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Stargazer's Garage @ istargazer.ca
Captain's Log - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
Limited
I picked up our 2003 Toyota Sequoia Limited as a demo (with 19000 km) in
July 2003 and this is where I'm keeping notes about my ownership
experience. Details on modifications, servicing
and repairs, and fuel consumption are
also available.
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Stardate 2004.06.16 -
38652 km - I finally got a set of 5 new tires yesterday. I decided
on BFGoodrich All-Terrains in a LT265/70/17 size. It's 1-inch taller
than the stock size. That means when the speedometer indicates 60 mph,
I'll really be going 62 mph--which is not a really a big deal. The
shop only had 4 tires in stock so I'm going to pick up the extra one
today and I'll be taking the car in for a wheel alignment on Saturday.
Pictures here.
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Stardate 2004.05.22 -
Removed driver-side running board. I've been thinking that in the
future it would be nice to replace the running boards with sport bars.
Hopefully, the round shape of the bars would reduce the amount of
gravel and dirt that accumulates there and provide more protection. In
the meantime, I just removed the driver-side running board because I'm
the only one who uses it. Besides, you can only see one side of the
Sequoia at a time; one truck--two looks: my wife and kids have the
civilized side  . It's
really easy to remove and thankfully for thoughtful design, I was able
to do it by myself. There are 4 brackets held in by 8 bolts and two
hooks that keep the whole thing from falling to the ground. The
running board itself weighs just 14 lb. but there was a lot of gravel
trapped inside that I had to wash out. One more thing, without the
running board there is no protection to the lower body so I installed
the front splash guard again. Here's a couple pictures of what
it looks like now. Here's another
angle. And here are some more shots I took a couple of days later on
Heritage Mountain.
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Stardate 2004.05.16 -
37450 km - Applied Eagle One NanoWax to the Sequoia. Easy to put
on and a great shine. The Meguiar's 3-Step System (cleaner, polish,
wax) that I applied to the front area in November didn't seem to last
that long. I noticed the water wasn't beading as well a few weeks ago.
The NanoWax was easier (less time consuming) to apply so I was able to
do all the surfaces (except the roof). Details
and pictures here.
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Stardate 2004.04.18 -
I finally got around to mounting the First Alert fire extinguisher
inside the Sequoia. I've had the extinguisher since we had the
Cherokee and even though the Sequoia is not at risk of
overheating, I thought I might as well be prepared to help fellow
motorists. Mounting it in the back didn't make sense if I needed it in
a hurry so I screwed the bracket into the carpet on the passenger side
center column near the floor. Since the tank is long and narrow, it
doesn't impede foot room. It's in clear, plain view and within easy
reach--which I suppose is important for emergencies--but I hope it
doesn't attract thieves.
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Stardate 2004.04.07
- I bought some rubber wiper arm
covers. They perform no useful
purpose (the packages says it will hide worn, rusting wiper arms) but
I thought it looked interesting. It makes the vehicle look a bit more
"all-weather" and at least makes my Sequoia look that much
more subtly different than the other 3 I've seen around here  . I
had to buy two pair and keep the extra one as a spare. Here's a look
at the front.
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Stardate 2004.03.21 -
Boston Bar to Lytton via Keefers. I dug up a book I had
about driving the backroads of BC. It was about 5 years old but the
information in there was still good. This trip sounded interesting
(going north along the Fraser River opposite the highway), especially
with the reaction ferry at the end. There were some tight spots with
fallen trees and rocks but we made it through relatively unscathed and
only made one wrong turn. (From now on, though, I'll definitely be
keeping a saw as part of my off-road kit!) The
pictures I took are here. What made the trip even more interesting
was heading home we saw a family of 4 stranded along the side of
Highway #1. Anyway, we turned around and picked them up. They were
just returning from a trip to Prince George when their minivan broke
down just north of Boston Bar. The amazing coincidence is that they
lived not too far from where I worked, so after dropping the father
off in Boston Bar to call a tow truck for their vehicle, we drove
everybody else back home. It was nice to have the company on the way
back.
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Stardate 2004.01.25 -
31568 km - I bought a 3-ton floor jack and jack stands at
Costco last week and rotated the tires. Some of them were looking
fairly worn. The left (driver) rear tire was worn on the outside edges
since I got it so the dealer must have had it running low for a while
(even though when I checked the tires after I picked it up, they were
all over the recommended tire pressure.) The left front was in the
best condition since it used to be the spare. The right front was in
the worst condition with the tread almost worn down to the warning
marks. I wasn't going to rotate that side in order to keep the tire
with the better traction in the rear, but I decided to take the front
right off completely and use it as a spare. The spare (which used to
be the left front with a tire patch) had more tread so it went on the
right rear. Hmm...that sounds pretty confusing. Here's
a picture. Even though the recommended tire pressure is 32 psi,
I'm running at 35 psi right now to keep the edges of the tire from
wearing out too fast. It looks like I'm going to need new tires sooner
than later.
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Stardate 2004.01.19 - I
finished the lighting change over the weekend. I wanted to change
everything to red but I didn't want to go to the trouble of changing
the coloured LED bulbs. So, it's a bit multi-coloured now but the main
areas are red. Check out the full write-up with pictures here:
Red interior lighting.
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Stardate 2003.12.23 -
Red interior lighting.
After reading some information I found online that said that the stock
green dashboard lighting could be easily changed, I ordered a set of
red and blue bulb covers. I finally got a chance to install them
during the Christmas break and it wasn't that difficult. I haven't
figured out how to get access behind the center console so that will
be my next goal.
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Stardate
2003.12.14 - I found out how the speed
limiter works on the Sequoia and how it allegedly exists at around
165 km/h (102 mpg) as indicated on the speedometer. (Note: Official
Toyota literature states that maximum permissible speed in 3rd gear is
160 km/h (99 mph). Someone told me that somewhere around 160 km/h the engine rpm cuts out abruptly to about 2000 rpm
for a few seconds until the speed drops. Up to that point, the engine
is supposedly pulling very strongly and accelerating steadily. I was
also told that hitting the limiter is not smooth like it supposedly is
in the VW Passat.
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Stardate
2003.12.07 - 2nd Annual VWDOV.ca
Toy Cruise. I know I don't have a VW anymore, but I thought being a
long time enthusiast I would help support the cause and bring a few
toys for the food bank. The Vancouver Sun published small
write-up the day before and there was a pretty good turn out. I
took a few pictures and put them here.
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Stardate 2003.12.06
- After 3 tanks of 89 octane, the ticking engine sound has not
disappeared (see 2003.11.03c). So
I've gone back to using the manufacturer's recommended 87 octane.
I'll bring up the ticking issue during my next service. For now, I'm
letting the engine sit a bit longer (~30 seconds) when I first start
up and it seems to help. The ticking sound goes away after about 1
minute of running.
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Stardate 2003.11.20b
- I filled up with another tank of 89 octane and consumption is about
the same, 20.2 L/100 km (11.7 mpg). My short commutes up and down the
mountain are killing me. Oh, yeah, the repair tape on the lamp is
keeping out the moisture, but parts of it have started to lift.
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Stardate 2003.11.20a
- After finishing one tank of 89 octane fuel, the engine ticking has
not gone away (see 2003.11.07 and 2003.11.03c). Since it only
occurs for a minute or two during a cold start at low temperatures, I
find it's a bit better and less noticeable if I warm the engine a bit
before I start driving. I'll ask about the ticking at my next service.
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Stardate 2003.11.09
- Water had almost completely stopped beading on the hood so I knew
the Sequoia needed a good waxing. I finally got a chance on Sunday to
do the front end. I used Meguiar's 3-Step Deep Crystal System on the
hood and now I'm pretty happy with the
results. At the same time, I noticed that the driver's side turn
signal lamp was chipped  .
I remember hearing a bang a few days earlier so I guess that's what it
was. At least the rock didn't hit the paint.
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Stardate 2003.11.07
- I just filled up after going light on the gas pedal and the
results are pretty disappointing: 20.8 L/100 km (11.3 mpg) is one of the
worst I've gotten. However, I've only been going light-foot for half a
tank and it's been all city driving. Plus, living at the top of a
mountain really kills those consumption numbers. BTW, I filled up with
89 octane (instead of 87) and this morning I don't remember hearing
the ticking in the engine (see Stardate 2003.11.03c). I'll have to pay
more attention to be sure.
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Stardate 2003.11.03b
- Since I used to go out for a cruise all the time in the Passat, I
thought with the Sequoia I would do the same thing, but instead of the
cruising the highway, I would explore the back country. However, I had a
revelation over the weekend. In the Sequoia, one jaunt will take at
least a tank of
gas (if not more) that would easily cost over $60 each. That's $60 every time I felt the
itch to get out. My revelation? That's like buying a new PS2 game or
several very nice bottles of wine, or a K&N filter every week!
I've decided that I'd much rather spend my money on something other
than fuel, so I'm trying to change my driving behaviour from lead
foot to light foot. It'll be interesting to see if my
average fuel consumption will improve.
My average for October was 18.3 L/100km (12.8 mpg) and the best tank
I've had so far is 15.8 L/100 km (14.9 mpg).
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Stardate 2003.11.03a
- The Bosch Micro Edge wiper refills I bought (Stardate 2003.10.18)
don't seem to fit on the stock blades as well as the original. It
seems that the bottom and top 0.5 cm of the blade doesn't sit against
the curve of the windshield very much and the cleared area is less
than stock. It doesn't make much of a difference, but I may just get
new blades next time.
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Stardate 2003.10.20
- Picked up a receiver tow hook. I first
saw this in the JCWhitney
catalog for $29.99 US but I didn't want the hassle of customs and
brokerage fees. I ordered from Canadian Tire instead, out of the
specialty parts catalogue, for $49.99 CAD. It was back-ordered and
took almost 3 weeks to come in. At least I was able to use up my
Canadian Tire money.
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Stardate
2003.08.12 - I finally got the free pre-paid gas card from Toyota
Canada. I wasn't sure I'd get it because we actually took delivery of
the Sequoia the day before the
promotion started. The sales guy said no problem, but I had
doubts. Luckily, it worked out.
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