Looking at a 2010 GX460 thats had issues in the past.

[box12360]

Hello, I'm Currently looking at a 2010 gx460 with 140k miles on it. It has recently had a new transmission put in by Lexus. (Guy said he was down shifting manually for some reason) New cooling system - radiator, thermostat other stuff involved in the switch again at a dealership.

So my question is I asked the seller if the car overheated which would cause him to get it checked for radiator etc. He claims it didn't overheat but had a CEL so he immediately took it to the dealer and had it checked. There they found a coolant leak which lead to thermostat first time then second occasion a new radiator. Is this plausible?

Is there a system that A) can detect leaks on these motors and/or B) sensor that detects low coolant.

I don't want to buy a motor with warped heads or that has been overheated multiple times...

 

[Jacket]

They can run a pressure test on the cooling system to detect leaks. Pretty common diagnostic procedure.

 

[r2m]

You never gave a purchase price. Hard to tell if it's something worth purchasing if one doesn't know the price.
If it's cheap enough, buy it and deal with the issues. If it's on margin with other similar vehicles with less issues, walk away and look at something else.

 

[box12360]

Price is $15,750 which has me interested but not sure with past problems and mileage. I haven't seen any others even close to that price....

 

[box12360]

As far as the coolant system I visually didn't see any leaks (doesn't mean there isn't any there), but again more worried about the past overheating and possible damage done then. When i test drove it i did not see any CEL.

 

[bicycleagent003]

I don't have particular expertise in the 460, I'm just a lurker on this forum as I plan to buy one in a year or two.

If I were assessing this decision, I'd want to know (see the docs) whether Lexus put in a reman or new from the factory trans. I would consider either an improvement over a trans with 140K miles, but of course new would be my preference.

I think it sounds honest to me that the truck did not overheat, particularly since he copped to manually downshifting the trans. My reasoning is that manually downshifting is a bonehead move and he admitted to it. He could have just said the trans failed. So, I would consider that a reason to trust him (absent a reason not to).

All said, I'd have the vehicle inspected by a competent mechanic and if he gave it a good report I'd make an offer below asking, citing the concerns you have. I've been following these vehicles in SoCal and the price he's asking is below market here. Just my two cents. Let us know what you decide, and good luck.

 

[r2m]

I have to agree with 22Eyunu35VO on the point of manual shifting. I slap that baby to the left all the time and bump it up and down the gears when I'm on mountain roads to avoid heating up my brakes. Albeit, I don't ever tow anything so the only thing I'm slowing down is just my vehicle (and all the overland weight I've added). But if I'm not mistaken, these transmissions were made to shifted, otherwise there wouldn't be the option to sport shift tapping the shift lever forward and rearward.
The original owner having manually shifted is in my opinion a non-issue. There was something else that caused that trany to crash. Maybe just a bad one from the factory??

 

[box12360]

Well pulled the trigger on the gx460 . Its actually for my wife and when she's done with it I get it We've been driving it around and it shifts like a new trans! Changing the Transfer case fluid and diff fluid this weekend. The oil was just changed. putting new rotors on the rear.... Looking forward to fingers crossed little to no major issues

 

[Tex68w]

Not sure how down shifting caused issue. The only way to get to lower gears in 460 is to put over into Sport mode. On freeway this by design drops it from 6th to 4th gear. This system while giving more aggressive shifting just limits the top gear selected. I also leverage lower gears while towing. While AT is marketed as lifetime fluid IMO it is not and owners manual even says to change with heavy loads or towing every 60k miles. I have done 4 drain and fills on mine at around 55k miles. Most will find their fluid dark even at lower miles as US 460s lack an external AT cooler so temps up to 230-240 range or higher can happen in the hills or mountains. I have added an external AT cooler to. Overheat warning only comes on over 300 degrees and have heard a few report seeing that.

Jesus H Christ those are some high trans temp numbers. Most AT transmissions run 195-205F and they are in the red by 250F, the GX runs crazy hot, not cool. Is there a particular transmission cooler to get or a specific place to order? I think that's something I'd like to add sooner rather than later.

 

[Acrad]

Surely any highly rated cooler would work but I put in the factory cooler that is absent on US 460s. It is plug and play and doesn't require that you relocate the horns. I also pin the thermostatic switch open. Description of that piece is within the thread. It cooled mine 20-30 degrees and keeps the pan temps generally in the 180-195 range.

OEM AT #Cooler Install - #transmission - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

GX - 2nd Gen (2010-2023) - OEM AT #Cooler Install - #transmission - EDIT: This is more than likely the same setup going into the 2020+ GX 460 with off-road package. This has also long been available since 2010 in Canadian high trim models. As of 2019 this cooler is part of the Executive Package...

www.clublexus.com

 

[r2m]

Surely any highly rated cooler would work but I put in the factory cooler that is absent on US 460s. It is plug and play and doesn't require that you relocate the horns. I also pin the thermostatic switch open. Description of that piece is within the thread. It cooled mine 20-30 degrees and keeps the pan temps generally in the 180-195 range.

OEM AT #Cooler Install - #transmission - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

GX - 2nd Gen (2010-2023) - OEM AT #Cooler Install - #transmission - EDIT: This is more than likely the same setup going into the 2020+ GX 460 with off-road package. This has also long been available since 2010 in Canadian high trim models. As of 2019 this cooler is part of the Executive Package...

www.clublexus.com

Do you tow a lot, e.g.: a lot of weight and/or a lot times (often)?
How do you check your trans temp? Are you using an OBD II Bluetooth dongle with a smart phone app?