A major disappointment with my GX550

[richord]

I think you're obsessing a bit much and reading way too far into this. You need to dump the Lexus and go with something else.

A professional engine change is a straightforward task. I won't be taking my GX to Billy Bob's Shadetree Auto Haus for the warranty work. I had to have a second engine put into my 2004 Land Rover Discovery and the professional shop did a perfect job. So perfect, in fact, that the engine ran beautifully for another 80,000 or so miles until it's block cracked just like the first engine (the 4.6 V8s from that era had casting issues and were horrendous pieces of junk).

I was a Land Rover daily driver for over 25 years. 1996 Discovery, 2004 Discovery, and 2013 Discovery (LR4). I couldn't get rid of the LR4 fast enough, what a shit show that thing was with all the delicate electronics and also still basic things like coolant pipes, head gaskets, water pump, etc. Land Rover couldn't figure out a cooling system to save its life.

Obsessing, perhaps. Trust in the vehicle - not at all.

But when the manufacturer tells you the engine may fail, no remedy and we don't know when we'll fix it, I think I'm entitled to my obsessing. My point is if I take this vehicle on a long trip and it fails, then it's me that's inconvenienced.

"Dump" a Lexus like this that's under a recall? I guess some folks can say, it's just money. In this case my loss on trade in or sale.

With regards to Land Rover, yes, they are notoriously unreliable but a lot of fun! Since I can do my own repairs, and enjoy that too, I don't obsess about it. I knew they we unreliable but also repairable.

 

[Bluegill]

Obsessing, perhaps. Trust in the vehicle - not at all.

But when the manufacturer tells you the engine may fail, no remedy and we don't know when we'll fix it, I think I'm entitled to my obsessing. My point is if I take this vehicle on a long trip and it fails, then it's me that's inconvenienced.

"Dump" a Lexus like this that's under a recall? I guess some folks can say, it's just money. In this case my loss on trade in or sale.

With regards to Land Rover, yes, they are notoriously unreliable but a lot of fun! Since I can do my own repairs, and enjoy that too, I don't obsess about it. I knew they we unreliable but also repairable.

But I think you will find that your loss if you dump will be very small, if at all.

 

[richord]

But I think you will find that your loss if you dump will be very small, if at all.

Thanks. I thought you might have been exaggerating the magnitude of the potential loss, but your advice was spot on. The truck held its value to a greater extent that I expected. I traded in my GX550 after 19 months and 25,000 miles.

In my case, the economics resulted in me being slightly ahead. The annoyance about the engine is gone.

I am sorry to see the truck go as I still think it's great, but now other manufacturers are trying to replicate the macho look and "off road" prowess of the GX 550 so I suspect at some point the cachet will be diminished and the resale value impacted.

 

[ilumo]

Thanks. I thought you might have been exaggerating the magnitude of the potential loss, but your advice was spot on. The truck held its value to a greater extent that I expected. I traded in my GX550 after 19 months and 25,000 miles.

In my case, the economics resulted in me being slightly ahead. The annoyance about the engine is gone.

I am sorry to see the truck go as I still think it's great, but now other manufacturers are trying to replicate the macho look and "off road" prowess of the GX 550 so I suspect at some point the cachet will be diminished and the resale value impacted.

Curious. What was the loss /gain? I traded my 2024 lux + with 10k miles in for 80k. Knew it was 84k. I got the same spec but 2026 for 86k.

There’s still no other suv out there that combines luxury + machismo for this price range. It’s a really good value even at this price point. What other vehicles were you looking at which have similar features / road presence.

I can only think of a few vehicles in this category like a LR defender And a loaded spec is over 100k. G550 is definitely over 100k. X5/gle/q7 dont have the offroad capabilities although I’m sure people are cross shopping the AMG/XM/SQ variants.

 

[richord]

Some on this forum state that those who complain too much about this engine issue are overacting. However, if I went out and bought a Hyundai or a Land Rover, I could accept that I was "warned". Toyota however claims reliability. That's one of the main features that was in my buying decision.

Some others state that an engine swap out is no big thing. I would ask. When's that last time they did one. Dealer technicians read codes and swap parts. They are paid by the job. That's not meant to disparage them, it's the way the system works. Dealers prefer when the customer pays for labor rather than warranty repairs.

That all said, I got rid of mine. But one parting shot of humor. And I'm not making this up!!!

On my official mailed recall notice there was a Brand engagement Center phone number printed: 888-255-3987. I called it. The number was for selling medical insurance. Then it appears it's a number that now says: "this number is not available from your calling area". At least if they were selling medical insurance when you drive their vehicles, that would make sense.

Regardless, the correct number is 800-255-3987! Toyota can't even get a phone number correct, so what does that say for their corporate quality?

OK, some will say I'm ranting. Yes. But I think I got rid of an albatross (no disrespect intended for the bird).

 

[spkrmakr]

For the transmission, have you gotten the update? After getting mine while in service the transmission works so smoothly…

The engine thing is blown out of proportion… I don’t think I’ve ever once read a GX with engine blowing up due to the shavings.. correct me if I’m wrong.. and there’s plenty of people who have beat the dog shit out of these rigs with out problems..

Can’t speak about hood flutter since I don’t have any, and your kick sensor because I don’t have that as well..

I think you should drive your Lexus to the Jeep dealer ASAP and trade!

 

[YellowLab]

I think you should drive your Lexus to the Jeep dealer ASAP and trade!

Trading in the Lexus for a bucket of dog shit with a ‘trail rated’ badge (whatever the hell that means) - totally makes sense!

 

[YellowLab]

Curious. What was the loss /gain? I traded my 2024 lux + with 10k miles in for 80k. Knew it was 84k. I got the same spec but 2026 for 86k.

There’s still no other suv out there that combines luxury + machismo for this price range. It’s a really good value even at this price point. What other vehicles were you looking at which have similar features / road presence.

I can only think of a few vehicles in this category like a LR defender And a loaded spec is over 100k. G550 is definitely over 100k. X5/gle/q7 dont have the offroad capabilities although I’m sure people are cross shopping the AMG/XM/SQ variants.

A Mercedes G550 - good luck finding a new one for less than $30K over sticker in SoCal. I walked away when nearly anything sitting new on the lot was barely much under $180 - and that's if a dealer had one. CPO's are a better value - but even a 1-2 year old with say 15K miles was still sitting at a new sticker price $150, and the MB sales people are absolute pricks that I ran into. Moreover - would you want to go overlanding in a vehcile with a teak rear deck floor and quilted leather rear liner?

Let my happiness continue. I would never be relaxed owning any JLR product after a year or so - and frankly the new Defender without a frame is a boneless chicken and a betrayal to their heritage. Jeeps are POS' why would you buy one then have to nearly replace every component to get anything as good as the GX.

Could my GX engine explode - unlikely. I did my first oil change at 1K miles and then at 5K so I'm not concerned. At the end of the day - I trust Lexus/Toyota to do the right thing by their customers if something goes south.

 

[HillTeddy]

A Mercedes G550 - good luck finding a new one for less than $30K over sticker in SoCal. I walked away when nearly anything sitting new on the lot was barely much under $180 - and that's if a dealer had one. CPO's are a better value - but even a 1-2 year old with say 15K miles was still sitting at a new sticker price $150, and the MB sales people are absolute pricks that I ran into. Moreover - would you want to go overlanding in a vehcile with a teak rear deck floor and quilted leather rear liner?

Let my happiness continue. I would never be relaxed owning any JLR product after a year or so - and frankly the new Defender without a frame is a boneless chicken and a betrayal to their heritage. Jeeps are POS' why would you buy one then have to nearly replace every component to get anything as good as the GX.

Could my GX engine explode - unlikely. I did my first oil change at 1K miles and then at 5K so I'm not concerned. At the end of the day - I trust Lexus/Toyota to do the right thing by their customers if something goes south.

Love my GX….I also love my manual 2012 Jeep Rubicon (2 door). No need to crap on them. It’s been a strong, reliable off roader with zero issues.

 

[YellowLab]

Love my GX….I also love my manual 2012 Jeep Rubicon (2 door). No need to crap on them. It’s been a strong, reliable off roader with zero issues.

Your 2012 is a great jeep - back from the days when they still built indestructible cars. I’m referring to the new models.

 

[J250ish]

I think you should drive your Lexus to the Jeep dealer ASAP and trade!

Why would I trade it in for a POS. I don’t have any complaints.

 

[Bluegill]

I had 1 jeep experience, a loaded 1996 Cherokee Sport with the Up Country suspension upgrade that I bought new in 1996. It was a fun truck but went through rear limited slip diffs like I go through underwear.

 

[YellowLab]

I had 1 jeep experience, a loaded 1996 Cherokee Sport with the Up Country suspension upgrade that I bought new in 1996. It was a fun truck but went through rear limited slip diffs like I go through underwear.

HMMMM - that is quite the visual

 

[280driver]

This is why Lexus costs more. It’s not just the car, it’s the service. We had a CPO 2019 NX300 with a faulty mic, that was on back order for a year. Our dealer gave us a loner for an entire year while we waited for the mic to come in. I think it’s insane a dealership was willing to do all that over a microphone (Shout out to Sheehy Lexus of Richmond). So as long as you purchase your Lexus from a reputable dealer, you have nothing to worry about.

Shosh, we got our GX from Sheehy. It’s been trouble free but great to hear they will take good care of us if there’s ever a problem.

 

[GR8Santini]

In the end this is a Toyota company selling very good luxury vehicles. There will be problems occasionally with any vehicle manufacturer. I know of no other mainstream OE that has ever replaced engines voluntarily with full crate engines - meaning an all built engine, accessories, hoses, harnesses & ECU assembled - ready to be installed. That is still remarkable to me. Pretty impressive to jump on the grenade, whether it’s live or not.
Just read this article this morning on their R&D efforts for a new supercar.

Toyota GR's Secret Texas Garage Has Been Preparing Lexus Dealers For A $200,000 Supercar | Carscoops

The secret GR Experience Center in Frisco, Texas, is preparing Lexus dealers for a new supercar brand

www.carscoops.com

 

[Shosh]

Shosh, we got our GX from Sheehy. It’s been trouble free but great to hear they will take good care of us if there’s ever a problem.

They have been awesome. They changed our oil free of charge at 1000k miles and outside our maintenance package. Good people at Sheehy.

 

[DJ’s Sled]

For anyone in that region.. I also had great service at Sheehy Lexus in the Richmond area. Was at their dealership 2 or 3 times over a year ago while visiting family. Sheehy helped out with my vibrating hood, did routine service at very fair prices, and ordered the squeaky brake parts fix for me (which I ended up not needing).
Their ‘tech guru’ lady has been great too. She has helped me several times with questions. She’s the only tech guru I use now.
A strongly recommended dealership.

 

[Roman]

Here's my take. You don't like it then trade it in. There are tons of ppl waiting for these Beauties!
I went through the hood flutter, the transmission hard shift TSBs, the rear camera recall and mine was produced on 04/12/2024 (1 day after the official engine recall cutoff - 04/11/2024)...

I love this truck, it is not perfect but its mine! As an ex-mechanic, I can comfortably say that this is better and reliable than 90% of other vehicles on the road and that I trust Toyota/Lexus from decades of reliability.
I feel that I owe it to the brand and if shit does end up hitting the fan, my future decisions will certainly be different...

But like I said; don't like it then give it up to someone else who will!