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- #81
Yep, Silverdale towing wanted more than $2K to take it from Kitsap to Everett.
Learn from me - Bad build experience Ed Martin (1 Viewer)
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- #83
Yeah, Aaron is good. I spoke with him and he got it lined up for only $500.
Moby
GOLD Star
Living in Seattle (well, now splitting time Seattle/Bend) I wonder if you might find someone that commutes by ferry to take it across.
That said, who is doing the work? I strongly recommend you take this to @torfab in Everett. He does everything from simple maintenance to engine swaps. He did the H55 swap in my FJ-62 (I really wanted to do this myself but was at a place where time was the constraint). I really can't recommend him enough. I would not hesitate to just leave it there and have him go through the whole thing.
That said, who is doing the work? I strongly recommend you take this to @torfab in Everett. He does everything from simple maintenance to engine swaps. He did the H55 swap in my FJ-62 (I really wanted to do this myself but was at a place where time was the constraint). I really can't recommend him enough. I would not hesitate to just leave it there and have him go through the whole thing.
Whoa...... I can understand your frustration. Any updates?
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- #86
Eric is committed to getting this fixed and I have another appointment next week.
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- #87
It's been almost a year and wanted to provide an update.
I did a tire rotation and discovered some wheel damage from install/removals and black crap on the spare ring that not's coming off easily; not sure who did it at this point since the LC has been to many shops but I sent new and perfect wheels to Ed Martin for the install.
But the main thing is that I still have a terrible fuel smell and often have to leave the vehicle outside due to the HVAC being in the garage.
I've got another appointment towards the end of May to have it looked at again. I have wasted so much time on this thing.
I did a tire rotation and discovered some wheel damage from install/removals and black crap on the spare ring that not's coming off easily; not sure who did it at this point since the LC has been to many shops but I sent new and perfect wheels to Ed Martin for the install.
But the main thing is that I still have a terrible fuel smell and often have to leave the vehicle outside due to the HVAC being in the garage.
I've got another appointment towards the end of May to have it looked at again. I have wasted so much time on this thing.
Sorry to hear, but maybe the hive mind here can help with your LRA issue?
Do you know where the LRA breather is installed? It's important to have that up high as fuel vapors are heavier than air, and if not located high enough, will have vapors coming from the charcoal canister. I doubt the rest of the fuel system has a leak as that would likely manifest in CEL and EVAP check engine lights regularly.
Do you know where the LRA breather is installed? It's important to have that up high as fuel vapors are heavier than air, and if not located high enough, will have vapors coming from the charcoal canister. I doubt the rest of the fuel system has a leak as that would likely manifest in CEL and EVAP check engine lights regularly.
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- #89
I don't know exactly where/how the breather is installed. I know the system has been pressure tested and it does seem worse when there is fuel in the aux tank. There have not been any codes for the EVAP so hmm. Ward is going to hand hold this so I'm pretty hopeful it finally gets resolved.
plink01
SILVER Star
I can't get my head around the obsession some members on this forum have with the Toyota Master Mechanic. You guys have been drinking the Toyota coolaid.
These guys are just mechanics and probably have 2 or 3 apprentices with them that do most of the work.
I wouldn't even take my car to a dealer to get an oil change. They are absoloutly hopeless and charge 3x the price.
We have a fleet of 79 series landcruisers for our work vehicles and they come back with more problems then what they went in for half the time when we get them serviced.
You couldn't pay me to take my own Landcruiser there.
Secondly people saying OP shouldn't have got his car modified in the first place have no idea. Yeah these cars are good out of the box but if your taking it seriously off road then unfortunately it needs some mods. If your gonna whiz up and down firetrails all day than a stock cruiser will be fine. But if your going away for long periods of time into remote and hard to get to areas than unfortunately your gonna need some mods that Toyota don't provide because there isn't a big enough market for it. Most drivers including a heap on this forum will just drive it to work and back and talk to their mates about how 'it will go anywhere' but in reality it isn't even going off the tarmac.
If I had paid $100,000+ for a brand new Landcruiser and it was reeking of fuel everytime I drove it and the frame had been crushed before I even had a chance to drive it I would be absoloutly furious. The dealer needs to make this s*** right.
I can't believe the amount of bootlicking going on here for the dealer, he sent a brand new Landcruiser to some 2 bit parts shop and it comes back ****ed. I don't care how many happy customers he has had in the past, he needs to make it right. People blaming the OP in this are mental.
These guys are just mechanics and probably have 2 or 3 apprentices with them that do most of the work.
I wouldn't even take my car to a dealer to get an oil change. They are absoloutly hopeless and charge 3x the price.
We have a fleet of 79 series landcruisers for our work vehicles and they come back with more problems then what they went in for half the time when we get them serviced.
You couldn't pay me to take my own Landcruiser there.
Secondly people saying OP shouldn't have got his car modified in the first place have no idea. Yeah these cars are good out of the box but if your taking it seriously off road then unfortunately it needs some mods. If your gonna whiz up and down firetrails all day than a stock cruiser will be fine. But if your going away for long periods of time into remote and hard to get to areas than unfortunately your gonna need some mods that Toyota don't provide because there isn't a big enough market for it. Most drivers including a heap on this forum will just drive it to work and back and talk to their mates about how 'it will go anywhere' but in reality it isn't even going off the tarmac.
If I had paid $100,000+ for a brand new Landcruiser and it was reeking of fuel everytime I drove it and the frame had been crushed before I even had a chance to drive it I would be absoloutly furious. The dealer needs to make this s*** right.
I can't believe the amount of bootlicking going on here for the dealer, he sent a brand new Landcruiser to some 2 bit parts shop and it comes back ****ed. I don't care how many happy customers he has had in the past, he needs to make it right. People blaming the OP in this are mental.
In reading this thread I am reminded of philosophy I have on businesses. It is not my original thought and it has been so long I can not remember who to give credit. But it goes like this:
The way to measure a business is not when they get it right as that is what we are paying them to do. The way to measure a business is how a company responds when they get it wrong.
Edit to add: the above is not to be a reflection on the dealer, but a general comment.
That said, I feel for the OP especially as it sounds like that after a year things are still not right.
The way to measure a business is not when they get it right as that is what we are paying them to do. The way to measure a business is how a company responds when they get it wrong.
Edit to add: the above is not to be a reflection on the dealer, but a general comment.
That said, I feel for the OP especially as it sounds like that after a year things are still not right.
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Who is paying for all of these diagnostic testing and repairs??
is Eric Sargent still using 4WP Store to install aftermarket parts for his customer builds??
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Yeah no matter what business you are in you gonna have a few incidents where you wish you could take it back or you could have a do over.
Sounds like ES trying to do right by the customer.
But at some point you might consider returning the vehicle to Ed Martin on their dime and either get a good deal on a bone stock one or heritage and start over. With this amount of problems I wonder if you ever gonna feel happy driving down the road. Or with every creak and squeak and whiff of fuel you gonna be worried about what other problem is hidden behind all the wires and tubes.
Sounds like ES trying to do right by the customer.
But at some point you might consider returning the vehicle to Ed Martin on their dime and either get a good deal on a bone stock one or heritage and start over. With this amount of problems I wonder if you ever gonna feel happy driving down the road. Or with every creak and squeak and whiff of fuel you gonna be worried about what other problem is hidden behind all the wires and tubes.
Honestly I think this is the only answer, in my opinion anyway. Owner has every right to be upset and ES has tried to fix the issues and admitted some failures on his end. However at this point I think the truck has been torn down and built back up so many times it's kind of like a frankenstein. Even if all the problems are fixed any little issue down the road there will always be a thought in the back of your mind. Plus I don't think I could look or think of the vehicle the same way, it would probably just bring up bad memories.
While nice to trade in for a new one…but that also means that the owner (mbach) would lose tons of $$$ in the process. He would never recoup close to what he has already spent on it (LC + aftermarket mods/parts). But, i am not OP and cannot speak for him obviously. That is why i am interested on who has been paying for all these diagnostic visits with 3rd party and repairs.
Yeah, if he could recoup most of his money back that would be in an ideal world but I don't think such exists. The owner would lose money on trade-in value along with lost time, money, transportation and frustration with the current vehicle. Not only that but new LC's are harder to find now and you aren't going to get nearly the same discount as you could a year ago. I guess it's a discussion whether to keep pouring money into his current vehicle to fix the issues or to take the lo$$$$es and start over. Honestly I feel for the OP, he's in a lose-lose situation.
fireball
SILVER Star
He could trade it in for a jeep!
nor_cal_cyclist
GOLD Star
Sorry to hear your truck is still giving you grief.
Mine is heading to yet another shop to try an figure out why it continually drains the main battery if left undriven for more than 4 days. Never again! Once this is resolved, I'll only use my local Toy Specialty shop/fabricator (Trail Tailor) for any modifications I can't handle myself. If not resolved...have to decide if its time to sell.
For the kind of money spent on the initial purchase and extensive modifications ES is selling (at a substantial profit), these trucks should have ZERO issues....short of user inflicted trail damage.
Mine is heading to yet another shop to try an figure out why it continually drains the main battery if left undriven for more than 4 days. Never again! Once this is resolved, I'll only use my local Toy Specialty shop/fabricator (Trail Tailor) for any modifications I can't handle myself. If not resolved...have to decide if its time to sell.
For the kind of money spent on the initial purchase and extensive modifications ES is selling (at a substantial profit), these trucks should have ZERO issues....short of user inflicted trail damage.
Wait, so your truck was bought through Eric Sargent and had issues too???
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