About my Previa and Sienna

So when I got the Sienna, I did not see the glue in the right fender/bumper area. Anyways, after I purchase the van, they give me the work order where Dublin Toyota spent 3K fixing the van and replacing stuff. It nagged me, but when my father in law messed up the rear bumper, I was heated. I ordered OEM bumpers from Toyota. Finally, I was able to get them painted and put on. $1500 outta pocket! I was waiting for one more part, a bracket and it came the next day. ------------------------------- Then a closer look at the shitty work that was done before I got the van. So I noticed that the right fender and bumper were misaligned. Glue was visible too. When the body shop that fixed up my van took them off, they showed me. Glue on everything. This was the old bracket just glued!  I ordered new bezels and reflectors. One was cracked, and the other side was scratched up from my father in law backing into a wall. And upon closer ...

Well, my previa is down... but damn it.. this a good price!!!

My Sienna had some fixes in the front. Looks like the previous owner was careless about this van and had some bumper damage. He painted it, but you can see some glue under the right head light. Plus the bottom left portion has scratches on the front, slightly visible. When I got the paperwork from Dublin Toyota ( after we bought it ), they mentioned the bumper was slightly different in color. I personally could not tell and I look for these things. But that has always been a nagging point for me. Our Sienna was suppose to go for this Celijet protective spray.. but I've held off because of these issues and small dents here and there. --------------------------------------------------- Glad I held off. Yesterday, my father in law fucked up my rear bumper... I try to refrain from talking like that, but you don't know how pissed it made me. Of course I'm respectful to him and I'm glad he was alright. He backed up and some how backed into a concrete wall next ...

So I finally get the word from insurance.  It was an older vehicle and considered not worthy of fixing. So they totaled it. ----------------------------------- 2 options. $1400 and they can scrap my van. $1200 and I keep the van... This is a No Brainer. I've dedicated so much time and effort to this van, that I couldn't simply let it die. No... This whole project was about reviving this van and that is still the mission. So I've been dreading it, but finally had time to really assess the damage. With the limited time off due to work and family time, My junkyard salvaging has been severely hampered. I was able to find a fender and grab it, but limited in time to get all the other parts needed, but those parts were either gone or damaged because dummies didn't care about them when removing. -------------------------- As I was taking everything apart for Previa, I seen that the right side isn't just pushed back, but pushed into the engine bay as well. I wa...

So I've been looking at a few things for the Sienna. I've kinda been into the OEM options. Upon looking in the manual, there are a few different types of consoles. I believe one has USB charging in the back and then there is this one: "Long Console". I think this must have been for the newer Sienna models. But for some reason, I'm really digging it. -------------------------- While I wanted this console, I realized that looking at my SE, it is going to be different than the XLE. See the SE has the sliding middle row with middle seat rail is different than the 7 seater models that don't have the additional center seat. Now I cannot 100% confirm unless I see this in person, but it looks like the sliding console's extended track might conflict with the SE middle row sliding track, as seen in this picture. Here is the long console  You can see that the with the XLE model, there is not additional track for the...

One of the things I like about the Sienna is that CityKruiser and Vankulture have put effort into dressing up the van. So there are a few parts available. Since I will be re doing my bumpers, these 3 first items are gonna be bought. 1. SK style Front Lip - $96.00 2. City Kruiser rear apron and diffuser combo: $152 3. City Kruiser V2 Rain Guards - $60 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This second part of the list are what I want to get additionally for my Sienna in the future. Both OEM and aftermarket parts, but also functional as well.  4. City Kruiser Rear trunk light panel (this is for better lighting) $120.00 If you didn't know, the lighting in the trunk is a weak spot for the Sienna. 5. Genuine Sienna cargo organizer with covers - $240 http://accessories.a1toyota.com/2014/Toyota/Sienna/LE-FWD-8_Passenger-3__5L-V6/Factory-Interior/Car...

So after I got the sobering news that my previa will be considered totaled. We went to Dublin to a Toyota dealership. Tony W, VanKulture member, gave my info to one of his friends and in return told me they would help me out. My wife wanted a 7 seater. But she didn't want a van. She wanted a small SUV. We looked at a new Mitsubishi Outlander, but it was a small, cramped 7 seater. ---------------------------------------------- Anyways, we went to Dublin Toyota and saw some Siennas. A 2014 Silver Sienna SE caught my eye. I loved it... She test drove it and then she went for the chat with the the salesperson. --------------------------------------------------- Besides a few things I want to address, we got a Sienna!!! -------------------- The Previa was my family vehicle. The AC wasn't barely working and at times the AC pump was so taxing on the motor, it would occasionally shut of the van. So I needed to figure that out, but it wasn't the most comfo...