Sunday Morning Blog

April 14, 2007

Toyota Tundra Blues

It is unfortunate that my first blog post in such a long time has to be about something negative, but I am at a loss as to what more I can do other than vent at this point. Two months ago, we decided to trade in both of our little Scions and upgrade to a safer, more long-distance travel friendly, full-size vehicle. At the end of January, after doing some research and taking it for a test drive, we settled on purchasing a left-over 2006 Toyota Tundra. The financing was sweet, the crash test ratings don't get much better, and how many complaints have you ever heard from a Toyota owner? We couldn't have been happier, until...

At approximately 750 miles, Jesse left work at lunchtime to run a few errands. When she turned the ignition key, the starter began cranking, and cranking, and cranking for what seemed an uncomfortable eternity... as though she were holding the key forward. When it finally stopped cranking, she tried to start it again- not even a click. A couple of minutes later, she got the truck to start, but it ran as though it were running on 7 of 8 cylinders. After lunch, she called me at work to tell me what had happened. I told her that I would call the Toyota dealership to have it towed. The truck was towed in, and we drove there after work in our other transportation (a used, 1997 S10 p-up that I had just purchased for our second vehicle). We were told they hadn't had a chance to diagnose the problem yet, and we were given a Toyota Highlander as a loaner.

The next day, they diagnosed the problem as "an internal short in the starter motor," and they began the process of trying to find us a starter. We were going away for the weekend, so the loaner would remain ours for the next several days. To make a long story short, we received the "repaired" Tundra back 5 days later. This repair visit converts into 4 dealership days if you are counting- which we weren't... yet.

All seemed ducky with our Tundra until a month (approximately 700 miles) later. The whole situation repeated itself. Everything reoccurred, right down to the truck being parked in precisely the same parking space at Jesse's work. This time, when the truck finally started, there was a strong fuel odor and the truck again ran horribly. The dealership service advisor's answer to this repeat event was to give advice on not trying to start the truck right away when this no-start situation occurs. Needless to say, this was not the answer I was looking for! As far as I was concerned (as any new vehicle owner should), we should not have a brand new $30,000+ truck repeatedly exhibiting a no-start condition... PERIOD! I scheduled another appointment for the truck to be checked out.

To make a long story endless, this trip to the dealership lasted far longer than the first. We were given a very tired Rav4 as a loaner (the brakes were grinding and the starter was making noise). During the first week the Tundra was in the garage, I received daily updates from a service advisor. They were unable to duplicate the condition and they could not find anything wrong. However, he did mention that there were some "unexplained body codes," that pointed to "some sort of communication problem involving the computer." So, I was elated... Now we were getting somewhere! Perhaps we were closer to a fix? I shouldn't have gotten so excited...

The daily updates stopped the day after I was told that they were waiting for a Toyota field representative to come look at the truck. A few days later, I was called at work and I was asked in a conference call to outline exactly what the factors had been leading up to this situation occurring both times: temperature, drive time, idle time, mileage, etc. They were going to make one final attempt at duplicating the conditions of both failures, because they had yet to pinpoint the problem. I should mention that it was 20 degrees warmer, and above freezing when the Toyota representative finally arrived. Two days later I was called, and told to come pick up the truck. They said that they could find nothing wrong with it. The trouble codes? They said that it was the computer searching for a keyless entry system that the truck was not equipped with. Why wouldn't they have known this when they first told me of the trouble codes?

I mailed a letter claiming my rights to a refund or a replacement vehicle under the Massachusetts Lemon Law on the morning of the day that they called to tell us to come pick up the truck (what a coincidence!).

The truck ended up being at the dealership a total of 13 days this time around (that converts to 11 open dealership days). If you combine these with the duration of the first repair attempt, we did not have our new vehicle for 18 days before even having made our second payment on the truck (the first failure occurred before having made one payment). The Massachusetts Lemon Law gives the dealership 15 days, before the consumer can pursue their rights to a refund or a new vehicle, giving the manufacturer one final repair attempt of 7 days. In other words, the dealership contacted us to pick up the truck on the 15th day. Do you think they were counting? We were by that point!

Toyota received our Lemon Law complaint and scheduled the truck to be dropped off and be checked out again on the Friday of the week that we had picked the truck back up. It was obvious that they were just going through the motions of performing their end of the final repair attempt. My wife was given the royal welcome and given a 2007 Toyota Avalon to drive for the day. They called us back later that afternoon to inform us that the vehicle had checked out fine, and that they were unable to duplicate the condition.

At risk of rambling and beating a dead horse, I will only point out my amazement at our treatment during this whole fiasco. Before becoming a Toyota owner, I had never heard anything but good things about Toyota and their local facilities here on Cape Cod. Since purchasing the Tundra, I have not witnessed the Toyota excellence that everyone raves about. To add insult to injury, after the Toyota representative saw the vehicle for its "final repair attempt," we received it back with shoe prints and scratches on the front bumper!

Keep in mind, this is a truck with 1400 miles on it. What responsible, trained technician does that?

We bought Toyota due to its reputation for reliability. We have yet to experience it. We can only hope that this was some freak happening that will never revisit us. If you have experienced a similar situation with your 4.7L Toyota Tundra, I would love to hear from you. Toyota claims that the situation can not be duplicated and, as such, no defect exists. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has documentation or the fix to a similar problem.

Please contact me at: d r e w w b at g m a i l dot com

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Technorati Tags:
Toyota, "Toyota Tundra", 4.7L, Warranty, Defect, Ignition, Fuel, Starter, "No-Start", Tundra, 2006, Flooding

Posted by capecodcyclist at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 02, 2006

The Deep, Perplexing Question

• How can people survive in New England without learning how to drive in the snow?

Technorati Tags: travel, transportation

Posted by capecodcyclist at 08:50 PM

February 12, 2006

SkySails: What Will the Anti-Wind Folks Say About This?

SkySails:

"The SkySails system consists of a fully automated towing kite propulsion and a wind-optimised routing system. It is used offshore, additionally to the propulsion of the ship's engine, if the wind conditions allow."

Just when you thought the skies might be safe from new technologies aimed at harnessing the wind...

A tip of the hat to Treehugger for this story.

Similar Topics Via Technorati:
travel, transportation, technology, wind, wind power, kite, sail, sailing, wind propulsion, clean power, hybrid

Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 09, 2006

New Aeroscraft Technology

The word Aeroscraft describes a flying craft that derives its lift partially from lifting gas (helium) and partially from the traditional dynamic lift created by the shape of the body. Aeros has designed a craft that takes advantage of both methods of lift.

This design approach has resulted in the evolution of a craft that can fly further, operate more economically, and lift more than any other craft in the skies. The Aeroscraft has been designed to fill the very widest range of missions and conditions.

I know my chances of getting Jesse up into a plane without tranquilizers are not good, but what about getting her up in this mother of all air ships? My first thought upon seeing this rendition: "WOW!" My second thought: "What targets those will make..." It's too bad. It would be great if these could see real world use in the future. You never know...

To read more about these amazing air vehicles: Worldwide Aeros Corporation

Technorati Tags:
travel, transportation, technology, aero, flight, flying, air, blimp, dirigible, airship

Posted by capecodcyclist at 08:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 16, 2006

Hybrid Cars - Tax Deductions & Credits on Hybrid Car Purchases

Hybrid Cars - Tax Deductions & Credits on Hybrid Car Purchases:

Offering tax credits and incentives for manufacturing and selling hybrid vehicles is critical to forward progress on conservation. Either we are serious about promoting hybrid technologies and working toward change, or we are just paying it lip service.

The most recent energy bill signed into law by President Bush is a classic example of the split personality our country is suffering when it comes to our conservation efforts. By putting Toyota at a disadvantage (limiting tax credits to the first 60,000 vehicles, or approximately four months of sales for them) the bill has effectively penalized a major hybrid vehicle manufacturer. The intention may have been to allow American vehicle manufactures to get their foot in the door and boost their own hybrid vehicle production, but the effect may very well be the opposite. What is the incentive to manufacture more, when the benefit to the manufacturers has been capped?

It was also announced today that Toyota is being sued by an American company (Solomon Technologies, FL). This suit could effectively put a stop to the sale of Toyota's hybrids here in the United States.

We really seem to be making progress here.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)

September 02, 2005

Rising Fuel Prices Change Habits

Quickly rising fuel prices are already changing people's habits. While tempers flare and reports of assaults on gas station owners and attendants are on the rise, many are simply bypassing unnecessary trips. My boss tells me of a neighbor who has loaded his dog into the truck for a morning drive every morning for years (perhaps going to make a deposit on someone else's property?). Yesterday was the first in memory that the truck sat idle, and the owner was seen walking the dog down the street. Summer's tourist season is winding down, but streets and parking lots seem less crowded than even off-season levels. The President has asked us to conserve and not fill up unnecessarily.

Maybe this is the wake up call we all needed. I can only hope that people don't fall back into their old habits should prices drop.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 13, 2005

Higher Oil Prices Hit the Gas Pumps

[mood| confused]

In between phone calls yesterday, I was keeping an eye on the rising price of a barrel of oil. At the same time, I was getting regular updates from our delivery drivers with increasing fuel prices at local stations. There were stations that raised prices more than five cents a gallon during the day yesterday! How is it that the price of fuel that had already been delivered to them - bought and paid for, could be rising as it sat there in their tanks? I don't get it. This whole oil pricing business smells rotten to me. It is all based on speculation about supply and demand in the future.

It is time we lived in the present, and showed what we think of the games played with oil production and price fixing. Purchase from those who rely primarily on domestic fuel supplies, and drive as little as possible. Ride bicycles or walk more. Consolidate trips and carpool whenever possible. These are things that we should be doing anyway, but this makes for a good wake up call for those of us who sometimes lose sight of these things - good for the environment and good for the pocketbook. I can't think of a better argument for people to get out there under their own power.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 03:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 12, 2005

An Idle-Free Zone on Cape Cod?

[mood| unsure]

With the high temperatures the past several weeks, having no air conditioning at work has become a real issue. Our air conditioning consists of our back door, our side door and the front doors. Yesterday, we matched our highest indoor temperature at 86 degrees. Not so hot you say? It was a stifling, give-me-oxygen type of hot. The air is already so hot and damp that there is no chance for you to sweat – it just evaporates off of you. Either that, or it is just merging with the already saturated air (you become one with the humidity). It is like standing fully clothed in a bath while somebody takes a day long hot shower. Even your breathing becomes something you are aware of.

Anyway, I have digressed from the point I was attempting to get to. On numerous occasions in the past several weeks we have had to close our front doors due to noise and fumes coming from delivery vehicles left idling in our parking lot. This truck driver habit, and watching the gas guzzling S.U.V.'s idling in the Starbucks drive-thru every day now have me thinking. So, I use my favorite tool and do a Google search for “idle free.” It seems that, for whatever reason, Canada is way ahead of us in the effort to squash unnecessary vehicle idling. I came up with many great Canadian sites outlining efforts to educate the public and pass by-laws to reduce this expensive and dirty habit. Here are but a few of these:

http://www.greencarcongress.com/

http://www.best.bc.ca/programsAndServices/idlefree.html

http://www.cleanairpartnership.org/idle/index.php

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/idlefree

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/idle-free-zone.cfm?attr=8

I think it is high time we get on the stick here with this issue. With fuel prices skyrocketing and air pollution at dangerous levels (Cape Cod often has the worst air quality in the country, as we did yesterday), we should be addressing this easily remedied problem. Companies with strict no-idling policies for their fleet vehicles see huge yearly fuel and maintenance savings, and the same applies to the average driver. It is as simple as turning your key to the off position and driving away immediately after starting your vehicle. Operating your vehicle under thirty to forty mph for the first few miles immediately after starting it is the most efficient way to warm modern vehicles – not idling for minutes in the driveway.

More to follow... I must get to work.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 07, 2005

Driver Courtesy on Cape Cod's Roadways

A couple of recent editorial page letters to the Cape Cod Times have me a tad riled. In question, is whether or not “driver courtesy” does more harm on our local roadways than good. Granted, there are instances where waving a person out into traffic is inadvisable (when blind to oncoming traffic, or in multi-lane roadways). However, a little courtesy would not kill you people.

The anti-courtesy letter writer complained of nearly plowing into the rear of people stopping to let others out of side streets and parking lots. If you are nearly rear ending people you are either: (a.) following too closely, (b.) driving too fast for surrounding conditions, (c.) not paying attention to the conditions ahead of you, or (d.) all of the above. Put down your cell phone and pay attention.

A year and a half ago, I took a trip to Oregon. When I returned, I spoke of my amazement at the west coast drivers' courtesy toward pedestrians, cyclists and fellow drivers. In Oregon, as a pedestrian, you always have the right of way. Here on Cape Cod, the pedestrian only has the right of way if there is law enforcement present. I have had difficulty walking (or running) across Route 6A on numerous occasions. This is a forty-five mile an hour roadway at its safest, yet people speed up to fifty when they see that you may attempt to cross their paths. Cape Cod drivers are just plain self-centered and rude.

Speed limits are just as much for traffic flow as they are for safety. Here on the Cape, we habitually speed along in places that we have deemed safe straightaways. We fail to aknowledge that we are the first to complain when trying to pull out onto that same roadway from a parking lot or side street and the traffic is flying at us too quickly to safely enter. In the summer, in-town traffic is regularly moving along at stop and go pace, yet nobody wants to let anyone out. Drivers act as though that one car length will be the difference in their days. It is painfully obvious that nobody wants to give an inch. Patient and kind drivers are definitely in the minority here. What we need is a lot more courtesy and a little more enforcement of our safety laws. Unfortunately, it will take more than a few small voices to make this happen.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 03:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack