Sienna Written Off Today

[melissab]

I too am going back to a Sienna soon. Dont forget the new 2015 now come standard again with a tow package!! One could not be added to the 2014 after market b/c of the cartridge style oil filter so if you didnt find one that was ordered that way from the factory you were SOL. You of course still have to add hitch and wiring harness but all the coolers etc are stock again!

Originally Posted by MC1

Gord... You know what you are talking about. This list on Sienna Chat confirms... Problem is we live in Canada so when it comes to vehicle pricing we get fleeced. Those new Sienna's are a king's ransom. The Toyota dealer in town is flaky. Will try not to buy from them.

Get the 2015 model year. It's a no brainer to pick the 2015 over the 2011 due to the following reasons:

1. Quieter interior from road noise vs 2014.
2. Rigid chasis from additional 142 welds.
3. Less body roll during turns
4. Better resale value because of the year
5. Better electronics - most significant
6. Better audio sound than the 2014
7. Better navigation system
8. Better leather stitching
9. Better protection from small overlap collision
10. 2015 has Blu Ray and 2014 is not capable of playing Blu Ray disc. Not clear from your post if both have the RES.
11. HVAC controls are easier to use and reach.
12. Better Dashboard.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by melissab

I too am going back to a Sienna soon. Dont forget the new 2015 now come standard again with a tow package!! One could not be added to the 2014 after market b/c of the cartridge style oil filter so if you didnt find one that was ordered that way from the factory you were SOL. You of course still have to add hitch and wiring harness but all the coolers etc are stock again!

Yes 3500/350 lbs for MOST 2015 Siennas (but not all, so do check).

The trailer lights wiring harness from Curt was not too hard to put in. The brake controller was not as easy. For one thing you have to tap the brake pedal wire, there is no plug in harness available.

For the Scamp 16 one needs a ball mount with 7-8 inch rise. And then the tailgate hits the trailer jack.

Toyota makes it clear that they do not offer the equipment needed to tow and that they will not endorse the use of aftermarket stuff.

Its not the ideal tow vehicle, but its a very good van.

[honda03842]

Gordon,

The Odyssey does not need a 6-7 inch rise to tow level, we use a 3" rise. Opening the tailgate when connected does not interfere with any part of the trailer.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Gordon,

The Odyssey does not need a 6-7 inch rise to tow level, we use a 3" rise. Opening the tailgate when connected does not interfere with any part of the trailer.

Yea well thats all and good.. but half the time you only got three cylinders !

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Oh wait a minute.. thats a good thing. Darn, you win

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I should actually add that I was speaking of a Curt Hitch Receiver.. I know of at least one brand that is higher, and if Toyota was willing to produce one I am sure it would be integrated with the bumper and also higher than the Curt one.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Yea well thats all and good.. but half the time you only got three cylinders !

Oh wait a minute.. thats a good thing. Darn, you win

I should actually add that I was speaking of a Curt Hitch Receiver.. I know of at least one brand that is higher, and if Toyota was willing to produce one I am sure it would be integrated with the bumper and also higher than the Curt one.

Our receiver comes out just below the plastic of the bumper. I actually don't know the brand of the hitch. I've yet to take off the plastic to look at the hitch. Installation did require cutting of the bottom of the plastic bumper at the sides.

[melissab]

Ya the Toyota hitch is higher than after market. On my 2006 Sienna I could open the liftgate and clear the tongue jack which was awesome esp when raining!! I would open it while connecting the trailer up and stay dry. My local Trailer specialist is no longer allowed to install brake controllers due to insurance restrictions having to tap brake wires etc so they sent me to a large equipment repair shop and they were able to do it for me. It performs flawlessly. They also ran the wire to charge the battery. Officially my little Scamp is 500 lbs under the limit of needing the tow pkg but towing in 100 degree temps climbing the GA mountains to an elevation of 4500 ft I was really glad I have it just as extra insurance.

[MC1]

Well we got lucky and found a nice 2009 Sienna LE with the tow pkg.

We also looked at the CRV's as they have advantages but the Sienna's ride, power, and interior room won out.

It has 131,000klm's but we reviewed all the service records and they were done by the book.

At the Toyota dealership they had a new Sienna SE fully loaded. So nice but with taxes it would have been over $45,000. and way outside of our budget

Originally Posted by Cathi

If you replace it with a much newer vehicle, you should have a big update in safety features.

So true Cathi.... In the past 17 years we have been hit 4 times (all of those vehicle were write offs) so safety is a biggy for us. The 09 has multiple airbags which we feel good about.

[Andrew Gibbens]

Isn't BH an abbreviation of SWMBO*?

(* She Who Must Be Obeyed)

[MC1]

LOL, that too Andrew!

[MC1]

A couple days after taking delivery of the 09 Sienna we noticed a 14" crack in the new Toyota windshield and a few drops of oil on the driveway.

The crack started at the base of the windshield so suspect a stress crack from a defective windshield.

A close look at the leak source revealed a leaking steering rack dust boot.

Went back to the Toyota dealer and all is good. On Tuesday they will replace the defective windshield and install a new steering rack. They admitted the leak was missed with the safety check. I am impressed they actually admitted to making an error and completely covering all the costs involved with the issues.

With every additional klm we grow to like this vehicle more and more. Even the 11 year old grandson prefers the van compared to riding in the G35.

[honda03842]

Wayne,

This is our first mini-van and everyone we've transported gas like the seating, even our rear seat passengers.

In FL we sometimes carry 6 adults and the comment I've heard is either airline seating or adult seating.

Mid row people love having arm rests.

[MC1]

Doing a lot of highway klm's/miles, about 4,000klm's @ 10litres/100lkm's which equates to about 750klm's per tank full of 75liters. Not bad. The 4cyl CRV we looked at would have been about 20% better.

The van has worked great except for a minor ticking noise when it starts in the morning but then goes away after a minute. Will monitor. Will also upgrade to mobil 1 oil at next oil change.

So over all very happy with this vehicle and I keep hearing from the Mrs how well it drives and how much she likes it. Now that is a biggy!