Dealership installed mods - thoughts?

[jmtrujillo1983]

Hey everyone, looking for honest opinions before I pull the trigger on a TRD Off Road premium.

I have put the deposit down and have ordered a few accessories - the OEM TRD suspension lift and tune, 285 KO3’s, skid plates, and a handful of smaller bits (north of $8K). I am in Denver, and do some off roading here and there, with plans to get into it more seriously once the truck is sorted.

I know the TRD stuff isn’t cheap, and I am fully aware I could get comparable, or even better, performance out of aftermarket options for less money. But coming with a really bad experience from owninga 2025 Land Cruiser with poor build quality and bad dealership service, I have lost some faith in Toyota‘s reliability. And want to make sure that the new vehicle warranty is not jeopardized. Going the OEM / TRD route through the dealer is my way of keeping everything clean on that front, and I would rather pay the premium than risk a warranty dispute down the road.

**I did consider the Trailhunter but the air intake is silly and the wait for the TRD Pro is 8+ months**

That said, here’s where I am on the fence - the dealership would need to do all the installation work, but that’s where I have my hesitations. My two main concerns are 1) the risk of damage to a brand new vehicle in the hands of techs who may not specialize in this kind of build. 2) whether dealer service departments actually have the skill set and experience to do this stuff right, especially the lift and tire fitment / alignment.

Has anyone gone the dealer route for a build like this? Trying to make a smart call here before anything gets bolted on!

Thanks

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[Archer]

From my experience with my local dealership, I"d never let them to do add-ons. They seem to have a hard enough time doing scheduled maintenance correctly and it seems from posts on here and other Toyota sites I'm not alone in that thinking process.


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[Joestac]

Saying you don't like the high air intake is one thing, calling it silly seems like something else. It very much has a function, granted one that won't be used a lot, but it does serve a purpose.

Now, whether or not you like, tolerate, or hate the sound it makes is completely justified. However, there are two ways to get rid of it very easily if that is the only thing keeping you from a Trailhunter, https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...-sound-noise-music-–-eliminated-no-more.6934/

I have seen good dealers and bad ones in terms of letting them add mods to the vehicle. It all depends. It will be a dice roll, however, getting it done at the dealer means you could at least escalate if things turn bad if you go the ORP route.

 

[MikeD]

Will the dealer provide a credit for the KO3s vs. the tires they will keep when making the swap? If not, you can likely save a bunch by selling the virtually new OEMs - ditto if you are swapping wheels for the optional flat black or TRD PRO wheels. Then you could sell the OEM wheels and tires mounted to offset the cost of new (and buying online from the right Toyota parts dealer saves a bunch on the wheels).
Similarly, you can get the Toyota skids for a lot less on-line - especially if you look for a sale. Installation of the skids is relatively easy. Weigh savings vs. your time for install.
I'm not positive if aftermarket rock rails would save much vs dealer-installed but they might depending on what the dealer is charging and what kind of deal you get for aftermarket. And you can sell the running boards (but don't expect to get anywhere near what Toyota charges for them.) Another plus is that if you want to use the rock rails as a step, there are many options out there that work better for that function than the highly angled Trailhunter rails.
Personally, I think there is an advantage to having the TRD lift kit dealer-installed because that is one place where an aftermarket kit might lead to a warranty denial if there is a failure in the suspension and related parts. But I also see the risk of dealer service technician inadequacy on that kind of install - so certainly a trade.
Just some thoughts for consideration.

 

[mfoga]

From my experience with my local dealership, I"d never let them to do add-ons. They seem to have a hard enough time doing scheduled maintenance correctly and it seems from posts on here and other Toyota sites I'm not alone in that thinking process.
.

The person doing those maintenance are NOT the same as people doing major repairs/jobs. They are the lowest paid , likely the newest and least skilled ones. Not to mention that are probably pushed the hardest to complete jobs much faster than expected. Can it be a sign that all the mechanics are bad maybe but most likely the case.

 

[Desert_6Gen]

What is this OEM TRD suspension lift you bought? I didn't think Toyota had a suspension kit available for the 4Runner. There is nothing wrong with the dealer doing the install. They work on these vehicles everyday and the install is actually very easy. Sure they will likely cost more than a smaller independent shop; but it's not a requirement that they have to do it. They always say that to get the work. Any new parts you buy from Toyota have a warranty no matter who installs it.

 

[mfoga]

What is this OEM TRD suspension lift you bought? I didn't think Toyota had a suspension kit available for the 4Runner. There is nothing wrong with the dealer doing the install. They work on these vehicles everyday and the install is actually very easy. Sure they will likely cost more than a smaller independent shop; but it's not a requirement that they have to do it. They always say that to get the work. Any new parts you buy from Toyota have a warranty no matter who installs it.

They have just very recently released a trp lift kit for 4runner.

 

[Joestac]

What is this OEM TRD suspension lift you bought? I didn't think Toyota had a suspension kit available for the 4Runner. There is nothing wrong with the dealer doing the install. They work on these vehicles everyday and the install is actually very easy. Sure they will likely cost more than a smaller independent shop; but it's not a requirement that they have to do it. They always say that to get the work. Any new parts you buy from Toyota have a warranty no matter who installs it.

https://autoparts.sanmarcostoyota.com/products/product/trd-2-5-suspension-lift-kit-ptccy89320 - Hybrid

https://autoparts.sanmarcostoyota.com/products/product/trd-2-5-suspension-lift-kit-ptccy89310 - Gas

 

[Desert_6Gen]

Nice. Is this the same setup that's on the Pro?

 

[mfoga]

Nice. Is this the same setup that's on the Pro?

No. Only the UCA are same except that are silver not red.

 

[jmtrujillo1983]

Saying you don't like the high air intake is one thing, calling it silly seems like something else. It very much has a function, granted one that won't be used a lot, but it does serve a purpose.

Now, whether or not you like, tolerate, or hate the sound it makes is completely justified. However, there are two ways to get rid of it very easily if that is the only thing keeping you from a Trailhunter, https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/trailhunter-snorkel-sound-noise-music-–-eliminated-no-more.6934/

I have seen good dealers and bad ones in terms of letting them add mods to the vehicle. It all depends. It will be a dice roll, however, getting it done at the dealer means you could at least escalate if things turn bad if you go the ORP route.

I really meant seems silly for me as I dont think I will use it. I actually like the sound, brings me back to the days when I had an M3 and it was actually enjoyable to hear something not electrified come out of your car. My hesitation with a dealer build will probably convince me to order a Trailhunter or a PRO and just drive my rattle-box Land Cruiser while I wait.

 

[jmtrujillo1983]

Will the dealer provide a credit for the KO3s vs. the tires they will keep when making the swap? If not, you can likely save a bunch by selling the virtually new OEMs - ditto if you are swapping wheels for the optional flat black or TRD PRO wheels. Then you could sell the OEM wheels and tires mounted to offset the cost of new (and buying online from the right Toyota parts dealer saves a bunch on the wheels).
Similarly, you can get the Toyota skids for a lot less on-line - especially if you look for a sale. Installation of the skids is relatively easy. Weigh savings vs. your time for install.
I'm not positive if aftermarket rock rails would save much vs dealer-installed but they might depending on what the dealer is charging and what kind of deal you get for aftermarket. And you can sell the running boards (but don't expect to get anywhere near what Toyota charges for them.) Another plus is that if you want to use the rock rails as a step, there are many options out there that work better for that function than the highly angled Trailhunter rails.
Personally, I think there is an advantage to having the TRD lift kit dealer-installed because that is one place where an aftermarket kit might lead to a warranty denial if there is a failure in the suspension and related parts. But I also see the risk of dealer service technician inadequacy on that kind of install - so certainly a trade.
Just some thoughts for consideration.

I will probably decide for a Trailhunter or a Pro and keep my LC until I get it, paying the same total for a completely built one with which I wouldn’t have to go through the possible hassle is making sense for me.

 

[MikeD]

I will probably decide for a Trailhunter or a Pro and keep my LC until I get it, paying the same total for a completely built one with which I wouldn’t have to go through the possible hassle is making sense for me.

Solid choice. After a number of mods (full steel skids, rock sliders, etc.) I realized that I just should have gotten a Trailhunter - then I would have SDM and not have to do this for the challenging rock crawling I've found my way to:

Sway bar link disconnected.

BTW - My view is that those Trailhunter features (full skids, sliders) make it a slightly "better value" than the PRO. (of course they both get SDM) Sort of the same way that the Off-road is a better value than the Sport for roughly the same price (IFF you will be taking advantage of those features (e.g., MTM, locking rear diff, suspension, beefier tires). YMMV

 

[Joestac]

Solid choice. After a number of mods (full steel skids, rock sliders, etc.) I realized that I just should have gotten a Trailhunter - then I would have SDM and not have to do this for the challenging rock crawling I've found my way to:
Sway bar link disconnected.

BTW - My view is that those Trailhunter features (full skids, sliders) make it a slightly "better value" than the PRO. (of course they both get SDM) Sort of the same way that the Off-road is a better value than the Sport for roughly the same price (IFF you will be taking advantage of those features (e.g., MTM, locking rear diff, suspension, beefier tires). YMMV

Exactly the reason I got the TH. I am still surprised they didn't up the cost of the TH over the Pro considering the base differences.

 

[jmtrujillo1983]

From my experience with my local dealership, I"d never let them to do add-ons. They seem to have a hard enough time doing scheduled maintenance correctly and it seems from posts on here and other Toyota sites I'm not alone in that thinking process.


.

I will probably end up ordering the Trailhunter or the PRO and keep my LC until then. My experience with the service departments in both Toyota dealerships I have used in the past 6 years has been very poor.

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