Considering a prado...but

[Phormatt Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Phormatt]

Hi All,
Really love this website. Keep up the good work moderators.

I currently have an 80S LC Oiler and would like to come out of the dark ages and catch up with the traffic, prevent any further hearing loss, and improve some safety. Best way for this is a Prado, I thought, so I took one for a run from Yota shop and loved it...really loved it, not hard I hear you say look what you are in now. Agreed. BUT, after scouring the contents this fabulous web site I have become a little despondent and need some reassurance.
From this website it appears Prado have some inherent flaws (?) and I need someone to put this in context. The below was sourced from hours viewing this website.
-Rear Diff Failures is this common? How much to fix?
-Rear door cracks- Common? Can it be fixed so as not to re occur?
-Inner Guard cracking? as above?
-In the Petrol form it seem the idler bearing for the drive belt fails regularly and is approx $500? to fix if Toyota does it.
- Rear driveshaft clunk, I think from the slip splines on the drive shaft but I suspect this is tolerable.
Are there any I have missed? And am I being unfairly bias?
Not saying the 80S is perfect, but it has got me to 240K with little fuss, front end was fixed but for $700 in parts, (labour by self) for CVs,bearings,seals,discs,pads etc and $500 for a radiator. It is 15yr old and it happens.
To add some balance the Patrols are not with out issues too, you do not have to scratch to deep to find a 3L diesel Engine failure (definately off the list), don't own an oil well so not a Petrol one. The Paj has some DPF (Deisel Particulate filter) problems, can't seem to find other problems but is starting to get a bit small.
So when selecting a new 4WD is it a matter of lesser of all the evils, and the above list of the failures are from those using them in extreme circumstances, or is it a fair comment to expect these to happen?
Looking at the auctions where I bought the 80S from 10yr ago and they seem to be $34K for an early 05 late 04 GXL auto petrol with 80K to 38K for a VX of same.
Matt

[Guest Close Guest]

If you have a close read of the threads detailing all of those issues, you will find that rear diffs are virtually non existant in the failures. Less than 0.01% of the prado's on the road infact.
Tailshaft clunk (if you get it) can be fixed easily.
Cracks in doors is from old models and has been fixed too by a redesign by toyota.
Cracks in inner guards is also a minor issue and hasn't really been seen too much even on here. All of the reasons of said cracking are also covered in other threads.
I have only heard of one idler bearing failing. I personally have not experienced this.

All of the points and the fixes have a bit of details in some of the various threads.

Personally the vehicle has an excellent report compared to some others on the market!

[xvprado Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close xvprado]

Re: Considering a prado...but

-Rear Diff Failures is this common? How much to fix?
Not common, I would have thought the front was more common, and at the risk of offending some, lifting a wheel with plenty of go pedal is the culprit,diff gives way before the CV. It would also be arguable that the models with traction control have avoided this issue a bit
-Rear door cracks- Common? Can it be fixed so as not to re occur?
Not common, and fixable. Everyone I have heard/seen has been covered by warranty. If buying 2nd hand a good close inspection would satisfy your curiosity. It only seems to happen reasonably early in life
-Inner Guard cracking? as above?
Yes
Not common, it would seem steel bars and severe corrugations go hand in hand with this issue. ARB have worked hard to do some mods and reports on this issue seem to be less as the years go by
-In the Petrol form it seem the idler bearing for the drive belt fails regularly and is approx $500? to fix if Toyota does it.
Let your car cool before entering a water crossing...?, maybe
- Rear driveshaft clunk, I think from the slip splines on the drive shaft but I suspect this is tolerable.
Not an issue once servcied by someone who understand how to set and grease the spline
Are there any I have missed? And am I being unfairly bias?
Nah, thats about it. Bear in mind this is a microcosim....they sell a lot of Prado's, this list is full of people who are acutely aware and interested, I suspect that inherent design issues are no greater in the Prado than most vehicles

The Paj has some DPF (Deisel Particulate filter) problems, can't seem to find other problems but is starting to get a bit small.
Try noise, lousy build and poor overall quality for comparitive withe Prado

they seem to be $34K for an early 05 late 04 GXL auto petrol with 80K to 38K for a VX of same.

Sounds about right
I think Toyota stands out in build quality over the others
I drove back from Melbourne in a 95 80 TD last weekend that my son had bought from photo's on the net, the lack of rattles and bad fit/problems in a 240k car was amazing. I think that is Toyota's inherent quality

Cheers
Glen

Matt

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

-Rear Diff Failures is this common? How much to fix?
****Very rare
-Rear door cracks- Common? Can it be fixed so as not to re occur?
****They crack around the hinges and was modified on I think late 03 early 04
-Inner Guard cracking? as above?
****Believe that was from non genuine bullbar being fitted and too harder suspension being fitted.
-In the Petrol form it seem the idler bearing for the drive belt fails regularly and is approx $500? to fix if Toyota does it.
****Water crossings and dirt/mud will kill most things if not looked after
- Rear driveshaft clunk, I think from the slip splines on the drive shaft but I suspect this is tolerable.
****Common on all models but worse in the 95 series shape

Nissan issues, I wouldnt keep one of those 3litre hand granades if you gave me one. And dont believe they have fixed the issues either. Have a read up on explore oz if yo have a month to spare for reading.
Seriously though the prado is a brilliant vehicle for on and off road. If you want to go rock hopping then get a patrol or an 80 series cruiser. Prado's are very very capable off road quit and comfortable and do take a look at the petrol model. My mate gets 12 litres per 100 on the open road loaded to the hilt. This is based on highway driving better then my 3.4L 95 series. And they have heaps of power 179kw. Do the sums of how much to purchase the diesel over the petrol, servicing, parts/filters etc then the average cost of diesel. The d4d diesel is a ripper of a motor and giving on average around the 9litres per 100 some a tad lower. Depending on what you will be doing eg towing heavy loads then the diesel would be the way to go for economy and visiting some outer regions of this great land of ours some petrol models arent even allowed. (certain areas) If your going for the 120 series and get the late 03/04 model where they fixed nearly all the issues bar the tailshaft (only minor more annoying then anything) you will have a brilliant vehicle. Steve

[mototrim Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mototrim]

You've got it in a nut shell T/P well said.

I looked and test drove everything on the market before i bought the Prado and for the price and quality nothing came close.

There are many people including myself on this site who have waited more than 5 months for 1 of these cars,so there must be something a lot of people see in these vehicles.

[Guest Close Mick4680]

Phormatt

You are asking people who love their Prado like me. I have had it less time than I waited for it

The responses so far from all my research into the Prado is spot on.

This was confirmed to me 11 days ago when I picked mine up

"Oh What a Feeling Toyota"

Seriously, I went though all the same research as you and I am very happy that I bought the D4D. As I could not get a test drive of one anywhere around where I am, as they can't get them to stay on the lot long enough to have a demo.


Step out in faith mate a order one don't delay as Toyota will make you wait longer


Mick

[bilobill Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bilobill]

Dear Phormatt

I am the proud owner of an 07 Grande D4D auto.
It has app 38k on the clock. It has been driven on highway and dirt roads.

The only issue we have had is the rear tailshaft and it was fixed under warranty. It was explained to me as such; the design of the original tailshaft is square and pushed the grease up the shaft, causing a vacuum. The new design has a spear shaped end allowing it to slip easily along the the shaft. Problem fixed. all new models have the new tailshaft.

We spent six months going to all the four wheel drive dealers between Newcastle and the Queensland border. Nearly drove the misses mad. Looked at all models and test drove some. After the test drive in the Prado, the others failed to measure up.

I am happy to recommend The Prado as a top 4 wheel drive vehicle ,both on the highway and off.

[Bear Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bear]

G'day Matt,
Sounds like you've had a good run out of your 80sLC . From the research i did prior to purchase, it would seem reasonable to expect nothing less out of the prado ... albeit, anything that does go wrong is likely to cost a fair bit more. But i guess that's common to all new technology.

And it's great to hear how the D4D guys love their prados. If you have a look on carsales.com.au, there are a bunch of D4D's for sale in the low $50's.

However, if you are in the market for a sub $40k model then your options will be limited to the "old" noisy gutless 3l diesel (kzj) or the smooth quiet superior :twisted: v6 petrol. That was the same choice I and others have faced, (you might like to check out this thread: http://www.pradopoint.com/viewtopic.php?t=3146 - this thread discusses the various benefits and costs of diesel v petrol).

Quietness, smooth acceleration, the ability to overtake 8), 10k v5k service intervals, gas option, overall vrrrrrrm, and heaps of other personal considerations guided my decision towards the v6. Mate, i just prefer petrol over diesel - if i was buying new and petrol and D4D was the same price, i'd probably still go the v6 - but that's just my opinion. ... moving on.

If you are considering the 4l petrol, in late 04 the petrol went to 5sp auto and 6sp manual. Earlier petrols (and all kzj diesels) are 4 and 5sp respectively.

Anyway, 6 months ago i bought an 05, 5sp auto 4L v6 with 50klm, bull bar and few extras for a tad under $40 (got a better private buy at the time than the equivalent gov't auction prices ... and prices are a bit lower still now).

After 12k (first 6 in under 2 months), imo, this is the best vehicle i've ever driven - both on road and (non extreme) off road. I've had no problems, although in fairness i mention a recent increase in fuel consumption from 13.3l/100k to 15l/100k.

Good luck

Bear

[Strahan Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Strahan]

I agree with T/P.
When you consider the amount of Prado's out there all of the faults listed are very uncommon.

Most have been fixed by Toyota by now as well.

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

However, if you are in the market for a sub $40k model then your options will be limited to the "old" noisy gutless 3l diesel (kzj)

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I resemble that vehicle,
Don't underestimate what is a very tried, proven & reliable motor, that with the help of any one of a number of modern 'chips', will deliver very satisfactory perfomance as well.

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

As the others said, the issues with this car are very minor given the amount on the road, if want to have some real issues do what i did last time, buy a jeep, the prado would be the best and most reliable car i have ever owned.

[jcas24 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close jcas24]

However, if you are in the market for a sub $40k model then your options will be limited to the "old" noisy gutless 3l diesel (kzj)

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I resemble that vehicle,
Don't underestimate what is a very tried, proven & reliable motor, that with the help of any one of a number of modern 'chips', will deliver very satisfactory perfomance as well.

I wonder what people think of the 3L or 5L diesel motors if the 1KZ is noisy, old, gutless :lol:

1Kz & D4-D are virtually the same motor, D4-D just tweaked, mainly the common rail injection. The way fuel prices are going these days, I would probably be a convert.

[Bear Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bear]

Signature035 wrote:

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I resemble that vehicle,
Don't underestimate what is a very tried, proven & reliable motor, that with the help of any one of a number of modern 'chips', will deliver very satisfactory perfomance as well.

and JCas24 wrote:

I wonder what people think of the 3L or 5L diesel motors if the 1KZ is noisy, old, gutless

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:.

Fair comment on the "tried, proven reliable" diesel. Sorry if "old noisy gutless" offended, no insult intended.

And as for the fuel consumption of D4Ds and the cost of fuel, I think many of us will want to take a closer look next purchase. By the time i'm ready to buy again, they will have a track record too.

[Grandeman Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Grandeman]

The Prado is a top seller (even in its premium price bracket) for a very good reason - it was built to be a Lexus... you will appreciate this the very fist time you drive it.

And that impression stays with you every time your bum hits the seat for the entire duration of your ownership.

[Phormatt Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Phormatt]

Thank you all very much

I am at peace now (thanks to you all) with my decision to progress my search for the Prado based on all these responses...You all sound so caring and sharing, Big Hug

I cannot argue with the Toyota reliability etc, it is good, but I hope you understand the effect some of the threads have on the psyche of others who are not in the know i.e. How a sample of a select few can impact impressions. Particularly in the absence of balance, and since this website is so good there and there is a lot of information compared to others, Nissan,Mitsub,Jeep etc. It is harder to find than Prado...Well it is for me anyway. Hence the balance needs to considered. It would have been the wrong of me to not ask for clarification.

Matt

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