u/_devious__

i stumbled upon these in a Tundra facebook group. everyone that has them likes them.. so i bought a set.

floor mats block the vent, kids saying their feet are cold, air blowing under the carpet? boom, fixed. slips right on in seconds and actually makes a difference. they make the vent stick out further and angle it up.

you can get them here, for a few other vehicles too Derek's a chill guy. commented with him a couple times back and forth in that Tundra group. he ships quick and sends you something small, cool, and extra with your order 🤙🏼

we all know if you breathe too hard on the instrument cluster, it scratches to shit. mine got so bad i could barely see it when the sun or any light hit it because ya know, it gets dirty and i find any random cloth in the truck and go to town.

today i got annoyed with it and got an idea.

i used a flashlight to imitate the sun. the same light is set to the same brightness in every picture.

#1: cluster is cleaned to hell and otherwise untouched. fkin' clapped out bro. windex/ clorox wipes/ any cleaner wouldn't take off whatever all that spotty & cloudy shit is. oxidation? redbull? spit? jizz? don't know.

#2: my plan was Meguiar's PlastX. it was either going to ruin it, basically fix it, or do nothing. it was worth the risk at this point.

#3: i only did over the speedometer at first, threw the flashlight on it, and holy shit Batman, LOOK AT THAT!

#4: did the entire instrument cluster. the light is shining on the speedometer again. it looks amazing dude. it has not been this clear in probably 2 years. the truck is 2 years and 9 months old. i bought it brand new.

side note: there are a few deep scratches that i could not remove but the end result still exceeded my expectations.

#5: second picture of end result, light moved.

#6: third picture of end result, light moved.

this took about 10 minutes, a microfiber cloth, and a couple q-tips for tight spaces. if you do this, polish it well but don't let that shit dry on the plastic. letting it dry will make it cloudy and you'll have to do it again. buff it off with a clean cloth/ clean section of the cloth when it's still wet.

it's not pictured but i put some BS "ceramic" car wax (Chemical Guys HydroSlick) on it after because.. why not? it actually helped reduce the visibility of a few of the scratches that the polish couldn't remove.

also, this works on the gear selector plastic and air conditioning display plastic. DO NOT USE IT ON THE TOUCH SCREEN.

hope this can help some of you. much love 🤙🏼

TL;DR: Tacomas shipped to Mexico get an electric condenser fan to keep the ac cold in high ambient temps. you can do it yourself, pay the dealer a fortune to do it for you, or your dealer may do it for free (YMMV).

here's the sitch guys and gals. i use my truck for work ('23 TuRDP).
i live in South Louisiana.
I start the truck in the early in the morning and do not turn it off until i get home later in the afternoon.
it's f*cking hot here and about as humid as a bucket of water.
i love to come back to a drive-able refrigerator during work.
when idling while im out working, the truck's engine bay gets HOT.
the mechanical, clutch controlled radiator fan can not speed up on its own. the ac condenser gets heat soaked and ac performance slacks off. i come back to a cool, not cold truck.

enter TSB-0063-18 (now known as TSB-0093-20). this is factory installed on Tacomas shipped to Mexico. some dealers will do it for free in the US.. mine did not. an additional OEM electric radiator fan, an additional OEM fuse and relay box, and OEM wiring are all installed. now the air conditioner tells the fan "hey, it's hot. condenser needs air" and the fan kicks on and the air conditioner blows ice cold even when idling for 45 minutes in 100°F+ ambient temperatures.

i've been in my truck for 40 minutes waiting for something at a job to finish. it's over 100°F and sunny right now. i can see my breath in the truck. for the first time in 140,000+ miles, my air conditioner does not blow cool air when idling in these conditions, it blows air as cold as if i was doing 75 down the interstate and the ambient temps are 70°F

is this abnormal use for a Tacoma? yes. do i care? no. it's my truck. it's paid off. it has treated me perfectly for 140,000+ miles with no issues and i fully believe it will continue to do so for another 200,000+ miles.

what did this cost?
sit down..
to have my dealership get all of the parts (there's a lot) and install it for me was $3,125. YIKES!
as a man who spends 5-8 hours in his truck 5 days per week and likes his truck freezing cold, it was worth every single cent.

shout out to this thread on tacomaworld for making me aware of it. he DIY'd his for about $500-$600. i do not have the time nor was i comfortable with doing the work. i can afford to pay the dealership to do it, so i did.

if anyone is considering this, this is me saying it is so worth it. if you're handy, do it yourself with the parts. that link has a ton of helpful info on how he did his. if you've got cash to burn, have your dealer do it. it takes about a day. if your dealer is cool and you complain that your ac slacks off in high ambient temps, they may do the TSB for free.

much love, heathens.