Granite - A Third Gen Story

I just got one of those on Saturday. Really surprised how much room it has once you pop it open, and how fast it opens too lol.

 

We were really surprised at the roominess too. We had a camping trip a few years ago where we ended up stuck in a MSR Elixir 3 backpacking tent for 3 days as the skies did an abridged verison of the Great Flood. That sucked. This Gazelle will give us lots of room for chairs, a folding table and space to stretch out if we have to hunker down to wait out some weather.

 

Asylum Dezyns cat shield

I picked this up from @Mykeromachine aka Asylum Dezyns out of Edmonton, Alberta. It's super awesome having a supplier for cat shields here in Canuckistan, and even better that he's in Alberta. #AlbertaStrong #WestIsBest.

The fit and finish is top notch on this shield, and he includes security bolts. I believe if you're in Edmonton, he'll even install it for you. I couldn't be more pleased with this add on. Now I feel safer driving down to the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is the Lower Wasteland of BC in July.

I installed this myself in about 15 minutes, or the equivalent of 1 glass of bourbon. I used my small jack to help support the plate while I placed and installed the bolts. Very easy.



Diamondback Cleats

I forgot to order extra cleats for my Diamond back when I ordered the cover. I went to order a 4 pack, but the shipping was equal to the cleats which seemed kinda silly. I emailed Diamondback and they were able to knock the shipping price way down and sent them north to the remote corner of Hoth where I live.

This was also a 1 bourbon job, quick and easy. I'm looking forward to having additional tie down points and being able to flip the back hatch open and strap it down for taller loads.




PS: Still haven't needed tow hooks

 

First fishing trip of the season.

 

Current Summer Load Out

Figured this may inspire some people, so why not. Plus vehicle EDC is a nerdy prepper thing which is kinda fun.

Cross Bin

Everything here fits in the cross bin. The tools are less for fixing my truck than they are for fixing other things I come across.

Too much to list but pretty self evident.






Behind the back seat

Bag with emergency baby change kit for little AK, tow straps and a Carharrt blanket.



Under the back seat

Air compressor, rain shell, hoodie, water filter, box of misc shotgun shells, bug dope, fishing rod, lures, fire putter outer, a small bag with a can and cups for boiling water, tire pressure gauge, paper towels.



Back of passenger seat

Trauma kit, backroad mapbook for my region, fishing regs.



Glove box

Crank flashlight, lighter, crib board and cards, stainless straws because fuck paper straws, hand warmers, hard copy of fishing licenses.



Center console

Typical console junk. Vault has headlamp, binos, Mora knife and a bag of change for tailgaters...I mean shopping carts etc.



The doors have water bottles, hand sanitizer, Mechanix gloves and some more ratchet straps because nobody ever said "I have enough ratchet straps".

 

Geez, and my wife tells my I have too much gear in my truck...

 

Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

The Woman likes having a prepper geek for a husband because the gear I have in here has helped us out of a jam a few times.

 

Family outing to the river today.

 

Just got back from a 2200KM (1400 mile) round trip from northwestern Alberta to southwestern BC. I'll add some pics and more notes into this post later today when I have time, but here's a couple quick highlights:

Fuel economy:

Average speed on the trip - 110km/h, 68mph.

Terrain - Mountain highways

Trip there - ECO mode, no trailer = 11 L/100km, 21.4MPG.

Trip home - Normal mode, towing a roughly 800lb trailer = 15L/100km, 15.7MPG.


Minor truck gripes:

- The weather stripping on the passenger side of the windshield seems loose. It was causing a "static" type noise at highway speeds. Will be having dealership address this next service.

- I still get that clicking noise from the windshield/headliner area. It only seems to happen cooler temperatures though, generally 10C or 50F.

 

Here's a couple pics from the trip.

Lunch break in Valemount, BC.



Rest stop in Little Fort, BC

 

We just got back from our first family camping trip. Little AK is 16 months old, so it was a quick overnightee to a lake 90min from home. She did awesome.

This was also our first trip with our Gazelle tent and gazebo, as well as the little old fishing boat I brought back from my dad's place last month.

We're super happy with the Gazelle products. The pegs are an enigma though. The gazebo came with some solid spikes with T-handles that worked well but the tent came with shitty tin stakes that are worthless.

 

A few pics from recent trips.

 

I drilled holes in my truck. I must be nuts.

I installed a break away fire extingusiher mount.

Vehicle Universal Quick Release Aluminum Roll Bar Mount Bottle/Fire Extinguisher Holder with 4 Adjustable Clamps (1) https://a.co/d/12LE09Y

 

Evening at the river with the family.

 

General ownership update:

I had my second service done yesterday. I'm at a little over 17,000kms (10,500miles). I brought a few things to their attention that I wanted addressed:

- Clicking noise around the windshield. I still can't nail this one down, and they couldn't replicate it. Understandable since it generally only happens below 10 degrees C. Last service they dropped the headliners and added some insulation but that didn't tackle it. They are taking me seriously though and recommend I bring the truck in when it gets colder and the noise gets louder so I can drive it with the tech and service manager.

- Loose weatherstripping on passenger side, front windshield. Again, they couldn't replicate the buzzing sound. I don't think they took the truck on the highway though. The service advisor came out when I picked up the truck and looked at the stripping herself. She agreed it seemed loose, so I emailed her the video I have of it buzzing at highway speeds. She was going to look into what is involved in replacing it as she thinks the weatherstripping is actually part of the windshield.

- Fuel gauge not registering a fill up. This is an intermittent problem, and I can reset it using the method mentioned on this forum. It wasn't a problem when I dropped the truck off, so there wasn't much I can do. They want me to bring it in next time it does it though, so they can have a look. They are aware of the issue as their have been alot of complaints about this with the 22+ Tundra and the Highlander apparently had a similar problem. I was told Toyota is most likely working on a fix for it.

- Throttle delay/surge. This is another issue mentioned on this forum that I experienced. There is a service bulletin for it and involved a programming update. They did this and it solved the issue. The truck feels much more responsive now.

- Clunk from transmission on start up. Another issue mentioned on this forum, and there is a service bulletin for it. Programming update done and issue should be solved.


One thing I learned from the service advisor is that the TSB notices in the US don't transfer to Canada. Toyota Canada has their own system and they don't seem to interact much with the US service system.

Overall, I'm still very happy with the truck. I knew there would be some growing pains buying the first year of an all new model. Had I been able to find a 2019 - 2021 for a reasonable price, I probably would have bought that instead. However, my dealership has been awesome in addressing any concerns I have and I feel like Toyota is working out the bugs on the 3rd Gens in general.

Current score of truck based on ownership to date - 8.5/10


PS: Still haven't needed tow hooks

 

I know its been a while but since I'm new here, I just got around to reading your entire journey and have to say I am very impressed with everything you've done. Great work!

 

Thanks!

 

Another day of ice fishing in the books. Slow as hell out there, but hooked two and landed one.

 

Clicking Sound Around Windshield

Thanks to @Northern Toyota and @graf_von_tundra , I finally isolated and eliminated the irritating clicking noise coming from my windshield in cold weather. It was to the point that I was all but dreading driving in cold weather, knowing just how annoying the clicking noise would be. Now, it appears that I can drive my truck in peace.

Check out this thread for details:

Clicking sound on driver's A-pillar

 

Dealership day. I dropped the truck off at the dealership and had them deal with a bunch of recalls/updates:

1. Fuel Tube XF5. Tech installed a protector on the fuel tube, they told me this is a temporary fix and a permanent solution is on the way from Toyota

2. Electronic Parking Brake ECU Reprogram L83. Software update completed.

3. Update Transmission Control Computer Software. RG3 transmission software update completed.

- I'm not entirely sure what this was for. Maybe someone in the know can enlighten me?

4. Steering Gear Program Update. EL2201 required, update completed.

- Again, I'm not sure what this was for. My steering does feel a little smoother and more responsive now though.

5. Clicking sound around headliner.

- I had them look at the TSB for the window clicking that someone on this forum posted and where I put a wedge to stop the clicking noise. They said the TSB was for older models and clips don't exist on these trucks. They did however add some foam tape between the headliner and the body. This seems to have fixed the issue same as my wedge did. Whatever it was, it's gone now, so I'm happy about that.

 

Today I improved the mount for my fire extinguisher. I had just used self tapping screws but they didn't hold well in the composite bed.

I ordered som jack nuts and installed them today. These flare and tighten themselves like rivnuts do but are for thinner materials. They worked great.

 

I used the same, even though I have a superior metal bed…

I’ve been really happy with that mount, just haven’t had a chance to use the extinguisher yet.

 

The light weight of my composite bed allows my superior horsepower and torque to not only leave your antique in the dust, but to blow its doors off.

 

Hang out with the folks around here long enough and I'm sure something of yours will catch fire...

 

Installed a matte black cover over the high glare console area. Much better!

 

Major Road Trip

We just returned home from a major road trip that took us from northwestern Alberta, to southwestern Alberta then to the southwest corner of British Columbia.

Total distance travelled was around 3260 kilometers, that's 2025 miles for our free cousins south of the line. Fuel cost was right about $700 in Canuckistani pesos. I averaged about 13 L/100km, around 18mpg, during the trip. Not bad considering I was towing a 1400lb tent trailer on the return trip. Our typical speed on the highway was 115km/hour or roughly 70mph.

The biggest reason for the extended trip was the forest fire in Jasper National Park that devestated the town of Jasper and has closed Highway 16 through the park, cutting off our normal and shortest route. We had to head south through Alberta to Cochrane outside of Calgary where we stayed the night with family, then on to Abbotsford BC via Highway 1. We did the reverse on our way home. During our stay in Abbotsford, we drove out to Chilliwack and back as well as into the festering cesspool known as Vancouver.

We had a great visit with some family and The Woman's dad gave us his old tent trailer which is in amazing shape for being built in 1994.

If you ever pass through Salmon Arm, British Columbia I highly recommend stopping at the DeMille's Farmer's Market and grabbing a burger from The Yukon Smash burger food truck. 10/10, would smash again.

Notes on the truck:

- The engine is purring like a kitten. I walked in the door when we got home to a letter from Toyota regarding the engine replacement recall. I'm honestly in no hurry, as this engine is performing like a champ.

- The truck remains super comfortable for long trips and is still our favorite road trip vehicle ever.

- Towing the trailer was a breeze. I barely even knew it was back there. Even climbing through the mountain passes at 100+km/h, the RPM's rarely rose above 2000.

- My key fob battery died. Annoying but minor. While I like the convenience of the keyless opening and push button start, I still think I'd prefer the old school mechanical version that won't fail.

- I still have some wind noise from the windshield trim on the passenger side if we have a crosswind or strong headwind at highway speeds.

- While I love the Diamondback and have no intention of getting rid of it, if I were to do things over again I would have opted for a cap/canopy. For road trips/hunting/fishing/camping, a cap would provide much needed vertical storage ability.

PS: Still haven't needed tow hooks

 

We finally got the trailer out last week. We went to a semi-remote campground in north western Alberta and had it essentially all to ourselves other than one small group way at the other end.

Had some campfires, tangled with some trout and finally got around to proposing to The Woman (she said yes btw).

 

Congrats brother! She's got a helluva man in her life.

It's too bad she's ditching him to marry you though

 

I'll be questioning her decision making process from here on out.