Reliability Toyota --- Coming from a Land Rover Owner

zimm

Expedition Leader
Toyotas have their issues but they are not many and most just relate to regular maintenance. Like the 90k timing belt and water pump. Mine hasn't been done as far as I can tell and I am not worried in the slightest, in fact in 3-weeks I am taking it on a nearly 2,000 mile road trip and won't be doing the timing belt or w/p before then.




Cheers

i did mine at 160 and it looked fine... but thats the problem. everyone does that, and says this, like its a rubber fan belt and, and you get cracks half way thru 5000 miles before it fails. it isnt. you dont. its an interference motor. i know you have the mechanical aptitude, so change it. if youre gonna do it anyway, why not now? what are you saving?
 

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
i did mine at 160 and it looked fine... but thats the problem. everyone does that, and says this, like its a rubber fan belt and, and you get cracks half way thru 5000 miles before it fails. it isnt. you dont. its an interference motor. i know you have the mechanical aptitude, so change it. if youre gonna do it anyway, why not now? what are you saving?

Don't feel like it before my trip. $700-800+ in parts plus at least a couple days to do it. Rather spend that time making money and the Cruiser can eat my $800+ when I am ready for it to eat it. Plus my valve covers are leaking so I plan to do that at the same time which = more time and $$$.

And when it goes it doesn't always mean total engine failure. Several threads on Mud about a guy buying a 100 with a bad timing belt for next to nothing. They open it up only to find it just needs a new timing belt and related parts. I don't care to find out but I am definitely not stressing on it at all. In fact I am more worried about my 2000 trans which is showing roughly a 5% failure rate across the board. But that too hardly has me worried. This is what happens when you own good Cruisers and Toyotas, after years and hundreds of thousands of miles you begin to have lot's of confidence in the truck.

Cheers
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
i did mine at 160 and it looked fine... but thats the problem. everyone does that, and says this, like its a rubber fan belt and, and you get cracks half way thru 5000 miles before it fails. it isnt. you dont. its an interference motor. i know you have the mechanical aptitude, so change it. if youre gonna do it anyway, why not now? what are you saving?

I'd change it just for the peace of mind. I would think about it twice between every mile marker.
 

cruiseroutfit

Supporting Sponsor: Cruiser Outfitters
Don't feel like it before my trip. $700-800+ in parts plus at least a couple days to do it...

I know a place that has timing-belt kits for far less than that, full kits with AISIN pump, Japanese belt, AISIN tensioner, etc... fraction of that price. Holler when you're ready :D
 

zelatore

Explorer
I can't get pass the $400 oil change. Like wow

Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that one out. Either the OP is forgetting something else on that work order or he very plainly got ripped off like there's no tomorrow.

I can change the oil on my LR3 in my driveway in an hour without breaking a sweat and that includes dropping the stock skids. If I had a lift like a dealer, it would take even less but let's go ahead and flat-rate it at an hour and assume $120/hr labor

I have no idea what a dealer charges for a filter but let's say it's stupid money and call it $30 - we're up to $150 now.

Maybe they replaced the drain plug and washer too just because. Call that another $20 to be overly generous. We're at $170

Let's throw in some sort of 'haz mat disposal fees' - another $20 (I'm really reaching here)... Now $190

That leaves us with $210 for 7 qts of oil, or $30 ea. Geez, even dealers aren't that crazy.

Here's a more realistic cost of doing an oil change on an LR3:
7 qts of conventional oil, $25 (wallyworld, though it pains me to shop there)
filter, $12.50 for Wix from Amazon; maybe less elsewhere as Amazon has been jacking up WIX pricing this year
So even if prices go up a bit more, you're under $40.

A little more realistic than 10 times that.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
I know a place that has timing-belt kits for far less than that, full kits with AISIN pump, Japanese belt, AISIN tensioner, etc... fraction of that price. Holler when you're ready :D

the owners a nice dude too...








isnt Beno swell?

:p
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
Don't feel like it before my trip. $700-800+ in parts plus at least a couple days to do it. Rather spend that time making money and the Cruiser can eat my $800+ when I am ready for it to eat it. Plus my valve covers are leaking so I plan to do that at the same time which = more time and $$$.

TWO DAYS? do you need a tool organizer or something?
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
No I have OCD, everything takes longer when you have it.

Cheers

I hear ya, I'm that way with some things too. But I also have an idiot disorder that's why it would take me longer. Anytime I do a automotive repair it takes me double book time.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Never owning a Toyota myself, I ask the question: Are Toyotas as magically reliable as I hear?

They really are. I drove one around the world twice without a single failure. Their approach to vehicle design and assembly makes that possible.

However, reliability isn't everything. I would rather drive something less reliable that I love, than something super reliable that is boring. If the goal is adventure, why is reliability so critical? It really depends on the personality of the buyer. We have a 70 series and love it. We also have lots of Land Rovers (four on last count) and four drip pans ;)
 

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
Scott, since you have non-USA trucks when are you going to get a Patrol!? Are you waiting for the Y61s to become importable or even just a late production Y60? I know you have driven them and while maybe not your favorite I am sure you know how good of trucks they are. The Y61s with the right engine are simply awesome trucks, I would kill for a coil cab Ute with a TD42 or the 4.8L gasser. I would damn near kill for a Y61 wagon with the same engine. A SWB two door would be a lot of fun too even if small. I drove several Y61s on my trips and they for me were like the 100 and 80 combined. Top of the line Y61 was super plush and comfy but built like a tank and felt like a tank, super solid.

Cheers
 

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