Recent content by saerandy

It sounds like your current vehicle simply no longer fits your changing lifestyle and career needs. Moving to construction sites means you need ground clearance and utility, making the Type R not ideal for daily work needs. If you are fully set on getting a pickup truck, the Tacoma is a great...

Had an issue with that selector switch - not yours, btw - and brought it to the dealer. FYI when i picked it up the service manager told me that to replace the switch with labor out of warranty is $900. I'd hit the dealership.

^^ This is true. MPG improved a lot as total mileage increased. I'm typically around 21 and on a long highway trip will often go 23-23.4 MPG. -- heavy footed driving. Currently at 24,000mi on the ODO

Sorry to revive this old post, but I've read about unexpected rear brake pad wear on the 4th gens. Some believe it might be caused by the dynamic cruise control using the rear brakes more than the front to "keep things smooth" when adjusting speed. Since you seem to have many miles with this...

Yeah, I think the customer service rep was wrong, otherwise why would anyone choose music lovers? Anyway, I ended up going with Drive Connect since I tried Apple Music and wasn't really a fan.... just because I guess. Plus I would have had to get all my kids to agree to move from Spotify to...

"it does have Spotify" -- No the Music Lovers Plan does not have Spotify. Only Apple Music & Amazon. "Includes the data required for unlimited streaming" -- MAYBE, but when I was on the phone to extend my Remote Connect plan the Toyota rep explicitly said that the bundled music features were...

I’m not arguing that Remote Connect should be free or even necessarily cheaper. I fully understand that the vehicle needs a cellular data connection and that maintaining that infrastructure costs Toyota money. That part makes sense. What I’m saying is that the way Toyota has chosen to bundle...

I've been pondering your exact situation, and here's my thoughts. If you buy now for ~$46k: You immediately take on the depreciation risk yourself. And right now the market for comparable trucks appears closer to ~$37k. Even if your specific truck is cleaner/better-optioned, there’s a decent...

I understand and currently subscribe to Drive Connect. The issue is not simply that Remote Connect is no longer offered as a clean standalone option. The larger issue is that Toyota is requiring customers to buy music and navigation services they may not want or may already receive through...

So, like many here, I use Spotify - I don't like Apple Music or Amzn. I definitely like/use Remote Connect and knew that I was going to subscribe to it but then had the three plans from which to choose. I looked at music lovers and talked to Toyota about it but walked away unclear as to whether...

Might just be a regional price difference.

I'm showing the Royal Purple $$ as matching, but the R&P as $10 cheaper at Walmart. But not everybody shops at Walmart :)

I seem to be on some oil/fluids kick these past couple of days. Just wanted to let y'all know starting today, May 4th, NAPA has sales pricing on a bunch of different oils, including Valvoline Restore & Protect for $12 off so now $39.99/gal. Royal Purple is down $13 to $36.99/gal.

I did a drain and fill. Just to get it done today since I had time I used the Valvoline Advanced Full Syn which is a 75W-90 vs 85 (it’s on sale at NAPA for $40 for a gallon). I’m planning to let that circulate a bit for the next 5 to 6000 miles and then at the 30,000 mile mark change it again...

Based on the Oil Geek's UOA on his SR5's diff oil changed at 5000mi I decided to do it earlier than the 30,000mi I was planning. I really don't have any regrets at all. As you can see from the photos, there was some metal in there that was probably from manufacturing that was caught by the...