Michigan TE owners service recommendation

[36bound]

Hey guys,

A shout out to anyone living in Michigan who owns a Trail Edition. I live in southeast Michigan and thus far have never seen a Trail Edition on the road; not one. I'm sure there are some around, it's just that I've never seen one. If you do happen to own a TE, with regard to having your TE serviced, do you have confidence in your dealership's service department?

The thought has crossed my mind that with so few TEs on the road- or even available for sale for that matter- that our respective dealerships may or may not be particularly familiar (yet) with how to service the systems (KDSS, Crawl Control, Multi-terrain Select, etc) that are unique to the TE.

If you are pleased with your dealership's service department- I'm looking for a good one.

 

[lamber74]

Hello Fellow Michigander!

I am a fellow southeast Michigan resident (Ann Arbor), and I actually work at Toyota's Technical Center in Saline. 3 or 4 of my coworkers (that I know of) own TEs and have them serviced at either Dunning Toyota in Ann Arbor or Victory Toyota in Canton. I can not vouch for their work on the new TEs, but I can say they will have seen more brought in for routine maintenance than the average dealer.

I just ordered a 2012 SR5 that should be here in about 3 months. Couldn't justify the TE since I don't do too much off roading.

 

[36bound]

lamber74,

Thanks very much for the tip. Congratulations on your forthcoming 4Runner. I particularly like the look of the 5th gen SR5s. Lol, I suspect the next 4-6 weeks will drag on at a snail's pace as you await the arrival of your new 4R.

 

[1engineer]

Hey guys,

A shout out to anyone living in Michigan who owns a Trail Edition. I live in southeast Michigan and thus far have never seen a Trail Edition on the road; not one. I'm sure there are some around, it's just that I've never seen one. If you do happen to own a TE, with regard to having your TE serviced, do you have confidence in your dealership's service department?

The thought has crossed my mind that with so few TEs on the road- or even available for sale for that matter- that our respective dealerships may or may not be particularly familiar (yet) with how to service the systems (KDSS, Crawl Control, Multi-terrain Select, etc) that are unique to the TE.

If you are pleased with your dealership's service department- I'm looking for a good one.

The 5th Gen 4Runner has been out now for almost three years. There are no differences between the SR5, LE and TE regarding the engine. The LE is full time 4WD with XREAS suspension. The TE can have standard suspension or KDSS. These are similar to the 4th Gen 4Runners or the Lexus or the Land Cruiser. There is really nothing new that I would not expect any competent dealer could service. The different controls on the TE such as crawl control is just electronics. So really a mechanic that has been working on Toyotas for a while will be familiar with everything about your TE. Most concepts on the TE (if not all) have been in use on various Toyotas and Lexus for several years.

 

[Mick1]

What he said.

I tired to buy a TE from Dunning in 2010, but they would not budge on price to anything approaching reasonable. This is how the negotiation went: :vader::rockthrow:

Had about the same experience trying to order one from Spartan Toy.

Ended up purchasing my '11 in Ohio.

I've only TE on the roads in MI a couple times. Less frequent even than Raptor sightings.

 

[matt3liv]

I take mine to Grand Blanc Motor Cars. I have only seen one other local one in Fenton, MI. I haven't had any issues with the TE-specific components so I can't comment on GBMC's ability to service any better than another.

Besides my '10 black te, I have only regularly seen one other grey TE locally.

 

[Ryan1975]

What he said.

I tired to buy a TE from Dunning in 2010, but they would not budge on price to anything approaching reasonable. This is how the negotiation went: :vader::rockthrow:

Had about the same experience trying to order one from Spartan Toy.

Ended up purchasing my '11 in Ohio.

I've only TE on the roads in MI a couple times. Less frequent even than Raptor sightings.

I was initially trying to work with Dunning Toyota...had the exact same experience. They said "But we're giving you a $500 Veteran's Preference" and then feigned surprise and insult when I said that I wanted to pay what the websites said a fair price was.

I searched on ebay and found my TE in Pennsylvania for $3,000 less and just $400 more than the fair price.