Toyota Sovereign Bar – Driving lights vibrating loose or CB Aerials breaking

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

Right! I think I still have the pins so I will look and fit them. If I don't I might hit up the Scotish sounding Toyota dealer for them since they didn't fit them WHEN they stuffed up the instalation of the recall! Good diagram, Peter. For anyone with a sovereigh bar who ever hits a single corrugation, every one of those nuts needs to be regularly checked and/or loctited because they WILL come loose, especially the ones at the outer extremeties of the bar. A crap design! Neil

[Peterpilot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Peterpilot]

That diagram is on the recall bracket fitting instruction sheet. Obviously the one McToyota didn't follow

[peril Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close peril]

Well look at that, it appears the Scottish Toyota Dealer did a good job on mine, I see I do have a pin in that position.

[tonykarter15 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tonykarter15]

In 2012, I took my 120 series prado up to Cape York and experienced similar issues with the CB aerial.
My bull bar is the factory alloy bull bar that had replacement brackets installed at the same time the winch cradle was fitted.

I snapped the standard GME black aerial by the time I got to Bamaga. I bought a small wire one at Weipa and snapped that one about 200kms down the road.

Talking to the GME rep back home afterwards, he indicated to me that the standard black aerial is the best on badly corrugated roads and recommended me NOT to buy a white fibreglass one or wire one as he felt they wouldn't take the vibrations well.

My observation is that the toyota alloy bull bar has significantly more movement compared to the ARB steel bars. This movement transfers to the aerial that seems to whip it along its length. I have a photo at home that has the black GME aerial in an "S" shape along its length.

[Handyman Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Handyman]

Thanks everyone for your information; especially "Peterpilot"
I am interested to see if the dealer Phil McCarroll coughs up for the cost of the repair & who Toyota wants to conduct the further work so the Sovereign Alloy Bull bar is mounted the way Toyota has specified.
Cheers
Jon

[peril Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close peril]

My dealer was the other Scottish name, 'Stewarts'.

[Peterpilot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Peterpilot]

My dealer was the other Scottish name, 'Stewarts'.

That's my dealer also

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

Well i fitted the chassis pins today. I actually had 2 sets because I had bought a pair of second hand crash cans to replace cracked ones before the recall and they came with them. The second set I had because they handed them back to me when the recall was done because I said that I wanted all of the bits that came off!!! [they wouldn't give me the recalled mounting brackets. Fitting them is a PIA because I have the radiator protector panel [ to overcome that design flaw!] that has to be removed to get access. To remove that the front bash plate has to come off. Moving the radiator back at the bottom is the easy bit before slipping in the pins and the chassis bit. About 2 hours stuffing around to fix up yet another of the bits of dodgy work done by the dealer. The bar does seem to be a bit firmer but I haven't driven it yet and I suspect it is illusion.It certainly gave no trouble last year on the Simpson without the pins. Wont do any harm to have them there though.
As to the aerials, the dodgy metal one lasted 1/2 an hour on the CSR bit the 1.2 m black fibreglass GME one I replaced it with lastes the whole CSR and has since done the Simpson, Arnhem Land and the High country without trouble so black gme fibreglass it is!. Neil

[peril Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close peril]

Seems to me the aerial position and bull bar structure could be inadvertently tuned into a sympathetic harmonic vibration, thus exaggerating the problem. I think moving the aerial position would likely cure this but it's a shame to have to do that.

[Handyman Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Handyman]

Prado’s booked in for next Thursday [8 Aug] to have the Sovereign Bull Bar “correctly fitted” in accordance to Toyota’s recall which includes the use of the Chassis Pins. Dealer advised they needed to contact Toyota as the “parts kit” [ordered twice] didn’t have one of required parts. Will seek further information from the Service Manager when the jobs done; as the booking and rebooking has been done by the Service Departments Secretary only so doesn’t know anything more than what I have included in this update.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Should have been done right the first bloody time. Lucky you found it....lets hope they get it right this time round. I had Penrith Toyota do mine and must say its lined up 100% and no damage done although they were pre warned to make sure they did a proper job and take care not to scratch any thing....... Cheers Steve