My new 13 4Runner Limited--former GM driver

[dclark2171]

I use to work for GM (21 years) and had purchased over 20 brand new GM cars (included 2 Saabs) in my lifetime (employee discount). I've had GMC/Chevy Trucks, a 99 Corvette, 2 Cadillacs and various other GM brands. I have to say the 4Runner is the first vehicle that is the most quiet, squeak, rattle free of any new car that I have bought. Usually there is some irritating noise that gets my attention right off the bat. Not with the 4runner. The fit and finish is miles ahead of any GM vehicle that I have ever owned. I just looked at the images of the 2015 Suburban/Tahoe and the internal materials still look like the cheap days of old interiors. I had an old style Cadillac SRX (msrp over $55,000) back in 05 and the thing was a rattle trap. My wife commented how the 4runner seemed built like a tank compared to our other car, a Saturn Vue, which has been nothing but problems the entire time.

Hopefully the 4runner will remain solid as time goes on. I'm finally thru with GM!!!!!!!!

 

[DannyLlama]

Congrats and good luck on your 4R. If you keep everything stock and do the maintenance, you will have this truck for 200, 300k miles.

 

[dclark2171]

Thats what I'm hoping for

 

[gm4life]

I use to work for GM (21 years) and had purchased over 20 brand new GM cars (included 2 Saabs) in my lifetime (employee discount). I've had GMC/Chevy Trucks, a 99 Corvette, 2 Cadillacs and various other GM brands. I have to say the 4Runner is the first vehicle that is the most quiet, squeak, rattle free of any new car that I have bought. Usually there is some irritating noise that gets my attention right off the bat. Not with the 4runner. The fit and finish is miles ahead of any GM vehicle that I have ever owned. I just looked at the images of the 2015 Suburban/Tahoe and the internal materials still look like the cheap days of old interiors. I had an old style Cadillac SRX (msrp over $55,000) back in 05 and the thing was a rattle trap. My wife commented how the 4runner seemed built like a tank compared to our other car, a Saturn Vue, which has been nothing but problems the entire time.

Hopefully the 4runner will remain solid as time goes on. I'm finally thru with GM!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the club. Take a look at my name and then the newest car in my sig. I am done with GM too. You will love your new 4Runner.

 

[NoDak]

good luck and have fun.

anyway, on the toyota side its the opposite. whereas the other brands issues are the norm, for toyota the issues is the oddball. currently we are having issues with the daughters 2009 30k corolla, but out of all the toyotas i have had, this is the first one that i have ever had issues with.

cv and front drivers side axle had a grinding noise when turning left during the cold only. they have had it since 18 Feb and suppose to be done for pickup tomorrow.

since it was CPO wont cost me anything but the inconvience of driving the daughter around and to work.

 

[TheLast13]

I use to work for GM (21 years) and had purchased over 20 brand new GM cars (included 2 Saabs) in my lifetime (employee discount). I've had GMC/Chevy Trucks, a 99 Corvette, 2 Cadillacs and various other GM brands. I have to say the 4Runner is the first vehicle that is the most quiet, squeak, rattle free of any new car that I have bought. Usually there is some irritating noise that gets my attention right off the bat. Not with the 4runner. The fit and finish is miles ahead of any GM vehicle that I have ever owned. I just looked at the images of the 2015 Suburban/Tahoe and the internal materials still look like the cheap days of old interiors. I had an old style Cadillac SRX (msrp over $55,000) back in 05 and the thing was a rattle trap. My wife commented how the 4runner seemed built like a tank compared to our other car, a Saturn Vue, which has been nothing but problems the entire time.

Hopefully the 4runner will remain solid as time goes on. I'm finally thru with GM!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the dark side...


Im guessing you were at Lordstown?

 

[NoDak]

well toyota's are know for being the dark side of ...

the check book
the spouse

since all the money you are saving on repairs/time at dealership, people put into mods

 

[Whiplash Willy]

I use to work for GM (21 years) and had purchased over 20 brand new GM cars (included 2 Saabs) in my lifetime (employee discount). I've had GMC/Chevy Trucks, a 99 Corvette, 2 Cadillacs and various other GM brands. I have to say the 4Runner is the first vehicle that is the most quiet, squeak, rattle free of any new car that I have bought. Usually there is some irritating noise that gets my attention right off the bat. Not with the 4runner. The fit and finish is miles ahead of any GM vehicle that I have ever owned. I just looked at the images of the 2015 Suburban/Tahoe and the internal materials still look like the cheap days of old interiors. I had an old style Cadillac SRX (msrp over $55,000) back in 05 and the thing was a rattle trap. My wife commented how the 4runner seemed built like a tank compared to our other car, a Saturn Vue, which has been nothing but problems the entire time.

Hopefully the 4runner will remain solid as time goes on. I'm finally thru with GM!!!!!!!!

The fit and finish of the 14s must be better because the huge and uneven interior panel gaps in my 2013 SR5 drive me crazy. Just one example..

However these things are incredibility solid (Sheetmetal aside), thanks to their BOF construction and the obsessive Japanese workers who built them. There is nothing like the feel of a BOF vehicle.

 

[IAmTodd]

Coming from a Saab 9-3 to the 4Runner I completely agree with the terribad build quality of the GM built car and am loving my 4Runner. I was disappointed to have to have the front diff replaced but the dealer made that a smooth and painless replacement.

 

[Jeremy556]

The fit and finish of the 14s must be better because the huge and uneven interior panel gaps in my 2013 SR5 drive me crazy. Just one example..

Seriously? The parts have 2 different angles where they meet and you are seeing shadow. If you sit on the passenger side it will look like the passenger side has a smaller gap and the driver's side it larger.

 

[mtvp]

All cars and trucks have flaws, fit and finish and squeak and rattle issues. I did Quality Assessment for GM many years. I never found a vehicle that didn't have something I could find. Many are in the eye of the beholder, some people never see the gap or fit and finish issues.

With that said my 4 Runner has it's share of bad fits and gaps. After doing QA for so many years it ruined my ability to find a perfect car or truck. That does not mean that I don't get past it and enjoy what I have. It just does not give me Brand blindness .

 

[NoDak]

All cars and trucks have flaws, fit and finish and squeak and rattle issues. I did Quality Assessment for GM many years. I never found a vehicle that didn't have something I could find. Many are in the eye of the beholder, some people never see the gap or fit and finish issues.

With that said my 4 Runner has it's share of bad fits and gaps. After doing QA for so many years it ruined my ability to find a perfect car or truck. That does not mean that I don't get past it and enjoy what I have. It just does not give me Brand blindness .

yeah i have the same issue on my brand new 2014 4R. especially the sharp corner point on the back lift gate over the rear tail light assembly. the paint thickness is laughable at best and its going to wear off first since it sits into the wind. i will try and take a pic to show what i mean.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

Seriously? The parts have 2 different angles where they meet and you are seeing shadow. If you sit on the passenger side it will look like the passenger side has a smaller gap and the driver's side it larger.

Yes. Where the silver trim meets the center console, there is a small gap on the left side, and a larger gap on the right side...at any angle. That is just one of the many examples of larger then necessary and uneven gaps in panels.

 

[DigableKid]

Yes. Where the silver trim meets the center console, there is a small gap on the left side, and a larger gap on the right side...at any angle. That is just one of the many examples of larger then necessary and uneven gaps in panels.

Have you tried loosening the screws in the center console, making flush with a little bit of pressure and then tightening the screws again?

 

[Jeremy556]

No screws needed, just pull on the panel with your hands and it will pop off. There is a good chance when you pop it back on, it will fit better.

 

[dclark2171]

Welcome to the dark side...


Im guessing you were at Lordstown?

Actually, I managed a Delphi/GM parts plant. Our plant provided all the suspension for the first Camry's to come out of Georgetown. After a few years we lost the contract because we could not live up to the standards. We had full time people stationed in Georgetown to sort parts before assembly line. Very embarrassing. Our culture could live up to expectations. Very sad. We eventually turned the plant around (after slicing 3200 jobs) and made it quite productive and sold it to Teneco. People say I'm nut, I think our poor attendance practices is what killed our plant. On any given day, 40% would not show up (Remember these are unionized GM wages). The company had a 10 step discipline plan that was almost impossible to fire anybody. The "players" thru sick leave, workers comp and FMLA took advantage of the company. How can you build a quality part if the 40% of your workforce doesn't show up. Needless to say that is not a problem at Toyota

 

[mtvp]

dclark2171 So what is the "Union" problem in the Japan plant? Seems there is a quality issue with Toyota on some level. Just read the posts.
Does it make them junk? Not at all , they are still a good value.
People love to blame the union. Is that a union plant over there? I think not.
Just stop it! Quality issues are everywhere and in every walk of life.
End of rant ,thank you.

 

[Shawk00]

Yes. Where the silver trim meets the center console, there is a small gap on the left side, and a larger gap on the right side...at any angle. That is just one of the many examples of larger then necessary and uneven gaps in panels.

If these plastics don't have any spacing between at all, I would think they would expand and buckle on those hot summer days. Most materials need some kind of spacing to allow for expansion and then contraction. :thumb3:

 

[BlackWorksInc]

dclark2171 So what is the "Union" problem in the Japan plant? Seems there is a quality issue with Toyota on some level. Just read the posts.
Does it make them junk? Not at all , they are still a good value.
People love to blame the union. Is that a union plant over there? I think not.
Just stop it! Quality issues are everywhere and in every walk of life.
End of rant ,thank you.

To be honest with you there does seem to be a declining quality with Toyota, no where near as bad as say Chrysl... I mean Fiat or GM in the past; but it is there.

We have a LOT of recalls and campaigns now, far more than we ever did and not just across the board, but we have a lot of issues that seem like they should have been taken care of before the vehicle was built.

Now I will credit Toyota, they step up and fix their issues and that's what I expect of good customer service; unlike Chrysler they admit they made mistakes and make an effort to fix them via Recalls and Campaigns. So I can't completely fault them for having a ton of Recalls and Campaigns; but I also feel that if they were building quality products they shouldn't need to have so many in the first place (a bit of a catch 22 for me since I always believe good customer service can compensate for a sub-par product in some cases.)

~

All that being said, I am always complimented how my '04 Sport Edition V8 4WD vehicle with its lift, tires, and front bumper is so well built, in great shape, and over all a quality product with 10years and almost 110k miles on the vehicle.

 

[Blue Seat Lyfe]

Yes. Where the silver trim meets the center console, there is a small gap on the left side, and a larger gap on the right side...at any angle. That is just one of the many examples of larger then necessary and uneven gaps in panels.

Whats it like living with OCD?