PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

October 10th, 2017:

Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...lking-for-some-p.98040/page-742#post-16232045

 

beauty!

 

October 10th, 2017:

Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

This is a 2004 PreRunner SR5 with the 2.7L/auto, and this beauty had about 165K miles on the odometer at the time the photo was taken! How do I know this? The owner was sitting in the truck and we talked for like 15 minutes (I actually took this picture thinking the truck was empty and walked in the other direction to take more pictures; When I came back and saw her sitting in the driver's seat as I walked past). I asked her if it was a 2003, she said "2004," and a conversation started...

Anyway, the owner of this truck is an older woman named Hillary (not Clinton, LOL; She was blonde though, just much better looking; If this Tacoma-driving Hillary ran for president, I probably would have voted for her!). We got to talking about Tacomas, and unsurprisingly she'd never heard of TW. I asked her if she knew what Asperger's Syndrome was (she did) and told her about this thread. I told her that TW is much better place to get advice about your truck than the dealer or a mechanic, and she said she'd check it out...

So, Hillary with the beige 2004 PreRunner, here's a shoutout to you!

 

if she is hotter than the other hillary, why is there no picture of her?

 

Because I didn't know she was in the truck when I took the picture...

 

this aint your cousin with the Benz

you took a public photo. post the photo, son.

 

You're such a dirty bastard, you know that...?



I don't have a photo of this woman...

 

I take that as a compliment

and Fine I will go look at other Hillarys pic and fantasize.

 

Reminds me of my truck back when I got it new in 2013...

 

Some members may have noticed that the song "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by Great White (now Jack Russell's Great White) comes up relatively frequently in my posts. This is because it quite possibly my favorite song EVER. I can listen to it over, and over, and over, and over again...

Whether I'm driving in my Tacoma, working out, or surfing the net, I love this song!

Here's how I got into it...

This has been my absolute favorite song since about October-November 2012, when my friend Mike brought his Xbox 360 over to my house, and I played the original Saints Row for the very first time. I know I've heard this song prior to 2012, especially since it came out the same year I was born, not to mention that it went platinum and continues to be played rather often on local rock stations. I have no idea how or I why I didn't listen to this song before. The Saints Row franchise is a carbon copy of Grand Theft Auto in terms of just about everything, including in-game radio stations that you can listen to in any vehicle. I was cruising around in a stolen SUV when Once Bitten Twice Shy came on the radio, and I loved it so much that I cranked up the surround sound. We had a Samsung 61-inch TV, with a Sony receiver and old-school Bose speakers hooked up to it, in the finished basement of our old house; Translation: It not only sounded great, but was so powerful that the bass could be heard all the way on the second floor, and my parents made me turn it way down after about 10:30pm because they were afraid it would wake up the neighbors (we were in an end unit townhouse). When the song was over, I played the game longer than I normally would have just because I wanted to hear the song over and over again. Finally, it occurred to me to listen to the words and then Google them...

That's how I found out that no less than 3 artists had covered the song over the years. The original artist was a British singer by the name of Ian Hunter, and the original version had been released in the mid-1970s. This version was popular, but then Great White covered it in 1989 and it became one of their best-known songs and greatest hits, eventually going platinum. Another group I've never heard of also covered it, but it didn't take me long to figure out that the Great White version was the one I was looking for. I wasted no time and purchased the song on iTunes. I eventually purchased a remastered copy of Great White's album "Twice Shy" in March 2013, and though I had little use for it in my Tacoma since I had an iPod, it came in quite handy when I rode in or drove vehicles that did not have AUX inputs, USB ports, or at bare minimum a cassette player.

 

Not long after becoming reacquainted with Once Bitten Twice Shy, I decided that I wanted to upgrade the stereo in my Tacoma. It had absolutely no balls, for lack of a better term. I'd had my driver's license for almost 2 years at this point, and I was finally sick of the lackluster factory system in my daily driver. I started researching stereo systems, decided on Pioneer, and started saving money from various odd jobs to pay for it...

The Tacoma was still my dad's then, so I had to convince him to let me put a stereo in his truck. That was actually quite easy. My dad agreed with me that the factory speakers sucked, especially since his car at the time was a 2008 Acura TL with the upgraded ELS sound system (In it's time, it had been rated by numerous publications as one of the best-sounding factory systems available in a passenger vehicle). My mom was driving a 2004 Honda Odyssey EX at the time, and the factory 6-speaker system in that kicked the crud out of my Tacoma's system. My presentation to my dad went something like "I don't want or need a loud, booming sound system. I just want a decent-sounding system that doesn't have to be turned all the way up when the windows are down and/or I'm listening to oldies/Motown/mono music (I do enjoy oldies music). I would also be nice to have Bluetooth."

My dad went for it and even paid for part of the stereo as a 24th birthday present to me. My mom thought it was pointless to install a new stereo system in what was at the time a 3-year old truck with less than 30K miles on it.

FUN FACT: It took a while to convince my mom that iPod connectivity in a vehicle is very important; She still generally listens to the news in day-to-day driving and only listens to music on long drives.

My mom still thinks that my stereo system is (A) pointless, and (B) a distraction. The only reason she more or less approves of it now is because I have a backup camera and GPS now.

Below is a picture of the head unit I paid a friend to install back in April 2013, along with a Pioneer component speaker system:


Then this happened. I ended up getting some restitution money as a result of the court settlement, and my parents were less than happy because they thought I was just going to blow through all the money and waste it.

I then got a bright idea...

How about I spend the money on a dashcam so nobody could hit my truck and lie about it every again? My parents approved...

And how about I also buy a double-DIN head unit with a large screen so I can install a backup camera in my truck as well? My dad instantly approved. I'd actually been considering doing this (installing a backup camera) since spring 2015, and after I explained to my mom what "Double-DIN" meant, she approved too. Then, I met my new neighbor Ryan at a Memorial Day block party about a month and a half after we moved into our new house, and he offered to do it pretty much for free.

So, now I have Tacoma that's about 8 years old and worth maybe $11K at most, with a stereo that I have maybe $600 total invested in, and it blows the factory Bose system in my friend's $75K Audi Q7 right out of the water...

 

My best friend had his 31st birthday party at a local bar/restaurant just a couple weeks ago, and my friend and I were among those who stayed until well past midnight. With the exception of my friend's girlfriend, who was the designated driver, most of us were pretty hammered. They just so happened to be doing karaoke that night, and I signed up to "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by Great White.

Like I said, I was hammered, and by coincidence I also happened to be wearing my Jack Russell's Great White "Wasted Rock Ranger" T-shirt...

I got up on stage and pretty much nailed it...

My friend made a video with his phone!

 

@Plain Jane Taco
@tcBob
@98tacoma27

I just severed ties with a so-called friend I should have cut out of my life a while ago...

When she got her license suspended for three months (for driving uninsured), she basically used me a "free alternative to Uber." She can never be wrong, and must always be right, even when she is so wrong it's funny...

She can best be described as a "mother hen" and a "troll." For example, when I posted some rants about the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board while visiting family in California last week about how easy it was to buy booze in California. She goes off on me for "disrespecting my home state" and saying "shit like this is the reason the world is so fucked up."

FUN FACT: I consider myself a Pennsylvania native, as I've spent almost a combined 19 years of my life here and just over 3 years of my life living in California, but I was born in California! Technically California is my home state!

I'm probably the sixth friend she's lost in the last year or so because of her condescending demeanor and bad attitude. We had been friends since 2006, when we were both 17 and still in high school, but why did I finally disown her?

She's looking for a used truck and is looking at Dodge Rams and Ford F250s. I told her that if she wants a good reliable truck, she should get a 2nd gen Tundy with the 5.7L V8. She then proceeds to tell me that Toyotas are shit and that Toyota trucks can't haul shit...

Excuse me...?




That was the last straw...

Did I disown for her insulting one of my favorite brands of truck? No! I defriended her because I am sick of trying to be the best friend I can be to her and getting almost nothing in return!

She also happens to be writing off Tundras as "shit" because they "can't haul shit," and Tacomas as "shit" because "my back bumper crumbled in an accident." She doesn't know "shit" about vehicles...

My best friend Dave, who is a diehard Ford truck guy (and the proud owner of a 1974 Ford F100 and a 2005 Lincoln Town Car), busts my balls all the time for driving an import. However, my friend Dave is a former mechanic who currently drives an 18-wheeler for a living. Translation: He knows his shit! Even though he lovingly gives me shit for driving a Toyota, he knows what he's talking about when he does give me shit, and even though he's very "buy American," he's first and foremost a car guy. He understands the love affair anyone has with their vehicle, and his past life as an auto technician means he's an excellent source of free information on the rare occasion that something does break on my beloved Tacoma.

I'm a wee bit upset at finally severing ties with the aforementioned female friend, but I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my chest at the same time...

As for Dave, we're still gonna be drinking Guinness together and he's still gonna be giving me shit for driving what he sees as "not a real truck" until we are well into our sixties!

 

With regards to the above post about my friend who said Toyota trucks "can't haul shit," here are some posts from the "Craziest stuff you've ever towed/hauled" thread I started a couple years ago!

Anyone who thinks that Toyota trucks can't tow or haul is WRONG!

 

@T4RFTMFW

More HVAC porn LOL!

October 12th, 2017:

Contra Costa County, California

The year-old York Affinity Series 8T air-conditioner at the home my cousin and her husband are renting. The home is a 4-bedroom ranch that was built in the early 1950s, and it just underwent a ton of renovations at the hands of the new owner who just purchased it last year. This is a brand new, top-of-the-line 2016 York air-conditioner!



I am not a huge fan of these units, especially ones with the microchannel condenser coils; However, I think the York Affinity Series is overall a good, but very expensive choice...


For some reason, the outdoor unit was installed at the front of the house, though it was hidden well enough that my cousin's 6-year old son had to show me where it was after I spent several minutes looking in the usual places (in the backyard and on the side of the house)...

This house used to have a gas boiler with piping hidden under the floors to heat the house. The aging boiler was ripped out last year during renovations and replaced with a gas furnace located up in the attic. I think this was a bad idea on the owner's fault because heat rises. All of the vents are in the ceiling, which is fine for the A/C since cold air falls, but not so good for the heat since hot air rises...


One would think that "8T" denotes 18 SEER, but scroll down...


The ENERGYGUIDE sticker shows a maximum SEER rating of less than 17 SEER, on a supposedly 18 SEER unit...


The "60" in the Model Number indicates 60,000 BTU (or 5 nominal ton) cooling capacity. This is the largest residential central air-conditioner available from any manufacturer. My cousin's house is sprawling 2,400 square foot, 4-bedroom rancher with high ceilings, and it is located further inland; So it needs a large central A/C unit whereas many homes just 30 minutes away in San Francisco don't have central air at all...

 

My cousin's husband has a 2010 Volvo V50 wagon that he bought brand new in 2010 and absolutely loves. It has somewhere in the range of 70,000-80,000 miles on it (I forget exactly how many miles) and it has proven to be very reliable. Unfortunately, the air-conditioner suddenly stopped working, but not in the way you might think...

The A/C does technically work, but it is only blowing cold air out of the two passenger side vents. The two driver's side vents blow air that feels as though the heat has been turned all the way up. Unlike my Tacoma before I got the A/C recharged this past June (and did the exact opposite; blowing cold on left side and warm on passenger side), the vents do seem to be using outside/ambient air and are drawing heat from the engine as if the heater were turned on. My Tacoma just blew humid outside air prior to being charged...

The right vents are both blowing cold and crisp air, while the left vents are cranking out stifling heat...

Red arrow represents hot air and blue arrow represents cold air...



Note that the A/C is on...



It's worth noting that my cousin and her husband live not far from the Napa Valley wildfires going on right now, so even though it is relatively mild in terms of outside temperature at the moment, they do not want to drive around with the windows down...

So, my cousin-in-law shuts off airflow to the left vents and cranks the A/C out of the right vents when driving to and from work...

When I was first informed of the problem while visiting them last week, my suggestion was to get it charged...

Here's the problem: It turns out that the air-conditioner itself is fine. The compressor and all other major components are just fine and the system does not need a charge of R134a. I actually sat in the car and felt the air coming out of the right vents, and considering it was idling and not moving, it was working fine. Turns out that, according to the local Volvo dealership, some sort of control module deep within the dashboard has gone bad and needs to be replaced. The cost of parts and labor (including CA sales tax) is a heart attack-inducing $3,800! The biggest factor here is that the part itself is over a thousand bucks, and the dashboard has to be removed to access it...

I told my cousin-in-law I'd get him a second opinion, and one of my second opinions always has been and always will be the trusty Tacoma World...

As of right now, my cousin-in-law plans to sell the car in a month and buy a new Highlander since the Volvo is 7 years old, and the cost of getting the A/C working properly is probably half of the Volvo's fair market value.

My cousin-in-law loves this car, and really does not want to sell it, but it's not looking like he has much of a choice...

As you can see, this car is in great condition and the pictures do not do it justice...

 

I learned many years ago to either avoid and/or cut ties with toxic people. I have neither the desire nor the patients to deal with them.

As for your "import"? Tell you buddy that your rig was built in Texas or California by American hands. Your Taco helped put food on an American worker's table.

This isn't 1950 anymore. The lines were blurred may years ago on exactly what is a domestic and what is an import vehicle.

 

Well, it would appear that I have pretty much hit the lottery...

A month or so ago, I did a routine check of my truck's CARFAX report, and found that a recall had been issued. CARFAX stated my truck was eligible to have the frame undercoated or something. Earlier this year, I brought my truck to my local dealer to have the frame inspected, and after they ran my VIN, I was told that my truck didn't qualify. I more or less forced them to inspect it anyway, and the service desk people were less than pleased. The actual techs in the garage were much friendlier and gave my truck a clean bill of health..

A few months later, this recall popped up on my CARFAX. I just called the dealer today, and found out that my truck does indeed qualify for this program. Apparently Toyota decided to start it up again? My VIN was already in the system since I've gotten the truck serviced there so many times.

The woman I talked to said that at a bare minimum my frame will undercoated for free, and I get a free loaner vehicle! On top of that, the inspection stickers expire at the end of this month, so I am going to get it inspected at the dealer too (something I haven't had done since probably 2014; I bring it to my private mechanic). Here's the thing; I'm getting new Michelin tires from BJ's this week or next week since my present Toyos are a bit worn out and slightly dryrotted, plus the front right tire has a slow leak somewhere that I haven't been able to find. I think I picked up a nail or piece of metal on the PA turnpike about a month ago, but the TPMS light was only on for maybe 5 minutes before it went back out. I did find what I thought was a jagged piece of metal in my tire a day or two later, but I haven't been able to find it since. My tire held air perfectly until this morning. I took it to a gas station and filled it up with air, and the TPMS light went out.

I told my dealer that if the tires won't pass inspection, not to inspect the truck since both stickers are good until October 31st. If my truck just needs an undercoating, I will get the new tires at BJ's like I planned and have my independent mechanic inspect the truck. If the truck qualifies for a whole new frame, I'll just have them inspect it after the frame is replaced (Probably sometime between November 2017 and January 2018).

 

A little over a year ago, my neighbor helped me install a backup camera in my 2010 regular cab. The backup camera and double-DIN touch-screen had unit it is hooked up to are both aftermarket. The backup camera is mounted to a bracket right above my license plate.

Backup cameras became standard on all Tacos with the SR5 trim or higher for the 2009 model year, but base models did not have them. However, all models were "prewired" for backup cameras. I have a 2010 model, and my neighbor was able to wire my aftermarket backup camera into the factory "reverse wire" with relative ease. Now, it automatically comes on when I shift into reverse.

Here's my problem. There's a chance my truck might be getting a new frame under the recall that Toyota has reissued.

The woman at the Toyota dealer said it would probably be better if I disconnected the backup camera and then reconnected it when I got the truck back. My dad says that a backup camera is hardly a major modification and that it is the Toyota dealer's responsibility to unhook the backup camera without doing any damage, and then return the truck to me in the exact condition it was in when I dropped it off.

I agree with my dad, but at the same time I am not in the mood for games of "He said/She said" and "Tit-for-Tat" with my Toyota dealer if my backup camera gets screwed up.

The backup camera is mounted on a bracket above the license plate, and the coaxial cable runs from the backup camera underneath the frame (my friend ziptied the cable in place when we installed it), run through the same hole as the wiring for the side airbag, and held in place with the existing rubber grommet. If I remember correctly, the wire was run up through the kick panel, behind the dash, and to the head unit. I think I might be able to disconnect the wiring under the frame and only remove part of the system, but I really don't feel like removing it...

These pictures show the rough location of the camera cables...









I'd say there's a 40-50% chance my truck will get a new frame, and 50-60% chance it will just get the undercoating.

What do my fellow Tacoma owners and enthusiasts think?