[cementcreek]

Good Morning,

I am a life-long GM owner (trucks and suburbans) about to buy a Tundra Crewmax sometime this year. I have been very satisfied with the GM products except in one area. I've had to replace alternators, a/c compressors, fuel pumps, water pumps, etc. well before I hit the 100,000 mile mark. If I have to pay an arm and a leg for a vehicle, IMO, these misc. parts should hold up to at least 100,000 miles. I am buying a Toyota CrewMax versus a GM truck for 2 primary reasons:

#1: I have 2 daughters and the CrewMax's back seat is a lot more accomodating than GM's trucks. In the GM trucks the bottom seat folds up. Therefore, I have very little storage capacity... CrewMax will give me plenty of storage capacity, and

#2: I'm tired of having to replace the misc. components well under the 100,000 mile mark. I have heard that the Toyota's components will last longer...

So my question is, in your experiences with Toyota, how long can I expect these misc. components to last on my new Tundra??? How long has your misc. parts lasted before you had to replace them???

Thanks!!!

 

[MACSTER]

I've had a '96 Tacoma (60,000), '02 Tacoma (32,000), and a '03 Tundra (58,000). I don't keep vehicles long enough to hit the 100,000 mark, but I've never had to replace an engine component on any of them.

My dad's Chevy on the other hand has had some fun stories. My favorite is coming back from the lake either the fuel or water pump went out (don't remember which). So dad took the hand pump off the boat, and hooked it up. My sister had her arm out the window continually pumping it the entire way home, which is about 20 minutes driving 65. Sure glad I wasn't along for that trip.

 

[TundraMaxxer]

Good Morning,

I am a life-long GM owner (trucks and suburbans) about to buy a Tundra Crewmax sometime this year. I have been very satisfied with the GM products except in one area. I've had to replace alternators, a/c compressors, fuel pumps, water pumps, etc. well before I hit the 100,000 mile mark. If I have to pay an arm and a leg for a vehicle, IMO, these misc. parts should hold up to at least 100,000 miles. I am buying a Toyota CrewMax versus a GM truck for 2 primary reasons:

#1: I have 2 daughters and the CrewMax's back seat is a lot more accomodating than GM's trucks. In the GM trucks the bottom seat folds up. Therefore, I have very little storage capacity... CrewMax will give me plenty of storage capacity, and

#2: I'm tired of having to replace the misc. components well under the 100,000 mile mark. I have heard that the Toyota's components will last longer...

So my question is, in your experiences with Toyota, how long can I expect these misc. components to last on my new Tundra??? How long has your misc. parts lasted before you had to replace them???

Thanks!!!

I can give you my personal experience with the Toyota truck I've been driving. I bought it new (1998 model) and:

Alternator has never given me any trouble. Still running the original.

Air conditioner has run flawlessly for life of vehicle. Still all original.

Fuel pump has never been an issue. Still all original.
(I have replaced my fuel filter, but I consider that maintenance)

Water pump never gave me any trouble, but as a precautionary measure I replaced it when I replaced my timing belt at around 85,000 miles. For the price of a water pump (not much) I decided it was wise, and I saved the labor cost because it was already exposed due to the timing belt maintenance.

My engine has never broke. It does not use oil (125,000 miles so far) and purrs like it did the day I got it.

Nothing inside my vehicle (electrical or mechanical) has ever broke or malfunctioned. Needless to say, this vehicle is a big reason why I am such a Toyota fan.

 

[mxsjw]

So my question is, in your experiences with Toyota, how long can I expect these misc. components to last on my new Tundra??? How long has your misc. parts lasted before you had to replace them???

Thanks!!!

I have been driving a 1990 Toyota P/U for about 10 years. It has 244,000 miles on it. I drive it offroad to go dirtbiking, 52 miles to work a day, long trips over Mt. passes loaded with camp gear.

My dad had it before me and pulled a 5k trailer loaded with an 8" gold dredge and a bed load of supplies from WA to Northern CA a couple times a year.

Alternator, replaced brushes only once at 200k. took me 15 minutes. I have a large sound system, with quite a draw on power.
A/C still works strong, never have replaced anything, never had a recharge.
Fuel pump, original.
Water pump, finally needs to be replaced, just started leaking.
Starter, original.

Everything else is all normal maintenance stuff, oil, timing belt, cap and rotor, plugs and wires, filters.

Hope this helps, only a couple more weeks till my 07 shows up at my dealer.

 

[southpaw]

I do not mean anything personal by this and do not take it the wrong way, but I would like to know how many Dodge, Ford, and GM guys I have heard mention the phrase "I sure love my truck and have not had any problems with it". Only to be followed by "I replaced the A/c compressor, water pump, fuel pump, etc". A lot of the stuff I hear being replaced pretty much only leaves the engine, tranny, and doors not falling off. When Toyota people say I have had good luck with my stuff it literally means no problems (sure there will always be cases here and there). My family parents included have owned a corrolla, camry, avalon, 4runner, and now currenty own another avalon and 2 tundras. Some of these vehicles especially the avalon have had well over 100K miles and when we say no trouble it means literally no trouble except for changing the oil. Trust me if I ever replace an A/C compressor on one of my trucks you will not be hearing me say how much I like it and how good of a truck it has been. You usually have to get a large number of owners like this board together to hear of any problems. Just my family and neighbors I have heard of Ford brake problems, GM valve problems, GM tranny problems, Dodge overall tons of problems and this is just the people I know and all their vehicles are less than 2 yrs old and under 40k miles. Get the Tundra you will love it.

 

[cementcreek]

I appreciate your responses. They confirm to me that the Toyota's misc engine parts will last longer than the GMs, in most cases. Like I said before, I've been very happy with the GM products except for the misc. parts. I had a '96 Sierra 1/2 ton with 167,000 miles and the engine ran as good as the day I bought it. However, I had to replace the alternator, starter, and water pump, and a/c compressor under 100,000. In fact, I believe the alternator went out at about 50,000. I currently drive a '99 GMC Yukon with 93,000 miles and have had to replace the alternator, starter, master cylinder, and just recently replaced the fuel pump. I am ready for a change and I also will enjoy driving something different than what everybody else has. I live in South Texas and the vast majority of trucks on the road are GM and Ford.

Thanks Again!!!

 

[cementcreek]

In reponse to SouthPaws reply, I guess I was a little naive into thinking that these parts would have to be replaced periodically. It is just sooner than later on the GM trucks that I've had. I didn't know any different because I always owned GM trucks and I need a "full" size truck so I never thought about buying a Toyota, IMO. Now that the '07 Tundra is available I am going to give Toyota a try.

 

[awesomebase]

I've had a Toyota in the past that last 185K miles before I sold it off, and though it didn't have nearly as much problems as my Chevy did before it, when there was an actual repair to do (i.e. it was the alternator for me), it cost more than the Chevy did (prob. because economies of scale are in Chevy's favor). However, most vehicles now are pretty good and it is doubtful that a new domestic truck will encounter those same types of problems. The single biggest complaint I hear about from friends and neighbors with domestic vehicles are things that are less critical to the vehicle's operation, but pretty annoying. For example, no shortage of squeaks and rattles, electrical window problems (this seems to be a problem common to the Detroit 3), faulty temp. and engine diagnostics sensors, faulty power seats, brake noise, and of course a seemingly endless amount of light bulbs that need replacing inside and out. I remember the latter distinctly as the most frustrating thing about my old Chevy... it seemed that every couple of weeks I was getting a new bulb for something...
Those things noted above aren't a big deal so much as they are an inconvenience and annoying. My wife and I have a Honda and an Acura now, though I'm waiting on a Tundra for this summer. I have not had so much as a single thing needing replacement in the last 7 years except for regular maintenance (i.e. oil, filters, batteries, and tires). I did replace a fog light bulb because a stone went through it, but other than that no problems so far. My Toyota was much the same except that parts seemed more expensive. I think that is why most Toyotas get good residual values for trade-ins and such... people in general have had pretty good experiences with them, new and used.

 

[Smilodon]

I currently have a 1990 Toyota SR-5, 3.0 V6, 2WD extended cab pickup. It has about 190,000 miles on it.

It's "achillies heel", if any, has been the A/C. It required compressor replacement when the truck was still under warranty (I'd consider it a one-off poor quality component at that point, not a design flaw), and within the last 30k or so miles has required evaporator and compressor replacement (again).

In Florida (and with a black truck), air conditioning is not an option. Perhaps we use them a little harder than elsewhere. Still, that's the worst of it, engine-wise.

I had a cam-cover oil leak that made a mess of things, and when the oil leak was attended to (170k), I went ahead and had the water pump replaced, as mentioned by others, just because it was getting up there.

The power steering pump was replaced at about 150k. The alternator is original. The spark plug wires and other regularly serviced ignition parts (except spark plugs) were just replaced recently for the first time, which even had the mechanic shaking his head.

So, overall, other than the A/C, everything went at least 100k without a problem. Beyond that, I think my service was pretty good.

You'll get "I've got 450000 miles, and never opened the hood" stories from just about everybody (for any make), so take them for what they're worth.

Truthfully, I think technology has made leaps and bounds improvements in the lifespan of components. So a newer (technology) vehicle from any manufacturer will last longer, in my opinion.

How can you say what any new vehicle will do once you get over 100k miles? It is based almost exclusively on reputation, and I would say anybody who has put many trouble-free miles on any brand will allow that to sway their opinion when buying something new.

I tried very hard to be objective when making my decision, but being truthful, my dependable 1990 Toyota had probably had some impact my choice.

I get the biggest chuckle out of the "mine's better than yours" crowd is when you hear that a vehicle is wonderful because they got 2 years of trouble-free service out of it. Nearly anything (sold in the states) will do that now-a-days. What tells the tale as far as superior engineering and quality of componentry is many more years and many more miles.

And that's really hard to bet on...

 

[dsrtrcr01]

All these components on a Toyota are very well built. In sold a 1984 with 34ok and I replaced the alternator right before I sold the truck. That was maintly due to the fact that is was buried in mud and grime. It was an off road only vehicle. The power steering and AC worked great. My moms 1988 with 320k is all origianl. Our 2001 Celica with 140 is all original. My inlaws camry with 220 is all original. My moms Cororlla has 130 and is all original and my Tundra with 40k is all original. So They are great.

The 3.0 V6 Trucks had some issues regarding Water Pumps, Heads and Power steering leaking. Other then that the Toyotas products are great. Do not get me wrong the 3.0 is a nice strong motor but seemed to have more issues then the rest. So based on my experience and those around me I would put my money on the alternator and others going 100k easy.

 

[Cruiser13]

For what it is worth, I have an 02 landcruiser with 61,000. I take it off road and use it in the mountains all the time. Its been in 110 heat and -40 farenheit. Started right up. Had to replace the power antenna contraption at 55,000, but thats it. I never liked power antennas anyway for that reason. Flawless otherwise.

I agree completely with other posters who can't help but wonder why domestic owners ignore or gloss over little things. I get extremely annoyed when something doesn't work as it should. Really, is it so much to ask that windows work smoothly? That seats don't rattle? That temp gauges are accurate? That a truck idles properly? I had a GM car, 3 jeeps, a Nissan and my wife has a BMW now. Until the Nissan, I accepted these things as part of owning a car until I discoverd the Nissan and the Toyota. These things actually work as they are supposed to. I don't have to accept crappy operation. Amazing! Why don't the domestics get it?

I'm rambling, but here is an example: on my Grand Cherokee (the biggest POS I ever saw), the power windows had a little LED light that would light when you pushed the switch. RANDOMLY, these things would just click and light. No one touched the windows. And of course the dealer couldn't replicate the problem. WTF!? My domestics also used to experience a power surge/draw when the AC compressor kicked in. Toyota's don't budge- the electrical system is properly engineered. Ford/GM/Chrysler- is that so hard to do? Please. Simple electrical engineering is not cutting edge science anymore, but they still don't get it. FYI, the Beemer is also unworthy of reliablity claims and the dealer won't stand behind it. It has had a lot of problems at 49k. It is being traded for a Tundra next week.

 

[awesomebase]

Yeah, I have to say that if all you drove was a domestic vehicle, you would probably think that what you had was great and that the issues are no big deal. It is making the move to something better that spoils you for something more. Case-in-point about the electrical system... I test drove a brand new Dodge Ram 1500 SLT(??) 4x4 with the Hemi last year and while I was driving, the driver's seat started to move forward. The salesman was with me in the passenger seat and I asked him what the hell was going on! I had to pull over quickly and re-adjust my seat. He said perhaps my jacket was hitting the power-seat button. I told him my jacket was neither long enough nor "heavy" enough to do that. Still, I took it off and continued my test drive... I didn't get more than 100 feet from where I last stopped before the seat did this again. I told him that I'm cutting the drive short and returned to the dealership driving the truck literally with my left hand holding the button back so that my seat wouldn't move. Not saying that this is the case with every vehicle, but it seems that whenever I make the effort to give the domestics another chance, I'm reminded of exactly why I left them in the first place... for whatever reason, there are just some weird inconsistancies in the quality control of their products. The salesman, poor guy, still asked what I thought of the truck regardless of the seat issue... I felt like saying that I was really unsure of their quality, but truthfully it felt pretty decent, just not a great interior and though it was powerful, I swear it didn't feel as strong as the Titan (though much better than the Ford). I simply said that I liked the power and the field of view was very good. I haven't been back there since...

 

[Smilodon]

The 3.0 V6 Trucks had some issues regarding Water Pumps, Heads and Power steering leaking. Other then that the Toyotas products are great.

Hmmmm... Here's hoping that somebody isn't saying that about the 5.7 in my new truck in a dozen years or so!

Seriously, I still feel I've gotten great service out of the old truck, although obviously not as good as yourself! And that's not mentioning the rest of the truck, which has been remarkably durable and trouble free.

 

[HOGWILD]

Routine maintenance is about all i have had to do to all 3 of my Toys, did do an alternator around 110K on my Camry and other than that it's routine maintenance!! god forbid if a rubber molded hose or a piece of plastic breaks!! I replaced a molded throttle body hose once on my 93 pick up and i almost fainted!! The quality of the plastic parts has always been good but if ya mess it up and do not know how to remove it and break things it is costly to replace but like i said I am the cause of this type of SNAFU!! These vehicles are not built to tear up at a certain mileages like others i will not name, but they build appliances the same way, they benchmark when a part will break and build it that way. Sounds wrong but it is wrong and kinda like gas prices, why do they go up ever spring just before summer!! but nothing ever happens to any of those that are involved cause they have all the MONEY to start with!

 

[Only Toyota for me]

That post about the new dodge truck testdrive....that is typical crap you here about domestics.
Reminds me of the new jeep grand cherokee that was in park & somehow by itself went into drive & ran into a building. True story.
You don't see that with toyota products. At least i have'nt heard of any.
I have one word for domestic products INCONSISTENCY.

I have had several toyota products and have not replaced any engine parts; starter,water pump,alternator,radiator, or anything prior to 100k.
It's absurd if you have to do that, it's not reliable, it's expensive, & worst of all, it's a PITA.
Toyota products are not perfect, but they are as close as you can get. When i buy a toyota, i EXPECT it to be virtually trouble free beyond 100k. I just hope my good experiences continue, and i'm confident they will.

Long time toyota owner with high expectations.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

This is my first Toyota and its only got 1100 miles on it so far. But I've loved every one of those miles. Grandpa has an 04 Camary and will tell you how great that car is for hours if you get him started. His quote "American cars are junk". This coming from a WW2 vet.

My first new truck was a 1993 Isuzu pickup when I was 22. Drove to 80k without one single problem. Then I needed a full size so I bought a new 1995 Chevy Z71. Like everyone else I was jaded and thought alot of problems were to be expected. At 20k the windshield wipers would just come on by themselves with not a drop of rain in sight. But then they wouldnt come on at all when it would rain. And it pours in Florida in the summer. Dealer claimed to have fixed it, but it still never worked when it was supposed to. Imagine the embarrasment of sitting at a stoplight with your wipers going full blast without a cloud in the sky. Still under warranty and had to replace the water pump, radiator, a/c compressor, wiper switch about 5 times, and numerous other stupid things I cant remember. Plus the truck had more rattles then I could find. Then at 100k the engine decided to seize in my driveway before work. I had followed the owners manual maintenance to a tee and all work was done at the dealer, and still GM could care less.

Next was a new 2002 2500 Silverado HD with the 6.0L. Truck made a funny noise in the trans. while I was driving it off the lot. Never thought twice cause I figured heck, must be normal, its heavy duty, what could possibly go wrong? 10k into it and the trans. started to shutter into gears but it was fine when the dealer had it. 20k miles and dealer still thinks I'm crazy so I tell the service manager to drive it home that night. He calls me next day and says they have to order a new trans. and come get my rental car. Still under warranty and needs new tranny....what a joke. Still under 36k and had the dealer replace water pump, thermostat, radiator, fuel pump, driver door window motor, 3 weeks later passenger window motor, bow tie and front grill corroding so they replaced it, baffle came loose in muffler so they replaced the whole exhaust with a new redesigned one, steering colum rattled loose and had to be replaced 4 times, paint had weird chips in places that werent exposed to the road, and chipped everywhere else too. Paint cracked everywhere and dealer told me they couldnt do anything about it. From day one the 6.0L sounded like a diesel engine with the valves pinging so bad people would make comments about it to me. Three friends had the same engine and theirs all did it too. Truck had 10 times more rattles than the 95 did. Every other week I was there for a new rattle, then I figured out how to take apart my doors and began fixing them myself, then dash began rattling. At 80k the a/c condenser in the dash went. $1200 repair, so that was the end of that for me and domestic cars. I had threatened to file lemon law and GM gave me a free 70k mile warranty to shut me up. It kept me quiet but I'm glad that truck is gone.

Wife has an Acura with 40k and not one problem other than needing new tires. Quiet as a mouse inside and nothing rattles. 07 Tundra with 1100k and I've never been in such a solid built truck. NOTHING rattles and the shift points are so silky smooth its erie. This truck was worth every penny and I look forward to every mile I'll put on it. And my dealer gave me a free lifetime warranty on the entire drivetrain. He offers this with all his new Toyotas. $100 deductible.

And while it lasts, it nice to be the only new Tundra in town. Its like a unicorn in our little town.......rare.

 

[Sanosuke]

I own a '03 Tundra and it has close to 78000km's on the odometer only has had normal maintainence -- no engine parts problems. Only the battery and shifter (gear selector) had to be replaced. (My right arm tends to be a bit tough on that shifter (gear selector) lever).

Other than that, a rock solid truck I've had for these years! Routinely drive it through the mountains to BC and back to Alberta at least 2-3x a year.

Sanosuke!

 

[buttcrackboy]

No problems with my 95 T100. I'm getting ready to sell before the 07 Tundra arrives in mid to late April. There were 2 recalls on the T100, timing belt & steering rod. I have done the routine maintenance & that is all. You can't go wrong with a Toyota. BTW 105k mileage.

 

[dsrtrcr01]

Hmmmm... Here's hoping that somebody isn't saying that about the 5.7 in my new truck in a dozen years or so!

Seriously, I still feel I've gotten great service out of the old truck, although obviously not as good as yourself! And that's not mentioning the rest of the truck, which has been remarkably durable and trouble free.

Don't get me wrong the 3.0 is a great motor and My buddy has one in his race truck and it kicks A$$. Just compared to the 22r and others of those years it was the problem child. Still much better then the domestic motors of that time. Before that the problem child was the Tercel with the slide carb. This was due to that horible slide carb design that had tremedous carbon build up. I know many people with the 3.0 and all love it and are much faster then my 22r. Just keep an eye on the power steering have the Head gasket recall done and you should be fine. The power steering pump can be re sealed cheaply so that is not even a big issue.

 

[Cruiser13]

That post about the new dodge truck testdrive....that is typical crap you here about domestics.
Reminds me of the new jeep grand cherokee that was in park & somehow by itself went into drive & ran into a building. True story.
You don't see that with toyota products. At least i have'nt heard of any.
I have one word for domestic products INCONSISTENCY.

I have had several toyota products and have not replaced any engine parts; starter,water pump,alternator,radiator, or anything prior to 100k.
It's absurd if you have to do that, it's not reliable, it's expensive, & worst of all, it's a PITA.
Toyota products are not perfect, but they are as close as you can get. When i buy a toyota, i EXPECT it to be virtually trouble free beyond 100k. I just hope my good experiences continue, and i'm confident they will.

Long time toyota owner with high expectations.

Domestics = inconsistency is well put, IMO. In any process, no product can come out 100% perfect. Anyone can get a lemon, even a Toyota. However, the statics and anecdotal experience (as reported here) bear out the fact that statistically, you are much better off with a Toyota. Sure, you can get "lucky" and never have a problem with a domestic, but who wants to count on luck? I will happily take the odds with a Toyota over any domestic, anytime.