A major disappointment with my GX550 (1 Viewer)

[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).