Recent content by marino

for what it's worth.... i know i don't live anywhere near any of the rest of you guys, but in the beginning of the year when i got my stuff done, mall of georgia toyota quoted me $640 and they'd only need the truck for 6 hours - they offered to ferry me back and forth to work while they did the...

at ~ 110k i did the timing belt, drive belts, and water pump at a local shop for $550. they did however keep it for three days. if you can get a dealership to get it done in a day for under $600 then i would jump on that. here's a thread for a smilar topic for more reading...

i've got michelin ltx tires on it (75 series i think) so that stiffened up the ride to begin with. the oem shocks make the ride much better. for what it's worth, i searched here and on yotatech (even snuck in and trolled on some tacoma forums), and the consensus seemed to be billstiens[sic] or...

we thought about that, but i have those oversized fender flares, and didn't see a safe non-plastic point to push down from.... oh well. they're on now and rides like a new truck. =]

fwiw... i just finished swapping out the front shocks with oem parts from cheaptoyotaparts.com, and i have good news and bad news. bad news, is that they were a pain in the a** and i'll pay to have it done next time. the coils are soooo stiff i used 4, yes 4 coil spring clamps to get them...

i've got 113k on my stock front shocks, and it rides like crap at higher speeds. i replaced the rear shocks at 105k, and that alone was a tremendous difference. i ordered some new front shocks that i'll be changing out this weekend and i can't wait. going over speed bumps is the worst...

a bit more info for future searches.... i've got the sr5, 2wd with 16" wheels. toyota part number is 4851039585. it is the same part number for each side. dealership wants ~ $69 for each. found them on toyotapartscheap.com for ~ $50 each. anyone ever order anything from that site? =]

thanks for the link! i've already replaced the rears, so i only need the fronts. doesn't look like i can anything other than all four... bookmarking the link for next time though!

where to buy new front shocks - oem ? **updated** i need to change out the front shocks, and have decided to go oem. my truck is only a 2wd, and have only been off of the pavement maybe three times in the last 113k... :P i've searched and found many a website for billstein's, kyb's, and...

i bought mine new and have gone almost 113k in it, and have also had many a rental car (when traveling for work). I really do love the comfort of my seats, even though they are cloth. what i don't like though, is the bumpy ride - but i'm still going on the stock struts which need changing...

pretty sure you need the factory rs3000 alarm system, but i also believe that the higher end aftermarket alarms will also give you that feature. if you in fact don't have the factory alarm, you can check out circuit city or hifi buys and check out their systems. i'd stay away from best...

on my truck, when all of the doors are shut, they auto lock when i start the engine. they don't auto unlock until i turn the engine off. oh - and it's the factory alarm.... the something 3000 i think. so they are not actuated by gear position, but rather the key position. hope it helps.

i believe the consesus is that it is normal for some front-back movement of the shifter. mine's done it since new, and still does is 113k later. there's more tech info on the subject in here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=25805&highlight=shifter

i've heard of it - but i would think that if it need replacing you'd have a non-running motor at this point. i was in the opposite boat though: i had the ability, just not the time, so i got my water pump, timing belt, and all three drive belts done at a local shop for ~ $550. the dealer...

i had the same issue a few months back. it's real easy to change them out - you don't have to take the caliper off, and i've got pics to prove it. shouldn't take you more than 15-20 minutes per wheel. here's a link to the thread i posted on this a while back as well...