Minor Observations on the 2008 Tundra

[jj95]

All,

I got an 08 Tundra a few weeks ago, and thought I would point out some observations about it. First and foremost, I love it - so dont interpret this as a rant, just a list of observations.

First, I picked up a 2008 Tundra Crewmax Limited with the Nav system, rear DVD, and sunroof.

I believe in starting with the positives, but there are just too many to list them all! The ride, for a 1/2 ton pickup, is incredibly smooth. The power is unbelievable (even though I havent towed anything yet and am not at all an aggressive driver). The interior space is amazing. The ASL (stereo sound adjusts itself based on road noise) is really cool as well. The new location and design of the rear power window is excellent (for the 2008 vs the 2007 where it was a different button on the left). One feature/capability I already know I am going to love (when towing the trailer we plan on buying) is the transmission-assisted braking. Its incredible. I would have thought it would have only been activated when in tow/haul mode, but thats probably just ignorance on my part.

But I have noticed a few things over the last few weeks. None of these are deal breakers for me by any means, just minor things I think should have or could have been considered. I will leave out some of the well documented things (rear seat belt flapping, lack of rear underseat storage, missing floormat clips for passenger side, lack of rain sensing wipers, etc).

1. Interior lights. Who test drives a vehicle at night? And even if you did, you might not notice something like this, especially since you probably wont test drive it at night and put it in your garage. But I have noticed that the power mirror buttons do not light up - specifically the power-fold button. So I fumble around for it every time I pull into the garage at night.

2. The location of the Homelink garage door opener buttons is frustrating. One, they also dont light up, so sometimes I hit the wrong one. I plan on solving that by programming them all for my garage door. But more frustrating is that it takes a medium amount of pressure (for more than a split second) to activate, and I find myself accidently adjusting the position of the mirror in the process. I plan on looking at it closer to see if I can tighten it up a little thus making it harder to adjust, but thats OK, I am the only driver.

3. Rear cup holders. There are 4 on the doors, but you cant get to them when the door is closed. Toyota really should have put a pair of them on the back of the center console.

4. The front doors have sunglass holder pockets in them, which is awesome for storing an extra set for me and the wife. Very ingenious. But very forgetful to not put the same on the rear doors! My middle son insists on wearing sunglasses all day every day, so it would have been nice to stash one of his 12 pairs in there!

5. I recently removed the ashtray and was pleasantly surprised to see that, when the headlights are on, there is a small LED that lights up the drink holder area. How cool! But if you keep the ashtray in (as I initially did) you dont even know its there. Could have been relocated, or add another in front of the ashtray to help find the holes.

6. As I said, I have the Nav/Backup system with the rear DVD player. I can press the Aux/DVD button and it will show me what the current state of the DVD player is (chapter, time, etc). But it doesnt appear to let me pause or resume the movie the kids are watching! That would have been nice instead of having to fumble for the remote.

7. The steering wheel controls are great, but they are lacking a mute button for the radio. Frustrating.

8. When I first picked it up, it had a full tank of gas. I drove it until the light came on, and within a few miles hit a gas station. It took 20.1 gallons of fuel. It supposedly has a 26.4 gallon tank. That means that the light comes on when there is almost 25% of a tank left. My last vehicle it was closer to 10%. I also noticed that, on my last vehicle (as well as my wifes minivan), the needle would not come off "F" until I had burned 3 or 4 gallons. Now it starts dropping off immediately. No big deal, just strange to see. But if there really is 6 gallons left in the tank when the light comes on, that might be a nice cushion when I am towing, to have that extra little comfort zone. I may throw a 5 gallon can in the bed and drive her empty some day and see how much gas she really takes. But with the tank lid on the drivers side and the roads I drive to and from work, that might not be worth it.... (For those curious, I am averaging almost 14mpg, and like I said, I am a very passive driver. Half my driving is highway and the other half is city.)

9. This could be a pro or con, depending on how you look at it, but the rear seat buckles (the stubby end you clasp IN to) really slip/retract into the seat. Makes it hard for the kids to buckle up (7 and 5 year old boys, I also have a 18 month old daughter but I strap her in!)
I may have missed one or two, but like I said, minor things, nothing worth worrying over.

Otherwise I am very happy. I have had the rumble strip issue a couple of times, and plan on taking it in, but would like to try and give them a little info first (speed, RPMs, etc) as I know they will want to try and recreate it. I have put 750 miles on so far and it has happened 2 or 3 times.

I have also noticed something that I will probably post in a seperate thread but I will add it here as well. When I first start the engine, it seems like when the transmissions shifts from 1st to 2nd (or maybe 2nd to 3rd, the low end gears are so short) you can hear (and feel) a clink coming from the tranmission area. It almost feels like the transfer case "clink" I used to hear on my last vehicle when I would shift to or from 4WD. After it does it that first time it does not do it again until the engine is shut off. Strange.

And I will part with a funny note. I tried to program the voice recognition to help me call home (via bluetooth to my phone, which works wonderfully by the way). So I pressed the steering wheel button (which I have accidently hit when turning due to its size and location - another bugaboo) and it said "After the tone, please say your command... beep" and I said "Dial Home" or "Call Home" or whatever. It then said to me "Now showing golf course icons on the map." Next time I tried it it said "Now turning audio off." Haha, what a riot! And no, I have not read the whole Navigation book (300 pages), I just thought it was a funny and worth sharing!

Thats all for now, take care, and thanks for all your posts and advice that I have stumbled across thus far! I love having access to such a diverse group of resources as you all almost as much as I love my new truck!

[greg hazlett]

Good write up and I concur with many of your points.

[07 firecrew]

the seat bealt rattle is an easy fix, check my post

[Wolfie]

good post. Although I have a 2007, I have the same observations/complaints.

[StatCoder]

When I saw the Tundra guide instruction video of the person pushing the homelink garage door button with their index finger, I knew it would never work. It needs a fair amount of pressure for an extended period of time. I always push it with my thumb and grab the back with my index & middle finger. That way the mirror doesn't move.

PS - As a 2007 owner, It's nice to hear that they haven't fixed anything for 2008 except for the location of the rear window control switch.

[Tampadave]

This is my 31st vehicle (most purchased new) and none, regardless of price, have been perfect. Some have had product defects and/or poor design, others I just had personal preference issues with.

All I can say is that inspite of a few faults, this is one heckofa truck and I'm glad I brought it.

[Billy Bob]

I am concerned that your 2008 Tundra still has the rumble strip issue. Apparently Toyota has not addressed this as it really should have been. I would think no 2008 Tundra would leave the factory with something that Toyota KNOWS has been a problem with the 2007 model year

[cliff clavin]

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

I am concerned that your 2008 Tundra still has the rumble strip issue. Apparently Toyota has not addressed this as it really should have been. I would think no 2008 Tundra would leave the factory with something that Toyota KNOWS has been a problem with the 2007 model year

yes that is a disappointment.....makes me wonder whether I should try to find an 07 that is discounted.

On another note, I read somewhere that the Rear DVD entertainment can be controlled by the controls on the steering wheel. I hope its true as it would be a great feature....

[Sweet Mercy]

Originally Posted by jj95

All,

I got an 08 Tundra a few weeks ago, and thought I would point out some observations about it. First and foremost, I love it - so dont interpret this as a rant, just a list of observations.

First, I picked up a 2008 Tundra Crewmax Limited with the Nav system, rear DVD, and sunroof.

I believe in starting with the positives, but there are just too many to list them all! The ride, for a 1/2 ton pickup, is incredibly smooth. The power is unbelievable (even though I havent towed anything yet and am not at all an aggressive driver). The interior space is amazing. The ASL (stereo sound adjusts itself based on road noise) is really cool as well. The new location and design of the rear power window is excellent (for the 2008 vs the 2007 where it was a different button on the left). One feature/capability I already know I am going to love (when towing the trailer we plan on buying) is the transmission-assisted braking. Its incredible. I would have thought it would have only been activated when in tow/haul mode, but thats probably just ignorance on my part.

But I have noticed a few things over the last few weeks. None of these are deal breakers for me by any means, just minor things I think should have or could have been considered. I will leave out some of the well documented things (rear seat belt flapping, lack of rear underseat storage, missing floormat clips for passenger side, lack of rain sensing wipers, etc).

1. Interior lights. Who test drives a vehicle at night? And even if you did, you might not notice something like this, especially since you probably wont test drive it at night and put it in your garage. But I have noticed that the power mirror buttons do not light up - specifically the power-fold button. So I fumble around for it every time I pull into the garage at night.

2. The location of the Homelink garage door opener buttons is frustrating. One, they also dont light up, so sometimes I hit the wrong one. I plan on solving that by programming them all for my garage door. But more frustrating is that it takes a medium amount of pressure (for more than a split second) to activate, and I find myself accidently adjusting the position of the mirror in the process. I plan on looking at it closer to see if I can tighten it up a little thus making it harder to adjust, but thats OK, I am the only driver.

3. Rear cup holders. There are 4 on the doors, but you cant get to them when the door is closed. Toyota really should have put a pair of them on the back of the center console.

4. The front doors have sunglass holder pockets in them, which is awesome for storing an extra set for me and the wife. Very ingenious. But very forgetful to not put the same on the rear doors! My middle son insists on wearing sunglasses all day every day, so it would have been nice to stash one of his 12 pairs in there!

5. I recently removed the ashtray and was pleasantly surprised to see that, when the headlights are on, there is a small LED that lights up the drink holder area. How cool! But if you keep the ashtray in (as I initially did) you dont even know its there. Could have been relocated, or add another in front of the ashtray to help find the holes.

6. As I said, I have the Nav/Backup system with the rear DVD player. I can press the Aux/DVD button and it will show me what the current state of the DVD player is (chapter, time, etc). But it doesnt appear to let me pause or resume the movie the kids are watching! That would have been nice instead of having to fumble for the remote.

7. The steering wheel controls are great, but they are lacking a mute button for the radio. Frustrating.

8. When I first picked it up, it had a full tank of gas. I drove it until the light came on, and within a few miles hit a gas station. It took 20.1 gallons of fuel. It supposedly has a 26.4 gallon tank. That means that the light comes on when there is almost 25% of a tank left. My last vehicle it was closer to 10%. I also noticed that, on my last vehicle (as well as my wifes minivan), the needle would not come off "F" until I had burned 3 or 4 gallons. Now it starts dropping off immediately. No big deal, just strange to see. But if there really is 6 gallons left in the tank when the light comes on, that might be a nice cushion when I am towing, to have that extra little comfort zone. I may throw a 5 gallon can in the bed and drive her empty some day and see how much gas she really takes. But with the tank lid on the drivers side and the roads I drive to and from work, that might not be worth it.... (For those curious, I am averaging almost 14mpg, and like I said, I am a very passive driver. Half my driving is highway and the other half is city.)

9. This could be a pro or con, depending on how you look at it, but the rear seat buckles (the stubby end you clasp IN to) really slip/retract into the seat. Makes it hard for the kids to buckle up (7 and 5 year old boys, I also have a 18 month old daughter but I strap her in!)
I may have missed one or two, but like I said, minor things, nothing worth worrying over.

Otherwise I am very happy. I have had the rumble strip issue a couple of times, and plan on taking it in, but would like to try and give them a little info first (speed, RPMs, etc) as I know they will want to try and recreate it. I have put 750 miles on so far and it has happened 2 or 3 times.

I have also noticed something that I will probably post in a seperate thread but I will add it here as well. When I first start the engine, it seems like when the transmissions shifts from 1st to 2nd (or maybe 2nd to 3rd, the low end gears are so short) you can hear (and feel) a clink coming from the tranmission area. It almost feels like the transfer case "clink" I used to hear on my last vehicle when I would shift to or from 4WD. After it does it that first time it does not do it again until the engine is shut off. Strange.

And I will part with a funny note. I tried to program the voice recognition to help me call home (via bluetooth to my phone, which works wonderfully by the way). So I pressed the steering wheel button (which I have accidently hit when turning due to its size and location - another bugaboo) and it said "After the tone, please say your command... beep" and I said "Dial Home" or "Call Home" or whatever. It then said to me "Now showing golf course icons on the map." Next time I tried it it said "Now turning audio off." Haha, what a riot! And no, I have not read the whole Navigation book (300 pages), I just thought it was a funny and worth sharing!

Thats all for now, take care, and thanks for all your posts and advice that I have stumbled across thus far! I love having access to such a diverse group of resources as you all almost as much as I love my new truck!

Good write-up. Looks like you took a lot of time with it. The only thing I may be able to help you with is the homelink mirror. Intead of using my index finger to push the button since its on the botton, I use my thumb while putting the rest of my fingers on top of the mirror. This helps stabilize the mirror when pressing the button. Hope this helps on that.

[RMcCleary]

I have an '07 CM can someone with an '08 CM post a picture of where the rear window switch was relocated to? I agree with several of the points you brought up. Here is another one, no lights on the vanity mirrors. Other than that a the paint I still love my truck and look forward to driving it whenever I can.

Ryan

[wolfhound]

I am curious about the rear cup holders...I have a 2007 DC SR5 TRD and it has a great set of cup holders on the back of the center console. Which model did you purchase?

[stinvh]

There are 2 cup holders in the arm rest of the rear seats - this makes 6 total. Just pull the arm rest down. At least they are there on my 07 CM! Nice write-up! Also, I was at the dealer yesterday and they mentioned something about a CM with a 6.5' bed as being an option - anyone else here this?

[wii]

I found the gas thing annoying myself. I was convinced the salesmen went to the pump and the gas card stopped at $75 and he said oh that's full.

[tacoma2tundra]

RE: gas light comes on w/ 6 gallons left -- I think that's a pretty good feature for those owners that use this vehicle as a tow vehicle. You're getting significantly less MPG, and tend to be driving in more remote locations than your typical family vehicle.

What kind of truck has rain sensing windsheild wipers?? I see drops, I figure rain, I turn on the wipers. Do you want it to wipe your a$$ too?
(don't get upset, I'm just pulling your chain)

[StatCoder]

I wish it would pull my chain automatically also. I'm not sure I like you doing it.