Been a 2005 and 2006 Tacoma owner and love the truck, but I had a bad experience lately and I'd like your opinions. Truck is a TRD with factory tow package.

I took the truck to Valvoline Instant Oil Change to have all the fluids replaced. I've taken cars there for six years without problems. The day after I hear rubbing in the rear end and come to find that they didn't use the special additive needed for the rear differential. Money is refunded, additive added, and away I go.

Two days later my clutch goes out - truck has 30K on it. I take it to the dealer and I'm told it's all wear items. I did tow a boat about 1,500 miles last year with gross weight of everything around 5,000 lbs. I also know I burnt the clutch once coming up a boat ramp when I didn't coordinate the release of the hand brake with my clutch release so well. The repair cost me $1,400 and that's with a machined, not replaced, flywheel.

1. Have any of you heard about chronic clutch problems on late model manual transmission Tacomas?
2. Could the wrong rear diff fluid have aggravated the clutch situation?
3. What the hell can I do in the future to keep it from happening, besides not tow a boat?
4. Does your manual transmission seem stiff when it's cold?

I have to question how anyone but a total stick shift noob can burn out a clutch in 30k.
The real question is, how do you know it went out?

Thats the point Dr. Helpful. I'm not a total stick shift noob.

The dealer, who I've taken cars to sveral times said it was wear items. Now that may be my mistake.

I know your not a stick shift noob. Something else went wrong.
Well, thanks for answering my question then.

this happened to a friend of mine on his 06 v6 tacoma TRD Sport w/ the 6-speed manual, what do mean by clutch "went out"? on his truck the dealer told him that the fingers on the plate bent at around 7,000 miles, although his dealer said that they couldn’t believe that anyone could beat up a clutch in that amount of time & that they did not know the cause, but they repaired the clutch under the warranty

How the heck do you bend the fingers on the pressure plate? Unless something was hugely mis adjusted by the factory, I don't see how. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/banana.gif)

I have the same truck and my pressure plate broke also. Toyota changed this design in 2006 to fix this problem. Cost me $1300.