Land Cruiser Refresh- Need Advice (1 Viewer)

[Arrico]

I am the original owner of a 2008 Land Cruiser. I have about ~220K miles. I want try to get another 10-15 years out of it. I would love to see it go 500K. Help me get there!!! I don’t have an unlimited budget, so I’m trying to figure out which things would be worth it, and which things I should live with. Or, whether I should just move on, altogether and get a 250 series next year. Here is a list of the issues that I know of. I realize there may be other stuff I’m not aware of. How does this list sound? Is anything an obvious yes or no? Also, are there modifications I should consider, like new suspension/maybe a slight lift, etc. I don't want to break the bank, but I'd be interested in everyone's opinion. Any rough idea on how much $$$ it's going to take to get to 500k miles?

Mechanical:

1. It has a weird fuel issue where it runs out of gas when it has ~1/8-1/4 of a tank indicated. This has happened ~3-4 times. Someone looked at it and said I should just refill the tank when it is showing 1/3. That’s what I’ve been doing, which works but is kind of annoying
2. Upon start up, 1/10 times it will make a TERRIBLE grinding noise. This started happening right after I had the starter replaced in 5/2023. We took it back, and they said the sound has nothing to do with the starter. Sounds unlikely to me, but OK.
3. Leaky rear main seal. It doesn’t lose a significant amount of oil.
4. FYI- Rear brakes replaced, oil change, tire rotation in 7/2023.

Cosmetic:

1. Windshield. Tons of cracks and rock pits. It has a significant crack on the lower left which has been creeping inward.
2. Leather cover for the emergency brake. This is torn and the zipper doesn’t work.
3. R side mirror housing is badly broken. Want to replace the housing but not the entire mirror
4. Lots of small scrapes, a small dent on R rear, lots of rock chips especially on the front
5. The headlight lenses are super cloudy. I’ve tried to clean the outsides, but it looks like the issue is on the inside.
6. The emblems on the rear look rusty and pitted
7. The hitch area is all rusted
8. Needs new all weather mat on Driver side
9. The wipers are incredibly squeaky and don’t work. Not sure if this is just an adjustment or needs new blades installed.
10. The whole thing needs to be detailed inside and out

Optional:

1. The maps are wildly outdated, wonder how much to update these, if it’s even possible
2. This truck did not initially have Bluetooth. I installed an aftermarket system to allow my phone to link by Bluetooth. Every time the car starts up, the system yells “CONNECTED”. It’s usually super loud and annoying. Is there a better way to connect to Bluetooth, or even an option for stuff like Apple CarPlay? Or at minimum turn off the voice that says “CONNECTED” so annoyingly.

 

[terrapin]

I'll start with the last one. Assuming that you have a BT45-TOY bluetooth adapter follow these instructions. For no. 4, I believe you push the SEEK button down to disable the prompt. I have this in my 470 and the connection prompt resets every time I disconnect the battery. I don't know how many times it's made me jump!

 

[mcgaskins]

If you want to refresh your interior, I've got a new OEM set of interior trim pieces for sale here (For Sale - Want to refresh your 200? All new OEM parts - https://risingsun4x4club.org/xf/threads/want-to-refresh-your-200-all-new-oem-parts.35187/). I also have tons of new OEM parts in the box never opened I haven't listed yet - CV axles, steering rack, front driveshaft, LCAs...probably even more I'm forgetting. Send me a PM if you're interested - I'm fairly local in Denver.

 

[ryanCA]

If you want to refresh your interior, I've got a new OEM set of interior trim pieces for sale here (For Sale - Want to refresh your 200? All new OEM parts - https://risingsun4x4club.org/xf/threads/want-to-refresh-your-200-all-new-oem-parts.35187/). I also have tons of new OEM parts in the box never opened I haven't listed yet - CV axles, steering rack, front driveshaft, LCAs...probably even more I'm forgetting. Send me a PM if you're interested - I'm fairly local in Denver.

wish i lived in denver- would buy your stash

@Arrico keep it going. I have 270k. Can’t wait for 400k

 

[jwmNC]

Biggest question mark for me is the rusty rear hitch area. Usually that’s also accompanied by rust in the rear bumper supports and frame crossmembers. Is the hitch the only significant area of rust? Before putting much into cosmetics, I’d confirm that.

 

[Arrico]

wish i lived in denver- would buy your stash

@Arrico keep it going. I have 270k. Can’t wait for 400k

Love Land Cruisers. One of the only models where people actually *like* their high mileage. What other car models would that be true of?

 

[Arrico]

Biggest question mark for me is the rusty rear hitch area. Usually that’s also accompanied by rust in the rear bumper supports and frame crossmembers. Is the hitch the only significant area of rust? Before putting much into cosmetics, I’d confirm that.

OK, this is a good tip. I actually dropped it off at a local 4x4 place last evening. Hoping to get some estimates today. I'll ask specifically about that. Thanks. Usually we don't have a lot of issues with rust here in Colorado, but you never know.

 

[linuxgod]

If you want to keep it…

Your fuel issue is probably a bad sending unit. There are a few forum postings with similar issues. Its fixable and not ungodly expensive.

The noise at startup i suspect is the timing chain tensioner. Switching to 5W-30 may quiet the noise. So long as it goes away in a few seconds once oil pressure ramps up it’s annoying but ignorable. The part is <$100 but it’s a ton of labor to get to and would probably set you back $3k. I wouldn’t bother unless your timing chain cover is leaking oil and you need a new water pump.

A small oil leak in the rear main seal is something to live with. If you don’t notice the oil level change by the end of a 5k mile interval, just live with it IMO.

Replace your wiper blades annually.

There are aftermarket Android-based radio upgrades for $1000 which will alleviate your map and Bluetooth issues.

There are aftermarket LED headlight upgrades available for 2008-2011. Check the forum for people posting about them to see what’s out there and get costs.

Windshield is covered by comprehensive insurance minus your deductible. Unless you have collision only I’d claim it. Comprehensive claims which are acts of god (like stones hitting your windshield) do not affect your insurance rate. In the future note that most insurance companies will send out a glass repair company to patch small stone chips smaller than a quarter for free. They apply an epoxy to the glass to fill it so the chips won’t spread. Works about 95% of the time, and again typically no cost to you.

 

[Arrico]

If you want to keep it…

Your fuel issue is probably a bad sending unit. There are a few forum postings with similar issues. Its fixable and not ungodly expensive.

The noise at startup i suspect is the timing chain tensioner. Switching to 5W-30 may quiet the noise. So long as it goes away in a few seconds once oil pressure ramps up it’s annoying but ignorable. The part is <$100 but it’s a ton of labor to get to and would probably set you back $3k. I wouldn’t bother unless your timing chain cover is leaking oil and you need a new water pump.

A small oil leak in the rear main seal is something to live with. If you don’t notice the oil level change by the end of a 5k mile interval, just live with it IMO.

Replace your wiper blades annually.

There are aftermarket Android-based radio upgrades for $1000 which will alleviate your map and Bluetooth issues.

There are aftermarket LED headlight upgrades available for 2008-2011. Check the forum for people posting about them to see what’s out there and get costs.

Windshield is covered by comprehensive insurance minus your deductible. Unless you have collision only I’d claim it. Comprehensive claims which are acts of god (like stones hitting your windshield) do not affect your insurance rate. In the future note that most insurance companies will send out a glass repair company to patch small stone chips smaller than a quarter for free. They apply an epoxy to the glass to fill it so the chips won’t spread. Works about 95% of the time, and again typically no cost to you.

Ok, that’s all super helpful. Sounds like the starting sound is the only one I should skip. That’s a good sign. Any idea about cost of all this?

 

[mbusa1]

1. R side mirror housing is badly broken. Want to replace the housing but not the entire mirror

Tried everything to replace the housing and it's not available. Ended up buying a set of mirrors from someone that replaced theirs with Clearview. I only needed the left one, so let me know if you want the right one.

 

[Arrico]

Tried everything to replace the housing and it's not available. Ended up buying a set of mirrors from someone that replaced theirs with Clearview. I only needed the left one, so let me know if you want the right one.

What color is it? How much?

 

[BVE]

Tried everything to replace the housing and it's not available. Ended up buying a set of mirrors from someone that replaced theirs with Clearview. I only needed the left one, so let me know if you want the right one.

If it’s just the outer mirror housing they sell the part for around 75 bucks painted from Toyota. It’s just a piece of plastic that pops in, had to replace mine when I bought it.

 

[mbusa1]

If it’s just the outer mirror housing they sell the part for around 75 bucks painted from Toyota. It’s just a piece of plastic that pops in, had to replace mine when I bought it.

That's correct. The outside piece is cheap and easy to replace. It's the inner housing (black) that is not replaceable.

 

[Arrico]

If it’s just the outer mirror housing they sell the part for around 75 bucks painted from Toyota. It’s just a piece of plastic that pops in, had to replace mine when I bought it.

Shoot me a pic?

 

[BVE]

Shoot me a pic?

I’ll do you one better:

Genuine Toyota Mirror Cover - Toyota Parts Deal

www.toyotapartsdeal.com

 

[TimCFJ40]

If you want to keep it for a long time, I'd do the following:
1) Replace ALL Fluids if you haven't been so far
2) Serpentine belt and tensioners
3) Spark plugs - These can go a really long time, so long that people overlook them.
4) Lube driveshafts
Monitor any wet spots like that rear main seal, but if it doesn't drip enough to leave a spot on the garage floor or show low between changes, don't bother fixing these.

If these haven't been done yet, don't hurry but put these on your list as possible high mileage issues:
Radiator, Water pump, Heater Ts and Hoses
Alternator
Starter (sounds like you already had yours replaced)

I have a 2008 with 274k miles on it, and would trust it anywhere. I also wouldn't go looking for a lot of stuff to replace, just pay attention to things that change over time and address them as they come up.