Author Archive for Jason Lancaster
Jason Lancaster is the editor and founder of TundraHeadquarters.com. He has nearly a decade of experience on the retail side of the auto industry, and another decade of experience of the part and accessory side of the industry.
The 3 Easiest Ways To Ruin Your Truck’s Transmission
If you’ve ever worked at an auto-repair shop, you know that the guy that fixes transmissions is always busy. He’s got more work than just about anyone in the shop, with maybe the lube tech (the guy that changes oil) being the only exception. To us, this is a mystery. If you use common sense, follow your manufacturer’s suggested maintenance, and avoid scenarios that cause damage, your transmission should last as long as any part on your truck. But, like we said, the transmission guy is always busy…here’s why:
Annoying Tundra Seat Belt Buzzer – Can It Be Stopped?
There’s a growing number of people that are dis-satisfied with the annoying seat belt buzzer — you know, the one that reminds you every 6 seconds that you, or one of your passengers, isn’t currently wearing their seat belt.
We know, we know, if we were following the rules, we’d have the belt on and this wouldn’t be a problem.
For the record, SEAT BELTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. In fact, THEY CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. Not wearing one is stupid, and anyone who is looking for a way to deceive the system so that they can drive around without their seat belt on is a moron. While there are a LOT of excuses to explain why we don’t want to wear our belts (some of them good), that’s not what we’re trying to talk about here.
It’s not about excuses, right or wrong, saving lives, etc. It’s about finding out if something can be done. We’re going to put this info out their and then let you decide what to do with it.
Here are the options for disabling the Tundra’s annoying driver seat belt buzzer (aside from, you know, wearing your belt). Incidentally, there is a process for disabling the passenger seat’s buzzer — see your dealer. They plug your truck into the computer and re-program it. Some dealers won’t do it for you, and if they will do it, they’re going to charge you.
1. Get a seat belt extender from your dealer. Then, run the belt around the back of the seat and plug it in.
The extender is free, but some dealers won’t give you one unless you “look like you need it” (i.e. big-boned). Your dealer may not even know that this is something they should offer — have them refer to this TSB if they give you a blank stare when you ask for your free seat belt extender.
2. Find or make a spare seat belt buckle and plug it in.
The system determines your seat belt is fastened when your belt is plugged in. If you find or make a seat belt buckle and shove it in their, then the system will be fooled. Cost is just a junk-yard part or some quality time spent with some scrap metal.
3. Short out the seat belt sensor (or, put it on a toggle switch) so that the switch is always closed.
This is a bad idea that we don’t suggest, but it is an option. The reason we think it’s such a bad option — the new Tundra uses data from sensors inside the driver’s seat to determine if the airbag should be fired. If you start cutting wires and installing switches in their, you could damage or short out the sensors. That would cause your airbag to fail and not deploy when you need it. Worse, it could also cause your airbag to fire unexpectedly (sounds hilarious, but could result in serious injury). We suggest you throw option 3 out the window.
4. Remove or disable the buzzer in the dash that makes the noise.
With this option, you also lose the noise that reminds you to shut-off your headlights, to take your keys out of the ignition, or to check doors to make sure they’re closed. We think this is a bad option for all those reasons, plus, we like to avoid taking panels out of the dash if at all possible.
5. Fasten the belt, then sit in the seat.
Simple, but not very comfy.
Where does that leave us? In our minds, no where. We’re going to have to learn to deal with the noise or we’re going to have to put the belt on every time we’re in the car, regardless of circumstance. Unlike Ford, Dodge, and Chevy, Toyota didn’t give us an easy option to disable the reminder.
Seems like Toyota doesn’t trust us…
Toyota Tundra is More American Than Dodge Ram
Recently Cars.com released a study that announced the Top 10 American-Made Cars, and much to our surprise the Dodge Ram was not on the list!
Here are the results from the Cars.com study:
- Ford F150
- Toyota Camry
- Chevy Silverado 1500
- Chevy Cobalt
- Ford Focus
- Toyota Sienna
- Chevy Malibu
- Pontiac G6
- Ford Escape
- TOYOTA TUNDRA
See what’s NOT on the list? No Dodges. None.
WOW.
We had to see this for ourselves, so we went and took some photos this weekend at a couple of local Denver dealerships.
The Dodge is 72% domestic parts, with the transmission coming from Germany:
The Tundra has 75% domestic parts, with the most expensive components (engine and transmission) being made in the U.S.
It’s pretty clear to us that driving a Tundra helps the U.S. economy more than driving a Dodge Ram…not to mention it’s more “American”.
In your face Dodge owners! (just kidding)
Toyota Tundra 5.7L TRD Supercharger
The 5.7L Toyota Tundra TRD Superchager will be available soon!
Maybe.
As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, the TRD Supercharger has been given a part number in the latest Toyota Accessory Guide (part # PTR29-34070), but that’s no indication that the supercharger will be available soon.
However, I spoke to a friend of mine that works in a local Toyota dealer’s parts department, and he was estimating he’ll be able to order in a month or two. That would mesh with Toyota’s stated time line (see the picture below), but that’s not really any indication either.
My guess is that the Tundra 5.7L TRD Supercharger will delayed — it’s pretty common for these things to be held back by either the EPA, CARB, or the internal bureaucracy of Toyota. Take, for instance, the debut of the supercharger for the Scion tC. It was supposed to be out in the fall following the car’s debut (it also had a part number in the catalog), but EPA and CARB regulators held back the release more than 6 months. Same story with the Tacoma supercharger back in the day (and the one that’s supposed to be coming out).
But, it’s cool to imagine getting our hands on one…
These photos were taken at SEMA 2006 — see more pics of the TRD Tundra exhibit.
If you want to know what a supercharger is, see TRD’s Supercharger Explanation.
One Bad 1999 Toyota 4Runner
When we found out about Ric Lopez’s 99′ 4Runner, we just had to feature it on the Tundra Headquarters blog. In our opinion, this is one of the nicer 4-wheel daily drivers we’ve seen. It’s a great combination of off-road capability and reliability, while still being “stock” enough to drive every day.
Ric has a 1999 Toyota 4Runner with the Highlander package that he purchased with his fianc
