New '22 TRD Off Road

I think you 3rd Gen guys can plug into the back of your rear view mirror with adapters for a dash cam. 2nd Gen mirrors have it.

 

That's cool. I hope that works. Is it USB? I have a 3 channel viofo. I'll have to check my kit to see what it came with. Right now I'm using the fuse taps. That sure would make life easy as long it powers on and off correctly.

 

$37 Dongar Dash Cam Power Adapter (12-pin Type A) - Compatible w Toyota Tacoma (15-23), select Highlander, Tundra, Sienna; Honda Ridgeline & more. USB Power, Connects to Rearview Mirror. Easy Install!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DMW3DML?ie=UTF8

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ring-behind-the-rearview-mirror.637160/page-2

 

Yea, that cuts the voltage with ignition off, which would be great if you are not using parking mode. Still a pretty cool feature. I'll have to tap mine into the fuses to use parking mode.

 

Well, I finalized the mods.

I decided to go with the 3" lift AND a re-gear to 5.29

Cuz why not. I probably would have regretted not doing it. The 285's just look right and I've never re-geared a truck before. This is the proper way to lift, right? Am I doing this right? ugh... I hope I'm doing this right...

Can someone pay my rent this month?

 

Are you having the Dealership install and do all the mods?

 

Yes.

 

Are they quoting you a good price on the labor?
Normally dealerships charge tons for shop rates.

 

Not bad at all considering the amount of work I am having done. The service manager is a friend of a friend, so not only did I get a military discount on the truck ($500 - it is what it is - $500 saved either way) but he applied one to the accessories at 10%. I was told I have to let him shoot my KRISS tho... So that's a couple hundred in ammo spent Plus, it's all on the paperwork from the dealer. Best way to go. I'm just concerned with how long it will take... I am getting anxious.

 

Ahhh so you are getting hooked up!!! That’s great to hear!
You will have your truck soon enough but for meanwhile just read up on here and lookup some videos on Youtube to see what others have done and say etc. I agree a Pro would be nice but our Off Road is not bad either.
Also Toyota makes an OEM lift kit that comes with shocks and even a Pro grille. That’s another choice if you want more OEM type of build.

 

I originally had the Toyota 2 inch lift with the pro grille. I may end up adding the pro grill by itself because swapping over to the 3-inch iron Man it doesn't come with it and I like the way it looks. I think it just comes to the basic skid plate so I'm probably going to add the TRD skid plate to. I don't really need it or anything else but it sure does look good.

Got my rims and tires ordered today. 285/70r17 Toyo open country AT3's c rated and some 17 by 9 black rhino stadiums. I found a bunch of good-looking rims they all look like a pain in the ass to clean. And in Montana during the winter it's not even worth it. I may end up just getting studded snow tires on the stock rims and keeping those on through the winter.

 

Lift is on the way. Early December is what I am being told. Understandable. When the lift gets here the rest goes with it. Tint w/ sun visor, Lightbar, Rims/Tires (285/70R17 Wildpeaks w/ Black Rhino Stadiums), underbody spray, predator steps, bed cover, and mudflaps (if they fit).

The 5.29 gears and OEM Plus Audio are on the way and will go in at the same time, probably January? I hope. If the gears get here I am getting them done ASAP. I don't trust wait times from OEM Audio Plus so I am not waiting 2 or 3 months for the gearing to get done.

But, a little info on the deal:
I walked in with 2021 Subaru Crosstrek and I owed 22 on it. Bought it for 26 in March this year. KBB had me at 31k for the trade. It was lifted, tons of extras. Only 10k on it. I was not planning on trading it in for another 3 years. I was offered 26 by Carvana. I refused to tell the dealer how much I owed on it before they gave me a trade in value. They hit me with 24. I told told them Carvana hit me with 29. They went back and offered me 29.5. I took it. When they found out how much I owed they started getting salty.
Then, they wanted me to finance at 7% w/ 72 months. I already knew my bank was going to do 3.04% at 60 months. I refused, they dropped down to 4.14. I refused again. They got Salt Lake City salty. Didn't matter to me.
I did put 10k down, and paid for all the accessories up front. Essentially, I only put 4k down because I actually owed closer to 23 with the 10 day payoff. I had planned on putting more down but since I was way on top already, I figured I'd save the cash. Don't play their games. They are desperate and if you are smart, you will come out on top. You don't have to put a massive amount down to do it either - but it helps.

So far, I have put an AES bugdeflector on (the one with a small lip on the middle of the hood and the rest is flush). Actually looks good. If the truck was lighter I probably would not have put it on, but it looks great with it on. It's a nice matte almost rhino lined texture.
I also installed some AES low profile matte window deflectors. Really like them, for now, but we'll see how well they hold up. I suspect scratching will be an issue. It always is on the tinted ones, but it doesn't show as easy. These ones look like they are going to show big time. Also, near impossible to get under to clean the outside of the window without rolling it down.
I was going to install my dashcam tomorrow but I have to make a trip into town. I really hate driving without it. I have a Viofo A139 3ch. I can mount on the bottom left of the rear view mirror, but haven't figured out the other two cameras yet. Unfortunately being a truck, my rear cam will have to be in the rear window. Very easy install though. Once you do one with tap-a-fuses it's straight forward for every other install. I left the wiring in the old subaru, just tucked it under everything. It's only $14 for a new wiring kit. No way I am putting in all that effort trying to pull it out at the dealership and no way was I driving the 2 hours to the dealer on Montana roads without one. Now, I don't have much of a choice so it's going in ASAP.
Also have a phone mount on the way. Already watched videos on how to hide the cable, so that's also pretty straight forward.

But, I am finally happy. When I got the Subaru, I knew I was going to trade it in for a Tacoma eventually. It was my first brand new car and the Tacoma will last me as long as I can push it. I see well beyond 200k in my future here.

I'll get some more pics as soon as I get everything done.

I already love the lights. So much better. Half the reason I wanted the truck, lol. It's just great all around. I didn't even need to test drive it because I already knew. Probably the only unsmart move I made, aside from getting a 3 year coverage on the windshield from the dealer. Was only $600 and if you have ever driven Montana roads, you would understand. Insurance companies treat windshield claims as an accident up here now, and cracks and dings happen all the time. 3 times in my previous f150, but none in the 7 months I had the Subaru. Got lucky I guess. I'm not paying for the cost of these windshields. One windshield is literally more than I paid for the coverage... but that's all they got out of me. No extra warranty. Just say no.

 

You are going all out on this one!
Post it up in the build forums. Take lots of photos as you build it.

 

Where is the build forum located? It's not the "new member" one is it? Is it in the 3rd gen forum?

 

Build threads for 3rd gens…Here you go!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/3rd-gen-builds-2016.196/

 

Missoula dealership?

 

Kalispell.

They did get salty tho. But they still didn't cause any problems. The finance manager who was about my age and pretty damn cute thought it was funny. I had mentioned that I learned my lesson the first time. She was going over paperwork and their default for the windshield replacement plan is 5 years, and I caught it marked next to a 3 year box. I asked how much the 3 year was and it was only $200 less. So I was on to that scheme too, but since I know I will have the truck that long I let it slide. She said 99% of people don't say anything. It's kind of sad really, like it's their training to rip people off. She even tried to defer the attention away from it because most people won't even read what they are signing. Nobody even stops to think how much extra that warranty costs or all that extra stuff costs when added to a 5-7 year (the default is now 7 year) interest rate. And since most these people get some sort of commission or performance pay, they gladly do it. I can't say I blame them... My money and family above all else and if you are not smart enough to negotiate or patient enough to shop around for the best deal, that's your own fault. Anyways... Overall not a bad experience. I expected some fight from them and if I would have caught a low blow, I would have gladly walked out and gone to Missoula and just started over.

We'll see how the rest of the experience goes with the install of all my unnecessary junk

I'm gonna start a build thread tho, so this thread can probably be closed.