Unobtainium

[Bear]

@4Cruisers ,

Oh you can definitely drive past the massive warehouse as the building covers quite a few acres, park out front, walk-in and speak to a receptionist. That's it, the rest is off-limits--nothing to see. Whereas at Area 51, especially at night, there can be lots of entertainment, either in the night sky above, or possibly you get selected to star as the center of entertainment, for some surgically-minded other visitors !

Perhaps, for all the chances we have of buying any un-obtainium there, we should re-name the Toyota warehouse as "Area 52" !

 

[iptman]

So if I knew someone in Canada I could have them walk in to their local Toyota dealer and order a pair of fenders?

 

[flx]

Those fenders are highly available in Europe by any Toyota part reseller. I'm believing they are built in the Portugal factory of Toyota but I have no evidence of that.
I just checked, my local equivalent of Toyotapartsdeal or Amayama sell them for 165€ (without sale tax) but it does not ship outside of Europe. I'm pretty sure others (like Megastore4x4) would ship to the US and shipping cost from Europe to the US is generally way shipper than the other way around

 

[Dizzy]

They made an illicit market for genuine parts? I'm in.

No, serious, why would they make two part numbers for the same part? Does this mean that there is a different sticker for the diesel 15x5.5" wheels?

 

[fjc-man]

I think @dieselbj42 has figured out getting oem fenders to the states if you’re interested. His latest post on this topic is #85 in classifieds body / parts for sale.

 

[flx]

No, serious, why would they make two part numbers for the same part? Does this mean that there is a different sticker for the diesel 15x5.5" wheels?

I believe captured nuts for accessories change of position with the engine. In the EPC they also have different part numbers depending of factory accessories like a winch... In the end you have a lot a part numbers but as usual, only 1 still available.

 

[pbgbottle]

No the wheels are same number and should be available to all. The fenders has various part numbers becuase of different years and different accessories mounting things Of ya wanted fenders I can’t be picky on the year. Most diesel ones didn’t come with the coil mount on the fender doc needed a different part numbers and mounting bosses changed through the years so new part numbers where created. So you need a good parts guy to find one forgetting what ever year you need To onto your dealer and order a fender for a 1984 fj40 maybe left or maybe Right and he may still have one. If not order one for a 1979-82. He may have one. If not order one for a 1978-1979 he may have one. We here in Canada could also add the BJ40 option to the search or the BJ42 option to the search eventually we find a few. You cant be picky on the year u get your dealer to search for as there are a numbers about of part numbers through the years for the fenders.

 

[SuperDuperCruizer]

One fender had the bracket for the coil and the diesel version doesn’t.

 

[Bear]

You're all correct.

But the point is, rather than have the parts originally first sent to or from Japan, Portugal, France, Germany, Middle East, Canada, etc........ and then pay to further ship them to a buyer for example in California, in the USA--with the very possible chance of damage along the way--why not let the guys in California either personally go directly to the warehouse here where the parts are sitting, or if it's not set up for individual sales, then allow the Toyota dealership on the other side across the freeway to order them and sell them from their Parts Department, or any other US dealership?

I suspect a fleet of lawyers and a massive safety agency could make a case against the safety of a non-USA-certified wheel or a transmission, but really, the lack of--or the addition of--a few extra bolt holes in a fender now makes that item illegal in a country because it was given a different part number? Are we really saving the world here and protecting people from themselves? Even in horrible California, some parts are allowed to be sold with the stipulation "for off-road use only," and the regulators wink each time one is sold.

So this thread is not always about true "unobtainium," but sometimes "selective unobtainium," as arbitrarily decided by those we select to serve and protect us. If given the opportunity, I think among us we could figure this out. No matter how many elections we have, no matter what political group is in charge, the regulations keep piling up, slowly choking off the people they are supposed to be protecting. And this restriction on certain car parts is just one more example of political incompetence and over-reach, and the loss of democratic rights. Thos. Jefferson warned years ago: "The sheep are happier of themselves, than under the care of the wolves." After 250 years, some things never change.

I think I've said enough. Stepping off the soap box, and no, I'm not running for office, I'm running away from it !

Happy New Year !

 

[flx]

You know, you are already lucky in the US, most of the parts for FJ40 available are in the US, most of the refabricated ones also and the best resellers are there.

Restoring a FJ40 in Europe I ordered so much from the US, with your international shipping being a rip-off (32$ for a DVD size box seriously !??), that I think I'm well over 1000$ in shipping only, and contrary to the US (I believe you don't have to pay import tax for anything under 1000$ ?) I have to pay 20% sale tax + customs tax + shipping company rip-off charge (again) for handling that on anything I order abroad (and I have to pay it on the shipping cost also, double penalty).

I don't think this is because a law forbid them to sell it, I think it's only the mysteries of Toyota choosing to make available some parts in some places for who knows reason (and from which warehouse it went through changes noting to it).
In the other things highly available in Europe directly from Toyota are the side markers while it's a part very specific to the US market, it makes no sense to sell them here and it would probably be illegal to add them on the side of vehicle here but the mysterious parts algorithme of Toyota decided to make it available here for cheap while almost nothing for a F engine is available ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All that to say, for this one part not directly available in the US, I'm sorry but you'll have to swallow it.

 

[waiting for time]

I wanted to buy a Metal Tech cage a few years ago, shipping was over twice the price of the cage (not build).
And that is before import tax and vat.

 

[pbgbottle]

Canadians too have to pay huge and we are right next door to the US ,import duties ,taxes ,brokerage ,shipping fees ,exchange rates ,kills all our deals from the US ,I’m lucky I live 15 mins from the US border. If I drive down to the US Then I can save myslef most of the fees. Usually only extra expense is the exchange rate on the Canadain dollar which is brutal also. It hurts everybody to buy part from the US.

You know, you are already lucky in the US, most of the parts for FJ40 available are in the US, most of the refabricated ones also and the best resellers are there.

Restoring a FJ40 in Europe I ordered so much from the US, with your international shipping being a rip-off (32$ for a DVD size box seriously !??), that I think I'm well over 1000$ in shipping only, and contrary to the US (I believe you don't have to pay import tax for anything under 1000$ ?) I have to pay 20% sale tax + customs tax + shipping company rip-off charge (again) for handling that on anything I order abroad (and I have to pay it on the shipping cost also, double penalty).

I don't think this is because a law forbid them to sell it, I think it's only the mysteries of Toyota choosing to make available some parts in some places for who knows reason (and from which warehouse it went through changes noting to it).
In the other things highly available in Europe directly from Toyota are the side markers while it's a part very specific to the US market, it makes no sense to sell them here and it would probably be illegal to add them on the side of vehicle here but the mysterious parts algorithme of Toyota decided to make it available here for cheap while almost nothing for a F engine is available ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All that to say, for this one part not directly available in the US, I'm sorry but you'll have to swallow it.

I wanted to buy a Metal Tech cage a few years ago, shipping was over twice the price of the cage (not build).
And that is before import tax and vat.

 

[FJ40GURU]

Which Darth Vader light deserves to score the NOS OEM room switch?

 

[OGBeno]

Lots of misinformation on how Toyota parts procurement really works.

But really funny to read these conspiracy theories.

@Bear comes the closest to the correct reasons. Though there are many more.

 

[Bear]

@Onur ,

You and Dan know this stuff backwards and forwards. Care to share some with us? It's obviously frustrating when an actual part is tantalizingly close enough to touch it, and yet so unobtainable, that to go around the system and buy it, it has to go through so many extra miles and so many seemingly unnecessary hands. Seems simple to solve, but undoubtedly there are corporate, logistical, legal, and political reasons for such situations. Just wish we could overcome a few of them and score a win for the little guy now and then.

I wonder how much of this is related to the "Chicken Tax" philosophy that caused Toyota so much grief in years past? It has to have negatively affected some of our international members as well.

Oh well, we'll live to fight another day !

 

[Braden620]

@Onur ,

You and Dan know this stuff backwards and forwards. Care to share some with us? It's obviously frustrating when an actual part is tantalizingly close enough to touch it, and yet so unobtainable, that to go around the system and buy it, it has to go through so many extra miles and so many seemingly unnecessary hands. Seems simple to solve, but undoubtedly there are corporate, logistical, legal, and political reasons for such situations. Just wish we could overcome a few of them and score a win for the little guy now and then.

I wonder how much of this is related to the "Chicken Tax" philosophy that caused Toyota so much grief in years past? It has to have negatively affected some of our international members as well.

Oh well, we'll live to fight another day !

@Onur I'm with @Bear You and Cdan are not going to be doing this forever, and he is already retired. You aren't 4th dimensional and cant be omnipresent. It would be nice to get a few things. There is no reason why a part that's sitting on a shelf cant sit on my rig. You work for Toyota , let's get the Monozukuri back up to where it was when these trucks were in production.

 

[cruiserdan]

@Onur I'm with @Bear You and Cdan are not going to be doing this forever, and he is already retired. You work for Toyota....

Um no, he does not.

 

[Braden620]

My apologies, I was under the impression that he did. "It is not necessary for you to know what you are talking about".

Maybe all these questions could be answered if you guys provided a few more details? Thanks.

 

[Living in the Past]

Um no, he does not.

Did either one of actually work directly for Toyota.? Your was always with the Miller group?

Curious on your thoughts of living in UT verses NM? We have thought about moving further north if I could ever reduce the collection down to something that could be moved.

 

[OGBeno]

My apologies, I was under the impression that he did. "It is not necessary for you to know what you are talking about".

Maybe all these questions could be answered if you guys provided a few more details? Thanks.

I’m obligated to provide what details? And who are you for me to jump when asked?

And why am I to do anything? Are you paying me? Are you my employer or boss?