2020 TRD PRO Skid Plate

Just found this out the other day while getting my oil changed at the Toyota Dealership. I have been having a popping noise from the front end of my truck for a while now. I have 46,000+ miles on my truck. And was told once before that it was the skid plate because it is removed each time they changed the oil and filter. So the other day after they got done with my truck and the tech. brought it back around and parked it, he heard the popping sound, he walk around the truck checking the lug nuts scratching his head. I walk over to him and said "You hear that popping sound too." he said "Yes" I said, "its been doing that for a while." he said "Let me do some research." And came back and said that the locking nuts need to be replaced every time you take the skid plate off. So he pulled up the part number PT938-34140-HW which is for the service hardware kit that runs from $85 to $118. I said "you got to be fucking kidding me?"The service manager has a TRD PRO and he said I guess I will listen to the popping noise. So I guess its a issue that the service dept. didn't know anything about. Because none of them change the locking nuts out. See the attach images for the service installation.

 

Yep, i have it too on my 2016. Gotten used to it

 

They are taking you for a ride. Why would they take off the TRD skid plate for an oil change? It is designed with an access door specifically so they dont have to take the whole plate off for an oil change. You are getting the popping noise likely because the hardware isnt torqued to spec. What i did for mine was torque everything properly, additionally, i put some weatherseal around the bolt to frame contact points and never heard a peep since.

 

Shouldn’t have to remove the skid plate for an oil change, that’s another story.
I had this same issue, to resolve this I placed a thin/narrow piece of high density rubber between the frame and skid plate, torqued to spec and no more popping noise since and it’s been over a year / 10,000 miles.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/annoying-sound.88582/

Guys here is the fix. It happens to all of them with the skid plate. Toyota mechanics cant figure it out but someone on here did. It will cost you $2 in rubber washers and 30 minutes of your time.

 

This.