts just make me smh.

 

Yeah, have had a bit of that too (was convinced my bushing was failing on a stock OR for a bit and the one thing the dealer did catch - after multiple trips) was an overtightened rotor that was causing my vibes and shuddering. Which I also felt like was potentially due to driveline angles in the other TSB which is doesn't appear it was. But i've gotten 80% more value than anxiety, just have to filter for MY problems vs. ones that can be created in your head... But I've had more problems than most, it appears.

 

I assume you got it replaced under warranty even though your truck is not recalled for CPS?

 

Hell no. I'd spend more than $100 in my sanity and time getting them to do anything with a CPS that isn't stalling... Unless I can drive it in (or have it towed) with a CEL or audible banging or white smoke spewing from this truck I am getting zero help. Acceptance. It's taken me awhile, and if I didn't have the TW folks I'd still be miserable driving this thing....

 

TL;DR

 

Phew....

 

Hold on. What was the solution to the bad MPG? I get the same mileage, and TW told me it was because I am an idiot driver.

Also, I feel I have to downshit on very slight delcines even in my manual transmission. The engine doesnt have the powerband.

 

My understanding.... "TW helped me accept that my 3rd Gen is a POS. Then helped me fix all the shit Toyota fucked up."

I may be wrong but that's how I interpreted the OP's point.

 

Basically a list of all the problems his truck has faced...

And he likes McGuires, 303, and Weathertech.

 

Totally agree!