New Tundra Owner Having Buyers Remorse

Howdy from DFW and nice truck and TLDR

 

@Ralo Your tire pressure. Lower it. Then enjoy the truck.

 

Your tire pressures are too high, I’d drop them to around 40 to start. Once you (or the previous owner) change the wheels and tires, those door stickers are useless for tire pressures. Most tire jockeys will set the pressures to the max rating on the tire. Find a flat, smooth parking lot and make chalk lines across the tread of your tires, drive a few revolutions and if the center of the chalk line is worn, there’s too much pressure, if the outside edges are worn, the pressure is too low. Even wear of the lines is what you’re looking for.

If it still feels “bouncy” you might look at replacing your wheel and tire combo for a set with smaller wheels & higher profile tires, it will give a better ride.

Also at 85,000 miles your stock shocks may need replacing. Check to see if the front has a “spacer” style lift, it may be putting too much preload on the front springs giving you a poor ride.

 

Not sure if it will eliminate your issue totally but take some air out to start and see what difference it makes

 

Based on the price you paid for that mileage and due to the recent front-end collision, I'm guessing something got jacked up as a result of the accident. The previous owner probably wanted out of it because of the accident and the dealer probably didn't give him much for it. My guess is something is off and the dealer made a quick buck off a not-so-great pickup.

 

My thoughts as well. That price is waaay low and makes me wonder if there is something fishy going on. It’s not a rebuilt is it?

I’d take it in to a good alignment shop and have them check it out for frame issues.

A 2016 around here with 84k miles would be a 23-25k price tag, at minimum.

 

That's a problem right there.

 

With that price and a documented accident, I think something is off too. Agree with others that said take it and have it checked out for hidden unfixed issues from the accident.

 

Ok guys, I couldn’t sleep so I went out and dropped the pressure to 40 psi all the way around. I immediately noticed an improvement. No more rumble strip at 5 mph.

Once I got out on the road, while still bumpy and bouncy, it seemed more normal...not exaggerated. I even noticed an improvement under heavy braking. No more wobble in the steering wheel. These are all good signs.

Now the bad news. I’m pretty sure fuel mileage has dropped at least 3 miles per gallon based on the “Current Fuel Economy” reading. Before it averaged about 18 mpg on the highway. Now it was averaging around 15. And I now also noticed a roar from the tires.

Also, the low tire warning light came on but halfway into the drive it went off. I figured the tires were running hotter now and the pressure had increased. That was confirmed when I stopped. Pressure had increased about 5 psi. This is at night with 60° air temperature. So i guess 40psi is too low for this tire.

So this is still not the tire for me. I definitely don’t want to make the fuel economy worse. I knew I didn’t want all terrain tires and black wheels, but I bought this one anyway. I guess because I thought I was getting a good deal. But now I have to spend more money on tires and wheels. Not such a “good deal” anymore. Hopefully once I do that, I can start to love this truck. Right now it feels like a mistake.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I will take some pictures of the old tires when the sun comes up and post them here. Let me know if you think the dealer is lawfully wrong for selling a vehicle with two very worn tires.

Ralo

 

Come on people, learn your laws or you'll loose your ass! Texas Does have a 3 day 'cooling off' period after purchases in some instances, read for details.

https://bizfluent.com/info-10047108-texas-laws-3-day-period-buying-car.html

 

Wecome from Cypress, TX! Let some air out of your tires (I run 35lbs on E rated 35's). Should make a huge difference in ride quality. If not, sell those tires on Craigslist and buy new different ones. The higher the mileage warranty on the tire, the harder the rubber is. You have to take that into account for ride quality and air up or down accordingly.

 

Doesn’t apply to dealerships. This is a quote from the article you posted:

“Texas' right to cancel law only applies to purchases over $25 that did not occur at the seller's "principal place of business." As such, purchases made at the buyer's home — typically involving door-to-door sales — or on premises rented by the seller, can be cancelled. However, if a car is purchased at a dealership, assuming the dealership is the seller's principal, or primary, place of business, the right to cancel law does not apply and the purchase cannot be cancelled.“​

 

Yep, the price is why I bought it. But I used to work in a body shop in my younger days, an I know what to look for when it comes to accident damage. From what I can tell, the bumper wasn’t even replaced. But I’m pretty sure both headlights, grill, and possibly hood was replaced.

So it looks like he hit something above the bumper. But I will have a friend who owns a body shop look at it just to be sure.

However, the symptoms improved after I reduce the pressure in the tires, so I think they are the total problem.

 

When buying a used truck, you're not likely to find exactly what you want. It sounds like most of the issues are with the tires. You got a good deal on the price, so you just need to personalize this truck a little, not a big deal.

If you want better mileage, street tires are in order, something like a Michelin. You should be able to find OEM wheel & tire take offs for a decent price. Your current wheels should provide a decent return to offset some OEMs.

Was the dealer you bought it from a Toyota dealer? They may make you a deal on some they have.

 

Yes, Vandergriff Toyota, ARLINGTON TX.

 

It looks like there are quite a few OEM take offs in your area for about $1,000. You could probably sell the ones you have for $750 or more depending on the tires. BFG KO2s are probably $250 each new.

The easy thing to do is ask your dealer if they have any take offs that they would trade for yours.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=Tundra wheels&sort=rel

 

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/wto/d/irving-20-tundra-1794-edition-rims-tires/7066199858.html

 

How many miles have you put in the truck? I dont think dropping pressure a little results in a 3 mpg loss. When you reset the computer it always reads higher. 15 mpg is good/average for a Tundra. If the dealer unplugged the battery it’ll reset and read higher. When I do mine it’ll say 600 miles to empty. When it settles it’s around 410 miles to empty. Based off mpg that the truck is reading.

The KO2 is a good tire. I don’t think you should give up yet and put more money in unless those 2 are so worn that you have to replace all 4. The tire pressure light shouldn’t come on at 40 psi either.

The rumble strip feeling could be the front dif needle bearing issue. There is a TSB on it if you search.

 

The first thing I would do is pay for a thorough 3rd party inspection, this will remove most of the guesswork from the equation. If there are no game changing discoveries, the next thing I would do is install a set of new Michelin Defenders or M/S2 tires... I prefer 18" because they ride smoother, and you can find new take off sets of wheels & tires on Craigslist.

 

I’ve emailed several sellers on Craigslist and waiting for a reply. I’d paid $1000 in a heartbeat for these https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/wto/d/ada-toyota-tundra-20-wheels-and-tires/7076603521.html

 

Available in my area
https://athensga.craigslist.org/wto/d/bogart-brand-new-2019-toyota-tundra/7072077644.html

 

Thanks Paul! I just scored the set I wanted most. Going to pick them up this afternoon. He wreaked his Tundra and they totaled it. Michelin tires.

Question, his wheels come with the pressure sensors. Will they automatically work with my truck or is some programming involved?


Can you believe they totaled his truck for that little bit of damage?

 

Dent removed!

 

Getting scratches removed!

 

While sitting in the driver's seat there is a button by your right knee that's sets the tire pressure. Holding it for a few seconds will calibrate the monitor to whatever pressure you are currently at. It shouldn't come on at 40, the previous owner had set it too high. You could have a great running truck that someone ditched because they ran the tires at a thousand psi. I've driven a car that had the psi set too high and it steered like it was on it's tippy toes

 

Welcome from Michigan. I have not had any issues with a bouncy vibration filled ride. I have a 3/2 leveling kit and run 35" Michelin's.



May be your tires. Or worn out shocks if the tires have taken their toll on them.

 

Unfortunately, the serial numbers on the TPMS sensors will have to be entered into the ECU. There is no easy way to do this; from what I understand a Toyota or tire dealer can do this, but the worst part is you have to know the new sensor serial numbers.

Tire pressure should always be checked "cold" before the vehicle is driven. About 3-5 pounds increase after driving sounds about right.

No, I can't believe they would total for minor damage like that...are you sure the entire passenger side is not blown up? I would be buying my truck back, and doing a self-repair.

 

Hey, I pushed that button, which I didn't even know what there to reset tire pressure. Well now it shows NOTHING. Just those line --- ---
What now?

 

They will need programming. Any decent tire shop can do that for you. They look great. Should smooth out that ride.

 

There are 2 ways that button works from what I read in my manual (I suggest you start there since yours may be different). I believe it was a quick press to relearn pressures in existing sensors that the TPMS computer already knows about and a 3 button presses to learn new sensors. Again start with your manual and see what it says.

Also welcome to the forum!