Labrunr Chronology

Guys,

As the current owner of the best maintained Jeep Wrangler on the planet (not a mistype, stay with me…); and as the former owner of the best maintained 4Runner Trail Edition on the planet (still stay with me…), I thought it would be fun to document in chronological order, the entire (future) maintenance history- including all mods and upgrades- of my new 2014 Tacoma Limited 4DSB 4x4.

First, allow me to expand on my opening comment. As a private pilot who has been blessed to own a couple of aircraft over the years, one of the lessons that I have learned along the way is that you cannot put a price tag on having peace of mind with your engine- especially at 4000’ AGL. To this end I have always looked upon “scheduled maintenance” as simply a bare bones starting point when it comes to maintaining my engines- regardless of whether the engine happened to be in an aircraft or my personal vehicle. As just one example, in addition to exceeding the scheduled maintenance requirements for the Jeep and 4Runner TE depicted in the photos below, the oil has been changed every 3,000 miles using Mobil 1 synthetic. Overkill? Perhaps, but that’s how I roll.

One quick bit of trivia about my Jeep. When I purchased it new I also purchased a lifetime bumper-to-bumper factory extended warranty. So for the past 123,000 miles my Jeep has been used as my go anywhere, do anything rig and it has been a reliable work horse in every regard. My reason for sharing this piece of information is to make the point that my new Tacoma will NOT be seeing any “off roading” duty. It is for this reason that I decided upon a Tacoma Limited rather than the Tacoma TRD edition. Besides, my wife really preferred the JBL sound system in the Limited.

To me, owning the Jeep and giving it the superior maintenance that it has received has been like an ongoing experiment. It’ll be interesting to see how many miles I get out of the original engine/drivetrain before it is replaced under warranty. In view of the exceptional maintenance that it has received I fully expect the original engine/drivetrain to give me at least a quarter-million miles. And if a JEEP engine will go that far, it’ll be even more interesting to see how many trouble free miles I get out of my new Tacoma.

So a few photos:

My Jeep


My Trail Edition 4Runner that I recently sold.


My new 2014 Tacoma, the "Labrunr"

 

What an intro, welcome bud. Look forward to the log.

 

This is Ranger. He is the reason I sold the 4Runner and replaced it with the Tacoma. He is also the namesake behind my personalized license plate, "LABRUNR". Training (and competing) retrievers and hunting with retrievers is one of my life's passions. To be perfectly candid, the 4Runner did not lend itself well to toting a mud-covered, swamp-smelling lab, or the dead birds that he is so fond of retrieving.





I took delivery of my Tacoma on June 21, 2014 and immediately had a local boat cushion company make me a custom-fitted cushion to cover the rear seats when they are folded forward (down). Soon I'll have a cap installed on the bed, but for unusually hot or cold days- and when Ranger is clean- I wanted to have the option of transporting him in the cab, in comfort.

So my first "mod" is this rear seat cushion.

 

I'm a firm believer in the practice of flushing out the original factory supplied oil at around the 1,000 mile mark. So on July 25, 2014 I did just that. With the odometer reading 1,200 miles I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic oil (5W-30) and the

$15 Mobil M1-102 / M1-102A Extended Performance Oil Filter

Mobil M1-102 "extended performance" oil filter.

I have to say that changing the oil on this Tacoma is quite easy. The oil filter and oil drain bolt are both very easy to access. I also followed a suggestion that I found here on the forum to attach a 4' piece of 5/16" hose to the oil filter housing and to run it down to the oil pan. This did prevent the oil in the old filter from running down on to the engine. Excellent suggestion!

So, my intent is to flush the oil one more time around 3,000 miles and then adhere to the 5,000 mile scheduled maintenance interval.

 

Just got the truck back from having POR 15 applied to the frame and undercarriage. I also had the Opti-Coat Pro paint protection process applied to the entire exterior of the truck including the door handles, mirrors, all emblems, headlight lenses and wheels.

As I have done with previous vehicles, I relied on Motor City Auto Spa to apply the POR 15 and Opti-Coat Pro. Motor City Auto Spa is a professional detail shop about 30 miles from where I live that has consistently ranked as the best auto detailer in Michigan (per the Detroit Free Press' "Best of the Best" consumer's poll). I know these guys and I know that they take pride in what they do and that they do not take short cuts.

As with most paint/frame protective-type processes the prepping stage is almost always as important as the actual application stage. This is particularly true with POR 15 and Opti-Coat Pro.

Here are a few photos of the POR 15 being applied. It is absolutely critical that the surfaces to be treated are clean, grease free and completely dry before the POR 15 is applied by hand. And with the Opti-Coat Pro, it is essential that the paint is flawless before the Opti-Coat is applied. They actually use fluorescent lights to inspect every panel on the truck to ensure that all scratches. swirl marks and other imperfections have been removed. Obviously this is not a one day job and in fact they needed my truck for four days. But to me, it's worth the cost and the wait.

Power washing and degreasing the frame.


Applying the POR 15 by hand.


With the Opti-Coat Pro applied. Photos do not do it justice.


Side view. Ranger gives the Opti-Coat two paws up.

 

A few more photos of the underside with the POR 15 rust inhibitor applied.







Aside from serving as a proven rust inhibiting barrier, the gloss black color of the POR 15 makes the undercarriage components that are visible (axle, trailer hitch, engine shield, rocker arms, frame as seen in the wheel wells, etc.) look good.

 

Ditched the carpet floor mats and installed Husky WeatherGuard mats, both front and rear. I have used the same brand mats in my Jeep Wrangler and I know from firsthand experience that they are functional, durable mats. The fit is very precise too.

 

looks good! Gloss also has less junk stick to it vs matte paint or rubber undercoating

 

...and because my lab, Ranger will occasionally ride in the cab with us, I ordered rear seat covers from CoverKing to help protect the rear seats.
In my (previous) 4-Runner I had installed Wet Okole seat covers throughout and I can personally attest to their quality. This is my first experience using CoverKing so I cannot speak to their quality/durability yet. My first impression is that they fit well and appear to be well made using a substantial material.

 

XXXX,

I agree, the gloss black does seem to be a bit more resistant to picking up road dirt and grime- and it washes off a bit easier with a power washer.

 

The frame rails right behind where the first set of cats drop down from the manifolds tend to rust out from the inside so coat that with something. If you remove the front bumper there are access holes to the front of the boxed section and you can access the rear because it's open.

Wish I had undercoated mine when new. Now I'm stuck fighting a losing battle with rust reformer products and prayers.

 

I think I would prefer to buy a used car/truck from you than a new one. lol Well done in the over the top maintenance, I have no doubt that any vehicle you own will last for a very long time.

 

Welcome OP. Good looking Pup and vehicles!

 

Thanks guys. I openly acknowledge that I am a bit over the top when it comes to maintenance. It drives my wife nuts, so if for no other reason that makes it worthwhile.

 

Nothing over the top with taking pride in ownership! Keep up the good work!

 

Welcome aboard!

 

X2

 

Performed the second oil change at 2,500 miles using Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic and a

$15 Mobil M1-102 / M1-102A Extended Performance Oil Filter

Mobil M1-102 extended life filter.

Also installed a Fumoto quick drain oil valve.