Preservation Sicknes!

[LX470Mack]

I've been debating whether I should pen a short post about this ailment that has come over me. It's symptoms manifest in multiple guises, including: Empty Wallet, Sleepless nights, ih8mud addiction, parking paranoia and so much more.

It is all due to the LX and my fervent need to simultaneously preserve and restore it. I was bad with my other vehicles, buying them and sometimes sinking the purchase price again into making them perfect. It is on another level for this vehicle.

I have to park it the furthest away at the supermarket so it does not get dents, I live in perennial fear of parts/system failures partly due to mud (I refuse to have the touch screen on because I worry about it's longevity and the fact that if it fails I can not operate climate control), even though it is one of the most robust vehicles ever made and while it is in excellent shape for a 12 year old ex family vehicle I am stuck under a spell of restoration and can't seem to stop until it is done.

I wonder why this is and what it is about this car that makes me so nuts and if any other mudders suffer from this? I am only half joking as well. It actually is a bit of a problem. I Just can't quit this machine, sometimes to my own detriment. Everytime I think I want another vehicle I just view it as inferior and say to myself "Yeah but that won't last 500k miles"

Feel free to chime in and convince me my Sanity is still intact!

 

[Bardiya]

I guess it's safe so say most of us feel this way

 

[JayM]

I feel that electronics that go unused tend to fail, as well as, mechanicals. Use things as intended and repair when the time comes. It is unlikely you will have a failure if you play out the odds. The way the body cladding covers the lower panels seem to be the contact point of most vehicle doors greatly reducing risk of door dings. Being overly cautious and worry about these items detract from the true experience of owning one of the best vehicles to ever hit the road.

 

[Coastalcop]

When I bought mine not that long ago, it was " hey will make a nice hunt/camp rig with some durability".

No major mods and a little base lining ( still tracking one rattle) and I am good to go.

Last night while reading a thread here, I saw the factory service manuals and thought to myself.....do I need them?

That led to what problems I might experience......ahc failure... pull it and throw a 2.5 lift..... tranny pops.....rebuild or buy a used unit..... engine tanks......that's crazy talk, but throw in another 4.7. I came to realize that unless I went 10 years newer in a lx or LC I was unlikely to find one as nice as this, that it drives better than the majority of newer vehicles I have own, and that I have no intention of selling it ( unless to fund that 10 year newer model).

It's not an addiction , it's a realization that you are happy with your ride, and when your first thought is a work around (pull ahc if it fails) to a problem instead of " sell it and make it someone else's headache" you know you are in the right place.

Yep, gonna go source this manuals now

I should add that when I was out yesterday I saw a primo bumpered , slidered, roofracked, snorkeled 80 series pulling out of a neighborhood. Owner was still grinning. That says something

 

[RKTINC]

Try owning a PERFECT 2002 with 62k miles!!! I am so there with you. I am that way with every vehicle I own. It is a sickness indeed. Every vehicle I have ever owned is that way. I have a SC430 with 45k miles that may be the nicest in the midwest! It sits unused as I fear wearing it out@!(*%*$O($!!!. I have an original 3rd Gen Desert Dune 4Runner with 155k miles. It is a museum piece. We have owned the wife's new-to-us 2013 LX570 w/38k miles for 9 months. WE HAVE NEVER DRIVEN IT IN THE RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suspect she caught it (preservationism) through bodily fluid exchanges from me.

Thank goodness we have the 4Runner to drive on nasty days. I occasionally find that I am truly jealous of folks who use up there vehicles as intended then through them away when they develop wear issues. It is a whole other way of life I suspect. The only sane was to deal with it is to have a "dirty vehicle." For us it is the 4Runner as it surely is nearing some type of mechanical calamity.... but again, at 155k is probably has another 100k in it. Reminds me it needs a was job this fall prior to winter.

RKTINC

 

[2001LC]

Only cure is to get a really big hammer, and pound on it yourself before anyone else has a chance to ding your door's.

 

[CurbsEnthusiasm]

Same boat. Just purchased an $800 2005 Prius that needs a new battery all in the name of putting less wear on the LX as it hits 91,000 miles. Plus BenC isn't making saving money easy!

 

[ponytl]

I don't live in fear, but I have always parked at the back of the lots, I check the oil every time I gas up... at which time i look / inspect for leaks /anything out of place ect... I look at the spot I park for signs of leaks... I wash cars A LOT, I keep soap in a 1gal pump up sprayer and have it down to a science... BUT my 98 w/325k miles is my work truck, I use it but don't abuse it... I have a full leather hide (matching color) over the back seat for my now 100lb german shepard that rides with me everyday... I enjoy this truck everyday ( i got it just for the dogs and the lake but have never gotten out of it) I preserve it the best I can, but I do use it and feel safe in it... so I WANT TO BE IN IT.... ON THE EXACT DAYS YOU LEAVE YOURS AT HOME.... if something happens to it then I feel like I can find one that someone like you owned and cared for and be happy happy happy...
an old man once told me " don't love anything that can't love you back"

 

[bjarnep]

Yes – it is an addiction! I did not care the same for my other cars – but this 100 - I am using time and money to keep it up to specs like you (and enjoy it), and add to this, I sometimes I read MUD before the newspapers ;-( this must be the final prove of the addiction.

It must somehow be related to the way I feel when I drive the car. Happy, feeling safe and I really enjoy the durability and the beauty of this car.

Maybe the only cure is like 2001LC suggest

 

[mtn2roady]

Lx470, I'm familiar with it...

 

[LX470Mack]

Well said gentlemen, it is definitely due to the feeling of solidity and engineering excellence that just doesn't seem to exist much in vehicles anymore.

Everything is so mass market and cheap. Even top German marques meet their demise to electronics overload 10+ years down the track.

The only other vehicle I have ever had this kind of sense of enduring quality from was my 1993 W140 S320 Mercedes.

 

[BlueWeim]

i can relate. I bought myself a really nice 100, or so i thought. Then is started baselining and building it and decided I should go buy an LX so i could really focus my time on the LC and not have to rush through the process. Now I have three and they are all the same way. I hate to abuse something but love to drive the car and I dont worry If i go out in the rain, drive it in the snow, i drive farm pastures every day. Its what its for so I use it.

I guess I became this way after I realized that "saving something for good" doesnt really make much sense. When I was 15 I bought my dad a super nice set of Snap On screw drivers. I thought it was a great gift as he was a retired mechanic and was finally starting to enjoy wrenching on his own things again after doing it for work for 25 years. I went to his house for his birthday, 10 years later, and I went outside to get something out of his toolbox and the screw drivers were still in the packaging they came in wrapped in plastic. When I asked him about them he told me he was "saving them for good".
So ever since then I use my stuff for what its for and dont worry about a little ding here and there and dirt and mud and anything else. I dont abuse my stuff but at the end of the day you can always go get a new one. But I do understand what your saying because I can be the same way, especially the empty wallet part.

 

[87warrior]

I can relate. In 2010 I started restoring a 1992 Jeep Comanche. Here I am 6 years later and I am not done. I've gotten so obsessed with perfection I cannot finish. The sad part is I am within a month or less of work to get it finished..... My father owns a factory original 1968 Camaro SS which has only acquired 1k miles in the last 10 years. At least I know where my obsession comes from.

Now the 100 is like the few other vehicles I have had. It shows its age and use but is 100% sound. I really enjoy driving and I have put 20k miles on it this year. Geeze, it's time to change the oil again! I deliberately found a 100 that was a little rough around the edges so I wouldn't feel to need to preserve it and could enjoy it for what it was designed to do

 

[Manhattan]

I've had my 100 since it was 5-years-old with 39,000 miles. I spent a lot (!) of time making it shiny, protecting the paint, etc. I park far away and pay attention to what cars I park next to if I have to park next to something. I like to think people give a &$#* - that if they see a nice car/truck, they're maybe a tiny bit more careful when parking, opening doors, pushing carts. Nope. People suck.

Soon after taking this pic, I saw where someone scratched the #@*^ out of the fender. I think it was at Home Depot... or Lowes... or the grocery store. A week later a white Tahoe left a quarter-size door ding in the driver side rear door. I thought I was safe - it was a 2016 Tahoe, all clean and shiny. The shot was so hard it left white paint in the dent.

I can make the scratch go away (this is after a light buffing). But I'm leaving it for a while. It's therapeutic. If I'm going to keep this truck forever, I have to accept that it'll accumulate damage. And, I'm going to have be okay with that.

Note the rub marks and secondary scratches - in multiple directions... All in one parking lot visit

 

[LX470Mack]

I've had my 100 since it was 5-years-old with 39,000 miles. I spent a lot (!) of time making it shiny, protecting the paint, etc. I park far away and pay attention to what cars I park next to if I have to park next to something. I like to think people give a &$#* - that if they see a nice car/truck, they're maybe a tiny bit more careful when parking, opening doors, pushing carts. Nope. People suck.

Soon after taking this pic, I saw where someone scratched the #@*^ out of the fender. I think it was at Home Depot... or Lowes... or the grocery store. A week later a white Tahoe left a quarter-size door ding in the driver side rear door. I thought I was safe - it was a 2016 Tahoe, all clean and shiny. The shot was so hard it left white paint in the dent.

I can make the scratch go away (this is after a light buffing). But I'm leaving it for a while. It's therapeutic. If I'm going to keep this truck forever, I have to accept that it'll accumulate damage. And, I'm going to have be okay with that.

Note the rub marks and secondary scratches - in multiple directions... All in one parking lot visit

I've been eyeing your truck for months now. Love the colour and the paintwork sheen. I also love the 70 series steel wheels you have on it. If you ever find another vehicles paint left on top of your own I find thinners always gets it off.

 

[adrenalinefjz80]

I will say these LC's were meant to be driven. For those of you with super low miles and don't drive them in the rain, you'll give the next owners a great ride but life's short. Drive it yourself and enjoy

 

[landylover21]

I'm in the same boat, I tend to be somewhat, sorta, kinda obsessive about maintenance and cosmetics... But I plan on keeping this thing forever so that's a good thing. I'm always paranoid about door dings and scratches, but being a detailer I'm used to dealing with that. I love the looks on people's faces when I tell them my Hundy is nearly 20 years old!

I'm always making sure maintenance is taken care of before the specified time "just to make sure" and with parts it's always OEM or recommended aftermarket from this forum.

I'd say the only other vehicle which has matched the build quality and solidity of this truck would be my '92 Benz W124 300TE 4Matic wagon I had in college. That thing (in some respects towards the interior) was built even better than my 100. With 290k on the clock and being 25 years when I sold it, the interior was in perfect condition despite the age and the previous owner being a pig but a good mechanic! Plus, the wonderful straight six wound up to redline with turbine-like smoothness! Unfortunately, I sold that to a friend who said he'd take good care of it and ended up in an accident two weeks later. I miss that car, and am still kicking myself in the ass for getting rid of it, something I won't be doing with my 100!

 

[ponytl]

I'm not anal BUT I do keep this little tool and all related items in their own tool box and ready to use... got pretty good with it when I purchased a bmw Z3 with hail damage for my daughter a last year... they are less than $30 on ebay and worth it the first door ding removed

 

[Catskills]

When I bought mine I took it to the body shop to have all the previous owner's dings and scratches removed, then I promptly added my own.

I use my truck. Ive added 30k miles in 10 months. I never worry about where it's parked. I'm just not wired that way.

It has some pretty good pinstripes on it and that will get worse this weekend : ) I love taking it off road, and if you're in the east, that means pinstripes.

On the other hand, I love caring for it and wash it at least once a week.

It's the 2002's turn to hit the body shop so mine won't get in until at least next year.

 

[04UZJ100]

I'm over superficial dings and scratches. I am still relentlessly OCD when it comes to maintenance and rust prevention.