Builds Roody’s 2018 Lexus GX460 Build, Adventure, and Off the Road Again Podcast (2 Viewers)

[Roody]

Did I miss something? Review for what/who?

Review cars/trucks/ATVs/UTVs for a few different outlets and discuss them on my podcast. My main writing hub is Hooniverse.

Re: Camel Trophy Disco RC - Have you seen this? The degree of detail here is wild

 

[r2m]

Rabbit trailing on the toy topic and considering me building a 3D printed Camel Trophy Defender, or maybe the 45 series Landcruiser? Here's the link if anyone is interested that has a FDM printer:

Landy 4x4 model lineup - 3dsets.com

Classic-style, 3d printable, Radio Controlled 4×4 car scale models.

3dsets.com

You actually have to 3D print the diff's, trans, literally everything. You just purchase bearings, tires, shocks, motor, battery, and (RC) electronics.

For the hard core Landcruisers, there is also:

 

[r2m]

Review cars/trucks/ATVs/UTVs for a few different outlets and discuss them on my podcast. My main writing hub is Hooniverse.

Re: Camel Trophy Disco RC - Have you seen this? The degree of detail here is wild

Wow, that looks really fun! Only problem is, how do you tell your vehicle from everyone else's?
When I'm doing slot cars with my granddaughter and family, we sometimes loose track of which car we're controlling and wind up looking at another car thinking we're controlling that car, but it's not responding!

 

[Roody]

Rabbit trailing on the toy topic and considering me building a 3D printed Camel Trophy Defender, or maybe the 45 series Landcruiser? Here's the link if anyone is interested that has a FDM printer:

Landy 4x4 model lineup - 3dsets.com

Classic-style, 3d printable, Radio Controlled 4×4 car scale models.

3dsets.com

You actually have to #D print the diff's, trans, literally everything. You just purchase bearings, tires, shocks, motor, battery, and (RC) electronics.

For the hard core Landcruisers, their is also:

Those are pretty cool! I haven't gotten into the 3D printer world yet but maybe eventually

 

[jdam]

Rabbit trailing on the toy topic and considering me building a 3D printed Camel Trophy Defender, or maybe the 45 series Landcruiser? Here's the link if anyone is interested that has a FDM printer:

Landy 4x4 model lineup - 3dsets.com

Classic-style, 3d printable, Radio Controlled 4×4 car scale models.

3dsets.com

You actually have to 3D print the diff's, trans, literally everything. You just purchase bearings, tires, shocks, motor, battery, and (RC) electronics.

For the hard core Landcruisers, there is also:

Bit pricy, but they make Defender 90 bodies in 10th scale. RC4WD makes some of the better ones.

RC4WD 2015 Land Rover Defender D90 Body Set-Z-B0215

store.rc4wd.com

 

[Roody]

Bit pricy, but they make Defender 90 bodies in 10th scale. RC4WD makes some of the better ones.

RC4WD 2015 Land Rover Defender D90 Body Set-Z-B0215

store.rc4wd.com

Beautiful kit but that's more than the crawler itself cost

 

[r2m]

Beautiful kit but that's more than the crawler itself cost

BUT.... How many can/do you want to make? What colors would like? What material do you want it made out of? PLA, ABS, Nylon, wood, copper, stainless steel?
And if anything ever breaks, or you want to mod something, a few hours or overnight and you have a new part!
Yeah, I'd have to admit that entry price, especially if you have to get ALL the electronics too, may be kind of steep but as an engineer and tinker, I love the idea of making it yourself.
BTY, yes, I'm in the boat of having to purchase ALL the electronics if I do it.

 

[Roody]

BUT.... How many can/do you want to make? What colors would like? What material do you want it made out of? PLA, ABS, Nylon, wood, copper, stainless steel?
And if anything ever breaks, or you want to mod something, a few hours or overnight and you have a new part!
Yeah, I'd have to admit that entry price, especially if you have to get ALL the electronics too, may be kind of steep but as an engineer and tinker, I love the idea of making it yourself.
BTY, yes, I'm in the boat of having to purchase ALL the electronics if I do it.

No surprise you're deep into the GX modifying world, once the mechanical-oriented brain starts going it almost doesn't stop...

Trying to not spend any real money on the RC hobby past buying this TRX4M. I enjoy playing with the thing but past a couple hundred bucks, any extra is money detracted from the GX build. Priorities!

 

[r2m]

No surprise you're deep into the GX modifying world, once the mechanical-oriented brain starts going it almost doesn't stop...

Trying to not spend any real money on the RC hobby past buying this TRX4M. I enjoy playing with the thing but past a couple hundred bucks, any extra is money detracted from the GX build. Priorities!

I don't think I've ever had a vehicle that I haven't modified to some extent. I'm always finding ways of making something better. Even my EDC Leatherman has been modified!

 

[Roody]

Little bit of reminiscing tonight: My past vehicles (the notable ones, at least...).

2005 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71


2014 Dodge Challenger R/T 100th Anniversary Edition

2001 Isuzu VehiCROSS

2017 Subaru WRX Limited

2005 Toyota 4Runner V6 Limited

2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Centennial Edition

2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium

2013 Mazda Miata Club PRHT

2005 Toyota 4Runner V8

Always fun to look back on them. A few I'd happily have back in my life, others not so much.

 

[r2m]

I too have had about 30 cars so far. And there are a few I really wish I still had from both an economic and pleasure point of view. A few of those cars would be well into the 5 figure $, considering I purchased them for only a couple thousand dollars "back in the day".

 

[Roody]

This week on Off the Road Again Podcast!

"Join Ross and Chris in welcoming Dan Grec back to the show. Dan is the author of "The Road Chose Me," and he joins the podcast to share his journey through Australia. Dan will take you on an overland adventure, showcasing the breathtaking landscapes and remote regions of Australia. Discover the challenges he faced, his Jeep Gladiator Overland Build, and the hidden gems he found along the way. Don't miss this opportunity to experience Australia like never before!"



Dan is a legendary overlander and a truly great person to hear stories from. This is his third time on the show and we love every second of talking with him.

 

[Roody]

Last weekend I installed the Accessorides remote start kit. Pleased to report, the GX now has remote start and the kit works flawlessly. An exceptionally great thing to have given the recent frigid temperatures.

Lexus tied the GX460’s remote start capability into its 3G service for a stretch, a service it has since retired. The remedy for this is to add a module to the Lexus’ brain. Doing so basically hard-wires the capability and ties remote directly to the key fob.

Accessorides’ solution basically piggybacks off the computer between the start button and the BCM. This is as subtle a solution as they come. The best benefit of doing it this way is that instead of remote start requiring an extra key fob, pressing the OEM fob three times activates the remote starter.


The kit is 100% plug-and-play. Included in the box are the module, instructions, extra components necessary for vehicles with other electronic fun going on, and two trim removal tools. You’ll need to grab a phillips head screwdriver and 10mm socket from your own toolbox. And a beer to place inside the Accessorides-branded gift koozie that they send with the kit.

Even for an only-moderately-capable guy like myself when it comes to things like these, installation was fairly straightforward. Here’s the long and the short of it:

• Slide the driver seat as far back as you can
  
  
• Remove the floor mats and anything in the way of driver the footwell
  
  
• Use a trim removal tool to pull the driver-side center tunnel panel off
  
  
• Lift off the kick panel that lives along the door sill
  
  
• Pull away the trim that lives below the dashboard. Pop open the small screw cover at the bottom right, remove the screw, remove the screw that holds the black shroud underneath the center of the panel below the steering wheel, and remove the screw underneath the steering column. Pry the black piece of plastic off from under the panel.
  
  
• Use the trim removal tool to pull back the kick panel left of the emergency brake and remove the screw that sits behind it
  
  
• Turn the ignition on to accessory mode, so the steering wheel extends out, and move it to its furthest outward position
  
  
• Crank the steering wheel left, then right, and remove the two screws behind the wheel that keeps the shroud in place. Remove the top and bottom steering column covers, being careful to not hit the electric adjuster on the left side.
  
  
• Pull the bottom portion of the dashboard away from its mounts, being careful to not disrupt any of the wiring behind it
  
  
• Locate the black seven-pin connector behind and to the right of the steering column. Unplug this, and plug the Accessorides connector in.
  
  
• Run the Accessorides wiring and module behind the metal bars in the dash
  
  
• Locate the BCM to the left of the steering wheel area. On the right side of the two connection points, unplug the middle unit. Connect it to the Accessorides module, and connect the Accessorides plug to the BCM.
  
  
• Test the connection. Turn the ignition on (if it isn't already), and look at the LED light on the newly-added module. If it turns green then goes out, you're golden.
  
  
• Test the system. Close all doors, lock the vehicle, wait thirty seconds, and then hit the lock button three times in a row. The horn will sound twice, and after a few seconds it will turn on.
  
  
• Cable tie the module and wiring so it stays in place.
  
  
• Reinstall all of the interior panels
  
  
• Revel in the glory

Misc. Notes:

• The vehicle shuts off when you open the door, which is a built-in Toyota/Lexus safety precaution
• Between the need for the ignition to stay on so the steering wheel remains extended and the open driver door, the two can easily drain the vehicle’s main battery. I found this out the hard way. Fun fact: A 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 P400 didn’t provide the GX460 with enough juice to turn over, but my wife’s Mazda CX-5 did. Go figure.
• Make sure you reconnect all of the items you unplugged. The following week, amid freezing temperatures, I stopped to fill the Lexus’ gas tank at a local station. I pushed the gas door release button, and… nothing. Forgetting to plug it back in meant fighting with wires and the dash in the gas station lot in cold weather. Less than fun, but my own doing.

Accessorides has helped made installing this piece of tech on the Lexus GX460 (and other vehicles) inexpensive and easy enough to be done that yours truly was able to do so in a small portion of an afternoon. The kit retails for $299 but is on sale for $199. It’s well worth the price given the ease of install and how well it integrates (as if it were OEM) into the vehicle.

Pros:

• Easy install
• Inexpensive
• Retains OEM key fob remote start functionality

Cons:

• Lackluster instructions that necessitated me going to YouTube for a few tidbits

Summary:

• A simple and low-cost way to add remote start to a GX460

 

[r2m]

Great write up! I've thought about adding one, but in hindsight of all the times we've been in really bad weather, it just wouldn't make sense.
We're only up in the high country during winter a few weeks out of the year.
Although, lately down here in So. Cal, it's been really, really cold, I've been having to use my heated steering wheel, seat heater and blast the climate control for the 3.5 mile commute to work!
It's been dipping below 50°!!!!

 

[Roody]

Great write up! I've thought about adding one, but in hindsight of all the times we've been in really bad weather, it just wouldn't make sense.
We're only up in the high country during winter a few weeks out of the year.
Although, lately down here in So. Cal, it's been really, really cold, I've been having to use my heated steering wheel, seat heater and blast the climate control for the 3.5 mile commute to work!
It's been dipping below 50°!!!!

Haha, rub it in
It's been a reasonably mild winter here but the extremes are very much so. The last cold stretch was below 0°F with wind chills around -20°F, and that's not even bad compared to what a lot of the country got. Still, I'll be in the LA area on a work trip later this month and if it's even 60°F I'll be happy...

 

[Banandalorian]

Good write up - I've been eyeballing remote starts but didn't want to deal with carrying a 2nd fob.

 

[Roody]

Good write up - I've been eyeballing remote starts but didn't want to deal with carrying a 2nd fob.

I was (and am) adamantly against the needless second fob. Less is more.

 

[r2m]

Absolutely agree. My entire key ring is one (1) house key, one (1) key fob. Any my wife has the same but with her truck's fob and house key.

 

[Roody]

Catching up on posting some recent Off the Road Again Podcast shows

Doug DeMuro!


Kurt Williams! @cruiseroutfit

 

[Roody]

Andy (of Warn Winches) & Mercedes Lilienthal



Jeff Glucker of Hooniverse, Autotrader, MotorTrend, etc