What Have You Done To Your 2nd Gen Tacoma Today?

Need some help/suggestions from all you vinyl whizzes.

Best exterior vinyl material.

Best place to get it. Hoping the answer is not online.

My b pillars are getting bad with the flaking. Going to wrap them to try and contain the problem for the time being.

Yes I know this isn’t the proper/ideal solution but spending 7/8k for a repaint on a truck with 100k is a pill I’m not swallowing right now.

 

I did the same. Ordered 3m off of Amazon and it's been great. Price is reasonable and ships quick. I've ordered several colors/patterns over the years. 3m is tough and easy to install. I've also used Oracal (looks good but not super easy to work with) and VViVid. I prefer 3m.

 

@Steelhead Bum I was worried it was 7-8k also but scroll up to the powder blue thread with lots of pics above - that paint job cost $1700

And before you say "yeah sure but it's gonna be shit" - door jambs included, fender flares removed + seals redone, truck bed cover removed and reinstalled - underside of hood done etc etc... (single stage with adhesion promoter prior to paint)

I had two guys I know who do a lot of work on high end cars look at it and they said minimum 8k for the job (after they saw the finished product not knowing how much I paid)

So there are at least some guys who price reasonably

 

I'm doing a few mods this weekend..

The haul:



What I managed to get done today:

• replaced shifter back light
• did the reverse camera to head unit mod from https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-camera-connection-below-dash.30889/
• added the front jackers from Desert Does It to my front seat
• replaced old amp with a Crunch PowerDriveX 1000 Watt 4 Channel Exclusive Blue A/B Car Stereo. It's a cheaper model but I thought I had a problem with my old Orion amp. I will probably switch it back at some point.
• added a Cerwin-Vega powered 10in sub

Tried to make it as clean as possible. There are some things I could have done better but maybe next time. I thought of putting the speaker unit under one of my front seats but it doesn't fit without adding spacers and I don't really want to sit on my bass. I must say I am pretty impressed with the Cerwin Vega. I looked at the kicker one but it was just so much more expensive. I am happy with my choice. I have more than enough bass now.

I didn't get to all the mods today but there is always tomorrow.

 

Washed the truck

and did the bi- monthly headlight polish with mothers mag polish.
Before

After

Gotta do this every couple months until I buy oem replacements but @ $200 a pop this will work just fine. There's so much more I would rather spend $400 on like a tune or performance coils.

 

Got my Desert Does It rear seat jackers. Package also came with free candy inside as well… Still deciding whether or not to eat it.

 

I got mine today too. Passed on the candy. Used the sticker tho lol

 

I have had my Tacoma for just over 14 months and just discovered in the the last couple of days two important features and one solution/fix I thought would be nice to pass along as I have learned so much here during my short tenure.

Disclaimer: I don't read the manuals unless some important/scary looking light comes on. (Ex: "Brake System Failure", "Transmission Overheat/Meltdown Imminent" etc.)
("IDRTM") so telling me: "Hey goon squad: it's in the manual" is a waste of typing that's just going to bounce off. There has to be at least one other person out there like me so I'm good.

First: the important one:

Issue: Loud Vibration noise coming from under the driver's seat and outside of the truck at 1,800-2,000 RPM. Started when the cool temps returned while I was up north last week having fun hiking and scouting. It's loud and embarrassing at anytime, but especially when you're trying to quietly sneak out of the campground at 7:00 AM: makes the truck sound like a [blank] box. (Smug looks from the RAM owners that are already up too....their trucks will be making noises like this, and worse soon, only they will be coming the the engine block) Mostly goes away when the truck warms up. Source: Left-hand CAT heat shield. The cheap-a*s sheet metal screws they use to attach the upper and lower halves rust out and let go causing a nerve wracking vibration every time the transmission shifts in the lower gears. Fix: Used a drum-brake adjustment tool to gently tweak the two halves apart a little. Don't muscle it: the other screws will pop and you'll have a hanging, rattling mess to deal with. Almost every bracket on the frame holding all the lines, cables, etc is made of the same stuff and is badly rusted on my truck. Nothing else under there is like this except the screws.

New Feature(s) Discoveries:

1. After turning off the key, the power windows work for a while: (Nice!!! )
2. The Dome light for an open door gets disabled when you leave the door open all day. (Nice!!! ) I discovered this when I looked out the window and saw the pass-side rear door wide open from when I was unloading stuff about 8 hours earlier. No dome light on. (Uh-Oh!!! ) Went outside, closed the door, opened it again: Dome Light on. (NICE!!! )

(YMMV)

 

what shop did you use?

 

Installed new radiator. Replaced thermostat from AutoZone to new OEM. No bubbles in overflow tank, no overheating. After multiple flushes still some debris in fluid. Not much but I will have to keep an eye on it. The only thing I can't get at is the water bypass hose. It appears to not be leaking but I wonder if it is filled with crap.

 

Replaced the belt tensioner (4.0) due to internal clicking noise. Took about two hours in total, granted I am a mechanic and have access to some pretty sweet tools and a lift. Can totally see how it takes most 4+ hours. Went smooth and nothing was seized. Removed the alternator, loosened ac compressor. Did not need to remove fan or shroud. Wheel bearings are up next when those arrive.

 

Thanks for the info, exactly what I had in mind. I’ll look at the 3m wrap in a matte black if it’s easier to work with. Never layed vinyl before so I’d prefer the option that is more user friendly.

 

Thanks for this. I haven’t priced locally but based off of everything I’ve seen here suggested 7/8k for a quality job. Exceptions always exist. I’m sure since mine is flaking and would require additional prep my cost would be slightly/much more than shooting a truck with a solid base. Joys of 040. None the less I’ll look into estimates for the long term.

Your truck looks excellent and welcome to TW!

 

It was so nice outside today I thought I would do a few car things. I washed my daily driver. Now those chrome wheels have a mirror finish. Then around dinner time I thought I would do something to the Taco.

I had a 3rd gen set with 27k miles to use then I found another set, front and rears, with only 150 miles so I sold the 27k set. Something I found was that the 2021 set and the new 2022 set had completely different paint dots. I realized quickly which side went where based on the top hat bolt pattern with dots, and coil start, facing the rear. I only did the driver side tonight. Adding a 1/4" lean spacer boosted it 1-3/4". I only did the one side tonight so when I do the passenger side it may bring the number down a tad. Started at 34-1/2" driver side and now sitting at 36-1/4". A drastic improvement. I do have a question for those that upgraded to 3rd gen. Mounting the sway bar before the end link made it impossible to insert the end link. I dropped the sway bar again and installed the end link first. I had to jack up the lower control arm a lot to bring the sway bar high enough to install the mounting bolts. Curious if this is the normal procedure. I know the end link now looks a little stressed but it is mounted.

new profile:

 

Officially done dealing with ice on trips. Will be nice for sure.



I also knocked out some maintenance and prep for an upcoming trip.

 

I used to do that every few months then just broke down and sprayed some clear over them. It's lasted over a year now.

 

Good luck and since your paint is flaking, a couple of notes. You will see a faint outline where your paint is peeling underneath the vinyl. If that is a concern you can sand the pillars before applying the vinyl to knock those down.

If you pull up the vinyl to reposition it will likely take ready to flake paint with it, ruining that peice of vinyl.

Heat gun is your friend. A blow dryer will work in a pinch bit doesn't get hot enough to really do what you need.

Edge cutting tape is highly recommended. It will improve your end result, will avoid contact of a razor blade to your paint, and make it way easier.

 

What did you use?

 

Thanks for the tips. I planned on blending/sanding the areas so the transition between the flaking areas is smooth. Fortunate that the flaking is isolated to window edges now but I’ve seen it progresses over the entire pillar with time. Drivers side and passenger side are mirror images of each other. Same exact spot with same amount of flaking.

 

Mine was the same (although I now have a spot underneath my rear passenger side window that has since developed). I pulled up the vinyl to reposition it and that little spot turned into a big one.