200 Series Questions Before Purchase

[bonestock]

I am considering purchasing a 200 series with decent maintenance history. IT has 170K on the clock. Anything that I should look for when doing an inspection? The LexusOwners site shows solid history. What fails on these trucks? Is the AHC in the 570 similar to that of its older brother the 470?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lx200inAR]

Seems like there should be a sticky for this.

This is probably a good thread:

Pre Purchase Inspection, Post Inspection & PM of Toyota or Lexus 200 series

forum.ih8mud.com

From the post above with some added quick notes for explanation in (blue):

Areas of known issues (These are areas that should be give extra attentions during inspection);

1. Cam tower oil leaks.
2. Timing Chain cover oil leaks.
3. Water pump leak.
4. Radiator leak near label. (the original radiator design was prone to spring leaks at top of radiator, lots of threads on this)
5. Heat exchanger cover or valley plate coolant leak under intake. (this lets coolant leak into the area on top of the engine between the heads and under the intake manifold. It pools up and eventually leaks down the back of the engine on top of the transmission. Look near the trans/engine connection for pink crystals)
6. KDSS valves. Recessed allen head set screws frozen in from rust building on top in threads. None AHC (Land Cruiser)
7. CDL frozen from lack of use.

This is the other thing I would add to the list:

8. Failed SAIS system. This is a problem across a lot of the Toyota truck/suvs model lines. Tons of threads on it. There are bypass modules to get around most of the failures. So I'd check for bypass and negotiate (usually there is some sort of dongle or non oem wiring near the MAF connector). Personally I wouldn't/didn't not buy a truck if it has the bypass. The system isn't integral to the function of the truck and is failure prone, so if it is already bypassed it sort of saves you an upcoming headache. If it's failed and not bypassed you'll know because the dash will be lit up like a Christmas tree. The OEM fix is quite expensive (dealers quote around $3k), so certainly worth taking a swing at getting a discount if you can leverage that.

Other than this, just checking that as many of the electronics work as possible.

AHC on 200 is similar to 100 but more advanced, the critical wear parts are all very similar.

 

[bonestock]

Tits. Thanks!

 

[Sandroad]

There is some helpful info on buying in the forum FAQs at post #3.

FAQ - 200-series FAQ for Modifications, Repairs and Build Threads. Great place for new users to start

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for the 200/LX570 series tech section continues to be a work in progress. The goal is to have links in the below to other threads and tech articles. By having these linked, instead of pasting the text, the threads will remain live. The live threads can...

forum.ih8mud.com

Note that when you read lists of things that have been reported before, it will seem like these trucks fall apart as soon as the ink is dry on the purchase papers. With a good maintenance history and a careful check for leaks, you’re really likely to be ok. I would only add that even though it’s not a reliability thing, lots of recirc/fresh blend doors have been broken at ignorant dealers, so make sure it’s working and you can get either fresh air or recirculated air with the button. If you suspect a problem and need to check the blend door behind the glove box directly, put the system in recirc first.

 

[bonestock]

Thanks for the feedback here. This is the one I am considering. Maintenance history looks decent from what I can tell on LexusOwners.com. But, again, I am not 100% sure what I am looking at. Quick, initial glance for the 200 series brain trust? This is only a few miles from me and I've been in contact with the seller already who seems legitimate.

SOLD - 2011 White LX570 Black Interior Good Maintenance History - Calhoun, GA $27.5k

**********UPDATED*********** Nice LX with normal wear and tear for its age. Black interior with rear entertainment, newer Michelin LTX tires and tons of recent maintenance at North Ga Toyota. 175k miles. Located in North Georgia. Call for details. Thanks!! 770-548-2876 TJ

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Sandroad]

Thanks for the feedback here. This is the one I am considering. Maintenance history looks decent from what I can tell on LexusOwners.com. But, again, I am not 100% sure what I am looking at. Quick, initial glance for the 200 series brain trust? This is only a few miles from me and I've been in contact with the seller already who seems legitimate.

SOLD - 2011 White LX570 Black Interior Good Maintenance History - Calhoun, GA $27.5k

**********UPDATED*********** Nice LX with normal wear and tear for its age. Black interior with rear entertainment, newer Michelin LTX tires and tons of recent maintenance at North Ga Toyota. 175k miles. Located in North Georgia. Call for details. Thanks!! 770-548-2876 TJ

forum.ih8mud.com

No flags from what I see. Amazingly little rust for an 11 year old!

 

[kwelhand]

How much are you actually going to pay?
If it’s mechanically sound upon inspection, then I don’t see why not.

 

[TheComedian]

If the LC has factory lockers (especially rear) check it! Check if the housing of the motor is in a good condition since toyota did a poor job here. Aluminum cast and a steel motorhousing is a bad combination so check it if the LC have them. Same with low gear and other stuff. Many people don’t use that stuff.
And check the side sills. If the car has ever been in sandy regions, sand may have become trapped in it, retaining moisture and causing the sills to rot.

 

[bloc]

If the LC has factory lockers (especially rear) check it! Check if the housing of the motor is in a good condition since toyota did a poor job here. Aluminum cast and a steel motorhousing is a bad combination so check it if the LC have them. Same with low gear and other stuff. Many people don’t use that stuff.
And check the side sills. If the car has ever been in sandy regions, sand may have become trapped in it, retaining moisture and causing the sills to rot.

Many, many people on this board only dream of having to check the locker actuator for corrosion.

 

[CharlieS]

If the LC has factory lockers (especially rear) check it! Check if the housing of the motor is in a good condition since toyota did a poor job here. Aluminum cast and a steel motorhousing is a bad combination so check it if the LC have them. Same with low gear and other stuff. Many people don’t use that stuff.
And check the side sills. If the car has ever been in sandy regions, sand may have become trapped in it, retaining moisture and causing the sills to rot.

Unfortunately, there aren't factory diff lockers on US delivery land cruiser 200 series.

 

[TheComedian]

Many, many people on this board only dream of having to check the locker actuator for corrosion.

my friend didn’t thats why I now have a bowdencable modification…

Ps.: and factory rear locker means in 90% thats the Africa Version. So you also have the factory winch…. But no heated seats, no buttons on the steeringwheel, no cruise controll (the only thing I’m missing), only one light in the whole inside of the car and other fun stuff your rly dont need but mkes life more comfy.
Not as basic like the 79 V8 Diesel from a friends father who has (how is this called?) crank windows and where you can feel the bowden when you change the air ventilation but still „Africa“

Ps.: another point about a manual shifter 200s. They have a bit less power than the automatic versions since the gear is a bit weaker.

But enough about this. As I told. The sills are a weak point of the 200 because there is no way to bring put the dirt.

 

[bloc]

my friend didn’t thats why I now have a bowdencable modification…

Myself and I'm sure many others have been watching with much interest... even if we'll need or get to copy it.

 

[pvchaitanya]

The bottom skid plates needs to come off to check of coolant or oil leaks. Otherwise they are not really doing a good job checking things.

 

[bonestock]

*edited thread title for future search ability

Looked at this truck today and decided that the 200 just isn’t for us. I think I’ll stick to my 80&100for now. Thanks to everyone who replied!