Suggestion: Make a standard policy documenting vehicle mods

[128keaton]

That's more like it... We need a template, and maybe some way of marking the vehicle itself to alert people working on them.

One of the issues with things like doing the Tundra Brake Upgrade is that if you or, say, your significant other, ever has to let the dealer or someone else work on the vehicle, whoever is actually turning the wrenches on it is going to be going "WTF...?!?!?! This ain't right...".

Don't have a way of alerting people to this sort of thing, and you may well wind up with someone "doing you a favor...", and returning your truck to stock. "Oh, my gawd, baby... I took your truck in to the dealer, and they said you had the wrong brakes on there!! You could have died!!".

Documentation could be a lifesaver, in such situations. Or, at least, a relationship-saver...

Yeah! Exactly. I've had a couple "tire experts" point out a couple 'non-stock' things and I've had to explain to them what the hell was up.

RE: TBU. One could easily type up one a piece for the 199 and the 231 parts and mark a couple of notices on the page with the right brake pad replacements and whatnot. Everyone could easily print a copy and keep in inside their glovebox to place on the driver's seat when going in for related service.

 

[T.A.Kirk]

Yeah! Exactly. I've had a couple "tire experts" point out a couple 'non-stock' things and I've had to explain to them what the hell was up.

RE: TBU. One could easily type up one a piece for the 199 and the 231 parts and mark a couple of notices on the page with the right brake pad replacements and whatnot. Everyone could easily print a copy and keep in inside their glovebox to place on the driver's seat when going in for related service.

That's why I am raising the issue... What we need is something that's a little less obtrusive than painting "MODIFIED FROM STOCK" on the body of the truck in 18" letters on all four sides, and well-known enough to have people know to look for when they find something that's not what they're expecting from bone-stock.

I like the idea of maybe painting a stencil of the truck on all four sides on the underside of the hood, and then putting a paint dot/number on each mod's location, and then the person doing the work on the vehicle knows to eyeball the glovebox for the owner's manual binder where they're going to find all the records of the modifications.

It'd also be smart if you were to take and create a USB thumb drive with all the manuals and scanned-in records, then keep that with the owner's manual. I'm envisioning a half-page size binder with slots for a CD or a USB drive, the owner's manual, and all the accumulated other manuals for the mods.

Of course, the other issue is that there are a lot of people out there who don't really bother to even do manuals, any more--Figuring their product out is like an impromptu intelligence test, administered daily. Pumpkin, I'm looking at you...

 

[pluton]

My standard practice, so far:
1. Always buy 4WD vehicles that have never been modded and rarely if ever been wheeled. PO's maintenance records help...if they made any.
2. Alway provide the next owner with complete documentation of maintenance and mods(if any) while you owned it.

 

[Spktyr]

That's why I am raising the issue... What we need is something that's a little less obtrusive than painting "MODIFIED FROM STOCK" on the body of the truck in 18" letters on all four sides, and well-known enough to have people know to look for when they find something that's not what they're expecting from bone-stock.

I like the idea of maybe painting a stencil of the truck on all four sides on the underside of the hood, and then putting a paint dot/number on each mod's location, and then the person doing the work on the vehicle knows to eyeball the glovebox for the owner's manual binder where they're going to find all the records of the modifications.

There is already a standard (and legally defined!) set of areas to document modifications to a vehicle - it's just that outside of manufacturers nobody bothers to use them and certainly few non-professional people bother to read them.

The two locations that have been defined as places to notify service personnel that a vehicle has been modified from original configuration are:
1. A decal placed in plain view on the underside of the hood.
2. A decal placed in plain view on the radiator cross-support.

This is where manufacturers and occasionally service techs are legally obligated to note significant changes to a vehicle. R-134a conversions are supposed to be noted with decals placed in these areas, for example. There are companies making underhood decals for engine swaps in older American cars for notification and in the case of California, legal reasons:

Unfortunately, few people think to follow this standard and fewer still even bother to read them. Instead they do stupid crap like this with their underhood areas:

Anyway, once I get my Tundra Brake Upgrade finished (almost there!) I intend to get an official-looking decal or plaque printed up for the radiator cross-support indicating the brake system swap. I have also considered stenciling some sort of notification on the frame on each side to the effect of "WARNING: BRAKE UPGRADE INSTALLED - 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA 231MM 13WL" or similar in contrasting text colors that you can't miss if you take the wheel off.

 

[T.A.Kirk]

There is already a standard (and legally defined!) set of areas to document modifications to a vehicle - it's just that outside of manufacturers nobody bothers to use them and certainly few non-professional people bother to read them.

The two locations that have been defined as places to notify service personnel that a vehicle has been modified from original configuration are:
1. A decal placed in plain view on the underside of the hood.
2. A decal placed in plain view on the radiator cross-support.

This is where manufacturers and occasionally service techs are legally obligated to note significant changes to a vehicle. R-134a conversions are supposed to be noted with decals placed in these areas, for example. There are companies making underhood decals for engine swaps in older American cars for notification and in the case of California, legal reasons:

Unfortunately, few people think to follow this standard and fewer still even bother to read them. Instead they do stupid crap like this with their underhood areas:

Anyway, once I get my Tundra Brake Upgrade finished (almost there!) I intend to get an official-looking decal or plaque printed up for the radiator cross-support indicating the brake system swap. I have also considered stenciling some sort of notification on the frame on each side to the effect of "WARNING: BRAKE UPGRADE INSTALLED - 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA 231MM 13WL" or similar in contrasting text colors that you can't miss if you take the wheel off.

Where is that defined, and by who? I don't have much experience in that arena, so I'm completely in the dark about the industry standards that may already exist. What are the rules, and where is it laid out?

It'd be smart for someone to do up a decal conforming with those rules that had a line drawing of the vehicle to mark up with mods, and then a lined area to describe them. Put a paint dot or a number where the mod location was, and have that mod described in text below--"1. Tundra Brake Modification (231mm)" "2. Rear Springs converted to OME", things of that nature.

 

[T4R2014]

Good luck, you're basically asking people to change a habit.

 

[4Runner fun]

Unfortunately, few people think to follow this standard and fewer still even bother to read them. Instead they do stupid crap like this with their underhood areas:

See now that looks like a pretty good indicator of the mods to that 510 wagon, I'll bet if his wife drove that down to the dealer for an oil change they wouldn't try and screw with his brakes.

 

[BamaDrewski]

It won't be a reality because not many are going to take the time to do it even if there is a framework in place IMO.

It is up to each person and their own level of personal responsibility to record and convey, if necessary, modifications they have done to their vehicle. In a world full of over-regulation, I doubt Joe Blow (aka shae tree mechanic) is going to care about documenting his new muffler on his 1973 Pinto.

I keep a record of everything I do on my truck (like many of us) and I can show it to whoever may ever want to buy my truck or service it. However, I keep the record for my own use as I never intend to get rid of my rig. Right now, it is about 374 lines of an excel spreadsheet. Standardizing human behavior and habits is something that probably can never be achieved. Many have tried and all have failed.

 

[Jungoes]

wow man you guys are very detailed...and have a lot of time ..


anybody have a Write-up on upgrading Valve stem covers with TRD ones?:gossip:

 

[Rancho5]

Okay this thread has inspired me to make a word document modeled off the TSB Documents. Would be cool if you maintained your own private repository of documented changes to your car, that way if you pass on your vehicle, you have a fat stack of documentation for the new owner.

http://stuff.128keaton.com/toyota-tech/tmd-template.docx

Here is an example I typed up for a horn swap I did:
TMD Document Example by keaton.burleson, on Flickr

THIS! Thank you!

 

[Spktyr]

Where is that defined, and by who? I don't have much experience in that arena, so I'm completely in the dark about the industry standards that may already exist. What are the rules, and where is it laid out?

SAE, NHTSA and the EPA have regulated that. To use just one example in an area I'm familiar with, the EPA on retrofitting R-134A in vehicles:

https://www.epa.gov/mvac/choosing-and-using-retrofit-refrigerant-cfc-12-mvac

The label must be large enough to be easily read and must be permanent;
The background color must be unique to the refrigerant;
The label must be affixed to the system over information related to the previous refrigerant, in a location not normally replaced during vehicle repair; and
Information on the previous refrigerant that cannot be covered by the new label must be permanently rendered unreadable.

The EPA previously has mandated that the refrigerant information must be underhood or on the cross support. The SAE J639 standard also dictates the location of such stickers - unfortunately, all the copies of J639 that I can see are behind paywalls, but you can seek it out for yourself.

 

[mtbtim]

What you're asking for is NEVER going to happen. Like others have already stated, the best you can hope for is they kept good repair and maintenance records. Detailed notes on the mods people have done on their rigs or some type of standard on how to document mods is serious wishful thinking.

Now, if anyone wanted to buy my 98 4runner, I could deliver what you're asking because I have detailed videos on all my mods. But, my situation is obviously unique.

 

[Sean K.]

Meh...the OP should stick to completely bone stock vehicles if he wants to buy used.

Generalization: The kind of owner that advocates needing his hand held to this degree likely won't be doing much modding himself anyway.