Exciting,inspiring and yet terrifying...

[Chip503]

Last year I took the plunge and purchased a 2014 LC200 with 85,000 miles on it. It had its full maintenance history with oil changes every 5000 miles, no major issues. No wrecks, no rust, IMO a great find. I then was promptly sent overseas and could not take my new baby with me. So I troll these forums everyday to get my LC fix. I have read about almost every build, and expedition and cannot wait to get to do mine and share them. I have had fantastic support from you guys on questions, that were probably dumb at the time, and yet no snarky responses came my way. Just supportive, intelligent, and thoughtful remarks. Truly inspiring how supportive this group is.
Yet I am also a little terrified, I keep reading about "the dreaded fan tower leak" or other issues that people have with their 200s. I know these are not inexpensive fixes and with my LC being young but with high mileage, how concerned should I be?
I am in this for the long haul, hopefully this will be the last truck i ever buy. My first big mod is going to be an OME suspension (not BP-51s, out of my price range), then sliders. After that I will have to spend some money on marriage counseling....

I went all in on this vehicle because of its legendary performance. How concerned should I be about the maintenance issues I read on here?

 

[UltraFJ40]

Last year I took the plunge and purchased a 2014 LC200 with 85,000 miles on it. It had its full maintenance history with oil changes every 5000 miles, no major issues. No wrecks, no rust, IMO a great find. I then was promptly sent overseas and could not take my new baby with me. So I troll these forums everyday to get my LC fix. I have read about almost every build, and expedition and cannot wait to get to do mine and share them. I have had fantastic support from you guys on questions, that were probably dumb at the time, and yet no snarky responses came my way. Just supportive, intelligent, and thoughtful remarks. Truly inspiring how supportive this group is.
Yet I am also a little terrified, I keep reading about "the dreaded fan tower leak" or other issues that people have with their 200s. I know these are not inexpensive fixes and with my LC being young but with high mileage, how concerned should I be?
I am in this for the long haul, hopefully this will be the last truck i ever buy. My first big mod is going to be an OME suspension (not BP-51s, out of my price range), then sliders. After that I will have to spend some money on marriage counseling....

I went all in on this vehicle because of its legendary performance. How concerned should I be about the maintenance issues I read on here?

I have no idea about the 200 but if it's anything like it's predecessors then the cost is worth it. Good luck, I look forward to your build.

 

[Markuson]

Last year I took the plunge and purchased a 2014 LC200 with 85,000 miles on it. It had its full maintenance history with oil changes every 5000 miles, no major issues. No wrecks, no rust, IMO a great find. I then was promptly sent overseas and could not take my new baby with me. So I troll these forums everyday to get my LC fix. I have read about almost every build, and expedition and cannot wait to get to do mine and share them. I have had fantastic support from you guys on questions, that were probably dumb at the time, and yet no snarky responses came my way. Just supportive, intelligent, and thoughtful remarks. Truly inspiring how supportive this group is.
Yet I am also a little terrified, I keep reading about "the dreaded fan tower leak" or other issues that people have with their 200s. I know these are not inexpensive fixes and with my LC being young but with high mileage, how concerned should I be?
I am in this for the long haul, hopefully this will be the last truck i ever buy. My first big mod is going to be an OME suspension (not BP-51s, out of my price range), then sliders. After that I will have to spend some money on marriage counseling....

I went all in on this vehicle because of its legendary performance. How concerned should I be about the maintenance issues I read on here?

Hello, and welcome again.

Don't worry. There was a recent thread about the "dreaded tower leak" BUT frankly I think it's supposed frequency is way overblown (knock on wood, haha). Radiator, water pump and starter can come up for replacement within about 7 years, but those aren't such a big deal. I can tell you that my decade-old 2008 is solid as can be.

Sounds like you're off to a great start with your purchase... 2013 added some great features like forward camera, etc. that I wouldn't mind having on my 2008.

Hope you'll post as you progress through various stages. You're in for a lot a fun...and I agree with you about this forum. It is an amazingly positive place considering how most public forums tend to be. I learn new things here constantly.

See you around,

M

 

[Chip503]

Hello, and welcome again.

There was a recent thread about the "dreaded tower leak" and frankly I think it's supposed frequency is overblown (knock on wood, haha). Radiator, water pump, starter... Those do tend to go within about 7 years, but those are not so traumatic.

Sounds like you're off to a great start with your purchase... 2013 added some great features like forward camera, etc. that I wouldn't mind having on my 2008.

Hope you'll post as you progress through various stages. You're in for a lot a fun...and I agree with you about this forum. It is an amazingly positive place considering how most public forums tend to be. I learn new things here constantly.

See you around,

M

Thanks Markuson! I know this is not my first posting. But am still a noob and feel slightly intimidated posting. I read and study what all of you guys do and say. I can’t wait to get into my Cruiser again. I plan on having my mother in law send me pics of my ride. I still need to name it. I will keep you guys posted.

 

[Markuson]

Thanks Markuson! I know this is not my first posting. But am still a noob and feel slightly intimidated posting. I read and study what all of you guys do and say. I can’t wait to get into my Cruiser again. I plan on having my mother in law send me pics of my ride. I still need to name it. I will keep you guys posted.

Don't feel too intimidated. A little caution and hesitation isn't a bad thing because it makes us all carefully think through stuff. I've wheeled with quite a number our Mud gang, and they are just as friendly in person as they are here. Families and just good folks. Almost all of us started out asking questions many others already know the answers to, but that's what makes this place hum. I will ALWAYS have a ton of stuff yet to learn from others here.

We have everyone from new folk...to some real gurus. Then there are those who find a niche--like Gaijin as our undisputed Wheel/Tire/PSI Ninja.

What's fun is that as you learn, pretty soon you'll be helping others here too. Questions asked by others are often what really help me discover my own questions/answers along the way. So all good, mate!

 

[Rigger]

I’ve been amazed that a truck that is as civilized as ours can be such a capable off road machine.

Good luck. You’re gonna love the 200.

 

[tominboise]

Greatest thing about enthusiast forums like this is the information and experiences that one can mine for their own use, and contribute for others. Worst thing about them is the potential for group think and hysteria. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Understand that enthusiasts are super "in tune" with their machines and likely to post about issues discovered, making the appearance of issues seem larger than it actually is. In other words, just because 20% of a small population of users have a real or perceived problem, doesn't mean that entire population of machines will have that problem, or even that 20% of the entire population has or will have that same problem.

Not to imply that cam tower leaks, failing radiators, etc aren't real and haven't occurred, but just saying - don't worry about everything you read here. It will suck the joy of ownership out of the experience. If something breaks, fix it and move on.

 

[Sandroad]

Once you start driving it and messing with it, I bet the "terrifying" part will pass. The exciting and inspiring parts of ownership will take over and you'll have a great time. I'll bet it's hard to only be able to read about it and not drive it! Even though I don't drive mine everyday, I can see it from my home office window so I can keep track of any mischief it tries to pull on me.

 

[Chip503]

Greatest thing about enthusiast forums like this is the information and experiences that one can mine for their own use, and contribute for others. Worst thing about them is the potential for group think and hysteria. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Understand that enthusiasts are super "in tune" with their machines and likely to post about issues discovered, making the appearance of issues seem larger than it actually is. In other words, just because 20% of a small population of users have a real or perceived problem, doesn't mean that entire population of machines will have that problem, or even that 20% of the entire population has or will have that same problem.

Not to imply that cam tower leaks, failing radiators, etc aren't real and haven't occurred, but just saying - don't worry about everything you read here. It will suck the joy of ownership out of the experience. If something breaks, fix it and move on.

Thank you, that puts my mind a little at ease. This is probably because I don’t get to be around my cruiser.

 

[MrCWineMan]

Huge congratulations, these rigs are the best, and worrying about them is just not worth the time, they are built for the long haul. In 380K miles my FJ60 blew one thermostat and one fan belt and that’s it. Sure the newer ones have more complexity, but the mindset of Toyota is the same for these. Enjoy it!

 

[UCrazyKid]

Don’t worry about it. Unless you enjoy being anxious, then by a Porsche 911. If it isn’t leaking oil, it is out of oil...

Ask me how I know... LOL

 

[Markuson]

Thank you, that puts my mind a little at ease. This is probably because I don’t get to be around my cruiser.

As others have said... Don't let routine/known time-line issues stop ya.
Once you go with a Cruiser, you'll discover its difficult to be impressed with the build quality of any other SUV/Truck.
It's especially reassuring when you talk to mechanics who routinely crawl under trucks, because they see right away that the LC is just pain built the way they wish all trucks were built.

 

[Haggis]

Well...I know your pain. The dreaded cam tower leak came my way so I can speak from experience. I was worried about it when I bought my rig used at 58,000miles. Mine occurred at 68,000miles. Extended warranty covered the repairs. Was I disappointed? Yes, but no issues since and am now at close to 80K. This machine is amazing and I have no doubts she will go the distance! Nothing comes close to the build quality of a Land Cruiser. You are going to never want to go back. BTW, I own a 1995 Porsche 911 that requires a lot of oil but leaks none....

 

[Chip503]

Is the Cam tower leak an expected problem on high mileage LC's or is it just because this is a forum that people discuss LC's on that it causes it to seem like a larger issue?

 

[Willy beamin]

Bingo. Not a common issues. You have to watch, listen and dilute when extracting info from such a concentrated group of enthusiasts / owners. The sky is not falling

 

[Sinister]

Is the Cam tower leak an expected problem on high mileage LC's or is it just because this is a forum that people discuss LC's on that it causes it to seem like a larger issue?

Yup, look at the big picture here. Total amount of land cruiser owners state side and abroad and the number of mud members that encountered a problem. I wouldn’t worry about it until you do (if that ever happens.) And if it does, you know the solution and help for whatever happens can be found here on MUD.

 

[Chip503]

So is the cam tower leak a rarity or something to expect and plan for?

 

[Chip503]

Thanks guys! I was also looking on Tundra forums, seems more prevalent there. I wonder if it’s a design issue, or manufacturing plant issue.

 

[NMNORSSE]

I think it was a manufacturing slip up. Like the guy assembling the engine used a silicon sealant that wasn't exactly right; or, the guy on the line didn't remove all traces of oil before applying the sealant so eventually a slight weap turns into a leak gradually. Either way, the cam tower leak seems, from reading here, to be limited to a couple of years and only a % of trucks in those years.