[harjeev]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Paaji - we all follow your thread, what to do, your FB and blogs are a few days ahead, so dont reply much here

Thanks a lot Santosh. I agree that the FB is more update but the updates blog and this thread on teambhp are simultaneous. I infact type the thread on MSword and then copy past at both the locations.

Originally Posted by zipperone

You are not getting it back tomm as the putty was still not dry by this evening and they will need all day tomm to paint it. The job seemed decent but could not feel the smoothness of the repairs as the putty was still wet and not sanded.

The chap said he will need all day tomm. No word on other items you wanted fixed as I was there only a few minutes. Let me know if you are coming tomm. cheers

Thanks a lot for the update, Promod. I would surely try to visit today, maybe towards the afternoon as if I have to come back via metro then its advisable to do so in the non peak hours.
Will call you once I am there.

UPDATE
regarding the updates which Santosh is referring to is as follows
Had a brush with a tractor...

[harjeev]

I've had a vehicle for a little less than 9 months and I thought that a long term ownership review is in order.

The vehicle has covered a shade under 21k kms. Of this the notable drives have been

• Bangalore-Delhi 2500kms
• Delhi -Bhuj- Phokhran- Bikaner-Delhi 3900kms (Desert Storm 2011)
• Delhi-Ahmedabad- Sasan Gir - Diu -Udaipur- $delhi 3000kms
• Delhi -Corbett NP - Delhi
• Delhi-Hoshiarpur-Delhi
• Del-Lhd-Del (2-3 trips)
• Delhi- Amritsar - Delhi 2 trips
• Del - Jallander - Delhi
• Delhi Tordi (Nr Ajmer) - Del
• And some other I am not remembering

So it can be seen that the vehicle is being extensively driven.

What I like about the vehicle

• Unmatched road presence. Especially on the highways the kind of respect this vehicle get you from other vehicles, is amazing.
• Is very planted on the highways especially on high speeds. Even at speeds of 150 kmph the vehicle inspires confidence like none other. Though I am a very sedate driver but occasionally I've tried to push it to the limit twice.

• The 1st time I was driving from Bhuj to our camp in Dorodo (while I was at the Desert Storm 2011). I had a long and empty road in front and was glad to say that I tried to test the vehicle to the limits.

• The 2nd time was when I was coming back from Udaipur and was on the Kishangarh - Jaipur Expressway.

• At both these occasions the vehicle was fully loaded with 2-3 adult passengers and all the luggage that we could carry. So I guess that if the vehicle had a little less luggage, I could have easily managed more.

• Raw power in all gearing ratios. No need to change gears when overtaking on the highways. Even in the 5th gear, overtaking is a breeze. One can easily feel the 6 cylinders working their way is giving all that they've got to the driver. Sometimes, at speed of approx 80-90kmph I even feel the need that the vehicle is either in the 4th gear or is in dire need of a 6th gear.
• Space, space and yet more space. The amount of inside space in the vehicle is wonderful. Having migrated from the Tata Safari, which itself is not cramped in anyway, this vehicle leaves others way behind. I know that its like comparing apples to oranges but again I am comparing from an ownership perspective.
• Extremely comfortable for the front and the rear passengers on all kinds of roads. The longest stretch that I've driven the vehicle in a single day is 1250 Kms from Delhi to Bhuj. Started at 430am and reached Bhuj @ 130AM the next day. No Sweat. If it hadn't been for the body clock, I am sure that the vehicle could have managed more, with easy.

What I don't like about the vehicle

• The vehicle has drum brakes in the rear. So I guess that had there been discs, breaking would have been loads better. That said, till now I've have had no reason to complain at the lack of rear discs or have they let me down, anywhere.
• Driving in the city is a huge pain. With approx 6 feet wide and almost 16 feet long, its not small by any standards. Additionally finding a parking space for something this huge is another task in itself, this is only if you are not waved away by the parking attendant in the first place.
• Another niggling issue that I've noticed is that when I am at high speeds and really pushing the RPM to the limits the temperature starts to rise. Generally it stays at the 1/8th mark but while pushing the vehicle it goes to the 3/8th mark, but stays there. At this time I tone it down a little and then the temperature comes down a little. This always happens when the speeds of the vehicle are in excess of 120kmph and I am keeping the RPM above or around 3000-3500 RPM.

Other observations/ Experiences

• Getting Full Comphrensive Insurance was a big task in itself. Apparently there's some rule that IInd vehicles of 10+ years old, the agents don't easily agree to get them insured. However after pulling some strings, I managed to get it insured for a Written Down Valie of 13,00,000 and paid a premium of 28,700 INR.
• As I stay in Delhi and the vehicle is registered in Mumbai, getting the ownership of the vehicle transferred in my name was also an equally a big task. It took me about 6 months to be able to find a way out and was ultimately able to work something out. Now officially the ownership of the vehicle has been transferred to our name (my cousin’s name who is a resident of Mumbai). Also going through this route also save a big wad of cash as I had previously inquired about getting the registration number changed to Ludhiana and the approx expense was working out to be in the range of 40-50k.
• Glad to having found a good workshop in Delhi ”LAKOZY TOYOTA MOTORS" in Okhla. They are an authorised Toyota workshop and have been working on Toyota's Imports since a long time. Another fellow Landcruiser owner has been going to them for a long time and is an extremely satisfied customer.

Finally I have summarized the Total Expenses that I have incurred/ spent on the vehicle till date. This is from the 1st breakdown (snapping of the belts) that occurred when I was driving the vehicle from Bangalore to Delhi till the latest service (June 01, 2011) from Lakozy Toyota.

Summary of Expenses

• TYPE Total Description
• AC 2,000 Air Con
• AR 22,229.4 Accident Repair
• BE 7,250 Belts
• BR 16,250 Breaks (Pads, Oil, Master Cylinder)
• ER 17,100 Electrical Repair (Bulbs, Headlamp/Tail Lamps, Oil Presure Switch)
• IN 28,700 Insurance
• MS 353 Misc
• OR 43,386.92 OR (Other Items/ Normal Services) This includes the 1st service in which all fluids were changed)
• SS 36,100 Steering & Suspension (Power Steering Pump, PS Oil, Suspension Job, All Shocks changed)
• TY 30,565 Tyres
• UN 10,300 UN (Unsual Job) Recalibration of the the Fuel Pump
• WS 27,000 Wind Shield & Power Windows Motor
• Grand Total 2,41,234.32

Fuel Efficiency
Total Number of KMs 20721 kms
Fuel Consumed 2,546.71 Liters
Amt Spent on Fuel 99,475 Rupees
Average Price / Liter Rs.39.06 per Liter
Fuel Efficiency (FE) 8.14 Km per Liter
Cost per KM Rs.4.80 per KM

Having driven the vehicle for approx 21000 kms in 9 months or so, I am happy to say that buying this vehicle was one of the best decisions I made. Further glancing at the total amount that I have spent on the vehicle till date (Rs 2,41,234.32) some may think that I would have been better off hunting for different vehicle that would have been not so heavy on the pocket. But my take on this is, that after all this is a 14+ year old vehicle and with each expense my vehicle is nearing perfection. Moreover before I came across this vehicle I was searching for a Toyota Landcruiser (TLC) for over a year and never came across any that were in this good a shape and credit for this goes to the previous owners especially REDONE from whom I purchased the vehicle. I still remember it like yesterday when I saw the vehicle for the 1st time standing in all its glory in the parking lot of REDONE’s apartment complex. Thanks a lot sir for taking care of the vehicle and choosing me as the buyer.
I believe that this long term ownership update would be the 1st of many to come over the next thousands of kms.
Till the next time.
Cheers
Harjeev

[harjeev]

Barely after driving the vehicle for a little less than 18K Kms after getting the Diesel Fuel Pump re-calibration done, I feel that it needs to be done again.
The reason for this is as follows
Firstly the FE of the vehicle has gone down drastically. Earlier (before the RE-CALIBRATION) the TLC used to give me a FE of 8.5, city driving, to sometimes even 9.5-9.75 on the highways) . Now the FE is barely 7-7.25 KMPH.
Second reason is that earlier under hard acceleration there used to be very little to no black smoke from the exhaust. Now even on idle there is black smoke emitting from the vehicle. This can clearly be seen from the naked eye. On hard acceleration the vehicle smokes like a chimney. So this can’t be good. Under idle, when one stands at the back of the vehicle, you can feel the unburnt diesel on your eyes.
So these two reasons were enough for me to send the vehicle for the re calibration. Gave it at Lakozy Toyota at Okhla Industrial Area on 13th November 2011. They said that I can expect the vehicle back in a weeks time.
The ODO meter now reads 1292XX Kms.

After the Re-Calibration
Received the vehicle back from the workshop in the 1st week of December. the Fuel Injection Pump(FIP) has been overhauled and the Nozzles replaced.
The final bill came to a whooping Rs.40,120.00. I was expecting somewhere around 25K, however I had not anticipated the that the nozzles would be expensive. Along with the nozzles the next most expensive part is the FIP repair kit.
The feel and drive of the vehicle has definitely changed for the better and the smoke from the exhaust is also considerably less. I had done the tankful, and since then the vehicle has covered approximately 300 kms. Will do the next refill tomorrow and gauge the Fuel Efficiency.

Here's a copy of the final bill

[DicKy]

Good to see you are happy with your decision and enjoying the LC,looks like you reversed back to the original lights like you said you would do earlier.
Cheers and many more years of TLC!!!

[svsantosh]

Surprised the nozzles needed a complete replacement after hardly 1.2L Kms. But anyways, it is vehicle for lifetime... will outlast you. Thank God the spares are avbl even for such a old model... Speaks high of the "T"...

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Good to see you are happy with your decision and enjoying the LC,looks like you reversed back to the original lights like you said you would do earlier.
Cheers and many more years of TLC!!!

Thanks a lot mate.

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Surprised the nozzles needed a complete replacement after hardly 1.2L Kms. But anyways, it is vehicle for lifetime... will outlast you. Thank God the spares are avbl even for such a old model... Speaks high of the "T"...

Thanks a lot Santosh.
Actually I am not surprised that the nozzles needed a change. The previous owner 'SREE' bought the vehicle from a dealer in New Delhi who had bought it from the first owner. The ODO when SREE bought it was at approx 55-60K kms (there were some bills and other invoices in the vehicle that proved this theory) and sold me the vehicle when it read approx 100-101K kms. I believe that the dealer did some mischief which mostly a lot of car dealers do and must have tampered back the ODO reading by 40-50K kms, maybe to get a better selling price.
I got a compression test done recently and its the opinion of the workshop that the vehicle's in good shape and in their opinion, judging from the condition of suspension bushes, result of the compression test, and the nozzles needing replacement must have covered 150-180K kms. The ODO now reads 131K kms so the correct age of the vehicle is 150-180K kms. Decently maintained Toyota LC engine's are suppose to give a life of 400-500K kms.
So judging from the current state of thing I think that I should have a long long mileage ahead for myself.

[4x4addict]

@harjeev as you correctly pointed out, these engines are hardly stressed and run 400 to 500K kilometers. So most of the dealers can roll back the odometer and no one will know the difference between an engine that has run 100K or 200K.

[harjeev]

Post the Overhaul of the Fuel Injection Pump FIP and changing the Injection Nozzles I was eager to gauge the Fuel Efficiency (FE) of the vehicle. Since the Overhaul I have driven the vehicle for an approx distance of 2100 Kms which I think is a good measure for gauging the FE. I have measured the FE on a tank full to tank full basis. Further during this period I did a out station trip of 1062 KMs from Delhi- Jaipur-(off-roading 150kms) Sawai Madhopur- Delhi and the rest was 1 trip Del- Bhiwadi- Neemrana- Delhi (approx 300 Kms) 3 trips Delhi- Bhiwadi- Delhi (approx 190 KMS each) and rest local city driving.

• On the Highway run (Jaipur & Sawai Madhopur) I was averaging speeds of 110-130 KMPH and did off-roading of 125-150 kms. This run gave me a FE of 7.96 KM/ Liter.
• During the second round of driving I was averaging speeds of 80-90 KMPH and the TLC returned a FE of 9.95 KM/Liter.

Prior to the FIP overhaul the TLC was returning a FE of 7.00-7.50 KM/Liter with the best and worst being 8.35 and 6.90 KM/Liter. Therefore I think that the work has been satisfactorily done, but would still keep an eye out and would base my judgment once I’ve completed 5000 KMS post the overhaul.


Uneven Tyre Wear
Another issue that has now cropped up is uneven tyre wear on the rear tyres. As can be seen from the enclosed pictures both the rear tyres are showing signs of uneven wear, which is to say that the rear left has uneven wear on the Left and same for the rear right which is wearing off from the right hand side. I am clueless as to what this issue might be. Have asked around in my friend circle and also on some Toyota Landcruiser Forums. The latter attribute this to low tyre pressure. I generally keep the tyre pressure at 30PSI on all 4 and they say that it should be atleast 38 PSI. My friends and also the workshop manager at Lakozy Toyota attribute this to the suspension and particularly to the suspension bushes. Have got the alignment and balancing of the vehicle checked regularly. Still working out the cause of this problem and hope to find a solution soon. These tyres were bought by me IInd hand and the previous owner had used them for an approx of 5K kms and since then, I’ve used them for 20K Kms. The manufacturing date on the tyres are 3rd quarter of 2009.
Hoping to find a solution soon.


Some Pictures

Rear Right


Rear Right



Rear Right


Rear Left

[harjeev]

As per my previous post regarding the uneven tyre wear in the rear two tyres, after talking and consulting my friends and the workshop manager we concluded that the issue might be with the suspension bushes and we’d start with that. As I had no idea whether the suspension bushes were replaced in the last 13 years while it was with the previous owners and definitely it had not been done since I’ve had it, I decided to go ahead and start with changing the bushes.
Now the dilemma that came forward was whether to replace them with OEM Toyota Bushes or go for the after market available options. Initially I’d decided that I might go for the aftermarket available options but then I thought that I might never do hardcore off-roading with my vehicle as for me its primarily a long distance travel vehicle . Additionally the thing that scared me was that, if the problem were not sorted out by installing the aftermarket bushes and the tyres kept on wearing unevenly the workshop might say that, as I am not using OEM products and that can’t help me. At the same time the aftermarket vendors might say as I have not gone in for the complete suspension upgrade which might include the springs, shock absorber sets, etc etc they cant help me. Further more the complete suspension upgrade would have cost anything upwards of Rs.90K-100K and I was not in a mindset to spend that much amount at the present time. So finally last week I made the decision and sent the vehicle to the workshop to change the bushes with OEM ones.
Received the vehicle back on the 7th of February 2012. It was also found out that the Front Knuckle Left Side Stud was missing and they could not source it from their channel. So the left side stud was fabricated using the right side as a copy.
The initial impression is the vehicle has become very smooth especially over potholes and uneven roads. The verdict on the uneven tyre were issue would have to wait untill the vehicle completes 8000-10000 Kms, which would be done by the end of March 2012. In February I am off for the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm (as a marshal) in Rajasthan and Gujarat in which I anticipate that the vehicle would cover 3500-4000 Kms. Then in March I am travelling with my family to Mumbai and Goa which would cover another 4000-4500 Kms. Will update the thread then.

In the meantime I am turning the tyres inside out so that I can gauge if the tyres still wear out unevenly.
The Final Bill came to a total of Rs.32,207.00 including a labor of Rs.7,545.
The ODO meter now reads 132237 Kms

Some pictures of the old Bushes

[Ricky_63]

I like the way the thread is diligently updated even for the smaller things !! Great going Harjeev




Cheers

[zipperone]

Nice update Harjeev. 32k is a lot for changing bushes alone. To me it makes better sense to have gone for a 90K full suspension upgrade. I recall that you had changed the shock absorbers a while ago as well

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

I like the way the thread is diligently updated even for the smaller things !! Great going Harjeev




Cheers

thanks Rakesh Ricky_63
Pal this too I have inspiration from you. The way you've updated your Pajero and W124 threads is superb. Even the smallest parts like changing the headlamp tubes have been updated, and that too with pictures. Simply awesome.

Originally Posted by zipperone

Nice update Harjeev. 32k is a lot for changing bushes alone. To me it makes better sense to have gone for a 90K full suspension upgrade. I recall that you had changed the shock absorbers a while ago as well

Hey zipperone
I know that its (32K) a lot of money and yes you are right I did change the shock absorbers at 105K kms when I bought the vehicle. I have stated the reasons for going for the stock suspension bushes in my post, I didn't want to be hanging in-between the workshop and the aftermarket guys tug of war, because its ultimately the customer that pays, isn't it? My priority for changing the bushes now was the solving of the uneven tyre wear issue. Additionally you see the shock absorbers have only been used for 27K kms and now the bushes at 132K, I still have a long way to go till its time for changing the current stock setup. Had everything been going on smoothly I would have picked up the aftermarket options in a heartbeat, but after spending Rs.316K on the upkeep of the TLC, I have to wait and watch and fill up my money bag too.
Still I believe that the TLC would remain in my garage for a long long time to come and later on when the vehicle's run for another 70-80K kms (withing the next 3-4 years), I might go for the complete upgraded setup and definitely the money bag would be a lot fuller than what its now.
Cheers mate

[zipperone]

Harjeev, Do not even consider selling the LC. Its a keeper and in excellent condition. You got a million miles to go. Let's do a trip together soon. All the best.

[Ricky_63]

[quote=harjeev;2679561]thanks Rakesh Ricky_63
Pal this too I have inspiration from you. The way you've updated your Pajero and W124 threads is superb. Even the smallest parts like changing the headlamp tubes have been updated, and that too with pictures. Simply awesome.


Thanks for your kindness is all the generous praise, maybe I have too much "vela time" on my hands



Cheers

[the VTEC guy]

Harjeev, went through all the details that you have documented in this thread. Very detailed report indeed. Felt one thing missing that is the pictures of the interiors.