Double GX owner checking in!
#1
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Double GX owner checking in!
I've had our '04 GX470 for 8 years now, so I've been a GX'er since before it was cool, lol.
Recently added a '15 GX460 Luxury w/ driver support package and Mark Levinson stereo to the fleet, and very excited about it!
This is replacing a '15 4Runner Limited, which we always felt fell a bit short of the mark quality wise. The metal panels seemed thin and tinny, the hood flapped in the wind on the highway, the drivetrain was noisy and harsh (in comparison), the interior materials felt cheap, and the features were sparse considering this was the Limited trim. After 3 years the wife advised she preferred driving my 11 years older GX, and the hunt was on for a replacement.
The roll down rear window will be missed, but that's about it.
Recently added a '15 GX460 Luxury w/ driver support package and Mark Levinson stereo to the fleet, and very excited about it!
This is replacing a '15 4Runner Limited, which we always felt fell a bit short of the mark quality wise. The metal panels seemed thin and tinny, the hood flapped in the wind on the highway, the drivetrain was noisy and harsh (in comparison), the interior materials felt cheap, and the features were sparse considering this was the Limited trim. After 3 years the wife advised she preferred driving my 11 years older GX, and the hunt was on for a replacement.
The roll down rear window will be missed, but that's about it.
The following 4 users liked this post by IanB2:
#5
I’ve got a 2017 GX with luxury, premium, ML sound system, driver support, rear buckets and all that for the wife. Mine is a 2013 with the premium but not the luxury. Apologies for the messy garage...
#6
Pole Position
Thread Starter
#7
Trending Topics
#8
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Spent some time and swapped wheels over from my '04 to the '15 to test fit, FJC 6-spokes that have been refinished in gunmetal, with 265/65/17C Duratracs. I haven't seen any GX460's on these wheels, and I searched for days in the wheel threads here and other sites. These tires ride and handle much better than the P-rated winter tires that were on it, I think I'll be swapping over the TPMS sensors and these will be staying on this truck.
Next up is some taillight overlays, these clear ones don't sit right with me.
Next up is some taillight overlays, these clear ones don't sit right with me.
#9
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Hmmm, I dug this thread up to update, and realize it's been a long while.
The 460 has been great so far, I've added Weathertech HP digital floor liners which have lived up to expectations, and a Canvasback cargo floor and 2nd row seatback covers which have been good as well.
Tried a GROM VLine2 module and hated it, removed and returned within a week.
Auto high beams suck in semi-rural areas, I find I prefer leaving it in manual mode. I also found the radar cruise control stops working in heavy rain. I found the rear airbags were helpful in moving trailers around in the yard in the snowbanks this winter, buried trailers have a lot of tongue weight, lol.
Anyways, fast forward to last Tuesday, I got a call that a garbage truck had spun out and caused a multi-vehicle collision on my wife's way to work, and she got hit on both sides of the front end and ended up in a snowbank. Thankfully she was fine, no airbags went off, but the front end was smashed, and she was stuck. I was able to talk her though getting it unstuck over the phone (what other vehicle would THAT have been possible with?!?), and she limped it to work.
It looks like the whole front end is impacted, bumper, grilles, both headlights, one foglight missing altogether, I think both fenders got damaged, and the hood is also suspected of having a bow in it, along with a bunch of stuff behind the bumper such as headlight washers, etc. Steering wheel is also crooked now, and there's a slight pull, so a tie-rod or something likely got tweaked. Thankfully it appears to be all stuff that can be removed and replaced from the vehicle, no lasting damage that we'll carry forward from this.
So now I need to decide what to do with it...repair same as before or upgrade?
I'd love to take the opportunity to upgrade the weak fog lights to some DD SSC1's, but the Ronin Metal bracket has been unavailable since it launched as far as I can tell. Anyone know of other options for this?
I've also been looking at grille upgrades, the aftermarket offerings appear the better option than newer OEM due to parking sensors, Lexus emblems, etc needing to be changed as well, or the grille modified to work, not stuff I want a bodyshop involved in. I think the F-Sport version looks best to me.
Is there a better headlight than the '15 spec OEM LED units that can be easily added? They are OK (MUCH better than stock '15 4Runner lights!), but could still be a lot better. We live outside the city, so do quite a bit of rural driving at night, lots of deer to spot, etc.
That's all I can think of, if there's any obvious opportunities to make it better going forward, please chime in!
The 460 has been great so far, I've added Weathertech HP digital floor liners which have lived up to expectations, and a Canvasback cargo floor and 2nd row seatback covers which have been good as well.
Tried a GROM VLine2 module and hated it, removed and returned within a week.
Auto high beams suck in semi-rural areas, I find I prefer leaving it in manual mode. I also found the radar cruise control stops working in heavy rain. I found the rear airbags were helpful in moving trailers around in the yard in the snowbanks this winter, buried trailers have a lot of tongue weight, lol.
Anyways, fast forward to last Tuesday, I got a call that a garbage truck had spun out and caused a multi-vehicle collision on my wife's way to work, and she got hit on both sides of the front end and ended up in a snowbank. Thankfully she was fine, no airbags went off, but the front end was smashed, and she was stuck. I was able to talk her though getting it unstuck over the phone (what other vehicle would THAT have been possible with?!?), and she limped it to work.
It looks like the whole front end is impacted, bumper, grilles, both headlights, one foglight missing altogether, I think both fenders got damaged, and the hood is also suspected of having a bow in it, along with a bunch of stuff behind the bumper such as headlight washers, etc. Steering wheel is also crooked now, and there's a slight pull, so a tie-rod or something likely got tweaked. Thankfully it appears to be all stuff that can be removed and replaced from the vehicle, no lasting damage that we'll carry forward from this.
So now I need to decide what to do with it...repair same as before or upgrade?
I'd love to take the opportunity to upgrade the weak fog lights to some DD SSC1's, but the Ronin Metal bracket has been unavailable since it launched as far as I can tell. Anyone know of other options for this?
I've also been looking at grille upgrades, the aftermarket offerings appear the better option than newer OEM due to parking sensors, Lexus emblems, etc needing to be changed as well, or the grille modified to work, not stuff I want a bodyshop involved in. I think the F-Sport version looks best to me.
Is there a better headlight than the '15 spec OEM LED units that can be easily added? They are OK (MUCH better than stock '15 4Runner lights!), but could still be a lot better. We live outside the city, so do quite a bit of rural driving at night, lots of deer to spot, etc.
That's all I can think of, if there's any obvious opportunities to make it better going forward, please chime in!
#10
Racer
Hmmm, I dug this thread up to update, and realize it's been a long while.
The 460 has been great so far, I've added Weathertech HP digital floor liners which have lived up to expectations, and a Canvasback cargo floor and 2nd row seatback covers which have been good as well.
Tried a GROM VLine2 module and hated it, removed and returned within a week.
Auto high beams suck in semi-rural areas, I find I prefer leaving it in manual mode. I also found the radar cruise control stops working in heavy rain. I found the rear airbags were helpful in moving trailers around in the yard in the snowbanks this winter, buried trailers have a lot of tongue weight, lol.
Anyways, fast forward to last Tuesday, I got a call that a garbage truck had spun out and caused a multi-vehicle collision on my wife's way to work, and she got hit on both sides of the front end and ended up in a snowbank. Thankfully she was fine, no airbags went off, but the front end was smashed, and she was stuck. I was able to talk her though getting it unstuck over the phone (what other vehicle would THAT have been possible with?!?), and she limped it to work.
It looks like the whole front end is impacted, bumper, grilles, both headlights, one foglight missing altogether, I think both fenders got damaged, and the hood is also suspected of having a bow in it, along with a bunch of stuff behind the bumper such as headlight washers, etc. Steering wheel is also crooked now, and there's a slight pull, so a tie-rod or something likely got tweaked. Thankfully it appears to be all stuff that can be removed and replaced from the vehicle, no lasting damage that we'll carry forward from this.
So now I need to decide what to do with it...repair same as before or upgrade?
I'd love to take the opportunity to upgrade the weak fog lights to some DD SSC1's, but the Ronin Metal bracket has been unavailable since it launched as far as I can tell. Anyone know of other options for this?
I've also been looking at grille upgrades, the aftermarket offerings appear the better option than newer OEM due to parking sensors, Lexus emblems, etc needing to be changed as well, or the grille modified to work, not stuff I want a bodyshop involved in. I think the F-Sport version looks best to me.
Is there a better headlight than the '15 spec OEM LED units that can be easily added? They are OK (MUCH better than stock '15 4Runner lights!), but could still be a lot better. We live outside the city, so do quite a bit of rural driving at night, lots of deer to spot, etc.
That's all I can think of, if there's any obvious opportunities to make it better going forward, please chime in!
The 460 has been great so far, I've added Weathertech HP digital floor liners which have lived up to expectations, and a Canvasback cargo floor and 2nd row seatback covers which have been good as well.
Tried a GROM VLine2 module and hated it, removed and returned within a week.
Auto high beams suck in semi-rural areas, I find I prefer leaving it in manual mode. I also found the radar cruise control stops working in heavy rain. I found the rear airbags were helpful in moving trailers around in the yard in the snowbanks this winter, buried trailers have a lot of tongue weight, lol.
Anyways, fast forward to last Tuesday, I got a call that a garbage truck had spun out and caused a multi-vehicle collision on my wife's way to work, and she got hit on both sides of the front end and ended up in a snowbank. Thankfully she was fine, no airbags went off, but the front end was smashed, and she was stuck. I was able to talk her though getting it unstuck over the phone (what other vehicle would THAT have been possible with?!?), and she limped it to work.
It looks like the whole front end is impacted, bumper, grilles, both headlights, one foglight missing altogether, I think both fenders got damaged, and the hood is also suspected of having a bow in it, along with a bunch of stuff behind the bumper such as headlight washers, etc. Steering wheel is also crooked now, and there's a slight pull, so a tie-rod or something likely got tweaked. Thankfully it appears to be all stuff that can be removed and replaced from the vehicle, no lasting damage that we'll carry forward from this.
So now I need to decide what to do with it...repair same as before or upgrade?
I'd love to take the opportunity to upgrade the weak fog lights to some DD SSC1's, but the Ronin Metal bracket has been unavailable since it launched as far as I can tell. Anyone know of other options for this?
I've also been looking at grille upgrades, the aftermarket offerings appear the better option than newer OEM due to parking sensors, Lexus emblems, etc needing to be changed as well, or the grille modified to work, not stuff I want a bodyshop involved in. I think the F-Sport version looks best to me.
Is there a better headlight than the '15 spec OEM LED units that can be easily added? They are OK (MUCH better than stock '15 4Runner lights!), but could still be a lot better. We live outside the city, so do quite a bit of rural driving at night, lots of deer to spot, etc.
That's all I can think of, if there's any obvious opportunities to make it better going forward, please chime in!
The following users liked this post:
IanB2 (03-28-22)
#11
Intermediate
Hmmm, I dug this thread up to update, and realize it's been a long while.
The 460 has been great so far, I've added Weathertech HP digital floor liners which have lived up to expectations, and a Canvasback cargo floor and 2nd row seatback covers which have been good as well.
Tried a GROM VLine2 module and hated it, removed and returned within a week.
Auto high beams suck in semi-rural areas, I find I prefer leaving it in manual mode. I also found the radar cruise control stops working in heavy rain. I found the rear airbags were helpful in moving trailers around in the yard in the snowbanks this winter, buried trailers have a lot of tongue weight, lol.
Anyways, fast forward to last Tuesday, I got a call that a garbage truck had spun out and caused a multi-vehicle collision on my wife's way to work, and she got hit on both sides of the front end and ended up in a snowbank. Thankfully she was fine, no airbags went off, but the front end was smashed, and she was stuck. I was able to talk her though getting it unstuck over the phone (what other vehicle would THAT have been possible with?!?), and she limped it to work.
It looks like the whole front end is impacted, bumper, grilles, both headlights, one foglight missing altogether, I think both fenders got damaged, and the hood is also suspected of having a bow in it, along with a bunch of stuff behind the bumper such as headlight washers, etc. Steering wheel is also crooked now, and there's a slight pull, so a tie-rod or something likely got tweaked. Thankfully it appears to be all stuff that can be removed and replaced from the vehicle, no lasting damage that we'll carry forward from this.
So now I need to decide what to do with it...repair same as before or upgrade?
I'd love to take the opportunity to upgrade the weak fog lights to some DD SSC1's, but the Ronin Metal bracket has been unavailable since it launched as far as I can tell. Anyone know of other options for this?
I've also been looking at grille upgrades, the aftermarket offerings appear the better option than newer OEM due to parking sensors, Lexus emblems, etc needing to be changed as well, or the grille modified to work, not stuff I want a bodyshop involved in. I think the F-Sport version looks best to me.
Is there a better headlight than the '15 spec OEM LED units that can be easily added? They are OK (MUCH better than stock '15 4Runner lights!), but could still be a lot better. We live outside the city, so do quite a bit of rural driving at night, lots of deer to spot, etc.
That's all I can think of, if there's any obvious opportunities to make it better going forward, please chime in!
The 460 has been great so far, I've added Weathertech HP digital floor liners which have lived up to expectations, and a Canvasback cargo floor and 2nd row seatback covers which have been good as well.
Tried a GROM VLine2 module and hated it, removed and returned within a week.
Auto high beams suck in semi-rural areas, I find I prefer leaving it in manual mode. I also found the radar cruise control stops working in heavy rain. I found the rear airbags were helpful in moving trailers around in the yard in the snowbanks this winter, buried trailers have a lot of tongue weight, lol.
Anyways, fast forward to last Tuesday, I got a call that a garbage truck had spun out and caused a multi-vehicle collision on my wife's way to work, and she got hit on both sides of the front end and ended up in a snowbank. Thankfully she was fine, no airbags went off, but the front end was smashed, and she was stuck. I was able to talk her though getting it unstuck over the phone (what other vehicle would THAT have been possible with?!?), and she limped it to work.
It looks like the whole front end is impacted, bumper, grilles, both headlights, one foglight missing altogether, I think both fenders got damaged, and the hood is also suspected of having a bow in it, along with a bunch of stuff behind the bumper such as headlight washers, etc. Steering wheel is also crooked now, and there's a slight pull, so a tie-rod or something likely got tweaked. Thankfully it appears to be all stuff that can be removed and replaced from the vehicle, no lasting damage that we'll carry forward from this.
So now I need to decide what to do with it...repair same as before or upgrade?
I'd love to take the opportunity to upgrade the weak fog lights to some DD SSC1's, but the Ronin Metal bracket has been unavailable since it launched as far as I can tell. Anyone know of other options for this?
I've also been looking at grille upgrades, the aftermarket offerings appear the better option than newer OEM due to parking sensors, Lexus emblems, etc needing to be changed as well, or the grille modified to work, not stuff I want a bodyshop involved in. I think the F-Sport version looks best to me.
Is there a better headlight than the '15 spec OEM LED units that can be easily added? They are OK (MUCH better than stock '15 4Runner lights!), but could still be a lot better. We live outside the city, so do quite a bit of rural driving at night, lots of deer to spot, etc.
That's all I can think of, if there's any obvious opportunities to make it better going forward, please chime in!
As far as upgrades, you could do the 2020+ triple LED headlight ( much better high beams! ) and front grille!
I replaced my stock POS halogen hi-beam bulbs with LEDs ( simple bulb swap ) and the difference is literally night and day!
Link to the bulbs I got : No issues, and worked out great! I rarely need to use'em ( back roads only ) but when I do, they are ridiculously bright and light up everything in front!
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IanB2 (03-28-22)
#12
Pole Position
Thread Starter
I've been looking into the Alpharex Nova's that recently launched, pretty new still so tough to find real world reviews and pics comparing output to stock, but they look very promising.
https://www.alpharexusa.com/product/...s-alpha-black/
I also realized that the grille I like is the one that looks like it is the 2020 version, made up of many small "F's", while the "F-Sport" grille is the one with all the crazy lines, which I don't care for as much.
So I like this one:
But not this one:
I just wish you could buy one with the chrome blacked out already...
https://www.alpharexusa.com/product/...s-alpha-black/
I also realized that the grille I like is the one that looks like it is the 2020 version, made up of many small "F's", while the "F-Sport" grille is the one with all the crazy lines, which I don't care for as much.
So I like this one:
But not this one:
I just wish you could buy one with the chrome blacked out already...
#13
Glad she is OK. Upgrade - you won’t regret it. If your insurance company pays for new OEM parts, you may be able to swing OEM new style headlights. The change in looks is hard to believe.
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IanB2 (03-28-22)
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IanB2 (03-29-22)
#15
Instructor
Ive had both(04 is gone now)as well and the ride comfort from the 04 is far superior to the 460’s IMO. As far as the accident, I’m glad your wife is ok and I would def take advantage of upgrading, I think the replacement parts would be ballpark same price. I would def change to 14+ if my 2011 got front end damage.
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IanB2 (03-31-22)