Cardin

Pearl White with dark gray interior (took me forever to find this combo), 115K miles, got it for just under $18k. I think I did OK on the deal! My wife is 6 months pregnant with our first daughter and we got the GX as a family car, mainly for road trips and camping trips, etc. I plan on keeping the car as long as possible.

The car didn't come with floor mats, it only came with 1 key, and the timing belt hasn't been changed. Carfax has all of the maintenance records (looks like the previous owner only went to a tire shop for all maintenance, but at least they logged everything). Looks like the brakes were changed every 30k or so, the alternator was replaced, and the coolant system was flushed.

So here's what I'm planning to do in rough order:

1. Do a post-purchase inspection to see everything that could be wrong with the car. (appointment scheduled for next week)
2. Do the 90k maintenance and change the timing belt. (doing it after the appointment)
3. LED interior lighting
4. Get more keys. Already purchased 2 keys from eBay.
5. WeatherTech rubber floor liners and cargo liner
6. Dash cam
7. Modding the AC outlet so that it's always on
8. Upgrade the HID lighting, potentially the fog lights as well

And I will probably get coilovers at some point when the current suspension fails. Hopefully this won't be for a while though!

Is there anything else obvious I'm missing? Please let me know!

Snowrydr01

secondary air injection bypass module

ScatAdams

You don't need to do this unless the system fails. Not a must have mod by any means.


OP- You're on the right track. I'd go ahead and swap out all of the fluids- Power steering, Brake, diffs, t-case and transmission. Also replace the air filter & cabin filter (if needed). Inspect the radiator and the radiator cap as both can fail around that mileage if they are oem, also look for wear on the hoses. Clean the maf/o2 sensor as well as the throttle body. Its a good idea to keep the front and rear drive shaft greased, I usually do it every oil change. Gas caps can go bad on these and throw an engine code so I replaced mine for peace of mind.

For suspension Id definitely swap out the rear air bags for a traditional coil spring but you probably want to wait until you can also lift the front in order to do it at the same time.

Im missing a ton of stuff but also check out ih8mud's 120 section, a lot of GX owners over there as well.

Good luck!

Snowrydr01

if it fails, aren't you in a limp mode until the engine temp is high enough that the system no longer deems this process necessary? As far as i have been told the only factors in its initiation are ambient and engine temps. If that is the case, i absolutely would not want to be anywhere further then 20 minutes away from my house when this happens, or with the family ANYWHERE. Any potential component failure point that could render a vehicle essentially non operational would be WAY higher then upgrading interior and headlights. Well worth the couple hundred bucks to do any never have a risk of happening.

A close second would be the air suspension. Yes its comfortable but on a daily driver where vacations are regularly 8+ hour drives, a failed airbag or sensor that bricks rear suspension capabilities does not sound fun.

ScatAdams

You will get a check engine light but I dont believe it will go into limp mode. I had this conversation on another board, where people act like these air injection systems are failing left and right on the GX, yet thats not the case. It's about a $120 GM part to replace it if it does fail and the install is tedious, I'd wait for it to fail before considering it.


Also OP- interior LED lights are very helpful.

Cardin

Great, thanks guys for the input! And good to see the discussion. I'll definitely head over to IH8MUD's forums as well to learn what they have to say.

Snowrydr01

I am also a big fan of removing the running boards, I think it makes the GX look a bit more SUV like rather then a lifted mini van. There are a couple threads over on Mud that go further and trim the factory running boards for a much cleaner capped off look.

No offense meant by the minivan comment, i love the added interior height of the GX.

Tires are almost always the first thing I replace on a used car after fluids and basic maintenance. Tires can transform a good number of variables on a vehicle dependent on your needs and you never know where the previous owners priorities were. Was it long life over grip, supple ride over handling and feedback, summer over winter. Its the only thing that translates your will to what the car actually does too.

chiph9

Agree with changing fluids. Most of them can be commercial-brand, but some should be Genuine Toyota. Note that there is no need to buy expensive "racing" fluids.

Coolant: Toyota super-long-life premix
Transmission: Toyota World Standard (you can do a drain + fill yourself if you're **VERY CAREFUL**, otherwise just pay the dealer)
Front + Rear Differentials and Transfer case: Any good quality name-brand 75W-90 GL-5 gear lube. Castrol, Mobil-1, etc. Switch to 80W-90 if you hear a whine.
Brake fluid: Any good-quality name-brand DOT-3 brake fluid.
Engine oil: Any good-quality name-brand 5W-30 oil (for most of the US. Likely different if you live in a cold climate or Arizona..)
Power steering: Toyota Power Steering Fluid (which I believe is Dexron, but don't hold me to it) ATF is another option, but tends to foam more.

There are also zerk fittings on the driveline that need greasing occasionally.

So far as tires, I agree with Snowrydr01. I'm happy with my Michelins (replacing some truly awful Chinese tires the previous owner put on), but there's no doubt that they're optimized for long life over grip. Don't forget about the spare - it'll reach it's age-limit within the next year or two.

If you're swapping tires, you might want to think about replacing the TPMS sensors - the battery in them normally lasts between 7-10 years, so avoid a hassle later, you might change them sooner than strictly needed.

Chip H.