[vigsom]

Introduction

"There is this long distance runner that by design throws the word warranty out of the window. That vehicle is India’s old champion MUV, the Toyota Innova."

- quoted from my thread on the Toyota Innova

Background

This story is rather recent and is about how an experienced engineer friend demonstrated courage and conviction in picking up a 15 year young 2009 Innova V in Chennai.

[vigsom]

What’s so special about this acquisition?

1. Daredevilry viz. picking up a 2,32,000km done Innova aged15 years
2. Acquired at a time when several modern and more feature rich machines are available
3. Fulfilled the friend's requirement for a reliable large car

How did the Innova become the choice?

This friend is an experienced Chemical Engineer, having worked in tough jobs and locations on shore in the Middle East. While there, he has used the legendary Toyota Landcruiser extensively but back here, that would mean an expensive to run and expensive to maintain option. On his return to India in 2013, he acquired a new Nissan Sunny XL petrol which had been serving him very well. However, his sons were growing high and wide and he needed a larger car for his family, including aged people in the family, to travel.

Options evaluated

1. 2015 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport direct owner sale done under 98,000km

+ Fantastically kept
+ direct owner sale
+ great mechanical shape
+ brilliant ride and handling
+ go anywhere capability; the Pajero Sport needs no roads
+ white shade viz. great to look at and low on exterior upkeep
- not an ideal seven seater because of the extremely low third row
- not senior citizen friendly; I know how difficult it is for octogenarians to get into this car
- maintaining a Pajero Sport is not everyone's cup of tea; need a competent technician and the ability to source spares at the right price point and not get ripped off

While the friend was head over heels in love with this car, I asked him to consider only if he was NOT going to ferry old folks as ingress/egress was difficult.

2. late 2015 XUV500 W10 done under 98,000km

+ Excellent mechanical and visual condition
+ direct owner sale
+ great engine, 6 speed gear box
- sunset orange shade; not the most likeable by many
- no sliding center row
- not an ideal seven seater, but still acceptable
- poor on boot space with seven seats up

This was a car I was pushing my friend to get and it had even come down to him leaving his residence to meet the owner at an agreed place to see the car.

Fate plays its role

Fate sometimes plays cruel - while the friend was on his way to see the car (and knowing his quick decision making, he might have even sealed the deal), he got a call that a close family member had fainted, fallen down the stairs and was being shifted to hospital. He had no choice but to divert straight to hospital. While there, he called the owner of the car, apologized, explained his situation and wasn't sure how long the medical situation would take to get over. He told the owner to sell to any other buyer if there was any, else he'd come and see once he was out of this medical situation. Two days thence, this car was gone.

[vigsom]

Options evaluated (Contd.)

I had told my friend right at the outset to look at a used Innova Crysta automatic. Some 2016 and 2017 G and Z ATs were also examined on line, none in person. While this discussion was on, I chanced upon a 2009 Innova V that had done 2,32,000km. This was a direct seller listing, and was appealing, but I asked my friend if he was keen to look at this option. This listing was seen even when the first two had been evaluated. The friend was open to considering this as an option as his usage was going to be no more than 6k kms a year. Now that the fist two options were out, he connected with the owner and went to see the Innova, but I had no idea that he was doing that.

3. 2009 Toyota Innova V direct owner sale done 2,32,000km

+ it is an older Toyota with enough comforts and features
+ well kept for its age
+ direct owner sale
+ great mechanical shape, nice interiors
+ Yokohama Earth-1 tyres with lot of juice
+ new battery
+ all electricals working
+ brilliant ride
+ eight seater with the best third row among the three options so far
+ senior citizen friendly viz. easy ingress and egress to/from first two rows of seats
- Simpson Red shade meant scratches would be easily visible
- monograms on the rear missing
- minor crack on the right tail lamp assembly
- few oily surfaces on the tappet cover edges/ around the o-rings; can be attributed to ageing of rubber parts
- 15 years old with the registration renewal in process; uncertainty around future of the car post 20 years

My friend came on a video call with me and both he and I were truly stunned at the condition of such an old car.

Front View


Side Views




Rear View


Odo Reading


Inside view from the driver door


Inside view from the rear right door


Cabin views




Engine Start Up

https://youtu.be/4gaW22vufSw

[vigsom]

Decision Making

1. The friend, who has driven several Toyotas and Nissans in the Middle East felt this car to be a little "heavy" considering that it was perhaps his first tryst with a diesel, but was amazed at how good a fifteen year old (sorry young) Innova can look and feel.
2. For the technical evaluation bit, the friend had taken along a relative who had years of experience in maintaining old diesel vehicles, mostly Mahindras
3. I advised that the high odo reading of 2,32,000 km wasn't an issue at all, as long as the car was well kept
4. His capital outflow for this 2009 Innova vs a 2014 Innova would save him a cool INR 4-5 lacs. In fact, from a capital investment standpoint, this could be his best shot at an MUV/SUV
5. Registration renewal had already been initiated and it was a matter of time before closure
6. His relative and he did their due diligence, also checked service records, and eventually decided to go for it

They finally agreed to a price, paid an advance, and the deal was to pick up the car when the renewed Registration Card came to the owner's hand

D-Day

The car was finally his in seven days from when he saw her first, and on the day after purchase, the car went on a 1,500km round trip to south Tamil Nadu.

Enroute Chennai to Nagercoil


Cooling off




Big boy alongside Small boy

[vigsom]

Surprises

No experience is complete without some unpleasant surprises, and, for the first time, some of these were surprising coming from a well maintained Toyota.

Surprise No.1 - Instrument Console Display unsteady

The speedo console display began going low on illumination intermittently; this was accompanied by the gauges moving to their resting positions but car continuing to run. Although this issue has temporarily disappeared, it looks like a case of dry solder on the console PCB.

Surprise No.2 and a big one - overheating

This was a shocker, but my friend was quite lucky. While in Chennai, he'd taken the car out for a 6km drive on evening, and all was well till he reached his destination. On his return, very close to home, he found the engine temperature gauge climbing and hitting 90% of range, and the AC cutting off. He had just reached home and called me, but was, surprisingly, unruffled! I was not able to believe that he remained so calm despite facing such a setback within, say, a month of ownership. I asked him to check a few things while on the call

1. coolant reservoir - reported that it looked empty
2. fumes or signs of boiloff in the engine bay - reported none

I told him to wait 2 hours, add distilled water in the reservoir till the full mark, and start the engine and see. He reported back that the system took over 2 liters of water and that the start up was normal with ECT in range and AC functional. I heaved a temporary sigh of relief.

The next morning, he came on a video call and again reported the reservoir empty but some wetness on the hose at the coolant reservoir bottom. I suspected it to be that the grommet below the reservoir must be leaking, and asked him to call his experienced technician over. The gentleman came over around midday, started the engine and diagnosed the issue to a radiator leak .

No level in the coolant reservoir

[vigsom]

Why did the radiator leak?

It is strange but only two theories emerged

1. Age - When this leak was reported to me, the first thing I remembered was our Mod @Samurai facing this

Originally Posted by Samurai

The leak turned out to be crack in the radiator core. Since it is made of aluminium, it can't be repaired. It must be replaced, at a cost of 20K.

Attachment 2506816

while the almost neglected 5,00,000km done Grand Vitara was still on its stock radiator

2. Water top up gone wrong - it is also likely that wrong spec of water was added to top up the radiator volume. Since Toyota Genuine Coolant is HOAT, the added water could have sounded the death knell!

Maintenance

The following jobs were taken up

1. Radiator replacement - BANCO at approx. INR5k was chosen as the brand as OE Toyota was a tad expensive at INR12k
2. Coolant replacement
3. Tappet cover gasket and top O-rings replacement - OE Toyota
4. Timing kit replacement (the timing kit had been replaced at 1,50,000km but the technician pushed for this as well just for peace of mind) - OE Toyota
5. Inspection of all oils and replacement if required
6. Air filter replacement - OE Toyota
7. Inspection of all coolant system hoses and replacement - OE Toyota

It took about a week for the jobs to be done and bring the car back on track

Illustrated parts catalog - Engine Cooling


Illustrated parts catalog - Tappet cover and Cylinder Head


Radiator from BANCO


Tappet Cover Gasket - OE


Maintenance W-I-P




View of the camshafts - timing belt replacement record at 1,50,000km at the Toyota service center marked on the timing belt cover as shown


Timing kit and tappet cover gaskets removed

[vigsom]

Maintenance Expenses so far (treat this as capital expenses) - most parts were Toyota OE

1. Tappet cover gasket INR 1,700
2. Tappet cover O-rings INR 1,960
3. Timing kit (belt, idler, tensioner) INR 9,800
4. BANCO Radiator INR 5,100
5. Coolant INR 2,000
6. Radiator hoses INR 1,400
7. Air filter INR 2,000
8. Cabin Air filter INR 400
8. Labour charges INR 5,000

Total INR 29,360

Summing it up

Only yesterday, I saw the 40,000km service bill for a BS6 Toyota Innova Crysta. Just paid service, engine oil change, DEF top up, brake fluid replacement and an evap on line cleaning (they call it by some weird name starting with T) was approx. INR 20,500. In the case of the 2009 Innova, a lot more was done for just a little more.

I admire the courage and conviction with which my friend went ahead and acquired this car - 15 years and 2,32,000km. Also, appreciate the fact that he remained unruffled even when faced with an almost engine death situation due to the radiator leak. I guess Almighty rewards the brave with a few near misses, which is quite true in this case. I wish this car serves him and his family well for many more years, and hope the car continues to live in TN even past the 20 year mark!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Shanksta]

Originally Posted by vigsom

I admire the courage and conviction with which my friend went ahead and acquired this car - 15 years and 2,32,000km. Also, appreciate the fact that he remained unruffled even when faced with an almost engine death situation due to the radiator leak. I guess Almighty rewards the brave with a few near misses, which is quite true in this case. I wish this car serves him and his family well for many more years, and hope the car continues to live in TN even past the 20 year mark!

Your friend has bought the right car, given his usage pattern. It will serve him extremely well until he is forced to part ways with the car if they bring in a similar rule against older diesel cars in TN like the NCR.

We had a similar 2009 Innova GX 8 seater in the dark red mica metallic shade. We owned the car for a little over 12.5 years and did 1,47,000+ kms at the time of sale. The Innova served us extremely well, we replaced only the alternator bearing once becuase it rusted courtesy to me driving the car in approximately 2 foot of water during the 2015 floods in Chennai. Apart from that our Innova was still running on the stock clutch, stock brake shoes and the stock rotors. We replaced only the front brake pads once at 62k kms, replaced the front windshield once because of the transparent sunfilm we had causing concentric circles making it a hazard to drive at night and apart from that the v-belt.

Apart from this replaced a few headlight and tailight bulbs over the years, along with the steering column boot a few times (rubber cover that insulates the engine bay from the interior on the firewall). The car was fully serviced at Toyota and we followed the 5k kms schedule till the car hit a lakh kms and post that only serviced the car at 10k kms interval.

The service costs used to be so low, it was insane. The costliest services used to be the ones every 40k kms as that was a major service(replacing diff oil, greasing the propshaft, and a few more bits) and even that bill maxed out at under 10k INR. It was a robust car with amazing driveability, a great steering and felt solid on the highways cocooning the occupants in supreme comfort. We drove our Innova to Bhutan and back when it hit a lakh kms.

Apart from the above expenses we replaced 2 sets on tyres (Continental UC5s at 52k kms and Nexen at 107k kms) and 3 batteries over the years. The only time the car ever refused to start was when the battery died and even then pushing the car from the front in reverse gear and dumping the clutch would easily start the car with minimal effort. In 2009 when we bought the car a full tank of diesel used to cost 1800-2000 INR. Fast forward to 2022 before we sold the car a full tank used to cost 4500-4700 INR.

As you can clearly see I miss my Innova, a truly epic car that was big on space, easy to drive and also relatively good on mileage for a car that weighed almost 1.8 tonnes with all occupants, at that time (10.5-11kmpl in city and 12-13kmpl on highways). It was the first car I drove extensively after getting my license and drove for a solid 10 years.

The realse value was also great we sold the car for 53.5% of what we paid for it after 12.5 years.

P.S.:
* Just remebered looking at the picture of your friends Innova, that we did not go for the higher VX variant as we wanted the dark red mica metallic but the VX with its chrome grille did not suit the color. The good old days when airbags and ABS were not taken into consideration. Also you wouldn't belive me if I told you that my dad got a 1 lakh discout at that time. Apparently they were offering that discount as the type 2 facelfted Innova sales had slowed down and also because they were slowing bringing in BS4 Innova with the added intercooler. Ours was a Oct 2009 car.

* I have an uncle that still owns a champagne mica metallic 2006 Innova 2.0 VVT, It has run 1,90,000 kms till date. I still sneak in a drive whenever I get an opportunity. The 2.0 doesn't have the grunt of the diesel, but is no slouch and the mileage is also decent at 9kmpl. It has been running on LPG for the past 1.5 lakh kms and is super economical to own.

[rakesh_r]

A wise choice, the Old Innova was a very reliable workhorse, pure mechanical no electrical non sense. The Crysta too is good, but a bit more complex. The commercial segment still swear by the Old Innova.

Originally Posted by Shanksta

Your friend has bought the right car, given his usage pattern. It will serve him extremely well until he is forced to part ways with the car if they bring in a similar rule against older diesel cars in TN like the NCR.

Knowing TN and their affinity towards Diesel cars, pretty sure this would be opposed by all means .

[PrasadS]

Congratulations to your friend on the purchase.
I type this post right after a 3 day long journey across Maharashtra in the last gen Innova Diesel. It's been with us for almost 9 years(1.27 lakh on the odo).
Travelling across the non existent rural roads in Maharashtra with a 1 yr old, nothing gives you as much confidence as an Innova. The grunt of the Diesel on the ghats, overtaking people and gliding over on rough patches in comfort where others are barely crawling. My kid didn't even wake up on those bone rattling roads!

Sadly will be saying bye to the trusty old elephant as we're expecting Hycross delivery in a couple of weeks(pdi next week. FINALLY )

Any ball park figure on what to expect for a 9 yrs old greatly (if not immaculately) maintained Innova in Navi Mumbai?

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by vigsom

...having worked in tough jobs and locations on shore in the Middle East. While there, he has used the legendary Toyota Landcruiser extensively

Say no more on why your friend chose a T...! Period.

If I were you I would done the following.

Change all fluids - engine oil, gear oil, diff oil, brake oil, power steering oil, coolant.

Change all filters - engine oil filter, air filter, cabin AC filter, fuel filter

A/c gas - draw out, check pressure and refill/topup, replace AC blower motor if needed and weak after years. Flush/Clean all vents in dash, roof liners and rear seat vents. Get some expensive nano ceramic window tints all around the car.

Check all radiator/pipes

Check alternator/starter condition - replace carbon bushes/bendix if needed. Check electricals including power window and speedo console, ICE.

Change front brake pads, skim front rotors, replace rear pads, check rear slaves, grease front caliper pins

Check shocks/suspension bushes, replace TRE and sway bar links because the tyres upfront are sensitive to wear and tear.

Tyres/battery - if needed

Remove all the seats, remove carpet, dust beneath the carpet, wash dry the carpet to get rid of any 2 decade smell. Steam wash the roof liner and seats.

List may be exhaustive, but I followed this on a recently purchased 12 "Unforgiving-Dubai-Summer-years" old Altima with 208~k kms on the speedo, now the car does 140 in the 1st lane and doesnt skip a beat.

[RGK]

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠During my search for an Innova, I came across a well-maintained Innova (G, 2015 model, NCR registered, 35k) that caught my attention. However, I ultimately decided to purchase a Crysta for different reasons.

Nowadays many FNG's are proficient in converting to Type 4 and other mechanical upgrades. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can locate a trustworthy one and conduct a comprehensive inspection of all components and consumables at a reasonable price.

Despite some turbo noise, the Innova remains a reliable vehicle even two decades after its release.

Happy and Safe Motoring.....

[car_guy1998]

A very good choice indeed despite being a 15 year old car.

Had the same version Innova and also same variant but BS4 variant in grey colour and was 2011 version, which we sold it off in 2022 and eventually, after lots of deliberations, replaced it with its predecessor, Hycross last year.

We bought the old Innova in 2016 when the odo was at 75k Kms, which was nothing for an Innova at that time and sold it after adding 120k Kms on it with the intention of getting a Diesel AT C-SUV. But, in the meanwhile, dad got to know that Toyota is launching Innova in Hybrid guise, which sealed him the deal and bought one though my initial choice was a Seltos D AT or Scorpio-N D AT at that time. It's the brand Innova, which made my dad buy another Innova again albeit in new avatar.

I sometimes feel that I could've retained this car even after owning the Hycross now and restore it by getting some mods done. But, destiny had other plans.

Just few days after the purchase of our Hycross, I spotted our erstwhile Innova, which went ahead me while I was going out for work.

[Taha Mir]

Surprised to see a k&n filter on a 2.4 lakh kms run car. Any idea how many of those kms were run with the K&N?