SLUFF

Good morning, everyone!
I'm ditching my ES300 and going for a used LX470. Options I'm looking for are a rear camera and a Night Vision system. I wonder if anyone used this night vision and if it's of any use at all.
What would be trouble spots on an LX with some 40-50K m and some 3-4 years old?

Thanks

frosty

Hi there,
I have a 1999 Lx470, and we are looking to upgrade to a 2001 possibly.
We have over 110K on it. I love the car and I just would like a newer one with fewer miles. These cars are pretty reliable, so anything with low miles and a clean interior should work. Most dealers give you 100,000 warranty, so not to worry!

tmorales

Make sure you don't have signs of cracked exhaust manifolds. You would hear ticking under load at slow speeds, especially with a cold engine. Also make sure that the height adjustment works. If it doesn't it could be a sign that the pump or accumulators might be broken.

Other minor issues are grinding noise from the steering wheel tilt adjustment and buzzing from the transfer case shifter.

V8_Fan

Don't know about the '04 LX, but the '04 LC's had problems w/ the nav units (replacement is $5K) and some rear cameras failed ($2K). FYI, '04 was the first year with the new gen-4 nav. The gen-3 has been used the longest ('00-03, I think). The AHC should be fine unless (1) someone put the wrong fluid in the resevoir, which will cause the damping globes to fail slowly over time or (2) the roads where the vehicle was used were salted, and salt/moisture is known to corrode the AHC sensors and cause the AHC to misbehave. The exhaust manifolds won't go until later, like 100K mi. Ditto w/ starter contacts (wear item). Have the lexus dealer download the service records. Any lexus dealer can do this given the VIN for USA/Canadian LX's. If they aren't willing to do at least this much, it's not worth buying from them. If it has full service records, I'd be confident. If virtually no service records and there are no receipts, i'd pass. PO probably had the work done at Jiffy Lube.

tmorales

Actually, my passenger side exhaust manifold failed at 65K miles and I had to battle with Lexus to get them to replace it for labor only because they insisted that it wasn't part of the emissions system. The driver's side failed at 95K miles, but I haven't bothered to get it replaced, mainly because it pisses me off that Lexus would let this issue slide without addressing it.

tigmd99

My brother's '01 LX also has the leaking exhaust manifold and he's at 60K miles. I am not sure which side, but he could hear the ticking noise on acceleration. So, you got Lexus to pay for the parts and you paid for the labor??

tmorales

Yes, the dealer got Lexus to cover the price of the parts and I had to pay the labor, which was $400-500 if I recall correctly.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

saame thing happened to r manifolds at 60,000 miles, also watch that damn suspension, its so much damn trouble , maybe we just have problems cause the salted roads, but this is the second time they went bad

ELLEXX470

I had a 99, it was one the best vehicles I owned but if you upgrading, dont even bother with an 01 but go 2003 and up if you can afford it of course. IMHO the 03 + has dramatic improvements over the 2001/2002 including 5 spd auto, a few additional ponies, a beautiful modern dash and console with gen 3 or gen 4 and bluetooth Navi in the 04, rear camera, DVD changer. Interior fiber optic lights, rain sensing wipers, standard side curtain airbags, impriced AHC, improved exterior touches like better looking front grill and bumper and rear licence plate cluster, 18 " wheels and tires which look so much better then those puny ridiculously undersized 16"s. I could on and on.

V8_Fan

Better brakes too. The '98-02's would eat up the rear pads first around 50K mi, which is unusual for any car, as the fronts (where most of the braking should be) typically go first. On the '03+, the front calipers have larger pistons, front pad material has changed to accommodate the heavier 18" wheels. There is also slightly more braking force up front so that when the front pads are at 40%, the rears will be around 50%, so pretty equal distribution.

tigmd99

So, can you put 16" rims (from '01 LX) on an '03+ LX??

SLUFF

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experience and I'm sorry for being silent for that long.
Anyway, I got myself a nice LX470 '03 with some 45K mi and in a very decent condition. The unit was originally purchased in Texas, so no signs of rust were discovered after 4 years. I now owned it for 3 months and I just can't be any happier than this. There are not too many of these LXs in Russia, so this forum is a great deal of knowledge for me.
So far I only had to replace front shocks as the one on the DS started leaking. After the replacement I noticed that the ride is now somewhat stiffer than it used to be. Do you know what might have been a cause of this? Fluid level in the AHC is OK, I used the OEM Toyota fluid to top up when replacing shocks, the system works fine but the ride is still stiff.
Please let me know what you think of the problem.

V8_Fan

Measure the number of gradations in the AHC resevoir when the car is in L and then again in H. If it's at least 7, the damping globes are good. If not, they are shot. The damping accumulators are the globes under the frame rail near each wheel. There's a membrane in it w/ nitrogen on one side, AHC fluid on the other. When the membrane leaks (usually because someone didn't use toyota AHC fluid if the car is young or just due to age if the car is older), the entire globe fills with fluid, so the ride becomes harsh, as if there were no shocks. If this happens, you have to replace the globe. The manual says to replace all 4. You can see if you can find a junkyard that has either a LX470 or Toyota Landcruiser w/ AHC and try to get the globes.

DonJuan45i

I kinda want to get in a lx470, round here they are pricey tho! they are like the 98-00 LS, you dont see them all to much like you see IS' and ES' 01+LS'

the other day I saw a 99 with 12?,000 miles and they wanted 19k for it, and thats the cheapest I have seen them locally

SLUFF

Thanks for the tip, Jim. I sure will try this. What exactly do you refer to when you say 'gradations'? Are there marks on the AHC reservoir?
If it comes to that I will likely have to go for the new globes. They don't part used LXs here very often. I saw non-OEM globes at http://www.activesuspensionsystems.com/buylx470ac.html, did anyone try those yet?