Upgrades you regret

when I first bought my 2019, I found a great deal on a used flowmaster dual exhaust. bought it. drive it to and from work for about 2 weeks in stop n go traffic, no issues, actually love the exhaust, it was agressive and deep. then I went on a lil roadtrip to the beach, 2hours each way on highway. both times had a huge headache due to the drone. when I got home, that same day I took it off and listed it for sale.

 

I had a similar experience. I had a huge build planned in my head. But my normal pattern with cars is to drive it for a year and fix the things I find unsatisfactory. Over the course of the first two years I upgraded the suspension modestly to handle my camping habits and then put some sound proofing in the cab. That's it. None of the other stuff I had planned was stuff that would change how much I enjoyed the truck. Then I stacked up cash and bought a GR Corolla to scratch a different itch....

 

So true.

 

By all means sell it, life it short. Keep in mind the new GM and Ford trucks have huge issues right now too. GM’s have AFM (active fuel management) which shuts cylinders down for economy and they are burning valves right and left. Also GM has changed the oiling system from the one they had for decades which never failed. Now the oiling system is belt driven. A $27 belt that has to be changed at 100,000. However the labor is $2000 cause you got to gut the front of the engine to change it. If the belt breaks you lose an engine. Fords are dropping motors like flies due to valves seizing up. And Ford dealers will, a lot of the times, refuse to change plugs cause they are breaking off in the heads. And then there is Dodge, which are sturdy but ride function like a covered wagon. Choose your brand of poison.

 

FWIW, I spent a week driving a Ford Ranger XLT and really was not impressed at all. Was happy to get back to my 3rd gen Taco.

I will say the 3rd gen is the least reliable of the tacos I've owned (I've at a 2005 and a 2002 before this one, as well as an 89 Pickup). But to say it's a disaster is definitely overkill. Tacomas started out as the benchmark; that others have caught up doesn't make the Tacos bad.

 

Same here, the ranger felt like it wanted to be a tacoma- the doors sounded like hollow core tin doors when you shut them. It drove okay but was just looser and rattlier. Didn't feel as solid as my 3rd gen. Going back to the taco I could just feel the difference in quality. Maybe if I was regularly driving the ranger and went to the tacoma I'd complain about not having any road feel, or being more disconnected compared to the ranger. But to me it just felt like a difference in solid build and quality.

 

If still under OEM warranty, federal (not state) lemon law may apply to an issue in to the dealer 3 or more times without being resolved. There are law firms that do nothing else and take a % of settlement. Costs you nothing.

I found a law firm, they filed, I got settlement and they took their %. Ford owed me that money for all my time and trouble/inconvenience and frankly, the disappointment after buying a $60K truck.
I traded that POS Ford in on my Tacoma as soon as the check cleared.

 

I ended up selling my e rated ko2s and buying c rated Goodyears

 

I like the stiff feel of E rated K02's. It makes the ride feel like the teeth jarring 4WD trucks of my youth.

 

Same. Been running E rated tires on the Taco since not too long after I purchased it.

 

I got VLED taillight conversion so the brake light is the whole red part and blinker/reverse share housing. Love them a lot and feel safer w bigger, brighter brake lights

 

I live in Jersey where people pump for me so gasshole gives them a clear spot where to put cap

 

used to be the whole headliner

 

Mine are almost worn out, so I will be moving to bfg ko2 37 in C load. Should be a softer ride, and will be losing some weight. So hopefully slightly better mpg/power

 

I loved my 3rd gen, I just couldn't afford it lol

 

I regret not getting 35's sooner, ha. Just did my first weekend with them and my mpg got better, haha.

 

SPC upper control arms. 3rd set of ball joints just installed. Last two sets not abused, properly lubed with the specified Valvoline molybdenum grease, still failed after 10,000kM which is laughable. Just complete junk quality and terrible customer service on top. Worst ever. Customer service basically blew me off and told me to measure the play again when they had 1/2 of movement. Ruined a set of tires on top of the costs of the ball joints due to the inherent misalignment from the worn ball joints.

SPC is a joke. Clown world company

 

Why would you buy something you hate so much ? Lol. I don’t have any of those issues . The tranny needs to learn how you drive .You need to use it more . As far as the slowest vehicle you ever drove it’s not .Not even close . Some of the defects …. That’s another story , but all the other stuff ? Just drive it and take care of it .By the way, the Chevy truck thing …good luck with that . We have plenty of those in our fleet . Remember the grass isn’t alway greener. But you do you .

 

exactly - I always hear the 'worst' years are 2016/2017....but I've had zero issues with my 2016... one person told me "....Because it was made in May of '16, problems didn't start yet..." but nothing to back that up. Either way, love my truck and glad it was before all the safety electronics were added. lol.

 

1" rear blocks. Combined those with the 5100s up front. Terrible way to lift the rear if you put weight in the bed. Any kind of weight in the back and I'd get that Carolina lean.

Ordered ICON RXT leaf springs last week, will installing ASAP.