Totaled my 200, I need some advice...

[TeCKis300]

That's a pretty incredible story and thank you for sharing. Glad you and your wife made it out safe. As we all know, vehicles can be replaced. Sure doesn't make it any easier with the amount of time and experiences made with the car. That must have been a cold hard night.

There's lots of great reasons many go for the LC. Subjective things like heritage of the nameplate alone are worthy enough.

If I may offer insight on the other side. It's been said that the LX is harder to mod, but IMO, it's the same for 90% of the things. For the other 10% like the suspension, it's just different. Perhaps arguably easier.

- Suspension lift: can lift ~.8" with Techstream without turning a wrench. Or another 1.5" with a physical sensor lift. Add that on top of the 3" it lifts already, and you've got access to 5"+ lift without spending a dime.
- Don't stop at 34s with the LX. 35s drop in. Taller and wider 35s if you prefer.
- Payload: it's already setup to handle significant payloads. Even extreme. A number of LXs are into 2000lb payload. I tow a trailer with 1200lbs tongue and with 6 in the car with gear, AHC damping and ride comfort are still on point. Laden or unladen.
- Desert washboards - I've run 50 miles at a time at higher speeds. I was curious and checked the shocks after, and they were barely warmer than ambient. Chalk it up to the large fluid volumes and remote damping.

What have I invested in the suspension? Time to understand it and mild mods to work with it. Front OEM shock spacer (same as used in LC), 20mm spring trim packers in rear and a couple sensor tweaks. Still on stock reliable and quiet UCAs. Haven't even needed as much as an alignment as I only did a mild .75" sensor lift. Yet with 35s, AHC H, it's almost a 5" lift at the body. Angle aren't as big of a deal with that kind of lift.

 

[radman]

@TeCKis300 *high five*

 

[bloc]

I might be the only LC guy who likes the look of a stock 2016+ LX570. I saw one in person two nights ago in midnight black? (blacker than my 200) and it looked great to me.

I’m also in that club, believe it or not. Plus when you cut up the front tupperware and add the right bumper they look amazing, as someone has done on this board. You’d still have to deal with the idiotic nav interface though.

It's got big problems in lots of weird places... for example both seat heaters are on high even though the switches are turned off. The Fog lights are on even though the lights are off.

It gave me a different perspective on all the cool flood damaged 18's I see on Copart....

That may be as simple as replacing a single body control module, but could be way worse. I’d consider making a list of the issues you noticed then digging around in a factory service manual to see what modules are common to those issues. I think the fuel tank issue is a big one, but if it turns out there are only one or two modules that can fix the electrical problems, and sort out the fuel tank, you may be able to get back into a truck that you know and trust with most of your mods done. Plus as you said you plan to keep the next one forever so the salvage title and value hit that means isn’t as big of a deal.

Edit: just remembered the rear AC would have been under water too. So potential work on that electric motor and any servos inside the air box.

 

[greynolds]

Buying it back even at pennies on the dollar could work out well with only a few things that need to be replaced or it could (more likely, IMHO) turn into a huge money pit and a never ending source of new problems and premature failures. To me, that last point is probably the bigger consideration as latent issues that are a result of the water damage could leave you stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[DJCloz]

It's got big problems in lots of weird places... for example both seat heaters are on high even though the switches are turned off. The Fog lights are on even though the lights are off.

It gave me a different perspective on all the cool flood damaged 18's I see on Copart....

Crazy idea...... put the entire car in a pool of rice like when people get their phones wet in pools and that fixes them.... how much is a pool of rice??? No idea, but imagine if it worked. Then a ton of vacuuming to do and boom!! Back to normal! Lol

 

[CharlieS]

My mind goes to buy it back cheap, strip out anything damaged, and turn it into a utility/trail rig. Who needs carpet, rear 2nd and 3rd row seats, rear AC, etc for that kind of rig. Drain the tanks, replace any damaged pumps and modules (likely the fuel pump ECU was swimming). Could be a fun project. Buying it back cheap will be the key.

 

[Snafu13F]

Buying it back even at pennies on the dollar could work out well with only a few things that need to be replaced or it could (more likely, IMHO) turn into a huge money pit and a never ending source of new problems and premature failures. To me, that last point is probably the bigger consideration as latent issues that are a result of the water damage could leave you stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

This is the main point I think. I would never trust the reliability of the electrical systems again. Even if you replaced every harness, the cost of all the control units would probably exceed the value of the truck. Water damage is a hard no for me, I don’t care how cheaply you could get it back.

 

[stonepa]

QQ unless I missed it - why did they total it? What is that critical at the back? Although I have never been this deep in the rear in a 200, I have in a 100. After a good power wash, draining water out of the lights, and a drain and fill of the rear diff, and all was fine. My 100 has extended diff breathers so maybe that helped?

 

[CharlieS]

I have an LX. I like the finer things in life, remote start, heated steering wheel, AHC suspension. The aftermarket is definitely catching up with more and more options. I do get out and overland on the weekends and on holidays, but for the daily driver the LX cannot be beat.

Just to clarify, in case it matters to someone trying to differentiate between the LC and LX - the only thing on your list unique to the LX is AHC (at least in the US market). And yes, that's definitely a big difference that seems to be polarizing to some people. The 200 (Land Cruisers) I've owned have heated/cooled seats and steering wheels, and my current one was delivered with remote start (it's on the monroney sticker).

 

[CharlieS]

Edit - vehicle was in deeper than I thought. Please disregard this post.

QQ unless I missed it - why did they total it? What is that critical at the back? Although I have never been this deep in the rear in a 200, I have in a 100. After a good power wash, draining water out of the lights, and a drain and fill of the rear diff, and all was fine. My 100 has extended diff breathers so maybe that helped?

I don't think there's much back there in what is submerged in post #1 - 120v module, trailer light module, rear ac motors, carpets, seats, maybe the fuel pump ECU (on top of the frame rail). I wonder how it'd do with draining and refilling the gas tank(s - I think he said it has an aux tank) and flushing the diff. Unless they think driving it with the ingested water caiused further damage - I'd need to look at it to see. For the right deal, I'd buy it back and try.

 

[stonepa]

The Camel Trophy vehicles had diesels AND snorkels on vehicles with simpler electronics than we have these days, along with a decent amount of modification from stock vehicles and lots of factory support along the way. It was still impressive what they were able to accomplish, but you definitely couldn't have taken a stock LR Discovery from the showroom and expect to do what they did. I purchased a used 1995 Discovery (with the V8 engine) in 1997 and drove it through a deep puddle (close to the top of the hood) a few years later when the only street out of our development flooded in a bad rain storm. I made it out, but stalled coming back in. I was able to get it started again, and get it moved to higher ground, but it took a lot of effort to get it running again after it dried out and I ended up having to replace the fuel injectors some time later (there's a good chance there was a cause and effect there). My take away was to do what I can to avoid deep water in the future.

Glad to hear that everyone got out of this OK, but sorry to hear the LC was totaled. Hopefully the insurance company will come through.

I have a 2000 Disco 2 that I bought new and built as an expo vehicle. Reliability was so bad it only get's used for rock crawling. I sealed every single electrical component I could, and moved everything else normally on the cabin floor, higher. Installed axle and diff breathers as well. I can reliably cross water features, especially if flowing, up to my waist (i'm 6'3"). Even with this, I walk every water crossing that I can't see the bottom of. Wet clothes are better than a wrecked vehicle.

 

[CharlieS]

I don't think there's much back there in what is submerged in post #1 - 120v module, trailer light module, rear ac motors, carpets, seats, maybe the fuel pump ECU (on top of the frame rail). I wonder how it'd do with draining and refilling the gas tank(s - I think he said it has an aux tank) and flushing the diff. Unless they think driving it with the ingested water caiused further damage - I'd need to look at it to see. For the right deal, I'd buy it back and try.

Edit, I reread his story, the vehicle was submerged up to the bumper, interior filled with water. That's worse than the pic in post #1. I take back what I suggested. Lots of electrical bits were probably toasted.

 

[afgman786]

Edit, I reread his story, the vehicle was submerged up to the bumper, interior filled with water. That's worse than the pic in post #1. I take back what I suggested. Lots of electrical bits were probably toasted.

No no.. it could still work. Strip out to the bare minimum electrical needed to run the truck and full blown trail rig, chopped body and all

 

[greynolds]

I have a 2000 Disco 2 that I bought new and built as an expo vehicle. Reliability was so bad it only get's used for rock crawling. I sealed every single electrical component I could, and moved everything else normally on the cabin floor, higher. Installed axle and diff breathers as well. I can reliably cross water features, especially if flowing, up to my waist (i'm 6'3"). Even with this, I walk every water crossing that I can't see the bottom of. Wet clothes are better than a wrecked vehicle.

Yeah, reliability has been an ongoing issue for Land Rover over the years and my 1995 was no different. All sorts of things that should never require repair or replacement broke on that thing. I've never had a blower speed adjustment switch fail on any other vehicle; it failed because they wired it up so all the current flowed through the switch rather than the switch controlling relays or a module of some sort. Despite all the problems with it, I had a lot of fun with that Disco. There's been a new Defender review pending for a while now on a popular YouTube channel because it has taken Land Rover 3 tries to deliver them a vehicle without issues. The first one needed a new engine after less than 200 miles, the dealer cut a wiring harness that can't be replaced (huh??) on the 2nd one, and the 3rd one seems to be good so far, but doesn't have the off road biased options they really wanted to test with. After owning the 1995 Disco and a 2014 Range Rover, I'm not surprised... They're really nice vehicles when they work, but really frustrating to deal with. The 3 G-wagons I owned (2014, 2016, and 2017) were far more reliable.

 

[bloc]

Buying it back even at pennies on the dollar could work out well with only a few things that need to be replaced or it could (more likely, IMHO) turn into a huge money pit and a never ending source of new problems and premature failures.

You make the point that I didn't emphasize enough. Who knows what could go wrong?

But I do believe with pulling the carpet and going through all the body harness connectors and modules, some of which will be fine after drying out, I would consider this route. In large part because I'd be keeping a vehicle I already know the history of and trust, and is mostly set up how I'd need it for travel.

Part of the problem would be having access to the vehicle to assess how bad things actually are. Is water still sitting in the floor harness runs corroding connectors? No way to know now.

 

[CharlieS]

Chop it and make a UTE.



My wife cringed when she saw them chopping up a 200. But in a situation like yours, why not.

 

[Desert Yeti]

QQ unless I missed it - why did they total it? What is that critical at the back? Although I have never been this deep in the rear in a 200, I have in a 100. After a good power wash, draining water out of the lights, and a drain and fill of the rear diff, and all was fine. My 100 has extended diff breathers so maybe that helped?

The entire truck was full up to the seating surface before I winched it to that point.

 

[Desert Yeti]

You make the point that I didn't emphasize enough. Who knows what could go wrong?

But I do believe with pulling the carpet and going through all the body harness connectors and modules, some of which will be fine after drying out, I would consider this route. In large part because I'd be keeping a vehicle I already know the history of and trust, and is mostly set up how I'd need it for travel.

Part of the problem would be having access to the vehicle to assess how bad things actually are. Is water still sitting in the floor harness runs corroding connectors? No way to know now.

There was standing water in everything even after having it all open for days in AZ, Even the center console had a pool in the bottom and the pull out section.

 

[tacoduck]

Sweet thread. Makes me feel better about my AHC. I was thinking of adding armor and a lr tank. Glad to see it can handle it.
Op, I really enjoy my lx in stock form and I think the 08-15 lx’s are better looking than the lc.
Sorry for the loss of your rig. I could tell you spend a lot of time and money on the build.

 

[300blk]

I have an 08 200. I have never really considered the LX as an option, but this thread has me thinking if I ever need to refresh my vehicle fleet.