GX470 Modifications, Maintenance Updates and What's Next

June 24, 2024

In case you weren't aware, I purchased a new (to me) 2005 Lexus GX470 about 2 months ago (see my full post here). Over that period of time, I've been doing a LOT of maintenance and livability improvements to better enjoy my 20-year old car.

GX470 Modification Breakdown at Purchase

As you can probably tell, my GX470 was not quite "factory" when I bought it. There were a number of modifications that had been completed; albeit these modifications were relatively tame with nothing too crazy.

1. Suspension (before you ask, no I do not understand why the previous owner installed suspension that didn't match on front and rear and I did not ask at time of purchase)
• Front - Old Man Emu (OME) 3" lift with comfort springs - link
• Rear - Dobinsons Nitro 3" lift with heavy springs - link
  
  
2. Freedom Offroad Upper Control Arms (UCA) - link
• I ran these on my LX570 that I lifted, but that was due to a limited market for the 200-Series platform
• Ideally, I will not be running these forever and will transition to JBA Upper Control Arms at some point as I prefer the engineering of the ball joint and improvement camber/caster angles
  
  
3. Coastal Offroad Front Bumper - link
• In my opinion, these front bumpers look fantastic and provide a great approach angle
• I personally would not have bought this specific front bumper because I cannot weld and it requires significant time and capability to put it together
  
  
4. Badland Apex 12,000lb Winch - link
• On maybe two occasions in my 6 years of driving/off-roading Toyota SUV's have I been in a situation where a winch is required. That said, I have always wanted one (doesn't everyone)
• If I were buying a winch, I can confidently state that this would have been the one I would have purchased (actually considered installing on with a hidden winch mount on my LX570)
  
  
5. White Knuckle Offroad Sliders (bolt-on) - link
   
• I have always wanted sliders, however my wife did not want me to purchase them due to ease of getting into the vehicle. Having them already on the car made this a significantly easier selling point...
  
  
6. RRW Wheels wrapped in Toyo Open Country MT's (285/70/17)
• Probably not the wheels that I would have chosen, BUT they are wearing on me and I am liking them more and more
• The Toyo's are definitely more aggressive than what I would have chosen for daily use especially with the loud road noise over 60 MPH, however they look great. I will be replacing these in the next year due to front tire wear (clearly a lack of rotations)
  
  
7. Weathertech Floor Mats
• While it may sound silly, I swear by these mats and would have installed them anyways. The GX470 came with them in the front, rear seat and trunk which is amazing

In all, there were several thousands pf dollars that I did not have to spend when I purchased this GX as illustrated above. While my personal taste is not necessarily identical to what's on the GX currently, it is pretty similar.

I'll call-out one more thing before I transition to maintenance. One of the primary reasons that this specific GX470 stuck out was the interior condition, the modifications that had been applied, and that it was a Sport edition. Here's a couple pictures of the interior condition:

Notice no dash cracks, which are so common on these (my first GX actually was completely cracked out). This one is PERFECT, hence why the GX is in the garage while the Miata suffers outside.

2-Month Maintenance Recap

While the GX was cosmetically in great shape, there were a number of maintenance-related items that needed immediate attention after purchasing with associated links for how-to videos:

• Timing Belt/Water Pump
• Radiator and associated hoses
• Fan clutch
• Accessory belt pulleys/tensioners

• A/C Condenser
• Turns out that accidentally poking the radiator into the condenser and consequently (accidentally) evacuating the freon in your air conditioning system is not good and leads to more parts to replace. The good news is that I now have the knowledge and equipment to properly discharge, vacuum and recharge and air conditioning system... 
  
• I'll also note that this job does require the removal of your Coastal Offroad Bumper, which requires more time than it otherwise would
  
  
  
  
• Transmission Cooler Upgrade
• The Coastal Offroad Bumper essentially covers the entire factory transmission cooler rendering it functionally useless. While I don't tow often or super heavy loads, I want to ensure the maximum life of my transmission and reduce the temperature where I can
  
• I installed a Hayden 679 Universal Transmission Cooler into my GX470 using partial factory brackets and zip-ties. It's safe and secure
  
  
• Oil change
  
  
  
  
• Air filters (both cabin and engine)
• I'm not going to post a video of this one as it's pretty straightforward

Once that maintenance was done, there were a couple of additional things that stuck out as needing to be replaced. Those items were:

• Lower Control Arms (48069-60020 and 48060-60020)
• 200k miles is sufficient for replacement and I was getting noise out of them. I also noticed that my alignment was wonky due to damaged bushings (look at the crazy negative camber in the picture below)
• Please note that I do have a Sport Edition which has KDSS requiring different lower control arms than 95% of other GX470's
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
• Old Man Emu (OME) Heavy Duty 2887 Springs
• I was experiencing about 2" of sag in the front-end of the vehicle due to the added weight of the winch and Coastal Offroad bumper
• Comfort springs are great for factory weight, but once you add 300lbs to the front of the vehicle it needs to be accounted for or you will experience sag, potential diving on braking and poor handling characteristics
• Here's a pic of the new springs and once they are installed on the vehicle
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Infotainment solutioning with an iPad
• GX470's had 2 options for infotainment (leaving out the whole Mark Levinson (ML) versus non-ML conversation which would bring this to 3) which were Navigation and Non-Navigation. 
• At the time the GX470 came out, Navigation was the "nicer" option between the two infotainment options, but because the Navigation system incorporated the factory A/C controls, it couldn't just be swapped out with an aftermarket head unit. The "Non-Navigation unit" did not have a screen or other luxury features, however the A/C controls were separate allowing for an aftermarket head unit to be used
• My personal GX470 has the (dreaded) optional Navigation, essentially forcing me to convert my vehicle to a non-Navigation setup. There are detailed instructions on how to do this, but it's expensive and finding parts is difficult. Here are those instructions for the conversion
• My GX470 did come with a GROM iPod unit (this predates VLine/VLine2) that allows for a USB to be plugged into the stereo via the CD Player input. That said, I did some solutioning and came up with the idea of mounting an iPad to essentially serve as a head unit with some automated Shortcuts setup on iPad OS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• To quickly go through the parts that I used:
  
  
• I'm leveraging Scosche Magic Magnetic Mounts (two of them) over the factory Navigation screen. This allows me to quickly remove the iPad when parking in non-ideal places or want to take it out and they are sturdy enough that they don't move while driving (this does include some offroad testing). After a month and about 800 miles, I have no issues with the mounting
• The iPad is a non-cellular 4th Generation iPad Mini from 2021 that I picked this up on Facebook Marketplace for $60. I took measurements prior to purchasing and found that a screen sub-9" wide would be ideal (this iPad is about ~8"). My largest complaint (and something that I didn't know) is that non-cellular iPads do not come with GPS built-in making using the GPS on the iPad difficult (it has to triangulate based on the location of the Wi-Fi rather than directly off the unit).
• Veepeak OBDCheck Bluetooth scanner is being used for ECU diagnostics. Setup was super simple and working great with my Car Scanner iOS app (as shown)
• For the cable management, I ran the USB through the AHC (height control) switch that is no longer in use due to the lift. This solution is perfect for the time being, however I will be buying a switch from SBE Precision that better fits in the place
  
  
• My stereo solution may or may not be permanent. If I am going to keep this permanent, I will realistically purchase a new(er) iPad with cellular so that I'm not having to tether off of my work phone (stored in the glovebox) and have accurate GPS. I would also be open to formally going non-navigation in the future should I find the required parts at a reasonable cost

What's Next

Now that you're all caught-up to speed, what's next? While I do constantly go through cars, I have kept my primary Lexus SUV's for about 3 years a piece over the last few years. I anticipate keeping this GX for at least that amount of time prior to replacement.

Do I want to modify the GX further? There are a few things that I will be doing over the next few months including a snorkel, better skid plate protection, and permanent stereo solution (as outlined above). Outside of those things, it's more about what I need rather than crazy items that potentially diminish the daily use of the vehicle. That said, if I end up doing the crazy road trip outlined in my previous post, there are a few needs that I would have including a tire carrier and way to carry fuel.

What would it take for me to sell the GX and go to something else? I'll be honest (and many Toyota enthusiasts may hate me), I already have the vehicle picked out... I have always loved the 4Runner, but I never loved the 5th Gens (2010-2024) due to the reliable but anemic 4.0L powertrain; I have always been biased to the 4th Gens (2003-2009) with the 4.7L V8 option (hence why I daily a GX470 with the same engine). The 6th Gen (2025+) 4Runner with the I-ForceMax powertrain will be the replacement in either a TRD Offroad or Trailhunter trim.

There are so many questions that arise from a traditional Toyota V8 owner. I'll break them down below:

• How could I love the new 4Runner with the "complex hybrid system?" It's not reliable and won't last!
• The new turbo engine is NOT simple; I will never change your mind on this because I agree that it's complex, however if one manufacturer can do this successfully in the best way possible, it's Toyota. Their engineers are smarter than me, test things in ways that are beyond my thoughts or use-cases, and they've been engineering hybrid technology as an industry leader since 1999 with the original Prius...
  
  
• To the inevitable issues that arise (like what has arisen on the Tundra 3.4L engine) with the new platform, it will take a couple of years to work out the kinks. Here are a few issues just a couple of those beloved engines over their lifetime:
• 1GR-FE (4.0L)
• Head gasket on early years
• 2UZ-FE (4.7L)
• Honestly there are really no major mechanical issues on these motors so long as you do your timing belt, water pump, and other maintenance items every 100K miles...
• 2GR-FKS (3.5L)
• Head gasket failure (I've had 2 friends experience these issues while towing and it's all over the forums)
• Not an issue, but there is NO POWER with these engines. These engines bring anemic to a new level...
• 1UR-FE/3UR-FE (4.6L/5.7L)
• Coolant valley leak
• Cam tower leak
  
  
• For lovers each of those engines listed above, they are underpowered and inefficient to the point that its sad. We accept their shortcomings because of their incredible reliability due to their simplicity, but sadly going forward we have to continue engineering. 
  
  
• Even with emissions standards rising, Toyota has created the most powerful 4Runner ever produced with an internal combustion engine (ICE) and assistance from an electric motor. We literally have the best of both worlds in terms of power available with torque off the line (electric motor) and high-end power (turbo ICE) and we complain because it's complex? Folks, it's not 1990 and yet we were paying a penalty for 20 years for Toyota to produce a 4Runner with an anemic engine designed in the late 90's for the 2002 release... We're so far into turbo motors now in large vehicles that we even respect the Ford F-150 Raptor (not the R) with a 3.5L twin-turbo engine as "reliable"
  
  
• Why would you pay so much for a 4Runner?
• People have been paying $60,000 for 5th Gen 4Runners for years. Don't believe me? Look at the premiums of purchasing a TRD Pro... These two examples are brand new and within a 150-mile radius of me:
  
  
• So when a newly engineered 4Runner for the first time since 2010 (really like 2002 since the 5th Gen shared so many parts with the 4th), you expect the price to go down when we're fighting the worst inflation in decades? Again, what planet are we living on? 
• A Ford Maverick isn't $20,000; they're $32,000-35,000
• A Cadillac Escalade V fetches nearly $200,000 (cool, but not $200,000 cool)
• A Toyota RAV4 Hybrid fetches $50,000 with ease...
  
  
• I'm going to make a VERY bold statement... The 4Runner will be underpriced for what it is... The Land Cruiser (250 Series) is overpriced, the GX550 takes the luxury price in the high $70,000's, and this allows the TRD Pro/Trailhunter 4Runner to sit fully built for ~$65,000...
  
  
• Think about this, you can buy an already lifted 4Runner on Old Man Emu (OME) suspension from Toyota with a snorkel, onboard air, factory rear locker for around $65,000 with more torque than a Toyota Supra and more towing capacity than a 4th Gen V8 4Runner... We look for reasons to complain when we should be appreciating the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine mixed with a mild hybrid powertrain...
  
  
• Why would I not want a new Land Cruiser (250 Series) or a Lexus GX550?
• As of today, I have driven a non-hybrid 2024 Tacoma (wanted a feel for the new powertrain and Tacoma interior), driven a Lexus GX550, and sat in (dealer wouldn't allow me to drive) the new Land Cruiser due to lack of their availability and trying to keep miles down). Here were my thoughts on all 3:
  
  Tacoma
  
  
  
  
  
• First thing is first, I don't want or need a truck. I have owned a First Gen and put countless miles on friends' Second and Third Gens. Personally, I always felt that the Second Gen was the pinnacle of yester-year Tacoma's with the 4.0L powertrain (if you haven't learned yet, I really don't like the 3.5L)
  
  
• Sitting in a 2024+ Tacoma, it's apparent immediately that it's just inherently better in every way. Interior quality is leaps and bounds better, physical controls are plentiful for all required controls (if only Volkswagen had thought about this), and it feels overall very solid
  
  
• In terms of power (remember this is a non-hybrid/non-iForceMax), I was taken back immediately just pulling out of the lot. I looked at the sales rep, smiled and said "there's power." To my point in the complexity section above, we no longer have to accept the shortcomings of the anemic, old engines.
  
  
• This was the first "next Gen" Toyota product that I drove and I was already enamored with it. I knew that I wanted to drive the other SUV's
  
  
  
• Lexus GX550
  
  
  
  
  
• I've spent more time in the Lexus GX (between my 470's and my friend's 460) than ANY other car. I love the power of the V8, the quality of the interior, and the way they look (stock or modified). Personally, I feel the Lexus GX is the pinnacle of the offroad market for those reasons
  
  
• Sitting in a GX550 makes a GX460 look like its from the Jurassic era and my GX470 feels like it's from the Cretaceous period. Similar to the Tacoma above, everything is just such an improvement that I won't even try to explain it; others on YouTube and magazines will do it justice. The one huge comment I'll make is that the front seats of the GX550 may be THE most comfortable seats I have ever sat in
  
  
• Driving the GX550 was similar to driving the Tacoma. The power is effortless, the shifts are crisp, and the cabin is silent. Frankly, it's perfect however...
  
  
• ...the GX550 is so nice that I personally couldn't justify scratching/hurting it. Toyota did such an amazing job with this vehicle that it's hard to imagine it actually on a trail; not because of its capability but because it's so nice. If you drive a GX470, older 4Runner, or Jeep Wrangler/Ford Bronco, you want to take them out into the wilderness because they emphasize ruggedness and desire for exploration. The GX550 feels like it's built for the paved world because its so nice and refined
  
  
• Land Cruiser
  
  

• What is the pinnacle of ruggedness and dependability on an international basis? Two words: Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser is recognized globally as the most dependable car ever made. Regardless of generation, they serve as the most bulletproof car in terms of reliability. That said, how does the new one feel? Based on Car Throttle's abuse and countless others on the internet trying to break it, I'd say it holds up pretty well
  
  
  
  
• Sitting in the Land Cruiser (and having owned an LX570 for 3 years), the size is so much better than the 200-Series. Compared to the 200 Series or LX570, I would say that the interior quality is about the same (or slightly less) compared to the 200 Series; this speaks to how fantastic the 200-Series really is/was. Seating position is like the GX550, but without some of the luxury components (which I like). What it does lack is some of the "ruggedness" feeling that the Tacoma does have; it feels more refined
  
  
• As stated above, Toyota did not allow me to drive the Land Cruiser due to their current limited availability. 
  
  
• I would say that 2 of the 3 of these vehicles are huge improvements, but the Land Cruiser is such a large change from the prior generation that it really shouldn't be compared to the 200-Series. There were things that I liked in every one of these cars, but all it did was further emphasize that a 4Runner is ideal for someone like me. It's rugged like the Tacoma, the same immediate power of the Land Cruiser (that I wasn't allowed to drive), and not as nice as the GX550. The 4Runner is the easy choice for me...

To conclude, while I make all of these points above I do not have $65,000 for a vehicle (like so many of us). I'm currently driving a 20-year-old Lexus GX470 valued around ~$15,000. My goal is to purchase a new 4Runner in 2-3 years, allowing myself some time to clean up my finances and prepare to purchase it.