PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Jax succeeded in distracting us from a rather dull day at the office, and we succeeded in tiring him out; Win/win situation!

 

@ColoradoTJ
@shakerhood
@Taco critter

I drove a stick shift Honda Element for the first time in my life today, and I loved it; Unfortunately, it was to help the aforementioned VP and his wife (Jax’s owners) diagnose a problem with the clutch and transmission…

The Element is about a 2009 model with 115K miles on it; The VP and his wife bought it used to use as a delivery vehicle for their flower shop several years ago. They ended up selling the business and the Element along with it; They realized they needed a vehicle to transport the dogs they rescued, so they bought it back from the people they sold it to. It had been sitting for almost two years but it required no work to get it running; The clutch was supposedly replaced by the people they bought it back from…

VP’s wife told me today when she brought Jax in that the clutch was acting up and that it was really difficult to shift into first gear; I suggested that I take it for a spin around the parking lot and see how it felt, to which she agreed.

I stalled it when attempting to get it going from a dead stop in first gear, but the clutch felt fine to me; It was definitely more difficult to shift into first gear from neutral or any other gear than it was to shift out of first gear. I felt like I really had to push into first gear, but it didn’t seem as difficult to me as the VP’s wife had described it. I made three or four laps around the office parking lot, never going higher than third gear; VP’s wife seemed to think that the problem was with the clutch, but the clutch felt fine to me and I thought it was something in the transmission. What does everybody else think?!?!

 

My former boss (still friend) from the bar where I used to work, also drives a Honda Element, albeit a 2005 model with an automatic transmission and higher miles; She was unknowing commuting to work in King of Prussia with bad wheel bearings and did $900 in damage…

 

Here’s the Element; It is actually a 2006 and NOT a 2009…

 

I did it!

 

Everyone I talk to is saying I don’t have anything to worry about with my truck burning a quart of oil every 3,500 miles…

 

And if the engine needs a partial rebuilt, would you rebuild it or put a new engine in there? Remember that white 2005 RC I photographed last month? The previous owner didn’t take care of it, and it had a 2015 engine in it!

 

Just padding the lead over me..haha

 

Can you make my fog lights legal and add the little switch that shuts them off when I turn on the brights?

 

There’s a wire missing I think; Pete (my mechanic) said he could do it but that it’s a pain in the ass and he doesn’t really want to. The reason I ask is because the truck is going to the dealer this September for a final once-over before the warranty on the frame replacement expires (12 years from date truck was purchased new) at the end of the of the month and the dealer suggested I bring it to them for state inspection. Toyota implied that they might not be able to pass it because of the foglight set up (PennDOT can kiss my ass); My mechanic is will put an inspection sticker on it regardless because he installed the foglights.

My uncle said I should I bring it to my mechanic to get inspected (there is literally nothing else wrong with it that would cause it to fail) and then bring it to the dealer for the frame inspection.

I really don’t understand why it’s illegal to have foglights that operate independently of the high-beams, because while I use the high-beams and the foglights at the same time when there’s nobody else on the road, I have the common courtesy to turn the high-beams off when there is someone headed in the opposite direction.

 

You think I should just have my mechanic inspect it and then bring it to the dealer? It’s times like this that I really wish I lived down South where they have no car inspections, because quite frankly it’s my truck titled in my name that I take really good care of, and I think PennDOT can go pound sand!

 

Won’t the dealer refuse to look at it if it’s already passed a safety inspection though? That’s what I’m worried about…

My mechanic is literally within walking distance of the Toyota dealer, so if it does end up needing a new frame, then I can get that done at the dealer and drive it to my mechanic once for inspection once the job is done; It would take a major jerk of a cop and a ton of bad luck to pull me over for expired inspection to pull me over whole whole driving three tenths of a mile from the dealer to my mechanic…

 

My frame was coated as part of the recall back in October 2017; My frame is pretty solid, but the coating is peeling in places…

My truck is covered for frame replacement until September 30th, 2021 (exactly 12 years after we bought it).

I was at the local dealer today picking up a new air filter, and I chatted with a service manager about getting the frame looked at one last time before the recall period ended; He suggested bringing my truck in state inspection (I live in Pennsylvania) when it was due and killing two birds with one stone.

I haven’t gotten my truck inspected at the dealer in almost two years because my mechanic is cheaper; My mechanic is also willing to look the other way when it comes to the fact that my truck has aftermarket foglights that can be turned on at the same time as the high-beams (technically this will cause a vehicle to fail inspection in PA).

My mechanic installed the foglights for me; I am a bit nervous about getting my truck safety inspected by my mechanic and then bringing it to the dealer for the standalone frame inspection (My mechanic is very thorough, but a former Volvo tech, and might not know all of the trouble spots on a Tacoma frame).

Will Toyota authorize a recoating of my frame if it is determined that the frame is good but coating is defective?

I am also very nervous about my aftermarket backup camera being compromised if the truck does in fact need a new frame.

 

My uncle also said that if I get the truck inspected at the dealer, they inspected thousands of vehicles a year and likely wouldn’t even bother to check the foglights as a result…

 

What would you do?

Also, what frame coating material do you recommend if the dealer doesn’t think it qualifies?

 

Just hope I don’t get this same service manager…?

So get it done by the dealer?

 

My dad says get it done by Pete and then go to the dealer, which is what I was planning to do the first place; Pete charges $12.50 less than the dealer anyway!

 

What do you honestly think is the good plan?

 

It’s times like this that I really wish I lived in Florida or South Carolina; Fucking inspections!

 

Safety inspections I more or less agree with for legit issues like bad brakes, nonfunctional lights, bald tires, severe rust, etc…

Stuff that keeps legit shitboxes off the road!

Aftermarket foglights are hardly a big deal, and emissions testing is a crock of shit because vehicles are so efficient nowadays!