Supercharger from Toyota dealerships

[trioptimum]

Hi everyone. I've saved up for awhile, and at this point have enough money to either supercharge my 99 Solara or upgrade to a faster car this summer. My only question - can a Toyota dealer still sell me a supercharger and install it? From reading the forums, it seems like people are saying it has been discontinued and must be bought elsewhere (ie no 12 month warranty from Toyota).

If this can still be done, about how much should I pay (for parts/labor - I know labor should be ~$400)? If not, should I try to find a new one on eBay or the like and have a shop install it? In that case, what about the computer reflashing?

In either case, should I go ahead with a supercharger, or does anyone have any other (reliable, Japanese) car suggestions for me to look in to?

Thanks everyone ^_^.

[ruffrydasean]

Realistically, If you wanna go the supercharging route...be ready to get a whole lot more than just the supercharger to have it running safely. Fuel mods and tuning and such

[Wang2k]

good luck finding a charger. If you do happen across one dont even take the time to think about it or someone is going to buy it out from under you. especially a new one. I got mine used for 1600 and it supposedly had 10000 miles on it. the kit came complete minus the strut bar.

[Deion]

I found this page a while ago when I was looking for a charger. I haven't called them to see if it's still available or anything but thought I'd share since I won't be charging or doing much more with my solara.

Has anyone heard of these guys? Is it for real?

http://www.wctoyotasport.com/TRD/index.htm

I went to my dealer and they said id be about ~$7000 CAD to supercharge, tune, install and they'd give a 1 year warranty if they install it. They estimated $450 CAD labor.

[trioptimum]

Hmm, that sucks. If I get a used one, what do I do about the computer reflashing? Does this mean, if I find a used one, the dealer must still install it? Will they install a used one (of course without warranty)?

Anything to look out for with a used unit - any common or easy to see/miss problems with them? Can you still get replacement parts from TRD?

I'm aware of the fuel mods and such... first problem is getting ahold of the supercharger and doing an install. That sucks that they stopped production !!

Thanks for the help everyone...

[SpeedSTARs]

Can you still get replacement parts from TRD?

I'm aware of the fuel mods and such... first problem is getting ahold of the supercharger and doing an install. That sucks that they stopped production !!

Thanks for the help everyone...

Sup Bro,

It was very painful to get replacement parts for the TRD SC kit. I called across the US just to get the pretension and the alternator bolt. This was back in 2004... However, if you have the TRD blower, the Blower can be rebuilt by Magnuson. It will be expensive depending on the severity. I had mine totally rebuilt because all the SC lubricant leaked out which caused allot of wear. I still miss the wine to this day and the Twilight Blue Pearl paint to this day.

[trioptimum]

Given all of this information, I think I'll avoid it for the time being... the car is probably as fast as I need it to be anyway, and being a college student and this being my only car, I don't have time to wait for spare parts or anything. Oh well... I'll just have to invest the money or something _responsible_ *sigh* .

Thanks again everyone!

[JMSinMaryland]

I'll be the first one to say it, both my Camry and Solara are/were supercharged with a manual transmission. I've driven both Camry and Solara with supercharger that were automatic. If I had an automatic I personally wouldn't get the supercharger. The auto really doesn't do the S/C justice. If I were in your position (assuming the car is stock) I would pick up the springs/struts the Krawzyazn is selling and lower your car (labor should be about $200), tint your car a nice 20% or 30% ($120-$180) and put on some nice 18's ($1000-$1500). In the future if you run across a TRD kit ($600-$1000) that would really set off the look, though without (like I had my car setup for a few weeks before I installed the bodykit) it's still a sweet look. Maybe even a TRD/Borla exhaust for the look. Modification, especially performance is a slippery slope and it never seems like enough, I've been around since before the TRD supercharger days back when it was sold as "Kazuma" and once the S/C gets installed, then it's how much power can you get out of it, what do you need to support that power (another $1000 parts/labor easily), exhaust, headers, etc, etc, etc. Visual modifications can be put on easily and removed easily vs. headers/superchargers/etc. Sorry for the long post but I want to be honest with you.

[Russian Mafia]

or you can save all that money while you are in school and after you graduate sell your car and use all that money for a downpayment on a car that is faster, safer and more luxurious stock.

It's all matter of personal preference.

[that1mexguy]

yeah man, just save for something else because the aftermarket support for our cars from TRD sucks.

[SpeedSTARs]

yeah man, just save for something else because the aftermarket support for our cars from TRD sucks.

^^^+1

I Had a very hard time finding replacement parts for the SC while I still had it. TRD hot line was no help also... The best reply was that they were discontinued. "O" well...