New ORP next week, Dealership tips please.

Got it. No games or upsells during final transaction. They were straight up honest during the entire transaction. I know you guys know what a stock 4runner looks like, but I said I'd post a pic when I got it. Now to find out if a small lift and tire size upgrade will affect my warranty. It doesn't look like there's much ground clearance under the front of this.

 

Congratulations! Look sharp. Consider spraying fluid film inside frame rails right away, before any dirt gets in.

 

Congrats on the new ride! A small lift on the front will make the 4runner looks a lot better.

 

Probably have them set the correct tire pressure before driving off in it. Tires are usually overinflated at the dealerships...

 

That was a question I was going to post. Spooky. I didn't know if I should rustproof it immediately or wait until winter. The fear was if it's Fluid Filmed now the summer heat might melt it off. I have 9 spray cans of Fluid Film in the basement. Seems there are attachments that can be affixed to the can which are snaked into the frame to coat the inside so it's off to Amazon I go. Should I cover the rest of the undercarriage now or wait until September?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

Unless you live in a death valley, it doesn't get hot enough to remove fluid film. Some of it might drip on a hot day, but it is not a big deal. My recommendation is to spray INSIDE frame rails right away. The rest could be done now or it can wait.

Also, just to make sure you are aware, don't drive in 4WD on dry asphalt. When turning sharply, it can damage transfer case and cause a skid.

 

I highly suggest seeking a Toyota platinum extended service agreement (warranty).
I negotiated a fair price for a 7 year-100,000 mile when I purchased my 2017. The investment has paid off big time as my SR5 at 48,000 miles developed a rare failure inside the transmissions valve body that controls the torque converter lockup. Dealer replaced transmission at no cost because of the Platinum coverage. There is good advice in shopping for these Service Agreements on line.

 

Nice looking T4R! Congrats!

 

I consider this to be a poor advice.

Toyota in general and 4Runner in particular are above-average reliability. You are unlikely to make your money back on extended warranty.

Additionally, buying extended service/warranty is tricky. Toyota extended warranty has good coverage but you have to negotiate with dealer and their markups. Third-party warranty is designed to deny coverage and not worth the hassle. More so, when dealing with a dealership, there is always a risk of misrepresenting which extended warranty they are selling, so you have to pay attention to the paperwork.

Typically, I only purchase extended warranties that are offered directly by manufacturer and only if a car has known and expensive to fix fault. Which 4Runner does not. (except frame rust, but that is not covered by any extended warranty).

For example, when I had my Mercedes SL I knew that ABC suspension was highly problematic. When I was shopping for that car, I paid extra for CPO so I could purchase Mercedes extended warranty. It paid more than 25K while I had the car.

 

Hey Dennis, I am in Michigan too (and will be in GR the week of the 15th for a conference)... I had mine fluid filmed pretty soon after I purchased my 23 ORP at a local shop in Port Huron for about $300. They get inside the frame rails, pull any plugs out of the body (doors, rockers, etc) and spray in there, get the lips of the doors, liftgate, under the hood, a lot of places I never would've thought of. That was in the fall, but as of May, 95% of the FF remains despite owning a car wash and going through it repeatedly with underbody wash. Not too shabby if you ask me....

Also, my shop drops the spare tire to FF that area too, as well as the hitch zone, just a reminder if you are DIY.

I would treat the underbody now if it were me. And touch up again in November for good insurance. While we aren't actively salting roads, that doesn't mean it can't form surface rust. And if you have luck like I have luck......