First week with a Tundra in Canada

Even announced first for March / April, this delivery was not ‘premature’ as it took around 9 months to get this baby out here. To bring it home from the dealership was a C-section, as many papers and conditions not previously agreed had to be signed. Make sure that EVERYTHING is very CLEARLY WRITTEN on the purchase contract. Anyway, that’s the same for every new vehicle, and could be subject of another thread about dealers’ tactics.

Rushed through PDI, we happily noticed that there are no gaps between fenders and hood, that bumpers are well adjusted, but just some chipped paint was fixed on the spot. Many thanks for the PDI thread on this forum. We were given some instructions at delivery, but with numerous specific electronic features, a proper introduction would have taken a full day.

The Tundra came with ONE KEY ONLY. The second electronic one should be delivered in a few months. No written mention of it on any document. As we cannot start the truck with the mechanical key, we must not lose this precious device. With two users, we expect trouble.

It drives smoothly below 60 km/h. At 120 km/h, the motor is so quiet that you notice wind noise on the top of the driver and passenger windows.

Back home, we tried to connect Home-Link to the garage door opener. So, we referred to the 600 PAGES MANUAL. 8 pages are dedicated to the programming of the Home-Link. After many attempts, we succeed to open the garage. Wow, what an achievement!

In short, the manual is not practical, as it covers regular and hybrid, 2 types of displays, controls and ‘if equipped’ features simultaneously. However, we will need this manual. No abridged version is available in Canada. You can download it, and rename it from OM0COMO51U to a proper name which will make easy to retrieve later. What a pile of p…. .

The TPMS showed that tires are not all inflated at the same pressure. Unfortunately, we did not find the ‘CIGARETTE LIGHTER’ socket to connect the inflater. Where is it…? Finally, we found the ‘Power outlet (12 VDC)’ section after the coat hooks in the manual, and once seated in the truck, hidden behind the 14’’ display.

One phone was connected at the dealer. We should have done the second phone as well, as it was impossible to do it right at home.

Still discovering, we still have trouble to understand many features like:

· How to link the seat position to the phone of each the driver. Seems the ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘Set’ button are not OK.

· Where is the setting to display km and not miles on the Toyota nav.

· How to adjust the LTA.

· …

The Toyota APP is difficult to install, to connect, and to use on Android. It is counterintuitive, e.g. as the remote connect ‘buttons’ on the screen have a ‘bubble’ saying ‘press and hold’, and when you do it, it will operate only after you remove your finger. The messages on the top of the screen are truncated, and not readable. What a b… .

The way Android Auto was installed at the dealer but it ‘highjacks’ the Toyota screen. Still not clear to us on how to use it well.

Tonneau covers are not deliverable from Toyota. We ordered elsewhere. Photos will be posted once installed. Many thanks to the forum’s threads.

We studied the maintenance ECP ‘GOLD’ ‘PLATINUM’ coverages. After reading the fine prints for exclusions, we got the impression that expenses we had with former vehicles, like batteries, tires, filters, belts, hoses, brake pads are excluded from this plan. The detailed information about coverage was not provided beforehand by the dealer. Just a handwritten ‘pitch’ sheet showing how much we would save bringing them work. By the way, the ‘assistance’ amounts are ridiculously low.

We still have some days to buy ECP. It is costly, and shrouded in mystery. Are we buying a cat in a bag? Should we pay in advance to bring them work? What are experiences with work covered by this ECP?

About the CENTRAL CONSOLE area, the ’differential lock’ button is located on the passenger side. Isn’t it dangerous if depressed inadvertently? Same for the controls between the seats.

There are no figures on the VOLT and TEMP analog gauges. Not very useful, as the VOLTs seem now getting lower. Any issues with alternators on new units?

For a new user, when driving, the small up-down TEMP CONTROL TOGGLE is hard to find. A rotating button would have been safer.

The AUTOMATIC HANDBRAKE is worrisome here, as we can get -38C / -38F. Does it stay blocked when frozen?

As cat theft is frequent here, we engraved them. The provided jack would allow to change a wheel.

After a few weeks, we hope the following acronyms RSA, AHB, SRS, ELR, ALR, DAC, ACC, MTS, VSC, PCS, LTA, BSM, PKSB, RCTA and their little icons will be of familiar to us. The HORN. was easy to find . We are glad that ‘AUTO LSD’ is not legal in Canada. For now, we feel nauseous, ‘Qui trop embrasse, mal étreint!’ isn’t it?

 

Sounds like you hate it.

 

Glad you got a Tundra!... maybe? Honestly it sounds like you havent had a new car in many many years. Some of your concerns are pretty standard in any new car. I have had the unfortunate experience of going through 5 new cars in the last 6 years between my wife and I, and many things are just the way they are. Some of these things could be easily addressed, but you didnt mention what trim you got!

Yep the manual is huge, and covers all trims. This has been the same with all my previous 'new' cars (2022 Tundra, 2022 Rav4, 2020 Sorento, 2017 Sorento, 2016 Carolla). It is up to you to know what trim you bought. I sure hope you do...

In my experience, you wont find the wording 'Cigarette Lighter' in any new manual. That simply isnt what they are now. They do not come with the heating element to light cigarettes. They are 12v adapters. Glad you found it!

So many things, im not sure if this is your first NA car, or what the complaints are. Many things can be found by skimming your manual or searching these forums

-LTA can be adjusted in your dash screen with your steering wheel buttons
-Android Auto is an app, this has nothing to do with Toyota. It will be the same in EVERY car you connect to (if using AA). I personally much prefer AA over Apple Car Play
-Diff lock.. I dunno buddy. where would you like the switch? There are lots of buttons in every car available to the passenger. Did you know they can even turn off their airbags!!?!
-Volt and Temp analogs are fairly standard. There are many apps that you can run that will display these in real time temps/volts if you like. Torque Pro is what I use when i want to see them
-Temp controls.. now i can tell you didnt test drive. I prefer the levers to knobs. Ever try to turn a knob with mittens on? Levers are much easier in a variety of situations
-You can disable the automatic handbrake. See your manual.


Why did I bother writing anything besides "see your manual"

 

Welcome from NY.

 

I went from a 2019 Ridgeline with Honda's tech to the 2022 Tundra and there are a ton of differences. It may be that Honda has not done much with their tech over the last decade but there are things on the Tundra that I am still puzzled about after 8 months.

We bought it primarily as a tow vehicle and hauler for our business so it doesn't get used all the time which is why our learning curve is still high.

I agree that the manual is a lot of pages! It is probably best to search the internet for a short video on a specific item. Sort of like the demo at the dealership that was too quick to pick up anything.

It has turned into a bit of a hobby constantly changing things to make it more like the truck I was hoping for but didn't get

Stick with it and you will get to a point where you are able to use all the bells and whistles (the latter coming from the doors or mirrors )

 

This is different from every other vehicle manual throughout history how?

Sounds like you didn't do a proper test drive before you decided to buy it?

 

not sure if anyone read that differently, but it read in my mind as being sarcastic tone.

sorta like the scene from the movie "the martian" where vincent kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) asks mindy parks (Mackenzie Davis) on his inflection on the communications he reads to her from mark whatney

 

Manual is on the big screen, easy to use as it's right there. Took me a minute to set up!
Even Google it.........

 

This thread is nothing without pics!

 

Most that have been through the process of buying a new vehicle can relate to a few shortcomings and (hopefully) a few unexpected bonuses. This one was a bit different though and I'm not sure if it was intentional but it reads like you're unimpressed by most of what the vehicle is offering despite most of which are minor resolvable inconveniences not related to the function of the truck itself.
edit: just wanted to add that pressing the diff-lock button will not engage and catastrophically destroy your truck. It will not operate outside of engaging into 4-lo and requires a proper sequence for that to even happen.

 

To me, spending a few weeks to get familiar with your new truck's features is part of the allure of owning a new vehicle. I love it when I am messing around and have an "aha" moment when I find a new feature or capability. I hope you experience this as you continue to familiarize yourself with your new truck. Congrats!!

 

Bison 3 fold 5.5’ tonneau cover. Canadian supplier in Ontario.



Result +/- OK. Delivery in 8 days.

It covers the deck camera/light when upright. Not yet exposed to rain or snow.

Took about 3 hours to fit. The instruction leaflet is not specific for the 2023 Tundra, the pict are not OK.

I had to improvise. The tonneau cover doesn’t fit with the deck rails. I removed them.

 

You will learn all the stuff. I personally enjoy the journey of learning the vehicle.

 

Second week with the Tundra

The Quick Reference Guide 2023 is available on the US Toyota website should to be recommended a first read to newcomers. Ref. OM2312QRG.pdf

Before moving some appliances, I made a sketch of the bed ‘floorplan’:


The bed is not easy to scratch!

Later, enjoying such a good weather, we loaded the bikes on the tailgate, protected by thick blankets, and drove to the hill. We loved the camera showing the bed load and a rearview.

And with a light foot, respecting the breaking – in commandment, we enjoyed the smooth ride.

The Bison trifold cover was delivered, even not easy to install, but fits.

We are still hesitant to buy the ECP coverage. The use of the seat memory adjustment for each driver is still not OK. Android Auto is fixed.

Next step will be getting it ready for towing.