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.
How Long Should My Muffler Last?
Ideally, a muffler could last forever (or at least longer than your truck). However, many factors come into play that cause the exhaust system to wear and corrode, and eventually require replacement. Some owners find they must replace their truck muffler every 2 or 3 years, while others find their truck’s exhaust system is trouble-free for more than a decade.
Most newer vehicles use 409 stainless steel for their exhaust system, which means they'll last 8-10 years. However, geography, snow removal, and your driving habits can shorten or prolong that figure...
Here’s a quick overview of how long a system can and should last, depending on your specific situation.
Ford, GM, and Ram Owners: Stop Making Excuses and Buy An American Truck
Once again, Cars.com has listed the Toyota Tundra has one of America’s most “American” vehicles, ranking ninth overall. According to domestic content labels provided by Ford, GM, and Chrysler-Fiat, the Tundra uses more parts made in America and Canada than any competing truck. Furthermore, the Tundra is built at a $1.5 billion dollar facility in San Antonio, Texas.
Here are the official domestic content ratings provided by the manufacturers to the US government:
- Tundra – 90% domestic content
- Ram 1500 – 70% domestic content
- Silverado/Sierra – 61% domestic content
- Ford F-150 – 60% domestic content
The question is, why would someone who really cared about American labor buy an F-150, Silverado/Sierra, or Ram 1500?
Amazing Tundra Frame Rust Photos
Here are some photos sent to us by commentor Lee-HSV of the rusted frame recently removed from his 2000 Toyota Tundra. As you can see, the frame structure was very compromised.
A rusted frame pulled from a 2000 Toyota Tundra. Click for a larger view.
If you’re not up to speed, please read this post that completely explains the Toyota Tundra frame rust problem and what Toyota is doing to solve it.
Here are some more photos:
JD Power Rates 2011 Tundra Quality 2nd Behind F-150
Last week JD Power released their 2011 Initial Quality Survey results, naming the Ford F-150 the top quality large pickup. The Tundra, which has been at or near the top of JD Power quality studies since the 2000 model year, came in second in the same survey. Chevy’s Avalanche came in third.
While the F-150’s quality rating was top notch, the overall quality rating of the Ford brand did not fare as well. JD Power ranked the quality of the entire Ford brand about 8% worse than the industry average. As we reported a couple of weeks ago, Ford’s overall quality rating fell mostly because of problems with Ford’s in-car electronics system, MyFordTouch. Here’s how all the truck manufacturers ranked, in order from highest brand quality rating to lowest:
How Toyota Recovered From The Earthquake Twice As Fast As Anyone Thought Possible
Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Lexus, Scion, Suzuki, Acura, Infiniti…they were all hurt in some way by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Some manufacturers were hit harder than others (Honda might have been hit the hardest), but all of these companies suffered as a direct result of this disaster. In fact, a lot of American automakers suffered from the earthquake too.
Toyota, and Japan in general, overcomes setbacks from a massive natural disaster faster than anyone expected.
The reason? Automakers don’t build cars – suppliers do. Suppliers build just about every part of a vehicle except the engine, and then the automaker takes all those parts and puts them together. Toyota might get credit for the final product, but 10,000+ suppliers build the wire harnesses, wheels, wood grain interiors, etc.
When Japan suffered from a natural disaster, thousands of suppliers big and small suffered too. Some plants completely collapsed, most suffered some kind of damage, and all suppliers had to deal with a complete loss of electrical power for weeks on end. Toyota’s assembly plants across the world depended on Japanese suppliers, so production of American-made vehicles like the Tundra, Tacoma, and Camry slowed to a crawl as Japan recovered.
Some of Toyota’s executives said that recovery would take the rest of the year – that full production wouldn’t resume until 2012. Amazingly, those predictions will not come to pass. Toyota anticipates full production capacity by September or October. Here’s how they did it:
