TheCochese's Project Con Queso

It could try texting.

 

Always had a warm place in my heart for good pole dancin’.

 

Oof. Was expecting the truck back maybe tomorrow, new estimate is next Monday. Also the cost went up a grand.

 

Glad I didn't try to pay for it out of pocket.

 

Did they give you a written estimate? If so, they may not be able to increase their price more than a certain percentage or dollar amount dependant on you state law.

 

I got an estimate from the place I usually go to, then because of assignment issues it got transferred over to the one closer to me in the same company.

Part of the issue stems from they have to pull the back glass so they can properly paint. That's $3xx of it. Their labor hours also shot way up, still trying to make sense of that. They likely are having to remove the box so they can paint, which wasn't included in the original estimate. Kinda feels like they are padding, as the original was a cash pay and this revised one is for insurance. From $844 to $2104.

 

Taco Tuesday without a Taco is really annoying.

 

Got a text that the truck is already in paint, so there's a good chance it will be done this week.

Also getting back $1200 in diminished value.

 

Collision course right there. Brace hard. Brace real hard.

 

Truck is back in the stable, and other than a lingering paint smell, all is well.

The rental F150 gave me a couple of things to think about going forward. One, is potentially changing out the Joying head unit for a more traditional one. The Ford unit just worked all the time, even though I did have to use CarPlay wired. I may look at one day going with a Pioneer or otherwise unit that offers wireless CarPlay for some more stability.

The other is the heated seats, which were amazing. It made me think that it is likely I'll add them to the Tacoma. This does mean, along with the additions of lights and such in the future, that I should start thinking about an auxiliary fuse box. I could see the bumper light, dual heated seats, possibly one or more other external lights plus an air compressor needing power. Plus the winch, which won't go through the fuse block.

Just some things I'm going to need to start considering.

 

I like the Pioneer 6600 in the taco. No regrets with that one.

I'm still going on my heated seats but inching oh-so-close. I tap'd of trailer brake controller (which will be replaced with direct feed from the battery) to aux maxi fuse holder (blue sea in the driver kick panel) feeding to the under-cupholder space where I have a high current relay and a blue sea compact fuse block. Caribe doesn't love the location but it's been pretty workable so far. Dialing in the seat heater switch illumination off the dimmer has been the biggest time consumer, though I'm getting my crimpage going, as if I were learning how to knit. Photos in my build log. Did cheapo gray clazzios, they look fine, my kids will beat them to bits for sure.

Caribe's plan was aux fuse holder near the in-cab fuse holder instead of under the cupholders but then you have to run leads for each circuit which is a chunkier snake to where you need it. My seat heater kit has +12v and IGN switched leads as IGN is meant for low current and +12V high current but since I already had the high current relay I just did all of 'em switched.

I do wish there were a more plug-and-play seat heater option with the relay popping into the OEM seat heater relay location and recycling an OEM connector but from the research I've done that's a long and winding, unpaved road.

Oh, and I consider compressor (planning arb twin in bedside) and aux lighting (I'm nearly there with my switchpros) all separate from in-cab power (for seat heaters and 12v usb charging). I sort of consider an aux fuse panel in the engine bay a waste, for winch or compressor you need a high current fuse or circuit breaker, for lights you need a switch of some sort so that's relay or programmable switch so what would you really fuse off a block in the engine bay which is sub 20 amps so you don't exceed the max of the block? The only thing I can think of would be under-hood lighting off a pin switch and/or bedside 12v power, but with an 8 port switchpros my plan would be to just wire direct off that for now.

 

There's plenty of room in the engine bay for an aux fuse block and not so much in the cab. At least in my view. I don't mind running a few extra wires through the firewall to have a clean setup. But my options are open. I also don't want to be in a situation where I have to disassemble a portion of the interior to quickly change a fuse or a relay. I'm pretty sure I'm going with the Overland Expo mount, as I don't have the ability to bend aluminum myself.

Perhaps the seats get power off something else. I'm a bit far off from needing to make a decision on that.

 

Ten days off starting Friday. I was hoping my SOS order would be complete by next weekend, but I’m not sure it will.

Was hoping for a Saturday pickup, Sunday primer, maybe installed on Wednesday.

 

Oh yeah, the 6600NEX. I've been keeping an eye on that one. I just wish the more conventional head units didn't require another adapter to keep things stock. In some vehicles it isn't bad, but for our van it's another $150 to keep the BR player and overhead screens functional.

 

Going to go out on a limb and say I'm not going to get any of my orders until late January.