Anyone has a 2000 LX or 2001 LC (1 Viewer)

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I am going to a dearler tomorrow to look at a 2000 LX 470 with 55k mileage. From what I read from this borad so far, it seems to me that, they have issue with starter and possible suspenions, what known issues do they have? In additon, I am interested in a 2001 LC with similar price and milage. If I am going to buy either one of them, extend warranty is a must, but from whom? Any real life experience from owners?



How much does it cost to replace a timmnig belt? And at what mileage?
 
I bought a 2000 LX with 48K miles a year ago from a Lexus dealer for $32K. Dealer included the Lexus warranty good for 36 months or 100K miles on the odometer.

One very minor problem with outside mirrors, fixed under warranty. Go for the LX so you get the AHC suspension. I am surprised at how useful I am finding the ride control feature to be -- I thought it was a gimmick at first. It will really smooth out rough section line trails, farm roads, washboard, potholes, etc., but allow you to firm up for towing or the twisties.

Service manual calls for timing belt replacement at 90K miles. Search the board and you'll find the cost.

Good luck!
 
2garfields said:
I am going to a dearler tomorrow to look at a 2000 LX 470 with 55k mileage. From what I read from this borad so far, it seems to me that, they have issue with starter and possible suspenions, what known issues do they have? [snip]


How much does it cost to replace a timmnig belt? And at what mileage?

Possible auto tranny problems on 2000. I haven't heard anything negative about the '01's at all. A friend of mine has one and other than changing the oil/filter in 60K mi (didn't change the ATF) and rear brake shoes around 52K mi, all he's had was a loose window track, a spot of rust around the rear tailgate (lives next to the ocean), and a clunck in the rear suspension develop about at 60K mi (never lubed the d-shafts since new; it still clunks after lubing).

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=42426&highlight=lx470+2000+transmission
 
i've got a 4 month old (to me) 2000 LC that has 52k miles and was dealer maintained and has all records. in the short time i have owned it, the starter has gone out and both exhaust manifolds have developed cracks/ leaks someplace (which I am currently going around with Toyota about who is going to pay to fix)..

Looming right around the corner on the Cruiser is the 90k miles 'service'. If Toyota doesnt pay for the manifolds ($1800). before I hit 100k miles, I will have spent close to $3k on 'maintainence' items - not counting the starter; which a starter should last more than 50k (or even 90k miles). Its a shame Toyota refuses to fix a known manifold issue on a $50k truck that causes it not to pass inspection.

you might think long & hard about cost of ownership on these - its not that i cannot afford it - its just that i hate pissing $ away on things that shoudlnt need maintenece. I am seriously considering dumping it and going back to a Suburban or buying an older 80 (I have a fj40 to screw around with) I got a 140k out of my last 2 Suburbans without spending any $ on anything other than fluid & filter changes & 1 brake job at 110k miles.
 
I also recently purchased a 2000 LC with 54,000 miles on it, had both exhaust manifolds replaced under the 100,000 powertrain warrenty. This is an issue that happens to these trucks, and Toyota ia aware of it. The first dealer i went to told me they would not be covered under warrenty, this blew me away. So i called another dealer, the service advisor told me they were aware of the problem and that if in fact the manifolds were cracked or warped they would be replaced under the warrenty.

I would reccomend trying another dealer.

Also i bought an exteneded warrenty (usually I never do this, but felt on this purchase it would be a good idea) which paid for some other issues I was having. I would reccomend getting it if not for the piece of mind. We paid $1600 for the warrenty and it covered $1000 worth of fixes. So almost paid for itself.

I personally would only drive LC/LX for my familys truck needs. We have had our FJ62 in the family since brand new, and now we have our 2000 LC. This is a used vehicle and I am prepared to fix some issues. I would rather do that and have the security knowing I have a truck that will get me and my family to our destinations safely, and in comfort. And boy is it comfortable for those long road trip.
 
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On the LX, to make sure the auto-down sideview mirrors are working, adjust your mirrors, then put it in reverse gear, then back in drive and see if the mirror placement is still where it is supposed to be. This is a common problem with LX's. The good thing is that it can be disabled if broken. The AHC suspension is pretty nice and is the biggest reason to choose/or not choose an LX over and LC. Do a search for differences between the LX and LC because some of the differences you might not notice when you first test drive.

The T-belt and Waterpump replacement will run you about $700-1000. It is to be done at 90k or 6 years which is soon coming up. An extended warranty is good peace of mind for those who don't want to work on their truck. I personally wouldn't buy one since I feel I can fix most problems myself and the help of this forum. Check online for 3rd party Warranty companies at least to compare prices. Dealers often have huge mark-ups on their warranties. Also check with you credit union about Mechanical Breakdown Insurance (MBI).

Btw, a starter that is going bad usually won't leave you stranded anywhere. It progressively gets worse and worse. In a failing AHC suspension system, the culprit seems to be most often the actuators which can be rebuilt for $175/ea or the whole suspension swapped out for OME. If my exhaust manifolds ever crack (not yet at 95k miles), I am going to have the new ones ceramic coated before they go in.
 
Wonder if the cracked manifolds should be covered under the emissions warranty since it effects passing the emissions test? That warranty is normally 7 years and 100K miles on most vehicles. Anyone know if this would apply with the LC?
 
SWUtah said:
Wonder if the cracked manifolds should be covered under the emissions warranty since it effects passing the emissions test? That warranty is normally 7 years and 100K miles on most vehicles. Anyone know if this would apply with the LC?

I believe that it should, but obviously the Toyota dealers don't think so.
 
A blown head gasket effects passing the emissions test too. I dont see them covering that.;)
 
Coastal said:
i've got a 4 month old (to me) 2000 LC that has 52k miles and was dealer maintained and has all records. in the short time i have owned it, the starter has gone out and both exhaust manifolds have developed cracks/ leaks someplace (which I am currently going around with Toyota about who is going to pay to fix)..

Looming right around the corner on the Cruiser is the 90k miles 'service'. If Toyota doesnt pay for the manifolds ($1800). before I hit 100k miles, I will have spent close to $3k on 'maintainence' items - not counting the starter; which a starter should last more than 50k (or even 90k miles). Its a shame Toyota refuses to fix a known manifold issue on a $50k truck that causes it not to pass inspection.

you might think long & hard about cost of ownership on these - its not that i cannot afford it - its just that i hate pissing $ away on things that shoudlnt need maintenece. I am seriously considering dumping it and going back to a Suburban or buying an older 80 (I have a fj40 to screw around with) I got a 140k out of my last 2 Suburbans without spending any $ on anything other than fluid & filter changes & 1 brake job at 110k miles.

I'm guessing a starter's life is somewhat dictated by the number of starts rather than the miles. If the PO drove 2.5 miles each way every day, that would be 10,000 round trips or 20,000 start cycles. Low miles on an old vehicle can only mean two things...either the rig was garaged all the time and seldom driven, or it was driven on lots of short trips. And if the PO didn't keep it in tune, it might have taken more effort to start, meaning longer starter contact engagement time. Low miles on an older vehicle make me suspicious...I'd rather have high miles on a newer vehicle. That way, you know it was most likely driven mostly on the highway (unless the prev. driver was a pizza delivery boy driving daddy's cruiser!)

Still, I wouldn't have expect the manifolds to crack so early.
 
I too have had the starter problem, plus a throttle position sensor issue, the alternator went out, the famous catalytic converter shield rattle, plus a few other minor things. All before 65k! These are nice driving vehicles but expensive to fix. And they do break regardless of the reputation. I'd venture to say you'll spend just as much owning one as any other typical SUV in the long run, so don't buy it just for the reliability. Even if they don't break as often, they cost more to repair so its all about the same. And mine has broken more in 6 months than all the vehicles I've owned in the last 25 years combined. Go figure.
 
rule303 said:
I too have had the starter problem, plus a throttle position sensor issue, the alternator went out, the famous catalytic converter shield rattle, plus a few other minor things. All before 65k! These are nice driving vehicles but expensive to fix. And they do break regardless of the reputation. I'd venture to say you'll spend just as much owning one as any other typical SUV in the long run, so don't buy it just for the reliability. Even if they don't break as often, they cost more to repair so its all about the same. And mine has broken more in 6 months than all the vehicles I've owned in the last 25 years combined. Go figure.

Rule, you have any background information on your LC? At one time I thought you indicated that you thought you had water damage that caused problems with your electrical system, plus your LC had rust, indicating it came from the rust belt. How does the underside look? Rust, beaten up from off road adventures? How was it maintained by the previous owners? Always a crap shoot for all of us the buy used. I know mine looks clean and has the OK of my mechanic, plus I spent some $$$ on new tires, all new hoses and belts, water pump and all new fluids plus the previous owner per carfax did a couple of extended warranty repairs ( I hope that one was a starter and the other manifolds :) ) But I just don't know. Like you I could have the starter problem, manifolds and other common LC problems but for anyone buying used the best thing they can do is checkout the vehicle, do the recommended maintaince and then hope for the best. If someone is really worried they should buy a good extended warranty that covers these potential problem areas. JMHO
 
hoser said:
On the LX, to make sure the auto-down sideview mirrors are working, adjust your mirrors, then put it in reverse gear, then back in drive and see if the mirror placement is still where it is supposed to be. This is a common problem with LX's. The good thing is that it can be disabled if broken.
QUOTE]


Hoser,

Good info. Our LX is just about to run out of Certified coverage. The rs mirror was acting up and is now working. Any thoughts? What is the fix when the mirror will not return to the prev setting after backing up??

And what is the disable fix?

Thanks,
Dave
 
There are a few parts that are possible causes. 1) The actual mirror 2) Mirror control ECU for pre-2000 models. There's one more part in the drivers side kick panel that I remember reading about--possibly some kind of junction box. But the actual mirror is the most common and I'm guessing that is why you see them on eBay all the time.

The disable fix is selecting the middle position on the mirror adjustment control switch. (the switch has 3 positions, L-M-R). Easy as that.
 
:cheers:

I like the disable option.
 

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