LX to GX - First Time GX Owner (3 Viewers)

[LXJake93]

Hello all,

Went from a 99 LX470 to a ‘10 GX460…

Picked her up this morning in Florence, AL from a dealership in “as is” condition for under $18k. She’s got a clean title and 144k miles and has only ever been serviced by Lexus.

Test drive went well, no overheating or running hot, good oil on the dipstick, a/c worked.. I began to drive the 1.5 hours home and noticed the heat didn’t work. Shortly after, I noticed the temp gauge creep up. Pulled over and snapped off the plastic cover over the radiator and sure enough it was bone dry. Limped to a store for some jugs of water and filled all the way up. I’ll post pics later but it looks like she’s had a small coolant leak from the top rad hose. Luckily, it’s red in color. Needless to say, this weekend I’ll be conducting a flush and refill on the rad and clean it up to see exactly where it’s leaking. I’ve read about the leak under the intake manifold and will have to look into that, also.

Besides that and a few dings, she’s right as rain. Happy to be back in the Landy game.

Should I change my name to GXJake? Ha!

 

[r2m]

Congrats!
Ha-ha! You have the look of a new Daddy!
Seriously, you have a COMPLETE service done so you have a datum point of service intervals. Aside from changing all your fluids, they will check brakes, lights, etc. We've done this to every used vehicle we've ever purchased. We also have a mechanic that we go to before we purchase and he'll do a once over on the entire vehicle, from compression test to fluids, lights and brakes and tell us if it's worth whatever price we're looking at paying.
Also, maybe replace all the rubber under the hood?

 

[r2m]

After having a couple of 100 series Landcruisers (LX470), you'll love the comfort and accessories on the GX over the LX.
BTW, what trim level does it have?

 

[LXJake93]

Congrats!
Ha-ha! You have the look of a new Daddy!
Seriously, you have a COMPLETE service done so you have a datum point of service intervals. Aside from changing all your fluids, they will check brakes, lights, etc. We've done this to every used vehicle we've ever purchased. We also have a mechanic that we go to before we purchase and he'll do a once over on the entire vehicle, from compression test to fluids, lights and brakes and tell us if it's worth whatever price we're looking at paying.
Also, maybe replace all the rubber under the hood?

That’s funny you say that about the look of a new daddy… My wife and I welcomed our first into the world 3 weeks ago. Out with the old and in with the new.. I got a baby to drive around!! Haha

I’ve got a beed on a Landy mechanic in TN who works on the LX i sold a guy a couple years ago. Apparently he does good work for less than stealership pricing. The 4.6L I’m not as familiar with compared to the 4.7L 2UZ but I think I’ll get along with it just fine. No pesky tb/wp service but gotta watch those tc seals, right?

I did my own little test and walk-around (all in front of the sales guy, no less) and checked for rust (TX owned car, 2 owners), leaks, grease where it shouldn’t be, spare tire, etc.

Does this thing have heater t’s? And are there any similarities between it and the 2UZ? I’ve read about tranny problems (ha!) and am skeptical but planning to keep a watch on it.

Trim level I believe is Premium. I’ve only gotten a collective two hours with her since buying and driving home and now I’m immediately headed out of town for work so don’t quote me on trim level lol

 

[r2m]

One thing good about the 4.6's compared to the 4.7's, there is no timing belt to replace every 90,000 miles!
Other than that these are pretty strong engines. There instances of valley leaks, and those are well documented and how to do it yourself if you desire. Use "Advanced Search" search for "valley leak" and make sure you're searching in the GX460 forum.

 

[GlobalTJB]

I did the same last week and added a GX460 to the fleet after having a 200 series when living overseas.

 

[rexington14]

Congrats on the GX! but man even in an "as is" sale, to not even make it home without an issue I'd be calling up the dealership on that one, if anything just to vent a bit about it. a less attentive buyer / driver could have blown the engine

any particular reason / motive for the LX to GX swap?

 

[WVU fan]

Thinking it is a base since you don’t have the decorative door trim or headlight washers. Congrats on the real live baby and the baby to drive!

 

[LXJake93]

Congrats on the GX! but man even in an "as is" sale, to not even make it home without an issue I'd be calling up the dealership on that one, if anything just to vent a bit about it. a less attentive buyer / driver could have blown the engine

any particular reason / motive for the LX to GX swap?

Oh, I left out the part where I called and b1tch3d out the dealership manager and the sales associate for 30 minutes straight.

I’ve had my fair share of issues in the past and especially with a new-to-me car of any kind, my eyes are glued to the temp gauge, tpms, oil pressure, and the of course the fuel gauge.

A couple of years have passed between my LX ownership and now. That thing was awesome and bulletproof, despite it’s shakey past, but it was time to let it go to someone who was more capable of putting all the time and money into it that it deserved. I beat on it a lot but hey that rig is still soaring for that guy! Pretty cool. But, I wanted another LX from ‘99 but nothing has really been available for the last year or so, so I’d been kicking around in my wife’s old car, the Nissan Versa aka dubbed the off-road queen because it’s gotten me in and out of many duck holes and deer blinds, believe it or not. They’re super lightweight and easy to push singlehandedly. Haha!

The GX wasn’t my first choice BUT with a baby coming (now, here) and a wife that didn’t want another “high mileage ticking time bomb nickel and dime throw-away cash bucket” I had to take matters into a different course. I’m extremely pleased though and officially STUCK with it despite my earlier efforts. So, I’m gonna just love on it and treat it right.

 

[LXJake93]

Thinking it is a base since you don’t have the decorative door trim or headlight washers. Congrats on the real live baby and the baby to drive!

Thank you and thank you! Both are an incredible blessing and I couldn’t be happier.

Even the base level is a friggin’ beaut compared to the ‘99 I had, and especially the Versa. Holy crap dude this thing’s legit. Now to just sort out the radiator/coolant/dripping issue. Any tips and tricks are welcomed. I love MUD because it’s constantly teaching me something new.

 

[LXJake93]

I did the same last week and added a GX460 to the fleet after having a 200 series when living overseas.

How does it compare to the 200? I’d been eye-balling some 200’s in my outlying areas but didn’t pull the trigger on any because they all wanted $24k+ for 250k+ miles. Can’t talk the wife into that! Ha

 

[yodaslim]

Congrats! I've been helping my folks search for a new GX also and we've now expanded the radius to 150 miles to try to find the right car at the right price. Hopefully we don't have to make that trip but if we do I'll be sure to keep your story in mind!

 

[jonshonda]

Lot's of people run vehicles w/o any maintenance and then trade them in when they start to have issues. My guess is you should baseline all fluids, etc. Autoparts stores will rent coolant system pressure testers as well. That might help you determine if there is a leak, and from where.

 

[LXJake93]

Lot's of people run vehicles w/o any maintenance and then trade them in when they start to have issues. My guess is you should baseline all fluids, etc. Autoparts stores will rent coolant system pressure testers as well. That might help you determine if there is a leak, and from where.

Great minds think alike! That’s good to know about the coolant system pressure tester, I’ll have to ask my local shops. I’ll try and snag some photos of it when I return home this evening but it looked like there’d been a slow coolant leak from the top rad hose or (hopefully not this) from the driver side of the rad, top to bottom along the back edge. But, I’ll continue diagnosing when this dumb legal glass is over.

 

[re_guderian]

Thinking it is a base since you don’t have the decorative door trim or headlight washers. Congrats on the real live baby and the baby to drive!

But early "Base" models could be optioned with cooled seats, heated windshield, etc

 

[r2m]

Long and short of it is: if you take care of it, it'll take care of you. All our Toyota products have gone over 200k miles and closer to 300k with us trading them in only for aesthetics, such as the paint and clear coat was gone, some rust, the leather and other interior was looking shabby, etc.
Regarding the 200 series, the main thing is that they are much larger both interior and exterior. Not sure how wide trails are where you're at, but you may have issues navigating some trails because of width and even length of a 200. Also, they come factory with Multi-Terrain (MT) and Crawl Control (CC), which on ours we have to add it if we want it.
MT is really simple, purchase the little module for under $200,00, plug it in behind your glove box and BANG! you've got MT!
CC is a little more expensive and requires using TechStream or some other fancy maneuvers to get the onboard computer to read, calibrate and accept it. It's not that hard, maybe , where the MT is an easy
Other than that, I don't think there are many other differences between the 200 series and GX's

 

[rav8]

That’s funny you say that about the look of a new daddy… My wife and I welcomed our first into the world 3 weeks ago. Out with the old and in with the new.. I got a baby to drive around!! Haha

I’ve got a beed on a Landy mechanic in TN who works on the LX i sold a guy a couple years ago. Apparently he does good work for less than stealership pricing. The 4.6L I’m not as familiar with compared to the 4.7L 2UZ but I think I’ll get along with it just fine. No pesky tb/wp service but gotta watch those tc seals, right?

I did my own little test and walk-around (all in front of the sales guy, no less) and checked for rust (TX owned car, 2 owners), leaks, grease where it shouldn’t be, spare tire, etc.

Does this thing have heater t’s? And are there any similarities between it and the 2UZ? I’ve read about tranny problems (ha!) and am skeptical but planning to keep a watch on it.

Trim level I believe is Premium. I’ve only gotten a collective two hours with her since buying and driving home and now I’m immediately headed out of town for work so don’t quote me on trim level lol

Congrats on both and good luck with the coolant issue. My 2010 is a "Base" but very well optioned out and I really prefer the lack of side moulding on the doors. Just passed the 120k mark having added 46k of that myself and am still very happy with the purchase. I fully anticipate experiencing the valley leak or a radiator failure sometime in the near future but no signs yet. Definitely agree with @r2m on recommending the CC and MT upgrades once you've got your maintenance needs out of the way. Nice looking GX!

 

[LXJake93]

Ran into an old relative the other morning while out running errands and grabbing coffee and had to snap a couple photos.. Not sure who owns it nor if they're a mudder on here but this one was super pretty and RHD! It even had some Japanese writing across the back doors. Someday, it will be mine (Wayne's World reference... if yah know yah know...)...

I have some questions for anyone who's willing to read my posts and respond. I'm grateful!

Firstly, should the suspension be a bit bouncy and/or lumpy or is that par for the course? Original suspension with 144k miles on them.

Secondly, around what mileage do people start having coolant valley leak issues and transmission issues? I've read a little bit on the transmission threads and haphazardly concluded that the transmission issue might be happening more often for folks who live in colder climates. Does that seem somewhat accurate in any sort of way? Or do those transmission issues typically only happen in certain model years or is it just simply up to fate?

I'm more used to having AHC in my old '99 LX so I'm not familiar yet with this set up. It is stock, from what I can tell, and I've been meaning to snap photos of things and post here for all to see BUT I'm trying to figure out if the base models came with AHC/air suspension of sorts or if they had static suspension (shocks, struts, springs). If it's static then that ought to be easier and cheaper to maintain than the latter, yes? Unless it has KDSS but I'm thinking mine does not since there are only options for 4LO, Hill Descent, and center locker but nothing for height control or sport mode or anything fancy.

 

[LXJake93]

Congrats on both and good luck with the coolant issue. My 2010 is a "Base" but very well optioned out and I really prefer the lack of side moulding on the doors. Just passed the 120k mark having added 46k of that myself and am still very happy with the purchase. I fully anticipate experiencing the valley leak or a radiator failure sometime in the near future but no signs yet. Definitely agree with @r2m on recommending the CC and MT upgrades once you've got your maintenance needs out of the way. Nice looking GX!

Thank you! I might need some luck on figuring coolant problem(s). Seemed to be leaking from the side of the radiator at first but then noticed it was coming from the top radiator hose connection to the radiator so I've procured a new hose and clamps. Still haven't had the time to get around to swapping that out yet... a baby takes up a lot my time! Who knew...?

Have you had any issues out of your break booster yet? Just curious.

 

[rav8]

Firstly, should the suspension be a bit bouncy and/or lumpy or is that par for the course? Original suspension with 144k miles on them.

Mine had brake dive since purchase (76k) and started really loosening up around 100k. I replaced mine with Bilstien 5100s and am pretty happy with it. All GX460s (unless modified from stock) have KDSS. You likely have a typical shock/strut configuration. AHC versions have two more switches (height and ride settings) above where you'll find your Hill Descent (or CC) and H4/L4 switches.

Secondly, around what mileage do people start having coolant valley leak issues and transmission issues?

I think both are rare but show signs around 100-150k. Some good info on the coolant valley repair here.

Have you had any issues out of your break booster yet? Just curious.

None and haven't heard of any.