My first post here. Happy to find a place to get good information. I'm shopping for a GX470 and found one that I liked and test drove it. It's a 2008 with 200k. The car felt solid and had good power on the test drive. It had a little more rust than I would have liked on the frame. That said, it looked like it was more surface rust that actual destructive rust. The body was very good, with very few imperfections. The thing that spooked me was a smell of burnt antifreeze in the engine compartment. I think it was more from the passenger side, but not sure on that. Could this mean an expensive fix, like maybe a water pump, or leaking heater core? The seller said the timing belt was done recently, but I think he owned the car for a short time and couldn't be specific on when it was done. Any information would be helpful!
New to forum -- looking at a GX470 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Danny Troy
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
MrTorgue
Grizzly Clint
Do your due diligence and get a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) by a good Toyota mechanic.
How's the service history? Does the engine bay contain a sticker with the timing water pump kit service? How are the front frame rails with rust? Does it have any mods? Does it have rear air bags? It so does the air suspension work? Got a code reader? Plug it up and manually test for codes. If the owner balks at any of these walk.
How's the service history? Does the engine bay contain a sticker with the timing water pump kit service? How are the front frame rails with rust? Does it have any mods? Does it have rear air bags? It so does the air suspension work? Got a code reader? Plug it up and manually test for codes. If the owner balks at any of these walk.
Last edited:
I would guess that the water pump is shot. I can't imagine somebody would replace the belt without doing the water pump, but stranger things have happened. It is located more to the passenger side of the engine which would make sense. It isn't a terrible job if everything else looks good and might be a good negotiating point. I would also replace the thermostat and check the radiator (these rads are prone to failure). The pressure caps are also not great. Replace with OEM or OEM equivalent parts and you should be good to go. I paid $8k for my 06 in very similar condition as a frame of reference, but that will depend on where you are. I am in Western PA but bought the truck in northern Ohio.
- Thread starter
- #4
I really didn't do as good an inspection as I should have. I hear you about getting a mechanic to go over it, but it's not anywhere near my home, so I would have to arrange that in the area of the seller. It does have working air suspension. I looked on the engine for the timing belt sticker, but didn't see any. I forgot to look up under the front edge of the hood, where now I see some are located. I'm learning as I go along! Regarding the radiator cap, he said he replaced it after checking the antifreeze and finding it empty. That makes me wonder how much could have escaped due to the bad cap, and how long he ran it with low antifreeze.
Where is the concerning rust specifically? The area behind the spare and/or hitch area, and the frame where it angles up by the AC drain up front passenger side, as well as the radiator support are all very common areas of rust. Check those by crawling underneath.
And is the price decent?
Either way, if you're buying one of these with unknown TB and water pump history, just plan to do those and the radiator as well basically right away if you're planning to do any decent length trip/drive frequently.
And is the price decent?
Either way, if you're buying one of these with unknown TB and water pump history, just plan to do those and the radiator as well basically right away if you're planning to do any decent length trip/drive frequently.
- Thread starter
- #6
I wound up bailing on that car. I did find another, also with 200k mileage, and went with that one. The price was right, and it allows for the TB/waterpump job. Of the several I saw it had the best brakes, least oil leakage and least rust. Amazing purring engine, considering the age. I did see one that looked like a new car, until I inspected the frame! Thanks all for you help!
- Thread starter
- #7
- Thread starter
- #8
So, I picked up the car yesterday and had an enjoyable 1 hour ride home. I'm very happy with it! I checked the Carfax. Looks like the original owner had it for three years (a lease possibly) and the second owner had it for over 14 years. Both owners used a Lexus dealer for all work, and did all the recommended work at the recommended intervals. I saw a few repairs other than routine maintenance, such as alternator replacement at 108k miles and Rack and Pinion replaced at 124k miles. I didn't see any mention of timing belt or waterpump. Is it possible a car with 210k miles can have the original timing belt? Anyway, I tracked down the last owner and left a voicemail, asking about the timing belt and am waiting for a reply. I can't believe the Lexus dealer did not recommend replacing it, unless they did and the owner decided not to do the expensive repair.
Look for a sticker on the engine bay or under the hood.
Most reputable shops and all dealers put a sticker specifying the date and mileage that the timing belt was changed.
Take a picture of your engine and under the hood and post it. we can tell you if the sticker is there.
It’s possible you are on the original belt, so get that done if never changed. The belt can last 200k miles.
If no sticker, then have a mechanic inspect it. Sometimes they can tell if it was not changed.
Most reputable shops and all dealers put a sticker specifying the date and mileage that the timing belt was changed.
Take a picture of your engine and under the hood and post it. we can tell you if the sticker is there.
It’s possible you are on the original belt, so get that done if never changed. The belt can last 200k miles.
If no sticker, then have a mechanic inspect it. Sometimes they can tell if it was not changed.
you can sign up with the VIN number and look up on the Lexus website the full history of what was done at the dealers
A OEM Lexus timing belt will last 210K, but won't be in very good shape at 210K, and I would get the rig off the road ASAP if it does actually have 210K on it.
If the service history is inconclusive, you can look at 1) the water pump to see if the aluminum is noticeably "fresher" than the surrounding aluminum and 2) look at the 10 mm bolts on the cam covers and other front-engine parts to see if there are wrench marks on them. If that's also inconclusive, I'd just replace the belt. At 210K, even if it was done at 100K, it would still be due for another belt. It's not a hard job to DIY - about a day of work.
If the service history is inconclusive, you can look at 1) the water pump to see if the aluminum is noticeably "fresher" than the surrounding aluminum and 2) look at the 10 mm bolts on the cam covers and other front-engine parts to see if there are wrench marks on them. If that's also inconclusive, I'd just replace the belt. At 210K, even if it was done at 100K, it would still be due for another belt. It's not a hard job to DIY - about a day of work.
- Thread starter
- #12
Thanks guys. I printed out the Carfax and didn't see any mention of that job, so I suppose it was never done. The prior owner owned it for 14 years and lived in the Bill and Hillary neighborhood, in Chappaqua. That tells me that they didn't shop around for a cheaper price, and probably would have had their local Lexus dealer do it. Luckily I don't plan on putting much mileage on it, as it will only be used for towing my boat from the marina, about and 1/8 mile away from my home. I'll also use it when the snow comes, if needed. My Tesla Model S is rear wheel drive, so it's horrible in the snow. Good call on check the condition of the waterpump, to see if it's newer than the surrounding parts. BTW, I never got a response from the prior owner, which I knew was a longshot.
Regardless of your plans to put little mileage, you should still change the belt! It may very well go for a long time STILL, however if it snaps it'll turn your engine into a salad.
Glad you got one! A Model S and a GX470 are a good combo.
Glad you got one! A Model S and a GX470 are a good combo.
- Thread starter
- #14
Yes, I plan to visit my local Toyota dealer next week and see if they will do the job, and get a ballpark price. Luckily I have a Toyota dealer 5 minutes from my house. Lexus not so close. I also have an appt to get a little frame repair, before I install the hitch. The frame repair facility quoted me 250.00-500.00 for the repair, and that includes installing the Class IV hitch, which I will provide. He said he's seen a lot worse, and by the looks of some on Youtube I was lucky to find one this good in the Northeast. The great thing is that everything works, including the AC, radio and air suspension. I bought a cool little cassette to Bluetooth adapter that works well, so I won't be doing anything with the audio system. After doing the belt/waterpump job, I could see me using this for a long road trip. A smooth quiet car on the highway. Really about as quiet as the Tesla, and definitely quieter than my wife's new Prius.
- Thread starter
- #15
Wow, you saved me with that recommendation. I checked the service record on the Lexus site, which is way more extensive than Carfax. Sure enough, the TB/waterpump was done at 178k and the radiator was also replaced. Maybe I will take it on a trip to Florida this coming winter!
Last edited:
That is great news on the TB/WP and radiator.
I too just use a Bluetooth cassette in mine and have no real issues. I don't blast music often and it works just fine for medium volume or for podcasts.
If you haven't already, check out the area of the frame by the AC drain. By where the frame rail kicks up by the front passenger's feet. Install an extension. I wish I did mine sooner.
I too just use a Bluetooth cassette in mine and have no real issues. I don't blast music often and it works just fine for medium volume or for podcasts.
If you haven't already, check out the area of the frame by the AC drain. By where the frame rail kicks up by the front passenger's feet. Install an extension. I wish I did mine sooner.
Thanks for the APB on the rust areas. My 2003 GX470 SoCal rig all of its life…I checked the 3 areas you mentioned.
Zero rust in hitch area and ac drain area…and I drive with ac on all the time 24/7.
A little surface rust on the hard lines that run across the front end under radiator.
Just to share that SoCal rust is very little if any on these 20+ year old rigs.
But thanks for sharing @CarGuyCarl
You won’t the scratcher lottery! I’m surprised the carfax doesn’t have the Lexus dealer records. I thought carfax buys all that data from Lexus but I guess not…and what happened to the sticker?
- Thread starter
- #19
Good question on the sticker, which I don't see anywhere. The Lexus records show it was done at 95k and again at 178k. The Lexus site shows probably 5x's the information, as compared to Carfax. I printed it out and it was about 30 pages of history. Funny, the most repeated service item was checking the floor mats, making sure they weren't installed improperly. Must have been a law suit against Lexus on that. One thing that showed at the last service visit, was "customer states there is a squeaking noise coming from the engine". They recommended changing the drive belt and pulley to start, and possibly the tensioner, if the first fix didn't work. The owner declined the repair. Probably because they knew they were getting rid of it. So far I don't hear anything concerning, but will be on the lookout. I had planned on spending 2k on the TB repair, so now I won't feel too bad for any repairs needed. As mentioned, I'll check the AC drain area. I see Lexus cleaned the drains, but that was years ago.
