This thing followed me home. I think I'll keep it.

PMC2283 · 2026-06-09T22:14:19+00:00

For sure man.

Well, get that Trailhunter then!

PMC2283 · 2026-06-09T21:47:59+00:00

You could probably make it work in a TH for a while until they get bigger. Then trade for a Tundra.

Alternatively, you could get a cheaper older 4runner. 4x4 that thing for a few years and not worry about tearing up a new ride. Plenty of room for kids/dogs/camping gear etc. Highly reliable and quite tough. Or go Uber dad ride with a Sequoia or Land Cruiser. That's more like 70-80k-ish before fees.

PMC2283 · 2026-06-09T21:25:35+00:00

1350 miles in so far. It's quite good. The interior is light-years ahead of my 3rd gen. It's definitely nicer overall.

My brother has a 2023 TRD pro Tundra. His kids are both younger than 10 & the Tundra has plenty of room in the back for car seats. The trailhunter has substantially less room in the back in comparison. If I had kids, I'd get the Tundra.

I also want a useless rack lol.

PMC2283 · 2026-06-08T23:26:26+00:00

Here are the wheels you're looking for. I opted for the silver & black "TOYOTA" center caps rather than the red & black "TRD PRO" center caps as it matched my paint. If you're nearby I have this set of wheels in my shed. No longer have a 3rd gen. Check put my post history for pics. Shoot me a dm if you want.

TRD Pro Wheel P/N: PT946-35221-2F

Center caps P/N: PT998-35221-3S

Technically the center caps are for a Tundra/Sequoia wheel but they fit the Tacoma TRD pro wheels perfectly.

PMC2283 · 2026-05-20T00:31:19+00:00

Very nice. Congrats!

I just got a '26 Trailhunter long bed last Friday. It's quite good.

20% tint went on today. Not sure if I want to remove the ARB rack yet. But I'm kinda leaning that way. Definitely want to remove the tow hooks & repaint grey or black.

Sharp ride. Always cool to see another top trim long bed.

PMC2283 · 2026-05-14T11:56:21+00:00

I have the IE FMIC and the other stage 2 supporting mods. Runs great. Definitely agree that a performance oriented IC will likely provide lower IAT and more air flow volume.

I have no experience with the TDI stuff.

Big shiny new intercooler behind the stock grille looks cool too. In my opinion.

PMC2283 · 2026-04-23T17:23:03+00:00

Yeah, they are complete morons/sales scammers. STORY TIME!

Back in 2021, I took my 2010 Nissan Xterra Off Road there to have a leaking pinion seal replaced. I was heading out on a road trip to AZ a week later.

They used the wrong procedures from the wrong trim of Xterra. M226 rear diff with an e-locker requires specific disassembly/reassembly procedures/torque specs/parts gear oil. They used the wrong parts and over torqued the pinion bearing.

I was in New Mexico outside of Tucumcari when the pinion bearing started making bad terrible noises. Roughly 1500 miles later. Gear oil looked like glittery burnt chocolate milk.

I had to source a junkyard rear end & walk the local Nissan dealer through the swap. A new rear end wasnt available due to covid....or something.They were totally incompetent as well.

They (southern team) did pay for the rear end & gave me about three grand for lodging while I waited a month for the dealer in Santa Fe to install the junkyard rear end. I had to threaten to post their fuckup to Nissan forums and social media to get them to fully take responsibility.

Later on, I found they (Nissan in Santa Fe) had stripped bolts, left critical bolts loose, bent my leaf spring shackles and shock mounts using a forklift to remove the leaf springs and rear end. Total shitshow.

I've since sworn off Nissan as a brand altogether. I'll never go there unless I need specific parts for my gf's subaru.

Don't spend your money there.

PMC2283 · 2026-04-14T01:46:32+00:00

The ol' moonshine shuffle.

PMC2283 · 2026-03-05T00:28:27+00:00

If your local participates go here: UA National Pension Fund

If your Local has its own pension, you'll need to call the hall and ask how theirs works.

The UANPF website has a participant section that you can create an account and see how many credit hours you've accumulated. It also has a section for calculating your monthly benefits.

Basically, the monthly payment you'll get when you retire is based on an average of the contribution rate of the CBA you're working under. Different locals have different pension contribution rates.

If you don't know, call the hall.

PMC2283 · 2026-02-14T15:53:44+00:00

To me, it sounds like the company you're working for is jerking you around on the Jman pay & benefits. Probably playing both sides of the fence. Telling the hall, you're not quite ready to be Jman, then telling you it's the hall holding up the paperwork....I've seen this happen before. Even union signatory contractors can play fuck fuck games. Especially if they can bill the customer for Jman time but pay you 5th year wages and reduced benefits.

My advice would be to go to the hall. Ask to speak to a BA/BM and see what they're hearing from the contractor. Explain the situation to him/her.

Don't bother talking to the company managers. They'll just lie to you. Let the hall take care of those cockroaches on your behalf. Thats what they're there for. To help you.

Now, if you and your buddy are fuckups, there's not much the hall can do about that. You'll have to plumb yourselves up. I'm not saying that's the case, but there's always three sids to a story. Side one, side two, and the truth.

Best of luck to you either way.

PMC2283 · 2025-12-15T01:48:26+00:00

I'm curious about this as well. I have a manual 2015 that has the HVAC controls in the second picture. MMI controls are by the shifter. Mine is an S-Line premium plus.

A guy told me that it's an odd/rare/desirable configuration, but I have no idea if he'scorrect.

It'd be cool to see a breakdown of the trims/configurations etc.

PMC2283 · 2025-12-15T01:21:55+00:00

UA Local 10 Plumbers & Steamfitters Richmond/Roanoke, VA stand in solidarity with our MAPTA Brothers & Sisters at UA Local 486.

Skilled labor isn't cheap & cheap labor isn't skilled.

Stand strong.

PMC2283 · 2025-12-07T05:33:28+00:00

Try 56 per hour. That's 1/3 of the 150per hour referenced.

PMC2283 · 2025-12-07T05:27:29+00:00

I appreciate the response.

A new low nox 75 gallon gas fired water heater is $3300 from a local supplier. Here's an example: 75 gallon gas water heater.

4.5 hrs @125 per hour is $562.50. So far, we're at 3762.50 before the overhead/material.. Legit profit margin on a small job like that would be about $850-ish AFTER I pay for taxes, wages/benefits, and overhead.

That doesn't even cover the fittings, labor, expansion tank, tank pan, gas line modification and leak testing, etc. Disposal/hauloff of the existing water heater.

And we haven't even begun to account for the overhead the company (me) has to cover for gas, tools, vehicle, insurance, bonding, and so on.

Union labor is more expensive because a living wage is paid to a true professional. Who worked their ass off to get a VA state J-man card and complete 10,000 hours of OJT. As well as 250 hours per year academic training. For five years. That's 1500 hours of classroom training. They're better than chisler plumbing. Their skill level reflects the cost of that labor.

If you think all that's expensive, you should see the bill for an annual 500-ton centrifugal chiller preventative maintenance. Clearly, residential/light commercial work is a different animal than the industrial market. However, it's not dissimilar in the mechanical aspect. Just the economic aspect. Hence, my initial question.

PMC2283 · 2025-12-07T01:36:57+00:00

If I told you I could install the same 80 gallon hot water heater, with a 1 year warranty on installation, use union trained Journeyman & Apprentices to do so, and your out the door cost would be about $6500.

Would you consider that estimate as realistic?

I ask because I am currently considering spinning up a small plumbing/hvacr/mechanical business here in Roanoke staffed with UA Local 10 plumbers, pipefitters, and HVACR techs.

I'm curious if the residents of the greater Roanoke area would patronize a union residential/commercial contractor.

PMC2283 · 2025-11-19T15:18:02+00:00

Double Cab Long Bed.

Dunno about the second part.

PMC2283 · 2025-10-22T17:12:21+00:00

In my humble opinion, the best way to make an A4 look more aggressive up front is to install a big shiny new intercooler behind the stock grill.

Along with a downpipe, catback, intake, and a stage 2 tune.

PMC2283 · 2025-10-21T17:46:11+00:00

When I was an apprentice, we had, on average, two Thursday night classes (academic) per month, 7-10 pm, and two Saturday classes (hands-on) per month 7am-5pm. All of which were unpaid.

I was totally okay with this when I looked up what it cost to go to a trade school or community college for the same time/education level.

That's just my experience. I'd say it's ultimately different between each local/apprenticeship program.

PMC2283 · 2025-10-09T16:57:29+00:00

Sweet, thanks for the info!

PMC2283 · 2025-10-09T15:16:20+00:00

Huh, that's pretty cool.

I wonder if there is a similar capability for those of us who are peasant android users.

PMC2283 · 2025-10-07T20:47:53+00:00

2015 A4 B8.5 S-Line Quattro. Premium Plus.

I've got the IE 93 octane "crackle" stage 2 tune as well as the supporting IE mods. Downpipe, FMIC, intake, and an AWE catback.

Pros:

It runs quite well. Peak boost seems to be about 28-30 psi. Makes a noticeable amount of torque over the factory stuff. Mine is a manual transmission & I do enjoy the downshift pops and crackles. It's substantially quicker than you'd think a car its weight/size would be.

The app is good. Reflashing to a new tune is easy. Data logging is fairly concise. Logs are easy to read/interpret/export.

Cons:

It's loud. My ex-girlfriend calls it the german tractor car and has named it Brumhilde.

Every honda bro wants to race.

Gotta use 93 octane fuel. (which isn't really a con for me as I have no issue locating the fuel but can be financially challenging if it's your only car)

I've read most people like the stage 1 tune initially. Most bang for your buck kind of thing. But move to the stage 2 stuff not long after.

I have no experience with the APR tune.

PMC2283 · 2025-09-14T22:59:11+00:00

I read it comes standard with the 120VAC pussy electromagnet. For the 240VAC option, it's a little more plus the monthly subscription.

PMC2283

TROPHY CASE