Hello all! Long time lurker, first time poster! This is where I plan to document and manage my build thread for my 2009 LX570! I have named him Rook and look forward to the adventures I will get to go on with him! The very first day I bought the car, I drove it from Nashville to Louisville, picked up a friend, and hit small trails in Eastern Kentucky on a camping trip for a few days. In those first 72 hours of ownership, I put the car to its tests, everything mechanical works, and 4lo in H mode is a blast! May have even tested the governor....
I purchased it in October of 2024 for 19k with 178k miles, currently at 187k. It was a bit of a risk, a large one at that. It had no documented repairs/maintenance since its 60k Mile mark, and I am the 3rd owner since that time. Though all I can find is that it was owned by the state of Arkansas & Tennessee. At 124k miles, it looks like someone backed it into a light pole based on photos I found via VIN search. That has been repaired and honestly has no visible damage, though it fails the magnet test in those areas.
I CANNOT stress this enough....I bought from a pretty shady dealer and knew I would find WILD things on the vehicle, but for my area and the price, I took the risk.
My spare tire was 21 years old. It was legally OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK. What's crazy is that it means someone took whatever spare was on it and replaced it with someone even older, crappier, and the incorrect size. Talk about a safety hazard. It has been replaced with a cheap but safe spare, as I will be upgrading wheels here shortly. More on that later.
My washer fluid currently does not work, though I am unsure if it is a clogged line or a bad pump, getting that looked at in the upcoming repairs
Since purchasing it, the first 'mods' I did were buy some One Stone armrests (honestly, a non-negotiable, improved long-distance comfort tenfold) and a 3D printed cup holder extension because I spilled a drink like a week in and flooded my cup holder. very thankful that it did not get all over the mechanical switches and gunk them up. I also ripped those chunky 3rd row seats out just for rear trunk space as I have a Goldendoodle that appreciates the extra room when a cooler or gear is back there with her!
Repairs already done:
-New oil pan: completely stripped drain plug with a basically smooth drain hole and a temp plug holding it together.
-New updated metal oil filter housing. The original plastic one was completely cracked a slightly leaking
-New Front Rotors & Pads, OEM. --- I wish I had gone with Tundra or some aftermarket larger brake kit post purchase.
Upcoming repairs: As of this post
Currently waiting for these parts to come in, an appointment with a family friend mechanic is set within the next 2 weeks. I'm currently in an apartment and cannot do these things by myself here. One day, a house will come. As I have learned and scoped out AHC threads here, I recognize my system is meant to level out and adjust, but the harshness of the ride and lack of pressurization in the AHC system, I knew something big was coming. From sitting at red lights or in a parking lot, the car would just suddenly drop 2 inches, slowly rise; rinse and repeat.
-Transmission fluid flush
-Front and Rear Diff fluid flush
-New spark plugs
-Air filters: engine and cabin
-Rear shocks, both driver and passenger, had leaks.
-Accumulators x4.
-AHC fluid flush and replace
-Washer fluid working again
-Master Cylinder.
I saved the master cylinder for last so I could talk about it. As winter has been leaving, my brakes have been becoming softer and softer. Even after replacing the fronts and doing a full system bleed 2x. It got to the point where my first 80 degree day of the year led to me being at multiple red lights, having my brake pressure be as hard as possible, and still creeping forward, needing to put the car in N to stop it from hitting the people in front of me. I've chosen to bite the bullet and swap this out, as I know I have tires coming shortly and plan to drive the car to Maine this summer. Brakes and safety just come first.
Speaking of new tires!!! I purchased a set of Nomad Convoy 501 wheels in Utility Gray colorway! They are a 17" rim with +25 offset. The goal is to put 285/75/17 tires on, though I have not figured out if I want to put a set of AT4W or K03s on the car yet. I know there are a million threads on this. I'm personally leaning k03 as I am a sucker for the white wall letters. If anyone has insight as to whether it would be smarter to get a C load AT4W vs an E load K03, I am open to suggestions. I do know the AT4W at that load range has an R speed rating vs the S speed rating of the K03.
Mods post repairs:
-Bluetooth and/or Grom V2 kit installation. Currently running the aux cable to my phone or iPad that I have mounted with a CD mount
-Tint those windows!
-Window visors
-Chrome delete
-I may take a stab at swapping the lens covers on the headlights, as they look like they've smoked 2 packs a day for the last 16 years. And upgraded hikari lights would be a massive change for nighttime driving.
Obviously, armor is something we all want, though the cost of a bumper, winch, and lights is likely not to happen any time soon due to house hunting.
So far, I have genuinely been enjoying this vehicle and look forward to updating this thread as time goes on. I am hopeful for the ride quality to improve over time. Prior to this car, I had a 2015 LR4 that rode like a dream, and have been quite disappointed with Rook.... Sadly, the LR4 was deemed totaled in a small fender bender accident. I took it that fate did not want me to deal with an airbag blowout on a trail, so I pivoted to the LC/LX direction. I almost went with a 100 series for looks, but valued the torque and power of the 200.
I look forward to updating this thread and showing the world that 187k is just the beginning for an LX! I think the goal is 500k, super excited for the process!
I purchased it in October of 2024 for 19k with 178k miles, currently at 187k. It was a bit of a risk, a large one at that. It had no documented repairs/maintenance since its 60k Mile mark, and I am the 3rd owner since that time. Though all I can find is that it was owned by the state of Arkansas & Tennessee. At 124k miles, it looks like someone backed it into a light pole based on photos I found via VIN search. That has been repaired and honestly has no visible damage, though it fails the magnet test in those areas.
I CANNOT stress this enough....I bought from a pretty shady dealer and knew I would find WILD things on the vehicle, but for my area and the price, I took the risk.
My spare tire was 21 years old. It was legally OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK. What's crazy is that it means someone took whatever spare was on it and replaced it with someone even older, crappier, and the incorrect size. Talk about a safety hazard. It has been replaced with a cheap but safe spare, as I will be upgrading wheels here shortly. More on that later.
My washer fluid currently does not work, though I am unsure if it is a clogged line or a bad pump, getting that looked at in the upcoming repairs
Since purchasing it, the first 'mods' I did were buy some One Stone armrests (honestly, a non-negotiable, improved long-distance comfort tenfold) and a 3D printed cup holder extension because I spilled a drink like a week in and flooded my cup holder. very thankful that it did not get all over the mechanical switches and gunk them up. I also ripped those chunky 3rd row seats out just for rear trunk space as I have a Goldendoodle that appreciates the extra room when a cooler or gear is back there with her!
Repairs already done:
-New oil pan: completely stripped drain plug with a basically smooth drain hole and a temp plug holding it together.
-New updated metal oil filter housing. The original plastic one was completely cracked a slightly leaking
-New Front Rotors & Pads, OEM. --- I wish I had gone with Tundra or some aftermarket larger brake kit post purchase.
Upcoming repairs: As of this post
Currently waiting for these parts to come in, an appointment with a family friend mechanic is set within the next 2 weeks. I'm currently in an apartment and cannot do these things by myself here. One day, a house will come. As I have learned and scoped out AHC threads here, I recognize my system is meant to level out and adjust, but the harshness of the ride and lack of pressurization in the AHC system, I knew something big was coming. From sitting at red lights or in a parking lot, the car would just suddenly drop 2 inches, slowly rise; rinse and repeat.
-Transmission fluid flush
-Front and Rear Diff fluid flush
-New spark plugs
-Air filters: engine and cabin
-Rear shocks, both driver and passenger, had leaks.
-Accumulators x4.
-AHC fluid flush and replace
-Washer fluid working again
-Master Cylinder.
I saved the master cylinder for last so I could talk about it. As winter has been leaving, my brakes have been becoming softer and softer. Even after replacing the fronts and doing a full system bleed 2x. It got to the point where my first 80 degree day of the year led to me being at multiple red lights, having my brake pressure be as hard as possible, and still creeping forward, needing to put the car in N to stop it from hitting the people in front of me. I've chosen to bite the bullet and swap this out, as I know I have tires coming shortly and plan to drive the car to Maine this summer. Brakes and safety just come first.
Speaking of new tires!!! I purchased a set of Nomad Convoy 501 wheels in Utility Gray colorway! They are a 17" rim with +25 offset. The goal is to put 285/75/17 tires on, though I have not figured out if I want to put a set of AT4W or K03s on the car yet. I know there are a million threads on this. I'm personally leaning k03 as I am a sucker for the white wall letters. If anyone has insight as to whether it would be smarter to get a C load AT4W vs an E load K03, I am open to suggestions. I do know the AT4W at that load range has an R speed rating vs the S speed rating of the K03.
Mods post repairs:
-Bluetooth and/or Grom V2 kit installation. Currently running the aux cable to my phone or iPad that I have mounted with a CD mount
-Tint those windows!
-Window visors
-Chrome delete
-I may take a stab at swapping the lens covers on the headlights, as they look like they've smoked 2 packs a day for the last 16 years. And upgraded hikari lights would be a massive change for nighttime driving.
Obviously, armor is something we all want, though the cost of a bumper, winch, and lights is likely not to happen any time soon due to house hunting.
So far, I have genuinely been enjoying this vehicle and look forward to updating this thread as time goes on. I am hopeful for the ride quality to improve over time. Prior to this car, I had a 2015 LR4 that rode like a dream, and have been quite disappointed with Rook.... Sadly, the LR4 was deemed totaled in a small fender bender accident. I took it that fate did not want me to deal with an airbag blowout on a trail, so I pivoted to the LC/LX direction. I almost went with a 100 series for looks, but valued the torque and power of the 200.
I look forward to updating this thread and showing the world that 187k is just the beginning for an LX! I think the goal is 500k, super excited for the process!
