Watch Out for These Design Flaws in First-Gen Lexus GX470
David Long, aka the Car Wizard, highlights design flaws of the first-generation Lexus GX470, which you should look out for before making an investment.
It’s always entertaining to watch the new automotive misadventures of Tyler Hoover from Hoovies Garage and David Long, aka Car Wizard. However, in one of his most recent videos, the Wizard highlights some flaws in the design of the “super reliable” first-generation Lexus GX470, which can leave owners stuck with huge repair bills. For those unfamiliar with Wizard’s work, he knows his way around most luxury offerings in the market.
This is probably why the owner of this Lexus GX470 trusted Wizard’s talent and brought the car in from Missouri. In addition to servicing the timing belt and water pump, the GX470 owner wants to replace the starter motor. Now to replace a starter on a Lexus GX470, one has to take off the plastic intake, and that’s where things get tricky.
“Just like a Cadillac Northstar, where the intake comes off to get down to the starter, and we all think that’s pretty stupid, it’s the same story here,” explains Wizard. He further adds, “It pays four hours to do the starter on this, and we charge $120 an hour for that, so you do the math, and you’re already pretty high, and you haven’t even paid for the starter itself; yet.”
Prices for a starter replacement job on a first-generation Lexus GX470 can cost as much as $800.
Wizard also reveals that it only costs around $200/$300/$400 to replace the starter on most cars. Under the hood of a 2007 Lexus GX470 sits a 4.7-liter V8 motor that doesn’t have the start/stop feature, making it all the more reliable. The car itself is well taken care of and is in overall good condition. After a quick inspection, the Wizard found GX470’s undercarriage to be in good shape; however, David noticed a hissing sound while driving the car.
The rear end of the first-gen GX470 rides on an air suspension setup which the Wizard reckons might be leaking on this particular example. As a result, the SUV was sagging on its rear left-hand side, but the car leveled itself as soon as the engine turned on. So, next time you’re in the market for a first-gen GX470, keep these design flaws in mind and take necessary precautions to avoid massive repair bills.
Image Source: Car Wizard
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