Builds LX570 - Maintain Restore and Mod (1 Viewer)

[NKP Garage]

Have had a many different 80-series and a couple 100-series over the years.

My favorite 80-series was my 40th that ended up on HMMWV 37's w/ EMSPowered adapters, got the full treatment with Metal-Tech all the way around, and was completely freshened up mechanically. Needed some cosmetic love, but it was a beast and saved my life a couple times. Still regret selling that one.

My favorite 100-series was the one that I just traded in for the 200-series. It was used on a ranch for a while before I bought it. I had it less than a year, but in that year it got new leather on the front seats, went through 3 different sets of tires and one set of new wheels, went through the entire engine/cooling/suspension system and got all services up to date. And then we got a boat and needed more towing power. Although the LX470 pulled the 24ft boat just fine, it wasn't really comfortable doing over 55mph. So if we ever wanted to take it further than 30min from the house I would not feel comfortable. I traded the LX470 in at a dealership in Round Rock, TX. If anyone finds it for sale, all it needs to be perfect right now is a front driver side axle boot and steering rack. Other than that it is immaculate for a 2000 LX470.

Now I picked up a 2009 200-series. I gotta say, the overall build quality seems better than the 100-series. The suspension and steering are better than the 100-series. The seats are more comfortable. I miss having a simple double-din headunit that I can replace, the factory infotainment system is terrible. The power folding third row is nice, but hopefully I won't ever need to remove them for extra cargo space. The auto lowering suspension upon parking is a nice touch. It seems to tow much better than the LX470, the extra power is definitely nice.

Working on getting the all the preventative maintenance done. It looks like it already has a new brakes, water pump, thermostat, radiator, belt, and some hoses. Tires look new. The rest I'm not sure about, no documentation came with it. 2 owner vehicle with no accidents on carfax.

Cylinder compression test checks out good across all 8 cylinders. Have new spark plugs, new AHC fluid, new Toyota red coolant, air filter, cabin filter, iridium long life spark plugs, k&n oil filter, mobil1 0w-40 euro spec, and full set of 3d Maxpider mats on order. In the mean time I'm polishing up the headlights, fixing the wiggly mirrors, re-dying the front interior door handles and the front seat bottoms too, typical wear for 160k miles, but luckily no cracking.

Any other suggestions on preventative maintenance or fixes to get it ready for the next year of weekend use?

 

[NKP Garage]

And the odd mirror/front grille cameras seem pretty pointless. Anyone found a good use case for those? Maybe I just need to get used to them.

 

[Docboy]

And the odd mirror/front grille cameras seem pretty pointless. Anyone found a good use case for those? Maybe I just need to get used to them.

Congratz on the purchase.

I personally have found the front to be very useful and almost a necessity when parking when I try to get the front as close as possible to a parking wall or line of a marked parking space. The side view passenger camera is useful during slow turn maneuvering in tight parking garages and spaces. If you don't like them you can always turn them off and prevent them from turning on automatically.

 

[NKP Garage]

Congratz on the purchase.

I personally have found the front to be very useful and almost a necessity when parking when I try to get the front as close as possible to a parking wall or line of a marked parking space. The side view passenger camera is useful during slow turn maneuvering in tight parking garages and spaces. If you don't like them you can always turn them off and prevent them from turning on automatically.

Thanks! Good point on the parking and looking for obstacles, I probably just need to get used to using them.

 

[tbisaacs]

I have bigger tires on my 570 - and when driving offroad I can see my right front wheel with the camera, super handy for picking a line when the nose of the rig is pointed up.

 

[cc93cruiser]

I use the side camera when parking next to curb, momma doesn't want any type of curb rash on the 20" blades...

 

[NKP Garage]

Polished up the headlights:

Installed the 3d Maxpider floor mats for first, second and third row. And already had the Lexus cargo mat:

 

[NKP Garage]

Re-dyed the front bottom seat bolsters for both the driver and passenger seats. And also the door handles for both front doors. Here's the only photos I have of them before re-dying:

Here are some photos after re-dying. Still need to apply leather conditioner after letting it sit for a few days. Sorry for the poor lighting:

 

[NKP Garage]

Some other goodies ready for next weekend. For now, time to have some Christmas fun with the family:

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Re-dyed the front bottom seat bolsters for both the driver and passenger seats. And also the door handles for both front doors. Here's the only photos I have of them before re-dying:

Here are some photos after re-dying. Still need to apply leather conditioner after letting it sit for a few days. Sorry for the poor lighting:

Looks great! What product did you use to dye the leather?

 

[NKP Garage]

Looks great! What product did you use to dye the leather?

Got the dye here, "cashmere" is a very good match for the factory color:

Amazon.com: Professional Automotive Leather/Vinyl Repair Dye for Lexus Automobiles and Accessories – Applicator Included (8oz, Cashmere): Automotive

Buy Professional Automotive Leather/Vinyl Repair Dye for Lexus Automobiles and Accessories – Applicator Included (8oz, Cashmere): Leather Care - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

amzn.to

And got an airbrush from HF to get it on nice and evenly:
3/4 And 3 Oz Airbrush Kit

And make sure to get the leather clean first. My favorite leather cleaner is McKees:

https://amzn.to/2mZo5Mr

Then once it has dryed completely use a leather sealer . I prefer McKees for that too, they have a very good line of products:

Amazon.com: McKee's 37 MK37-670 Leather Guard UV50 8 Fluid_Ounces: Automotive

Buy McKee's 37 MK37-670 Leather Guard UV50 8 Fluid_Ounces: Leather Care - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

amzn.to

After it has sat for about a week then you want to go back over it with a good leather conditioner .I usually do the leather conditioner once after 7 days and a second time after 14 days.

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Got the dye here, it's a very good match for the factory color:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071755249/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tvviCb24032P1

And got an airbrush from HF to get it on nice and evenly:
3/4 And 3 Oz Airbrush Kit

And make sure to get the leather clean first. My favorite leather cleaner is McKees:
McKee's 37 Leather Shampoo 70/30 Free Towel!

Then once it has dryed completely use a leather sealer . I prefer McKees for that too, they have a very good line of products:
McKee's 37 Leather Guard UV50

After it has sat for about a week then you want to go back over it with a good leather conditioner .I usually do the leather conditioner once after 7 days and a second time after 14 days.

Thanks @baktasht , I appreciate the info!

 

[speyrod]

$$ and miles?? I am thinking about pulling the trigger this week.

 

[NKP Garage]

$$ and miles?? I am thinking about pulling the trigger this week.

162k miles on her.

 

[NKP Garage]

Installed a 24F AGM battery today to replace the old Optima Redtop . I guess the last battery may have been on its last leg, because after the battery swap the truck actually runs better, and smoother at idle. Nice surprise.

Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

 

[NKP Garage]

Put new Toyota fluid in the power steering. Did an empty & fill & drive 3x. Fluid looks nice and clean now. Checked all power steering components and all of it looks good, no leaks, no issues;

 

[NKP Garage]

Installed new spark plugs last night. OEM Iridium long life Denso plugs. The old plugs didn't look too bad, and it was nice to see that the old plugs were OEM as well. Did another compression test while they were out, compression numbers look good and even across all 8 cylinders. Checked valve covers for leaks while I was in there, all looks nice and dry. And who the heck at Toyota decided it was a good idea to route metal coolant lines right over the ignition coil?

 

[NKP Garage]

Installed a fresh K&N air filter while I was in there:

 

[NKP Garage]

Since the 2009 supported phone calls over bluetooth, but not music streaming, I was trying to figure out an easy solution to be able to stream music over the factory radio system. A friend of mine pointed me to this nifty little dongle from FireFly. Got it installed last night and it works very well. Your phone stays connected to both the FireFly and the factory radio at the same time. That way when you're streaming music and you get a phone call the music pauses and the phone call comes in over the bluetooth just like it normally would. Sound quality is great too! Highly recommend it.

I ordered it on Amazon here:

https://amzn.to/3zWJxmG

And I also ordered this so that I can hardwire a few permanent USB power sources. Will work on that when I get time.

https://amzn.to/3tGb8I3

 

[tbisaacs]

How is the audio quality on that?