2023 CPO Tacoma Limited Purchase - Need Advice

For an update, I just got back earlier from getting the truck thoroughly checked out by the Toyota/Lexus Independent shop near me and they said everything looked tip-top. The tech said it was as good as a brand new vehicle and was well maintained. He didn't find any faults with it. My Service Rep friend also said that I had found a really well maintained vehicle and nothing to worry about. I had them go ahead and change out the rear diff fluid and inspect the rear end as well. Again, the tech said there was no metal shavings, leaks or anything else alarming with the rear end. The transmission and engine were all great as well!

 

That’s good news . The truck looked clean . 3 gens are good trucks , they just have some quirky stuff here and there . But no matter what any body thinks no vehicle is perfect . But I have found quirks aside, they are good trucks . I have owned several Toyota vehicles
2 4 runner s , and 3 Tacoma s , and two corolla beater cars . One currently 300 k miles ( corolla ) . Not the quietest , quickest car , but it runs like a top. Now the GM products I had …. Oh boy we won’t go into that . Not the best experience with Ford either . So either one no bueno for me any more

 

Thank you Sir. I think what I was felling really was a lot of suspension hop in the rear just cruising down the freeway, and on certain roads, which felt different and very jumpy. I'm wondering if a different set of shocks may change that... idk. The front suspension feels great though and very smooth. Maybe just need to drive around with some watered down bags of concrete in the bed to compress the suspension more. The whistling sound as well, seems like its from the rear door jams, at higher speeds. He does seem to really be liking the truck though, which is good. I think it will grow on him and he'll get use to it. He did comment to me that it's a big upgrade in tech and safety features from his 2012 GMC Terrain.

No kidding, I have a friend that has over 320K miles on his old Corolla as well, and it's still going! lol I swear that thing had a dent in every fender too and it's still holding up to this day. I loved my old 2nd Gen Tacoma, but sadly had to sell it around 2020 because I needed the money and was driving the 5th Gen 4Runner full-time. That was a really good truck.

 

100 pounds in the bed will come the back down a lot . But as a rule leaf springs and an empty bed makes it jittery . But that’s all leaf spring pickups . Coil springs call that down but then DIFFERENT
Negatives arise. . But 2 and bags and you will be surprised

 

Tires can make howl. Many posts around on 3g wind noises, along with solutions.

W/o extensive work the truck will never be as quiet as his GM was. Limiteds do have more trinkets, fluff and bling, but the basics are the same as other models. As in no extra sound deadner.

Check tires closely. When new is needed, Michelin Defenders will be a solid choice for his use. Quiet, great street traction and long wearing.

Do some of the wind noise fixes your searches will find. A arm hole plugs, window gaskets, etc.

After those are done, it may be ok. If not, sound deadner in the doors is the next step. More can be done, but one step at a time may get him to where he wants to be w/o going full monty

 

My feeling is that it’s a proper truck , body on frame. Not a unibody fake truck. With that said a full frame vehicle is always less quiet, and usually will have more vibes through the drive line. I personally like that it feels like a proper truck should feel . Now my wife has a Lexus RX and that is super quiet and rides like it’s on a cloud . But that’s how that should feel.No matter what people expect these days , the 3 rd Gen is an old school truck , with some modern trinkets here and there .

 

@BLtheP added the AC fan. He wrote it up as well. Sounds doable. I don’t even have AC in my workshop yet, only helpful 2-3 weeks a year up here.

I wouldn’t sweat the factory leather either (pun intended). Katzkin is better and clazios are easy to DIY. Lots of other options too. Seats are for using, if you want pristine leather get some pants and keep them in a dark closet

Limited is a nice trim. Wish it came with AWD like T4R. And 4wd in Houston is probably not super necessary, probably less important than the AC fan.

Nightshade addresses the sole limited con of too much chrome. Add some MESO blackout for the rest of the chromey bits inside and you’re good for decades.

If the rear diff noise is a real problem, consider regearing to 5.29’s as that will add to the driving experience leveraging higher RPM’s, AT really benefits from that.

Well done on the purchase. Likely to be worth 30+ in 10 years, no real risk at all for now just drive and enjoy.

 

The condenser fan is only installed on Mexico-spec trucks. That means any truck destined to sell in Mexico or any other country that receives the Mexico-spec truck. This does NOT mean trucks built in Mexico.

Like Dave said, I added the fan to my truck. I bought all the parts and assembled the fan myself. Went pretty easily. Then wired it up my own way using the factory triggers and my own relay.

I’d say it’s not a massive difference but it definitely helps on the really hot days. Especially if you are cranking up the truck a few minutes before a drive…the idle air without driving at all starts to cool quicker than if it idles without the e fan.

 

There is a TSB for air conditioners that cannot keep up with a hot day while idling, the solution to it is to install a pusher fan in front of the condenser. It’s a rather in-depth procedure that Toyota is requiring for it, including taking off part of the dashboard. I elected not to do this and installed my own fan instead of letting them take apart everything in the truck just to install a 12v fan.

T-SB-0063-18: Lack of A/C Performance at Idle in High Ambient Temperature

Here’s a list of the other TSB’s- see if anything else applies to your truck:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/list-of-t-sbs-etc.562671/

 

What you did is perfectly fine, although there really is nothing that bad about the TSB. It looks scary but any technician that understands just a bit of electrical is capable of installing the TSB fan. The only dash assembly is getting the glove box and driver side knee panel out. The wiring to tap to is right there once those are off.

 

After looking at their procedure, I decided not to do it. I simply added a relay to the compressor clutch with an override switch so I can turn it on and off, or allow it to run automatically whenever the clutch energizes.

 

Huh??
watered down cement equals a lump of concrete.
Bags of sand would work better and don't "water" them

 

If you don’t water them, nothing grows. Ce-mint comes from somewhere.

But really op These trucks are tinny and don’t have good thud in the door when you close it. There is like no soundproofing in there. Pretty easy to install and a satisfying result, and helps with heat.

 

His Terrain could have used some sound deadener in it, but it was comfortable on the interior. As for my 2nd Gen, I guess I didn't remember as much road noise in the rear cab as the 3rd Gen. He seemed to pick up on it quickly on the drive back. Nothing a good set of SoundSkins sound deadener in the doors and rear cab can't fix I guess. I heard about the A arm hole plugs as well and will look into it.

I just looked and his current tires which are the Michelin LTX M/S2. They look to have had good ratings on the Michelin website. The tires ride fine that I can tell and just may be louder on certain road conditions. I'll let him know about the Michelin Defenders. Thank you.

 

All-in-all he likes the truck. I don't think he is use to medium size trucks as he's never owned one. He's only rode in my 2nd Gen over the years and had nothing bad to say about that one. My 5th Gen 4Runner does ride nice with the coil springs in the rear vs the leaf pack setup.

Appreciate it and thank you for the AC info! It looks to be cooling great currently. I was just concerned for these Texas Hot Summers. I just added Ceramic Tint on his truck which should help out a lot.

This truck popped up at exactly the right time and was available for us to purchase. 3rd Gen Tacoma's are hot items especially with certain packages, 1-owner, Gold Toyota Certified Pre-Owned. I will say he is an extremely difficult person to shop for when it comes to automobiles. I knew that his other vehicle wasn't going to last too long, and he would have to pay out more money in repairs down the road. He really liked the looks and styling of the Tacoma, as well as the amenities and that's what I directed him to consider.

I told him about Katzkin leather if that is something he may want down the road. He doesn't seem to be critical on the current factory leather so I'll just leave that alone for now. lol

He definitely likes the look of the Nightshade package as it puts black accents in all the right areas. He was never big on too much chrome.

I don't think he will ever re-gear it. He is the type to just live with it. I'm quite sure he will be driving this vehicle until the wheels fall off of it.

 

Thank you. I'll definitely look at your write-up on it. It would mostly be for sitting at idle in Houston traffic in the summer, I'm sure that small fan can at least keep air flowing over the AC Condenser coils quite well. We'll see how the AC holds up this summer with the Ceramic Tint that I just had added to it.

 

Thank you for sharing all that! I'll keep this huge list of TSBs handy. I saw the AC TSB is a big job with many steps. We'll see how this summer pans out because we can easily get triple digits here in Houston.

I wouldn't have even thought of that. That's a really good idea without having to rip everything apart.

 

I get that. Yes, sand works as well.

I probably should have said bags of concrete mix, and not cement.

I'll look into putting some sound deadener in the doors and the back of the cab. Thanks

 

Hey sorry to bug ya man.
I guessed you meant concrete mix in op.
I worked in construction at 1 time and things bug me that shouldn't.
Example, cement vs concrete, asphalt vs paving, gravel vs rocks, ok I'll shut up now.

 

Not a problem. I should have got it right, from all the times working at my uncle's construction business in my youth. My bad.