Builds The Story of Blue (2 Viewers)

[ClassyJalopy]

Curious what long term would be against the X5. The cruiser heads are spoiled because we know the 2UZ will outlast our trucks for the most part, rubber ages out and metal rusts. Everything else I’d put my money on the Toyota parts lasting longer. At least if it’s like my VW ownership was 8 years ago.

Having owned several BMWs with almost 200k miles, I can tell you that they very durable, but small stuff does brake and can interrupt a road trip which would be terrible for a family vehicle. Most my BMWs move to the second car status after 100k miles and I try to get a primary family car in its place.

Preventative Maintenance will always be higher on a older truck compared to a newer unit, but like snowman said rubber ages out and metal rusts, nothing lasts forever, I was a VW/Audi tech for years because those German cars could keep repair shops open forever by themselves lol. The biggest problem for all makes and models is how much electronics they are packing into them now

With that said yes those X5's are great SUV's. Smooth, fast, fun to drive even for a big truck, but I you said it best, I'd be wary of owning it much longer than 100K

get a new one every couple of years lol, good to go. A buddy of mine has a Porsche Macan Turbo that he's had for about 4 years and swears up and down its been more reliable than his pervious Tahoe. He forgets I'm the one that does all his Maintenance

Since I average about 10k a year on my "primary" family car, getting a newish X5 every 5 years makes a lot of financial sense. The only thing working against X5 is the lack of third row space. As my kids grow so do their desire to spread out in the car.

Ugh the horrible notion of practicality.

I have the most luxurious garage one can get- provided we're in the 80s or late 90s. I recall driving my 1995 SC400 in high school thinking I was hot s*** because of whatever little features it had. Only to realize that my friends in their 2005ish Civics and Camrys had just as many if not more features, and they were just about as fast as my V8, too. For this reason, the "fun quirky " old cars need to really have some charm or other novelty to make them justifiable against an appliance or commuter vehicle.

Having an appliance car (even a fun one like the X5) becomes a lot more necessary when everything else is ancient or "quirky", like all of mine.

X5 is as far from being an applinace as you can get in the sea of mass produced SUVs. They are actually engaging and "fun" to drive! And the smoothness and power delivery of a well designed straight 6 is addictive (no v6 are not the same )

I love driving my 100, but I suspect that have a lot to do with the fact that I have spent so much time working on it, that I am irrationally immotionally attached to it. Plus, it looks cool and my only daughter has a very high opinion of me on account of maintaining and driving a 24 yr old truck.

 

[MongooseGA]

Having owned several BMWs with almost 200k miles, I can tell you that they very durable, but small stuff does brake and can interrupt a road trip which would be terrible for a family vehicle. Most my BMWs move to the second car status after 100k miles and I try to get a primary family car in its place.



Since I average about 10k a year on my "primary" family car, getting a newish X5 every 5 years makes a lot of financial sense. The only thing working against X5 is the lack of third row space. As my kids grow so do their desire to have spread out in the car.


X5 is as far from being an applinace as you can get in the sea of mass produced SUVs. They are actually engaging and "fun" to drive! And the smoothness and power delivery of a well designed straight 6 is addictive (no v6 are not the same )

I love driving my 100, but I suspect that have a lot to do with the fact that I have spent so much time working on it, that I am irrationally immotionally attached to it. Plus, it looks cool and my only daughter has a very high opinion of me on account of maintaining and driving a 24 yr old truck.

Sorry, I didn't mean to insult the X. I meant appliance in that context as maybe more of a blanket statement to mean "not old/ quirky/ high mileage/ etc". The "reliable" car in the stable.

But you sure are right about the straight 6. I've been driving the SC this week and it's just such a nice motoring experience.

 

[NE Snowman]

Having owned several BMWs with almost 200k miles, I can tell you that they very durable, but small stuff does brake and can interrupt a road trip which would be terrible for a family vehicle. Most my BMWs move to the second car status after 100k miles and I try to get a primary family car in its place.

Good to hear, my experience with VW was a 1.8t and 2.0t. The 1.8t never left me anywhere, drove it between 80k-120k miles, gifted to my sister after. She ended up throwing some coils at it and sold it for a POS explorer that left her sit a few times followed by a heep she also got rid of.

The 2.0t wasn’t great for me, high pressure fuel pump left me in VA @ 31k miles, axle bolts fell out(right after purchase, thinking the dealer had a mess up) Had the pcv value failure and my engine randomly surged between 1800-3k without touching the accelerator. Random interior electrical gremlins, wires in driver door crimped and lost all window/door locks… on a trip… oh and it consumed oil since I bought, kept a quart in the back. About 1qt for 1500-2000 miles.

and at that point I was over it and bought a 200k 4R and haven’t looked back. The 2UZ just works.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Nearly 2 years and 30K miles later, DBA pads are done and there is a nice groove in the disc too! Not sure if that is the usual life for " heavy duty" brakes.

I plan to switch back to Bosch Quiet cast disc and pads set this time around.

View attachment 3695242

Mileage 214,900. New rear brake rotors and pads. Bosch Quiet Cast from Rockauto
BOSCH: C773501249 Rotor & Brake Pad Kit $146.79 - hopefully they last longer than 30k miles.

Bosch seems to be the only pad with GG ratings - OEM Toyota has FG rating:

 

[TRDdrew]

no news to report @ClassyJalopy ? Ol Blue and the X5 just chugging alone smoothly

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Thanks for calling me out @TRDdrew . Blue definitley needs some attention but life's been on a little roller coaster lately. Sold our old house last summer, stayed in an apartment for a while and then moved into a new place.
But she needs :

• both new CVs (outer boots soiled the bed a while ago)
• Power steering pressure hose is puking fluid - bonus it has covered the under carriage - free rust protection!
• Front wheel bearings should be repacked - they are tight and quiet but it has been nearly 35k miles since the last repack
• Front Rotors are getting close to be done - I plan to upgrade to 2003+ calipers at the same time.

It is inhumanely cold here in the Mid-west and my new garage is not insulated. I am also knee deep in moving in to the new place, so who knows when all of this will get done.

The X5, she is just happy and haven't needed much outside of occasional oil change.

 

[TRDdrew]

It is inhumanely cold here in the Mid-west and my new garage is not insulated. I am also knee deep in moving in to the new place, so who knows when all of this will get done.

feel ya on the cold and non-insulated shop, I'm burning through propane tanks left and right. Did you at least get an upgrade in shop size? Congrats on the new place

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Yes it is a bigger garage and I am grateful for it! I need to find an inexpensive way to insulate it

 

[TRDdrew]

Yes it is a bigger garage and I am grateful for it! I need to find an inexpensive way to insulate it

spray foam insulation seems to be a good way to go

 

[ClassyJalopy]

spray foam insulation seems to be a good way to go

I heard that too but it requires some basic life skills to be able to install by yourself - that's asking too much of me.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

The rear heat vents in my truck are paritally blocked where they come out under the front seats. They were slightly raised from their usual place when I installed sound insulation to clear the extra padding under the carpet. Now the air flow coming out get's partially blocked by seat rails.
This results in two problems:

1. The center outlet gets the lions share of heat, to the point of burning the feet of the center passenger
2. The side openings send most of the heat up between the front seat and console, leaving the rear side passengers pretty cold.

Here is what the rear vent looks like, installed and in hand:

I am looking for ways to make the air flow to the rear passengers better.

One idea is to find some off the shelf vent extender and try to draw out the heat vent more towards the rear side passenger feet: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805188205233.html
or

Another Idea is to ask someone with 3D printing chops to scan and design custom pieces to extend the rear vent.

@BenCC, @CruiserDM any interest?

Any and all ideas are welcome.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Mileage 216,000:
While I am trying to source a rear vent to fashion some sort of extension, my care package arrived from Impex.
The main part I was waiting for was power steering pressure hose but it is too cold here in WI to do any serious wrenching. So I just replaced the cyclonic air filter. I will wash the old one and keep it as spare since these are re-usable!

Toyota 17801-17020

 

[MongooseGA]

Lemme ponder on the vent extenders.

 

[LJE]

I bet @MongooseGA and myself can figure something out on that front - I know a lot of folks with Weathertech mats complain about the same thing. Can you post a picture of how the seat rails are blocking them?

 

[ClassyJalopy]

I have to get some better pics. In the meanwhile, I got these pieces from AliExpress for a few bucks and stuck them on the rear vents.

On yesterday's trip to Chicago (270 miles), my kids reported that the heat was actually coming to their feet now!
They don't fit perfectly but are a huge improvement on what I had before

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Mileage 216,000:
While I am trying to source a rear vent to fashion some sort of extension, my care package arrived from Impex.
The main part I was waiting for was power steering pressure hose but it is too cold here in WI to do any serious wrenching. So I just replaced the cyclonic air filter. I will wash the old one and keep it as spare since these are re-usable!

Toyota 17801-17020

View attachment 3844093

Found a cool pic for the cyclonic air cleaner so I am going to put it here>

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Added these little z-shaped strips to fill the gaps between front and rear doors, as well as the rear door rear edge. The idea/hope is that it will reduce the wind noise coming into the cabin

 

[MongooseGA]

Added these little z-shaped strips to fill the gaps between front and rear doors, as well as the rear door rear edge. The idea/hope is that it will reduce the wind noise coming into the cabin
View attachment 3846521View attachment 3846522

Is that z shaped insulation stick on?

I'm interested in your findings with it.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Is that z shaped insulation stick on?

I'm interested in your findings with it.

Yes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWN24KZS

I will share my finding in about a week or so

 

[silvarshooter]

Also curious about that weather stripping, just saw the same mod on a GX group the other day.