New guy from Orlando with a (new to me) 4th gen

[chumNcider]

Hey guys, I've been looking for a good used 4runner for awhile now. I was really set on a 3rd gen manual/4x4 but just couldn't find anything with decent miles in decent condition. Eventually I shifted my focus to a 4th gen. Trying to find a low mileage 4th gen 4x4 with low miles and in good condition turned out to be another really difficult task. Whenever I did find one that met my criteria, the price was usually ridiculous.

Long story short, during my search I came across a 2004 v8 sport edition with 85k miles, no accidents/clean title, one owner, florida car. It had everything I wanted, except for one big thing... 4x4. It was priced at $9500. According to KBB, private party value was around $13k, so it seemed like a pretty good deal. I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on it, even though it was only 2wd. At the end of the day, I don't offroad (at all) so I don't think I'll really miss 4x4, although it would be nice to have just in case. All I really need the 4runner for is to haul my scuba/spearfishing gear, home improvement projects, and to some day tow a small boat (21' center console). My G35 just wasn't getting it done in the scuba hauling/spearfishing department, so I needed something bigger.

So I met the seller, and the car drove out nice. The interior was in perfect condition except for cracks in the dash, and a really funky odor (more on this later). The exterior was also in very good condition (not even a door ding), with just a few minor scuffs and faded paint on the fender flares and side mirrors. The tires were almost new BFGs. It also came with the JBL sound system with the sub in the back, and a tow hitch (that has never been used). The timing belt hadn't been changed, so I asked the seller to knock off $500 from the asking price to help cover the cost of the timing belt/water pump replacement. The seller came back with $300 off, and we shook hands. I handed over 92 $100 bills and drove away happy.

Here's a crappy cell pic for now. I guess we all know what a 4runner looks like. I'll take better pics once I do a clay bar/wax.

 

[chumNcider]

So, I needed to tackle the funky odor...

The seller had shoved dryer sheets into just about every nook and cranny. There were deoderent tabs in each door pocket, and there were remmants of some powder carpet deoderizer under the seats. The scent was overpowering. It was like standing next to someone with way too much cologne or perfume. Mixed in with that smell, was the faint scent of vomit... yes vomit.

I asked the seller a few times, what was the cause of the smell and where was the main area I needed to attack to get it out. She basically said there was no smell until she had the carpets shampooed and then didn't let it fully dry out. I'm pretty sure this was bullshit based on the dryer sheets everywhere and the obvious attempt to cover up the smell. I have dogs, so I have cleaned up poop, pee, vomit, and I know you can pretty much remove any odor with a little vinegar/peroxide/hot water/soap mix.

So on to odor removal....

First, I removed the carpet. Then I mixed up 5 gallons of hot water/peroxide/white vinegar/dish soap. Then I doused the carpet with the cleaning solution so that it was completely saturated. Next I used a push broom to scrub the hell out the carpet. I did this a few times to get it really clean. After the washing, I hung the carpet out to dry for a few days in the hot Florida sun. Once the carpet was dry, I laid it out in the garage and covered it in baking soda. I let it sit like this for a few days, then vacuumed it up. At this point the smell was pretty much gone. Looking at the underside of the carpet, it was pretty obvious what area had had spills etc, because the carpet pad was stained in those area. To get the remainder of the smell out, I would need to replace the carpet pad.

So, I went to home depot and I bought some scrap carpet pad for $7. Then I removed each piece of carpet pad one by one, and cut a new piece of carpet pad out using the old piece as a template. I then used some 3M spray adhesive and glued the new pad onto the carpet. After all that, the smell was gone. I re-installed the carpet and declared victory!

 

[chumNcider]

Next up, I wanted to get seat covers. Initially I planned on getting the wet okole covers, but during my search I came across some Clazzio seat covers. The pictures I saw on the web looked awesome, and the price was right (cheaper than the wet okole). I didn't want to wait 14 weeks, so I ordered an all black set. I paid $390 delivered for the seat covers with leather inserts from TRDsparks.com and it arrived about a week and a half after I ordered it.

If I had to do it over again, I would have bought the all PVC covers. The material is indistinguishable from leather and feels great. It's also a lot cheaper ($240 vice $390). I would have had to wait 14 weeks though on the PVC covers, and I'm not very patient.

I installed the seat covers yesterday. They do not look like seat covers. I spent about 4 hours doing the install, and I think it came out pretty good. I removed the front seats, and the lower rear seats. The upper rear seats have to be in place when you install the cover. There are a couple of areas that I need to massage a little, but all in all I am happy with it. The areas that don't look perfect in the pictures are almost not noticeable in person. The angle and the camera make it stand out much more. Also, the seats are all black, the leather inserts look grey in the pictures but they are black. The material quality feels as good as the leather seats in my infiniti.

The only part that I didn't like was the back armrest. You can't see it with the armrest in the seat, but if you pull it down, the cover is kind of loose behind it. It doesn't have anything to hold the cover into the cubby that the armrest goes into. I think If I put some double sticky tape or velcro in a couple of spots it will hold better.

 

[chumNcider]

Last post for the day.

I installed an aux input adapter that I got from amazon for $30.

http://www.amazon.com/TOYOTA-iPHONE...=1406505065&sr=8-1&keywords=4runner+aux+input

It works great and the install was pretty straight forward. I will say this though, do not put anything on your dash and do not use any kind of pry tool to remove the trim when removing the radio... it will tear/cut/nick the dash. The dash it super soft and basically it feels like I could rip a chunk out of it with my bare hands if I wanted to. There is a video that shows a guy using a small plastic pry tool when removing the trim... do not do this! I started to use a pry tool just like the guy used in the video and I saw the dash start to tear. It's not really noticeable, but it helped me make up my mind about ordering a coverlay dash cover. That is next on the list.

So, I ordered a husky cargo liner. I got it for $97 shipped overnight. It seems expensive for what it is, but with scuba gear/spearfishing gear plus home improvement projects, I feel like it's a necessity.

I also got the factory all weather mats for $80. They are kind of cheap and flimsy. They get the job done and will be ok here in Florida, but if I lived somewhere with snow or was an off road kind of guy, I would definitely need something better. If I had to do it over again, I would buy some oversized all weather mats, and trim them to fit using the old carpet mats as a template.

Still on my to do list:

timing belt/water pump/accessory belt (going to DIY this after I do some more reading, watch some videos, and get a manual)

renew headlights (a little bit of haze on the tops of them)

Knivio bluetooth adapter (now that I have aux input):
http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450...06506202&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+tooth+aux+input

homelink overhead console

coverlay dash cover

Upgrade factory sub & add a separate amp

Upgrade factory door speakers

yakima skybox (For carrying the spearguns)

Have the fender flares and mirrors repainted (slightly faded)

 

[gofaster012]

Nice work so far! I'm in Orlando too with a 2wd.

 

[trackdayshack]

Wow great work!! I'm in Jacksonville with a limited 4x4, if you Orlando guys ever need a pull :evil:

 

[cloudrunner]

Nice work so far! I'm in Orlando too with a 2wd.

Me three. Don't let the 2wd thing get you down though. Not really anywhere here in Orlando where you must have 4wd. I have been to Ocala and ridden all kinds of trails with no issue. Just stay away from the mud and invest in a good set of all terrain tires. Maybe us Orlando guys can arrange a meetup some time. There are some light trails in St. Cloud that I know of to get your feet wet.

 

[ebg18t]

Looking good. I may need to order the same seat covers. I am south west of ya'll over on the coast.

 

[chumNcider]

Thanks guys! Nice to see that we have some central FL folks on the board.

I wouldn't mind hitting up some of the light trails, but mainly I'd be looking for camping spots for when the weather turns a little cooler. I really wanted 4x4 just because it was an option, and I like to have all the options just in case. In reality, I just never got into the mudding/off road thing. I don't want to spend a ton of money doing suspension/tire upgrades, and I am kind of a neat freak, so cleaning up the runner after a day of offroading would be a bit of a nightmare for me.

It would be fun to do all kinds of mods and what not, but my diving/spearfshing hobby eats up a lot of my disposable income/free time.

 

[chumNcider]

Well, thanks to ebg18t I can cross the roof top box off my to do list.

I also replaced the hood lifters ($37 from amazon).

Tomorrow I'm going to do the oil change and switch over to full synthetic.

Still need to decide what I am going to do for painting the fenders/mirros...

1. Have a shop do the mirros/fenders
2. Try and do it myself (have a compressor and paint gun, but little experience)
3. Purchase used mirrors in good condition and swap them out (sell old mirrors), and then have a shop paint the fenders.

No idea on cost to paint the fenders/mirrors... need to get some quotes.

 

[thebitz1]

I need to paint a mirror and some fender flares, but haven't priced it out yet.
Post your estimates here if you can. (yes, I know Ohio prices may be different)
Thanks