Died and Limped Home - 2023 TRD OR 4x4 w 15k ODO

RIP in peace brother

 

Did you see AirTag movement?

 

Damn man this blows. The good news is that resale price on your truck is very good. Sell it to carvana or CarMax so the next bastard that gets this truck can at least use their warranty. Maybe they have better mechanics

 

Heading out the door to work so I'll post up the write up they gave me.
To answer a few questions.
Yes - Bell Road. Corporate said they wouldn't force me but believed it best. I bent on this one hoping for some range of working with me.
Porsche... No tango dinero Amigo.
Never saw air tag movement. They did drive it 69 miles so it had to move some time. I wasn't watching it 24/7 and air tag is a locator, not a tracker. Not having a history is how Apple side steps privacy laws.

Final diagnosis is that the spade connector on the fuse tap spread the metal fuse clamp and they had to bend it back a little to get it to hold a fuse. I'll admit that is a half way plausible diagnosis. I'm still taking it to an Independent Toyota Mech. Also - I never used the ECU fuse location to tap into. So that makes it sound BS'y.

Trey was my advisor. I never talked to Todd this whole time. I asked Trey "in the future how should I install the radio? Where is the attachment point? Is it to run straight off the battery via a secondary fuse box? Is that allowed?" He hemmed and hawed and speculated and then said "You know what? Don't put anything electrical on this truck. As soon as you put something on here that uses electricity you void the whole warranty." I just gave him the "Ohhhh Okay..." and drove off.

 

If you want a second opinion I've had good luck with ToyoMotors on 38th St. and Bell and Yota Pros in Tempe.

 

Get rid of the truck, and the saga...

 

It does sound like a fuel delivery problem.

@GTGallop
I don't know if fuel pressure is monitored at the rail by the ECU but if it is I would just monitor it every time it's driven until it does this again.

 

As if Todd wasn't happy enough screwing you, he fingered (or thumbed) your truck??

 

I second Yota Pros. Been going there since day 1 when I bought my new 2021.
Good people, reasonable price, they know what they are doing and have the same crew for the last several years.

 

Even the best mechanics will have trouble finding an issue that disappears.

 

Chevy's or Gladiators? What? Well, I guess you can get a shit ton off Stellantis garbage, so there is that! I might be biased, but the Ford Ranger Raptor is the best bag for the buck in the segment currently! I have had mine for a month and half, and love it so far. My 3rd gen had a few build quality issues, but didn't have any mech issues over my two years of ownership. Sorry to hear about your issues with the rig. I hope you come to a satisfactory resolution that you can live with.

 

I am going to be optimistic, I say it’s fixed….

 

toyomotors did my second >$2,000 AC repair. Quick, honest, fair pricing and no damage to my truck unlike the Toyota dealer when they did the first AC repair. Would go back anytime.

 

What'd you mean no Porsche???? What the heck is wrong with you?

 

I'm going to snag one of those OBDII Port Monitors that lets you customize some gauges so I can SEE what's going on. Might be the fuel pressure.
Anyone recommend one of those that's better than the others?

That's a country mile from my house (Anthem / N. Maricopa County) but well worth it. I think that's where I'm leaning. If not, the other one on Bell is close(ish) by.

I'm fine with that. I just want to know that a competent mechanic has taken a pass at it.

I had an 84 Ranger, a 93 Ranger, and a 19 Ranger. Loved all three of them. The 19 was a significantly better truck than my 23 Taco with one exception - Suspension / ride quality. Especially off road. But that 2.3 Ecoboost has a channel down the valve cover where the coil packs sit. When it rains if your truck is tilted nose down ever so slightly the rain runs down the windshield into the cowl where a weep hole drains it forward into the valve cover and your coil packs sit in water. We had a rainy series of months and I started going through coil packs. There is a TSB out on how Ford is supposed to fix it. Instead of that they blamed me for driving through chest deep water and flooding the engine. I gave up and threw in the towel on them and sold the truck because the coil packs were $900 every time they replaced them. The first one they did. The next two I did off of Rock Auto for $65 each. Problem is that the plugs will eventually seize in there and I didn't want to own it when that happened. Ranger5G.com was also starting to light up with transmission issues around 50K miles and I was right at 45k, so I traded on the Toyota expecting a better experience than Ford. Boy was I wrong!

I am too! And I'm fine NEVER TAPPING THE FUSE BLOCK EVER AGAIN. This vehicle or the next will have a professionally installed secondary fuse block - direct from the battery.

Maybe.... If it was Mike Glover's Rally Porsche.

 

I wouldn't ask those dumb asses for nothing especially a service advisor. Once they are done talking to you, they move on and could give a rat's ass about you or your truck and to say you will void your warranty. Bullshit! Go to another Toyota Dealer and carry it above this lady (whatever her name was who doesn't sound too intelligent) get some answers and make some heads roll. From a fuel issue, cracked fuel line to a Ham radio bad install to an unsecured fuse. Give a break you have something going on. Stand up and demand answers! Two freaking months is too damn long!

 

I am.
Got an appointment to drop it off at Yota Pro's on Priest in Tempe on Tuesday next week. Going to come out of pocket to get it fixed once right and for all. We'll get some real answers.

 

It should be on Toyota's dime but if you must send them the bill!!!!

 

I’m still on team just sell it back to them and move on. Also, if your alternate shop does actually find an issue Toyota will foot the bill to some extent, happens all the time, it’s not preferred but happens.

No offense, but your tone and history of vehicles reminds me of myself as an impulsive and impatient 20something year old. If you can’t exactly replicate the issue; they can’t troubleshoot and resolve any issues. Take a few more deep breaths…you bought a deteriorating tool for transporting not anything special. You deserve a vehicle not a red carpet.

 

I would agree - not looking for a red carpet.
I just don't think they have been thorough enough to adequately say what it is / isn't. They may have gotten lucky and and are right but they aren't right because they followed a process or methodology. And if I was looking for a red carpet, I wouldn't be paying $148 an hour for shop fees at Yota Pros to get a second opinion. All things considered I think I've been pretty patient through this whole ordeal.

I've tried to take the methodical approach that I wish they had taken.