New here, new to trucks, new to offroading.. I've got some questions.

Hey all,

First off. I'm new here. I just recently bought a 2013 Double Cab TRD Sport with the short bed and the Towing package. I bought the truck because I've always wanted one, but I also work as a consulting engineer for construction so its great having 4x4 to get in and out of some of the sites and for hauling stuff.

Currently my only mod is an Access Lorado Tonneau cover, but I have some more stuff in mind, and some questions related to them. Nothing is happening in the immediate future (especially because my 6 week old truck is now at the shop getting a new engine..) but I want to start doing some research and learning about all this stuff. I'd like to start doing some light offroading soon but I'll be keeping it to trails that a stock/lightly modded truck could pass through. Since I drive on average about 2-2.5k miles per month for work I want to skip a lift (for now) to try and keep some decency with my mpg, but I am thinking of a front bumper, sliders, CAI, exhaust, and beefier wheels for now (I think I remember reading that 265/70r17 is the biggest you can get on a stock suspension?).

For the bumper what are some that you all recommend? I want some protection, but I've read that some bumpers dont keep the airbag sensors? I really like the ARB bumper, but I'm not sure I want to dish out $1,100 for something thats never going to see a lot of serious offroading.

Sliders I'm pretty set on the weld on BAMF rock sliders.

Exhaust I'm most likely just going to shoot for a new muffler to get a little more of a throaty sound out of the engine. Cat-back systems don't really help MPG at all on a Taco do they?

Lastly, I haven't decided on wheels (any suggestions would be appreciated) and I'm looking at about 70/30 paved vs. offroad - although that may change when I have more of a capability to go offroad My major concern though, is that with a bigger tire, will I need to recalibrate the speedo and odo and/or regear, or is that really only an issue when you start talking about lifts? I know the speedo and odo will be off slightly, but with only an inch difference in rolling diameter will it be noticable/worth recalibrating?

Thanks everyone! I'm anxious to get the truck back and start having more fun with it. I've been driving it like a grandma because its brand new, but after driving a rental corolla for 2 weeks I'm ready to treat the truck like a truck. haha

 

Why the new engine on a 6 week old truck?

 

Long story short, I took it to the dealership for it's first oil change, they took the old oil out and never put new in. I tried to drive home, got about 150 yards and it died. Got it towed back up the hill to the shop and they opened it up to find seized valves and pistons and scarring on the cylinder walls. It's been two weeks since it happened and I still dont have it back so I'm going to talk to them in person today and demand either a new truck or a 50k extension on my warranty since its brand new and I've now made a car and insurance payment on a truck I don't have. They keep giving me the "oh it'll be done Wednesday." "Oh, I meant Friday" "It'll be done for sure Monday" and now they're saying this Friday.

Love the truck, hate dealing with people.

 

Adding a plate bumper to a stock suspension truck is going to alter the ride to whatever extent. The ARB is an especially heavy mofo. The stock suspension is going to sag up front as well in all likelihood. You might want to upgrade the front suspension before you go for the bumper for optimal results.

some pictures in this thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/190108-off-road-bumper-stock-tacoma-pics.html

And with tire size, going up to something equivalent to a 265/75/16 people have claimed it has dialed in their speedo more accurately, or so I've read. My speedo reads right on par to what seems to be a half MPH low though with my stock 265/70/16's.

 

holy ****!

 

My thoughts exactly. The dealership would have been replacing that truck then and there for me. Here is to hoping you get a resolution and some serious compensation.

 

who did the oil change? was it a dealer in the 21014 zip? want to stay away from them.

 

I don't want to start bringing any names or anything into it and get bit in the ass by it in the future, but no its not in your area. haha I'm about 1.5-2 hours west of you so you should be safe! Word to the wise though. It seems simple and self-explanatory but if you get an oil change somewhere and don't do it yourself, check and make sure there is actually oil in it before driving away. haha this has all been a major PITA.

Thanks for all the concern though everyone. At first it seems like they were genuinely trying to remedy the problem, but now I feel like they are just giving me the run around. My old neighbor is the President of operations (aka the guy directly below the guy that the dealership is named after) so my dad and I are heading over there this afternoon to meet with him and see what he has to say about it all. My family are returning customers there (we have gotten about 6 vehicles from them throughout the years) and they usually treat us pretty well so hopefully something good happens today!

 

Sorry I must have missed your post earlier. haha but thats good to know about the ARB. I didn't realize it was that heavy.. didnt really think about it though. Makes sense. As of right now I dont have any plans for a lift, but I have been toying with the idea of adding another leaf to the back, so some beefier parts up front aren't completely out of the question. Especially because I would really like a bumper but dont want the sag. hah

and thats good to konw about the tire sizes. The TRD package has 17 inch rims correct? Does that mean I need a smaller tire (sidewall height) than a 16 inch rim would or are clearance issues usually stemming from something else? haha I know like nothing about tires.

 

Best of luck with the outcome. I know I would be a bear to deal with if it happened to me. The last thing you want to deal with in a new truck is something like that. I hope they make it right for you.

 

How many miles out of the 2-2.5k do you spent off road?

 

If you guys were good neighbors and you've given them business for years, I see no reason why you can't ask them to give you a new truck then and there. It's not a "he-said, she-said" sort of debate, they straight up f***ed up lol. They can sell your truck with the new engine as a certified pre-owned and not be out too much money. I personally wouldn't accept anything less than a new truck on such a huge mistake. Tell them you'll call Toyota Corporate...although I don't know if that would make any difference...

 

As of right now not all that much. Probably only about 100 or so, but I'm hoping I can change that soon. I want to start taking some easy trails and doing some light offroading.


Update on the whole dealership destroying my engine: I just got home from meeting with the President of Operations and basically they gave me a $500 service credit valid until it is used up or the life of the truck, and the engine is warrantied. They guaranteed that it will last the same 150k+ that the original engine would have, and the guy gave me his card and said if I have any mechanical problems related to the engine in the next few years to call him directly and he will personally make sure it gets taken care of.

So, no new truck, but I am getting it back tomorrow and they basically said that I have no reason to worry because it's essentially a brand new factory engine, just not the one that came with the truck originally. Apparently its taking a while because the short block in the Taco can't be ordered as a crate engine from Toyota and has to be ordered in multiple parts. so they ordered that and had a FCT come assemble and install the thing.

That also reminds me that I get my new mini tie down cleats tomorrow too.

 

ARB just happens to be the heavier, more robust bumper out there on the market. Aluminum bumpers are also made for the Tacoma, they just cost more. Either way, if I added a new front bumper I'd be sure to beef up the front suspension to retain the handling. An AAL for the rear would be nice for a slight bump in rear height, and then you could upgrade the front to match at the same time. Of course the full on suspension upgrade is always the A+ choice. Less money spent in the end if you go ahead and save up/shell out on a really nice suspension.

Yes your TRD-Sport will have the 17" rims, I was just going off of 265/75/16's to give you an idea. If you hover over the "Mods & Tutorials" tile underneath the site banner, at the very bottom you will see the "Tire size calculator" to compare tire sizes. Clearance is always about the tire meat. 17" rim vs 16" rim have comparable tire sizes, for example the 17 with a 265/70/17 is right about the same as a 265/75/16. Both are max tire size with zero lift to maintain minimal to no rubbing.

 

Alright cool. Is there any reason that being able to keep the stock airbag sensors in the bumper (like with the ARB) is really important? Would it prevent the airbags from deploying during an accident? I like the ARB but I'm not sure I want to shell out the cash for it. There are a lot of others that are nice for a lot less money. Haha

Also, for the suspension, does a lift really affect mpg a lot or is it only like 1-2 mpg difference? I'd like to not kill it since I drive a lot for work, but I'm stuck between looking into better front springs to prevent sag from an offroad bumper or just go ahead with a 1-2" lift.

Thanks for the help so far everyone. I've always been into cars so this is all new to me. Haha lots to learn.

 

I believe the ARB is airbag/DOT approved, but as you'll see, bumper choice is completely diverse in the 2nd gen build thread (and 1st gen section). Sure airbag compatibility, yadda yadda, and ARB's special mounts that include their own crumple zones. I can't tell you any specifics besides what I have only read. If you do smash the ARB into something, the mounts should crumple so they are hopefully all you have to replace. BUT, this means the ARB bumper is not really designed to be a solid tow/recovery point, hence NO recovery shackle mounts.

AND I also forgot to mention the ARB for 2012-2013 models requires you to cut your lower valence and leave it in place to fill the gap between the bumper and body.

I'd base your bumper decision on price/quality/ability to act as dedicated recovery point/etc. All these criteria are filled by the vendors here on this site. I'm going to shoot for a hybrid bumper, as I haven't found a full plate bumper that appeals to me.

Your MPG will be impacted by a lift and presumably heavier/bigger tires, and you should expect at least a 1-2 mpg drop if not a tad more. It all depends on the weight of your rig and how you drive it. Search for the fuel economy thread (multiple floating around somewhere in the 2nd gen section) to get a realistic idea.

 

Tacoma uses an inertia sensor for airbag deployment, no bumper should really affect that. From what I've heard, ARB just has the r&d bucks to have it certified airbag compliant

 

Understand you have a close relationship with the dealer but no freaking way I would accept a $500 service credit after they didn't refill oil during a service. That's $500 worth of service opportunities for their inept techs to break your truck again.

I'd be demanding a new truck from corporate and that dealer would never see my truck in their service department again!

 

You did get all of that in writing right?

 

Yea, I understand what you mean. But over the years my family has bought 9 different vehicles since the early 90s from them, and this is the first bad experience we have ever had there. They are a pretty large and well known dealer in the Mid-Atlantic and have always been very helpful.

I'm not sayign they didn't mess up, because they did and it's very frustrating, but I understand that mistakes happen and like I said this is the first my family has dealt with and I was at that shop at least once a month towards the end of my '94 Camry's lifespan.

From what I understand the technician that was responsible was a trainee, and the trainee and training tech are both now looking for new jobs.

haha yes I did. They added the certificate to my account so it'll automatically be there, but they also gave me a paper one and everything else about the engine has been added to the service record.