Advice for new (first time) owner?

Any tips or advice for a first time owner? Absolutely loving my new 2016 Platinum! Anything I should know that might not be common knowledge? Anything that should be done up front to keep it looking new, inside and out? All advice welcome! Thanks!

 

Enjoy it.

 

Hey Adam, Toyota says you don't need to change your oil 'til 10k mi. I did my first oil change at 5k. I guess I'm old school but I believe in getting the first oil change early.

 

I think I can handle that advice!

 

Yeah I was surprised to see the oil change only after 16000km (canadian here...lol). But I figure they know what they're talking about... I always did my other vehicles every 6000km...

 

Just read up on manual on how to handle the vehicle during break in period. After that, just enjoy.

 

My advice....take it places other people can only see in photos and calendars!!

 

The 5K oil change advice is good. However, if you're like me and don't put a lot of miles on your truck, get it done after 6 months. Also, I only hand-wash my Tundra. (Retired and got the time.) I have this fear one of those carwashes will have a rock stuck in the brush when my truck goes through it. :-(

 

I like that advice!!

 

Yeah...we honestly won't put alot of miles on quickly... if I waited the 16000km it might literally be 18 months before I changed the oil!
I will NEVER go through an automatic carwash with brushes... so much grit on those things that you're just asking for trouble. My wife and I are both firefighters on 24 hour shift...so we've got lots of time on our days off to keep this beast shining by hand. Gave er a nice bath yesterday and towelled dry... Can't get over how much I love the color!!

 

Thanks Steve, the only thing I jumped the gun on is new wheels (Black Rhino Warlords in Gunmetal Grey) which are on the way...with BFG KO2 rubber. Pretty sure I'm gonna do a 2" lift in the front to level it out...but other than that, I'll do the same...wait and see what I really want/need. (Considering doing a tint on my tail/brake lights...but not sure yet...) You're a ff in NJ?

 

IAFF local 1053 here, brother... 17 years next month. How many years you have on? And what are you gonna do with yourself in retirement?

 

Congrats! Gonna be hard to pull the plug...or you ready?

 

Just my $.02 worth, but if you bought her brand new, you may want to consider a front and rear diff fluid change around the 5-6K mile mark too. I going to do mine to make sure I catch and dispose of any floating metal from the break-in period. Say what they want, but there ain't no way new gears aren't going to generate small metal flakes as they settle in. There's got to be a reason why they put a magnetic plug in there!

Other than that, if you're like me....this is the nicest vehicle I've ever owned! I plan to enjoy and take care of her!

 

I hear ya....

 

That's def something I wouldn't have considered...thanks

 

Try not spending all your money on it. Lol. Enjoy!

 

Good luck with that one!

 

Thanks! Couldn't be more excited!

 

I have the same problem!

 

Adam, welcome from Las Vegas to the Tundras.com family. My father was a FF for 26 years then retired. I used to go to the station all the time and hang out with him. They'd work on their trucks and build stuff. My dad and I welded and built a 6' W x 9'L x 7' H trailer at the fire house on a Saturday. He then transferred to a less busy station about 5 years before retiring out at McCarren International Airport. That wasn't so much fun for me as we had to have an escort on and off the property as the station was in the middle of the airport. So it made it difficult for frequent visits to the station.

If you're like the rest of us you'll love your truck forever. There are so many mods you can do to your truck it's crazy. Check out, if you already haven't, the Mods & Tutorials section of the website to see what I'm talking about. Everyone on here is great and so willing to help. All you have to do is ask. There's no stupid questions, so don't feel bad about asking for help. Enjoy your new baby!

 

Hey Aaron...thanks for the welcome! What a great forum to be part of! Everyone has been great, already. I was asking questions before I even picked up my truck! I'll definitely be browsing for ideas and info regularly...but I've been informed by my accountant, aka my wife, that I have currently run out of funds in the truck fund...lol... but she'll get over it...
Some cool memories for you hanging out with your dad at the station!... My wife and kids usually come visit every shift but the rules are a bit sticky on us doing anything for our personal vehicles in the stations... Things have changed that way... when I came on 17 years ago, I helped my first captain build a trailer right in the bay as well... You don't see things like that happen anymore, unfortunately...

 

Get a nice quality microfiber drying towel. They make nice thick ones I forget where I got mine but it's Bitchin. And don't let it touch the ground! And I use the two bucket wash method one to rinse my microfiber sponge in and one for the soapy water. And I use a separate one for the lower part of the truck.

 

I feel your pain in the accountant dept. My wife HATES when I spend money on my truck too. She is so obsessed with saving money she's forgetting that what's the point if you don't enjoy the ride a little. She just got done being really mad at me for 4-5 days for putting a small lift on it and I paid the price dearly. I'm going to cool it in the mod dept for a little while. I still have some Spidertrax in my garage and a set of headlight LED's that I can install when the urge to mod hits me like it usually does.

 

Since we're throwing in random, lesser-known, tips.. when offroading, don't ford water deeper than your rear axle without doing a rear differential breather mod.

 

The diff breather mod is super inexpensive and a great peace of mind. Do it!

 

thanks! so u use a microfiber sponge to wash...then a microfiber towel to dry?

 

The saying is true...it's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission... At least she was fully on board with me buying the truck in the first place...that was a huge victory in itself...and I think she loves it almost....but not quite...as much as me..

 

Yeah they have nice big puffy soft ones for drying . I have a microfiber sponge mitt with the yarn fingers all over it. I really try not to run anything over the paint that is smooth surfaced. If they pick up debris it just holds it on the surface and smears it and scratches your paint. I like stuff with texture so it contains the dirt. Then I dip it in a clean bucket of water, pull it out and ring the dirt out side of the bucket a couple of times. Then back into the soapy water to wash another panel. It makes it take a little longer but if you're trying to limit the amount of scratches you put on the paint it's the right way to go. And there's guys more anal than me.

 

Good tip... I won't be doing that alot...but sometimes get into some nasty spots when heading out hunting or fishing... I'll keep that in mind. I'll have to look into it, cuz I honestly don't know anything about doing a job like that...
By the way... incredible transformation on your truck! Nice work...a beauty!