bliksem

I believe the wheel bearing repack is intended for the LX470 and not the GX470.

Before we got the GX in 2005 we test drove and looked at the LR3. Actually we traded in a Freelander at the time. The LR3 has nice styling IMHO. The 3rd row seat is way bigger and more practical than the GX, it also integrates better with the cargo area. In that area tthe LR3 is much better than the GX. The offroad features was also very impressive. However....... The V8 LR3 was substantially slower in get up and go than the 05 GX. It's ride ws good, but not as soft as the GX. Handling was pretty much the same. The LR3 was noisier than the GX. The first 2 rows on the LR3 is an abortion for such a large vehicle. It felt like sitting on small dining room chairs vs big sofas in the GX. It lacked seat width and was very firm. It also lacked rear seat leg room, by a substantial margin compared to the GX. All in all didn't make for a comfortable ride. Having owned a Land Rover befoe I knew maintenance will cost a fortune, not that the GX is cheap. But the Land Rover will easily cost you 4 times or more what the GX cost over the first 4 years, forget about the later on. Also they will spend a lot more time in the shop. Lastly we requested lease prices for the LR3 vs the GX over 3 years. The LR3 (with similar options to the GX) was quoted at 50% more per month than the GX for a lease, even the X5 lease was quite bit cheaper than the LR3. Can we say depreciation. This is always a good way to find out how much the value will drop of the vehicle.

Please get the TSB number from them.

u guys r all idiots...they do it 4 a reason....its so u dont get into a accident while u r driving....duh! u no where u have 2 push the i accept button when u turn on the car..thats what its talking bout...it wants u 2 concentrate on the road instead of the screen....jeeze...wat idiots ← Maybe you are the idiot!! The point is for the passenger to enter moving. Funny thing is the BMW I had before I could do it no issues, and so does most other manufacturers.

Thx!

CHeck on the instrument panel if the VSC light comes on adn if it beeps at the same time. If it does that it is the Hill Start assist. It normally kicks in if you are in gear and the GX rolls backwards. It applies the brake and prevents it from rolling backwards any further. Just test it tonight and see what it does.

Wolf, SOunds great, let me know how it works and if it works for the phone as well. Defintely worthwhile. BassPlayer, If I dial a number with my phone the Nav system doesn't kick in and the only the phone works. Weird. Unlisted, I hear you, but being able to program phone numbers in adn actually dialing it on a eyelevel screen is much safer than fiddling with alittle cellphone. Also following that argument they should eliminate cupholders. Also distracts the driver fiddling with a drink, when they look down to put it back. As to the Nav, it is to allow a passenger to enter stuff while driving.

Just got the GX yesterday, 05 with Nav. However some lawyer or engineer went completely braindead it seems (maybe it is just me). I can't enetr a destination while driving, nor can I dial a number to call while driving. Once the vechile comes to almost a complete stop you can do it. Anyway to do this? ANywork around to make it work while driving?? I saw a thread that mentioned having something disconnected, but I have no details. Thanx guys.

Just got the got a GX, but they had to prep it so they gave as an 02 LS430 as a loaner for the day. SO from the little I could compare, as the dealer is 40 miles form our home on a freeway with some bad spots, here is my opinion. The LS has less wind noise, but the GX seems to have less road noise and more isolated from bad roadsurfaces. On sections of the freeway that were graded the roadnoise made itself very know in the LS while in the GX we hardly noticed it. The GX also seemed to ride a bit softer over uneven pavement. The LS felt more powerful and handled better (firmer suspension), while the GX wth the shicks on normal setting tend to have felt more floaty over uneven freeway sections. Oh and I peeked at the gas mileage indicator, the LS did more than 20MPG with a smaile on average, while the GX was more like 16-17. Ok the GX was brand new and power and gas mileage will improve, but expect a pretty good hit on gas mileage from what I saw. Ok this was only like a one day comparison, but on highway cruising comfort in the area I live I would take the GX due to the difference in road noise and ability to soak up bad pavement better. Here in the Bay Area we have lots of graded and uneven freeway, if you dont the LS might be a smoother option.

Got a GX today, finally. Got the Nav, but didn't want the rear seat entertainment. Seems KDSS is still only availible in certain color schemes and since the GF will be primarily driving it we had to get the colors she liked. I personally also like the lighter interior more than the dark, so no KDSS :cries: Oh well maybe someday in the future I can update my 4Runner. Still handles just fine and might just keep us from driving it too fast. Oh and the Nav and phone system is completely brain dead, only works when you are at a complete stop. Will need the hack info for it. Some pics below. Interior is not too bad Engine bay ala Darth Vader Bliksem seemed happy with his new ride

It is best to change the crush washer with every oil change on the drain bolt. That said I have done it without changing the washer and no issues. An oil filter wrench will be fine. I normally just do it by hand to loosens and fasten the oil filter. Only tighten by hand though. I have a strap tool I use as backup to loosen the filter.

Please explain the button more. And also the GPS function. I dont have GPS, but I am running 265/70s

The skid plates on the engine are made up of a front and rear skid plate. The front skid plate needs to be removed by undoing 4 bolts that hold it. Once the front skid plate is off you can clearly see the oil filter at the front of the engine by the driver side. The second skid plate sitting slightly further under the engine, has an oval plastic cap in it (or if it fell off there will be an oval hole in the skid plate). Remove this plastic cap and you will see the oilpan drain bolt. Be careful as some guys mistake the transmission drain bolt for the engine drain bolt. It is easy to spot as the transmission has no skid plate under it, and also the one exhaust pipe runs underneath the transmission oilpan.

You might want to look into this. I found this on edmunds owner discussions. It seems that they need to change the dampers on the front diff due to driveline harmonics. Have the dealer do the service bulletin, it seems they are tolazy to look it up. " took my car almost 6 months back to the dealer and gave them the reference of technical bulletin "ST004-04 Steering/Driveline - Vibration/Drone" released by Lexus on Feb 04 for this problem. Dealer was not aware of that. He ordered the parts (dampers) and installed those in a couple of day. 95% of the problem went away. I still feel slight vibartion at the speed of 60mph but I am used to that now. Good Luck! " http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?disp...F3XS.0@.ef237a9 ALso see a more detailed description of the 120 Prado fix for it, very similar to Lexus and 4Runner drivetrain. http://www.lcool.org/technical/120_series/...ation/90hz.html Edit: Sorry seems like the bulletin is already discussed.

You might want to ask on some Toyota boards as well. Maybe try yotatech.com they are pretty active in the offroad arena.

Thanx, I'll do that.

Tex, I dont have a skidplate yet. Some guys have made their own and either Downey or Demello has made some for the 4Runner (should fit the GX), but they dont cover the tranny pan. Trust me at some point (very soon I think) you will want to lift a bit and upgrade the tires to 32" or 33" :D A good start will be the sliders. I will let you know once I have figured something more out about the skid plate. Enjoy!! PS: Once you start modding you just can't stop.

bliksem, I will try and look up Hanna Quality. I am not finding a lot of stuff for the GX. Post a picture when you get them. If anyone can tell me the trick to posting pic's, I will try and redo. ← I have posted some pix on your other thread of the sliders. I should get my set soon, and will post pix of them on my 4Runner.

Well you should be able to corrow a few things from the Toyota side of the house. The new 4Runner and GX is very similar in many ways, and also the Prado that sells overseas have the same body styling as the GX. Prado sells in Oz, homeland of ARB so they should be able to help you. As i mentioned in another thread you can probably start by adding protection, bolt on sliders will be pretty good. See pics below. You might also consider upgrading the front skid plates to a more heavy duty single unit, this will add a lot more protection to the front, but will be a pain to remove for oil changes. There is currently no production skidplate on the market that will cover the transmission pan as well, so just be patient as they will come. Then next thing you might want to consider is to add a slight bit of lift for the GX, especially the front. The problem is that you probably want to maintain the current suspension so spacers will be the only way to go. The second problem is that if you add a heavy duty bumper like the ARB you tend to loose some lift on the front due to the weight. So you probably want to add 2.5" or so in the front and 1" or so in the back. You can contact these guys to see what they can do for you (I think we know each other from t4r.org I'm bulldog-yota there :) ) http://www.nitrousenterprises.com/ ARB will be bringing front and rear lockers to market this year as well, if you want to go that far. You can also inquire about a snorkel from them. Just contact their US office in Seattle. Here are some pics of the sliders on a 4Runner, but should work perfectly with a GX. You can contact Ken Hanna for these http://www.hannaquality.com/

Thanx for the input so far. Both the BMW and Lexus lease was based on 15k per year. We have leased from BMW and Volvo before and the experience was pretty good, especially BMW as it includes the full maintenance of the vehicle (I only had to put gas in it). With leasing you only pay tax on a monthly basis, and therefore not on the full selling price rather only the portion of "equity" you use. So you avoid the "double taxation" (you pay full tax when you buy and then the person that buys the car from you has to pay tax and his/her pruchase price again), when you sell the car. This automatically "improves" the residual value at the end of the lease. My experience with leasing of cars has been good if you only keep them 3 years and want to change at the end, vs buying and selling. But both have upsides and downsides. My problem at the moment is that on the same lease terms for both the X5 and the GX is that the GX is more expensive to lease than the BMW. That given the fact that the BMW purchase price is almost $10k more, includes full maintenance for the lease period, and the Lexus has a supposedly far better trade in value than the BMW. So far the initial quotes I got from both where $830 (ex. Tax) for the GX vs $790 (ex Tax) for the X5 (both loaded). Each vehicle has its merits, I was however expecting the GX to be a far better value proposition when leasing compared to the X5. So I figured the dealer is probably just trying to take me for a ride, which I would have thought is not the case for the luxury segment. Any feedback on this would be highly appreciated. How much can I get the dealer to come down from MSRP on a GX? From what I have seen it's not like a Toyota where you shoot for invoice more or less. Anybody know a good dealer in the South SF Bay Area? Thanx again

Sounds great. Good to see some GX's getting out there. Saw some pix from aguy going to Hollister Hills in his GX as well. Unfortunately I can't seem to open the attachments to see the pix properly. I have a 03 4Runner, which I take offroad quite a bit. We are looking at probably getting a GX as well. This will allow me to mod the 4R more and keep the GX for "light duty". The drivetrain and chasis of these new vehicles are still really tough. TexGX are you looking at getting sliders for your GX? I have ordered some from Hanna Quality which is completely bolt on, no welding or drilling of the frame required. SO you can swap them out for these excursions with the running boards.

Thanx for the reply guys. As we are undecided with how long we will keep the GX, lease makes more sense. You only pay tax on the portion you use and you dont have to deal with all the nonsense when you get a new vehicle. We might decide to keep it later, then it will be a small fee to pay to get it out of lease, compared to buying it and then deciding to sell it later. I was however very disappointed at the lease amount the Lexus dealer quoted vs the competition, given that the GX is almost $10k cheaper than the X5 and is supposed to retain it's value better. Guess they have less confidence in their product's resale than BMW or the dealer is trying to make a quick buck. Is there anybody leasing a GX, if so how much was the MSRP and what did you end up paying for the lease? AT least it will give me a starting point for negotiation with these guys. Thanx

We are currently looking for a new vehicle for my GF. She has a Land Rover we will get rid off. We were looking between the X5, XC90, LR3 and the GX 470. As I currently have a 03 4Runner and like it a lot, the GX sort off became the default choice. We still have to test drive the new 05 with the KDSS and uprated motor. AS she likes to swap cars often it makes sense to lease, I was however very interested to find the current lease offer the dealer made for the GX470. A fully loaded GX goes for $53k or so with the Nav, Sport package and 3rd row, the Lexus also have the best resale value of the bunch. The X5 is about $63K with a bunch of stuff, the LR3 $54k with some options ,etc. Yet the lease payment without tax was $830 for the GX, $790 for the X5 and $850 for the LR3 (I get this one with the poor past resale value of LRs), but the amount for the GX sound way high given the great resale of these vehicles. Oh yes its a 36 month lease with 15k miles a year. Anybody got any ideas? Anybody leasing now and how much? Or is the dealer just thinking they can make a good buck? Thanx for any help.