Extreme Corrosion
#16
#17
With all due respect, the likely culprit for the corrosion you experienced is probably lack of adequate care by you. It is certainly not a "lemon-law" or litigation issue.
I have owned 3 LX 470's, (along with a large number of other foreign and domestic SUVs and pickup trucks, starting with a 1970 Ford Bronco (a rust magnet if there ever was one) up to a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, and have put thousands of miles on them in severe, salt-laden conditions (the most recent LX spent 5 years in 4-5 month long Utah winters and the salt-filled West Desert over 55,000 miles). I have never had any corrosion on any of them (including the Bronco but especially the LXs) because once a month each winter I go to the 25 cent car wash and hose off the undercarriage for about $3 of quarters each time. Salt will corrode any ferrous metal over time, whether steel or iron, if it is left on the surface of that metal. You can't expect undercarriage parts on any vehicle to survive in those conditions if they are not periodically rinsed off. In the summer, when it is warm, I get under the vehicle on a Saturday morning with a garden hose and make sure the entire undercarriage is thoroughly hosed down and rinsed off, in case there were any places I missed during the winter.
This may seem excessive, but when I plunk down $70,000 or more for a vehicle, especially one that I rely on to get me into and out of remote off-road locations with my family like the LXs, I want to make sure that it stays reliable and lasts as long as possible.
The other common mistake people make is keeping a salt-laden vehicle in a heated garage. This will do nothing but accelerate the corrosion process.
One other comment regarding some of the posts here: There is nothing "retro" about the LX, if you keep in mind what it is and what it is designed to do. I frankly want a driveline that is tried and tested, and if it is 40 years old, fine by me, because it has passed the test of time. It is not a unibody "soft-roader," an unreliable "bling" wagon like a lot of Range Rovers, nor is it a Suburban in a Halloween costume like a Hummer H2. There is a reason Landcruisers dominate Africa and Australia, and when I am 150 miles out in the middle of nowhere, in 118-degree heat, I appreciate a vehicle that can get me home, especially in the comfort and relative luxury of the LX. It is not perfect, including the lack of dual temp controls, and some expensive service issues, but it is the best all-around vehicle I have yet owned.
I have owned 3 LX 470's, (along with a large number of other foreign and domestic SUVs and pickup trucks, starting with a 1970 Ford Bronco (a rust magnet if there ever was one) up to a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, and have put thousands of miles on them in severe, salt-laden conditions (the most recent LX spent 5 years in 4-5 month long Utah winters and the salt-filled West Desert over 55,000 miles). I have never had any corrosion on any of them (including the Bronco but especially the LXs) because once a month each winter I go to the 25 cent car wash and hose off the undercarriage for about $3 of quarters each time. Salt will corrode any ferrous metal over time, whether steel or iron, if it is left on the surface of that metal. You can't expect undercarriage parts on any vehicle to survive in those conditions if they are not periodically rinsed off. In the summer, when it is warm, I get under the vehicle on a Saturday morning with a garden hose and make sure the entire undercarriage is thoroughly hosed down and rinsed off, in case there were any places I missed during the winter.
This may seem excessive, but when I plunk down $70,000 or more for a vehicle, especially one that I rely on to get me into and out of remote off-road locations with my family like the LXs, I want to make sure that it stays reliable and lasts as long as possible.
The other common mistake people make is keeping a salt-laden vehicle in a heated garage. This will do nothing but accelerate the corrosion process.
One other comment regarding some of the posts here: There is nothing "retro" about the LX, if you keep in mind what it is and what it is designed to do. I frankly want a driveline that is tried and tested, and if it is 40 years old, fine by me, because it has passed the test of time. It is not a unibody "soft-roader," an unreliable "bling" wagon like a lot of Range Rovers, nor is it a Suburban in a Halloween costume like a Hummer H2. There is a reason Landcruisers dominate Africa and Australia, and when I am 150 miles out in the middle of nowhere, in 118-degree heat, I appreciate a vehicle that can get me home, especially in the comfort and relative luxury of the LX. It is not perfect, including the lack of dual temp controls, and some expensive service issues, but it is the best all-around vehicle I have yet owned.
#18
With all due respect, the likely culprit for the corrosion you experienced is probably lack of adequate care by you. It is certainly not a "lemon-law" or litigation issue.
I have owned 3 LX 470's, (along with a large number of other foreign and domestic SUVs and pickup trucks, starting with a 1970 Ford Bronco (a rust magnet if there ever was one) up to a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, and have put thousands of miles on them in severe, salt-laden conditions (the most recent LX spent 5 years in 4-5 month long Utah winters and the salt-filled West Desert over 55,000 miles). I have never had any corrosion on any of them (including the Bronco but especially the LXs) because once a month each winter I go to the 25 cent car wash and hose off the undercarriage for about $3 of quarters each time. Salt will corrode any ferrous metal over time, whether steel or iron, if it is left on the surface of that metal. You can't expect undercarriage parts on any vehicle to survive in those conditions if they are not periodically rinsed off. In the summer, when it is warm, I get under the vehicle on a Saturday morning with a garden hose and make sure the entire undercarriage is thoroughly hosed down and rinsed off, in case there were any places I missed during the winter.
This may seem excessive, but when I plunk down $70,000 or more for a vehicle, especially one that I rely on to get me into and out of remote off-road locations with my family like the LXs, I want to make sure that it stays reliable and lasts as long as possible.
The other common mistake people make is keeping a salt-laden vehicle in a heated garage. This will do nothing but accelerate the corrosion process.
One other comment regarding some of the posts here: There is nothing "retro" about the LX, if you keep in mind what it is and what it is designed to do. I frankly want a driveline that is tried and tested, and if it is 40 years old, fine by me, because it has passed the test of time. It is not a unibody "soft-roader," an unreliable "bling" wagon like a lot of Range Rovers, nor is it a Suburban in a Halloween costume like a Hummer H2. There is a reason Landcruisers dominate Africa and Australia, and when I am 150 miles out in the middle of nowhere, in 118-degree heat, I appreciate a vehicle that can get me home, especially in the comfort and relative luxury of the LX. It is not perfect, including the lack of dual temp controls, and some expensive service issues, but it is the best all-around vehicle I have yet owned.
I have owned 3 LX 470's, (along with a large number of other foreign and domestic SUVs and pickup trucks, starting with a 1970 Ford Bronco (a rust magnet if there ever was one) up to a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, and have put thousands of miles on them in severe, salt-laden conditions (the most recent LX spent 5 years in 4-5 month long Utah winters and the salt-filled West Desert over 55,000 miles). I have never had any corrosion on any of them (including the Bronco but especially the LXs) because once a month each winter I go to the 25 cent car wash and hose off the undercarriage for about $3 of quarters each time. Salt will corrode any ferrous metal over time, whether steel or iron, if it is left on the surface of that metal. You can't expect undercarriage parts on any vehicle to survive in those conditions if they are not periodically rinsed off. In the summer, when it is warm, I get under the vehicle on a Saturday morning with a garden hose and make sure the entire undercarriage is thoroughly hosed down and rinsed off, in case there were any places I missed during the winter.
This may seem excessive, but when I plunk down $70,000 or more for a vehicle, especially one that I rely on to get me into and out of remote off-road locations with my family like the LXs, I want to make sure that it stays reliable and lasts as long as possible.
The other common mistake people make is keeping a salt-laden vehicle in a heated garage. This will do nothing but accelerate the corrosion process.
One other comment regarding some of the posts here: There is nothing "retro" about the LX, if you keep in mind what it is and what it is designed to do. I frankly want a driveline that is tried and tested, and if it is 40 years old, fine by me, because it has passed the test of time. It is not a unibody "soft-roader," an unreliable "bling" wagon like a lot of Range Rovers, nor is it a Suburban in a Halloween costume like a Hummer H2. There is a reason Landcruisers dominate Africa and Australia, and when I am 150 miles out in the middle of nowhere, in 118-degree heat, I appreciate a vehicle that can get me home, especially in the comfort and relative luxury of the LX. It is not perfect, including the lack of dual temp controls, and some expensive service issues, but it is the best all-around vehicle I have yet owned.
The LX470 is no doubt a great SUV...however it was designed in the 1990's
#19
The corrision warranty is for rust through the panels of the body. The rust pretty much has to make a hole in the body. Which is very rare these days during the first 5 years of ownership.
I hate to tell you this. But the 100 series Toyota Land Cruiser and LX470 are very old designs. The frame and and mechanicals (axles, 4wd) date back to the early 1990's. I believe the rear end is even older.
With old techonology you are going to have much shorter service intervals, more fluids needing changing etc.
I hate to tell you this. But the 100 series Toyota Land Cruiser and LX470 are very old designs. The frame and and mechanicals (axles, 4wd) date back to the early 1990's. I believe the rear end is even older.
With old techonology you are going to have much shorter service intervals, more fluids needing changing etc.
So, a GX, 4runner, FJ, or LX can rust just as bad as the next car.
#20
My post, Pagemaster, while lengthy was hardly an "angry rant." Rather, it was an observation based on many years of experience over many thousands of miles in over a dozen SUVs including 3 LXs, and my training in mechanical engineering. No manufacturer that I am aware of would cover damage like this, because it is frankly evidence of neglect, pure and simple. As I said, these vehicles are not perfect, but neither are they "rustbuckets."
These vehicles are not cheap, and not cheaply made. The disc brakes are cast iron, and the calipers are high-strength ductile iron. Think about it, how is it possible for this material to be so corroded after just a few years and 25,000 miles if they had received proper care? The rest of the undercarriage is mostly steel with steel components. Same question.
Your explanation that these vehicles were built with 1990's rustproofing technology assumes that there has been some change in the last 15-20 years in the science of rust prevention in motor vehicles. There hasn't. Porsche was the first manufacturer to fully galvanize their vehicles (at the time, only the 911) and that was in the 1970's. Mercedes and some other higher end manufacturers "hot dipped" their vehicles, and that was in the 1980's. If anything, with the price competition in the market, vehlcle decontenting and the push toward lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles (with thinner-guage steel and lighter-weight components) less attention has been placed on rust prevention in the last decade.
So it is unfortunate if my post offended you, but it seems to me that to sugar coat the likely cause of this problem is a disservice to the readers of this forum, who might be unaware of the need to pay some brief periodic attention to the underside of their LX.
One final note: Undercoating is almost never recommended anymore, because the undercoating eventually peels, forming pockets for salt to accumulate, accelerating the corrosion process. In addition, none of the corroded components complained about are ever undercoated anyway. Plain old fresh water every once in a while is all that is needed.
These vehicles are not cheap, and not cheaply made. The disc brakes are cast iron, and the calipers are high-strength ductile iron. Think about it, how is it possible for this material to be so corroded after just a few years and 25,000 miles if they had received proper care? The rest of the undercarriage is mostly steel with steel components. Same question.
Your explanation that these vehicles were built with 1990's rustproofing technology assumes that there has been some change in the last 15-20 years in the science of rust prevention in motor vehicles. There hasn't. Porsche was the first manufacturer to fully galvanize their vehicles (at the time, only the 911) and that was in the 1970's. Mercedes and some other higher end manufacturers "hot dipped" their vehicles, and that was in the 1980's. If anything, with the price competition in the market, vehlcle decontenting and the push toward lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles (with thinner-guage steel and lighter-weight components) less attention has been placed on rust prevention in the last decade.
So it is unfortunate if my post offended you, but it seems to me that to sugar coat the likely cause of this problem is a disservice to the readers of this forum, who might be unaware of the need to pay some brief periodic attention to the underside of their LX.
One final note: Undercoating is almost never recommended anymore, because the undercoating eventually peels, forming pockets for salt to accumulate, accelerating the corrosion process. In addition, none of the corroded components complained about are ever undercoated anyway. Plain old fresh water every once in a while is all that is needed.
#23
I have the exact same problem with my 2004 LX470. My mechanic went as far as to call it a "rust bucket." The vehicle only has a little over 30,000 miles and 20,000 of that was in Chicago. I intend on addressing the extensive corrosion with my local dealer when I take the vehicle in for the 30,000 mile service. I know that the vehicle has a 72-month/unlimited mileage corrosion warranty. There is no exception in the warranty for driving in areas where the roads are covered with salt.
Has anybody else made a claim for repairs, etc. under the corrosion warranty?
Has anybody else made a claim for repairs, etc. under the corrosion warranty?
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