Preparing for a 6000 mile road trip. What should I check on my GX?
07-13-18, 08:42 AM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Preparing for a 6000 mile road trip. What should I check on my GX?
Hi All. New member here, Purchased by 2010 GX (with 80000 miles) 4 Months ago and loving it! I am preparing for a 6000 mile cross Canada Road trip, and looking to tap into some advice.
Looking for any advice on things I should check/replace/lube before we hit the highway. I have always done my own maintenance (on my previous 4Runners) so reasonably technically savvy. I plan to do an oil change, lube the driveshafts, check the brakes, etc. Looking for Lexus GX specific items I should be looking at to ensure a trouble free trip. Is there items that are typical to fail in the 80-100k range. Any input would be appreciated.
Looking for any advice on things I should check/replace/lube before we hit the highway. I have always done my own maintenance (on my previous 4Runners) so reasonably technically savvy. I plan to do an oil change, lube the driveshafts, check the brakes, etc. Looking for Lexus GX specific items I should be looking at to ensure a trouble free trip. Is there items that are typical to fail in the 80-100k range. Any input would be appreciated.
07-13-18, 09:04 AM
#2
Racer
Looks like you got everything covered. 
Portable charger, air pump, extra fuses, AAA membership, extra headlight bulbs (if not HID), a good wash, extra credit card hidden in the car, etc...
Oh yeah check the weeping hole for the waterpump just to be sure too.
Have a great trip and take pics
Portable charger, air pump, extra fuses, AAA membership, extra headlight bulbs (if not HID), a good wash, extra credit card hidden in the car, etc...
Oh yeah check the weeping hole for the waterpump just to be sure too.
Have a great trip and take pics
07-13-18, 09:31 AM
#3
Check brakes, battery, and tire pressure. Other than that, get in and drive!
07-13-18, 10:58 AM
#4
Advanced
Wax!! Can be a spray wax, doesn't have to be fancy. Might do two coats on the front end.
In my road trip bag I typically pack gloves, a small socket set, 1 qt of oil, a windshield repair kit, tire plug kit, small air pump, 1 can of fix a flat, small roll of duct tape, bungees and one of those battery jump starters. Actually used the duct tape once when a piece of my windshield trim flew off somewhere in Tennessee.
Yeah oil change, supposed to be good for 10,000 miles even though the light comes on at 5,000. My GX has almost 90,000 miles and I recently did the brake pads a few thousand miles ago. Pads are cheap and easy so if they're getting thin, knock them out.
In my road trip bag I typically pack gloves, a small socket set, 1 qt of oil, a windshield repair kit, tire plug kit, small air pump, 1 can of fix a flat, small roll of duct tape, bungees and one of those battery jump starters. Actually used the duct tape once when a piece of my windshield trim flew off somewhere in Tennessee.
Yeah oil change, supposed to be good for 10,000 miles even though the light comes on at 5,000. My GX has almost 90,000 miles and I recently did the brake pads a few thousand miles ago. Pads are cheap and easy so if they're getting thin, knock them out.
07-13-18, 01:16 PM
#5
Super Moderator
Have fun!! :-)
07-13-18, 04:59 PM
#7
Super Moderator
The biggest show stopper would be the water pump. Just check for pink stains or cotton candy on front of motor or on the underside of stock skid plates.
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07-14-18, 10:15 PM
#8
I was plagued with the secondary air injector code and limp mode right before a road trip at 84k. It’s about the only thing that stops these things and there are no warning signs. Personally I would have wanted to have had fixed before even tho it’s under warranty until 150k but Lexus won’t cover it until it fails. Keep an eye out for that and don’t panic if it happens to you (I believe in other forums here there is a work around if yours goes into limp mode - not all of them go into limp mode if I read the forums correctly). I didn’t do that and it was still driveable in the streets. Didn’t try the highway.
On a side note, this happened to my wife at 4pm on a Thursday, I got it to the Lexus dealer by 6:30 that evening and they had it out by noon the next day for us to take on the trip. The guys were cool and would have let me take their RX loaner on the 600 mile trip if they wouldn’t have had it ready (maybe that sped them up).
On a side note, this happened to my wife at 4pm on a Thursday, I got it to the Lexus dealer by 6:30 that evening and they had it out by noon the next day for us to take on the trip. The guys were cool and would have let me take their RX loaner on the 600 mile trip if they wouldn’t have had it ready (maybe that sped them up).
07-14-18, 10:27 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Absolutely you should lower and check the spare. Make sure your parts are there especially to be able to lower it. You don't want to be stuck somewhere and be able to lower the spare.
Good luck!
Good luck!
07-15-18, 05:04 AM
#10
Super Moderator
tecman confirmed if you disconnect the air pump it will keep it out of limp mode. CEL will still be on but this system is only for emissions and not overall drivability.
They increased the warranty to unlimited miles but still 10 years from warranty inception date. I got a letter on Friday.
I can't remember now if it is the valves on exhaust manifold or the air pump failure that causes limp.
They increased the warranty to unlimited miles but still 10 years from warranty inception date. I got a letter on Friday.
I can't remember now if it is the valves on exhaust manifold or the air pump failure that causes limp.
I was plagued with the secondary air injector code and limp mode right before a road trip at 84k. It’s about the only thing that stops these things and there are no warning signs. Personally I would have wanted to have had fixed before even tho it’s under warranty until 150k but Lexus won’t cover it until it fails. Keep an eye out for that and don’t panic if it happens to you (I believe in other forums here there is a work around if yours goes into limp mode - not all of them go into limp mode if I read the forums correctly). I didn’t do that and it was still driveable in the streets. Didn’t try the highway.
07-16-18, 07:14 AM
#11
Driver
Thread Starter
Very solid advice. Thanks alot. Lowering the spare tire is something I did not think of, and will defiantly do!
I guess I need to read a bit about the secondary air injector code, so if it happens I know how to override.
Also curious what things people are doing to maximize fuel milage. I have been running in comfort setting, premium gas, tires at 38PSI, and highway speed at around 70 MPH. Been seeing pretty consistent 10.5-11.0 L/100km (21.5-22.5MPG) when loaded with 4 bodies, 4 suitcases, cooler, etc. Looking at other posts it seems that is in line with what others are seeing.
Thanks Again!
I guess I need to read a bit about the secondary air injector code, so if it happens I know how to override.
Also curious what things people are doing to maximize fuel milage. I have been running in comfort setting, premium gas, tires at 38PSI, and highway speed at around 70 MPH. Been seeing pretty consistent 10.5-11.0 L/100km (21.5-22.5MPG) when loaded with 4 bodies, 4 suitcases, cooler, etc. Looking at other posts it seems that is in line with what others are seeing.
Thanks Again!
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ballistice (06-16-22)
07-16-18, 01:50 PM
#12
Advanced
Over 20MPG is just about as good as it gets unless you slow down a lot more. I did a thread awhile back on this and one guy reported close to 30MPG by hypermiling around 45-55mph. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...eed-range.html So if you want to go reeeaall sloww 
Suspension setting shouldn't really have an impact. And for highway driving, weight shouldn't have a large impact either. It's almost all down to speed and smoothness.
Slower acceleration, steady pace, as few stops as possible, pray for no traffic. Don't mount anything on the exterior.
Depending on the cost savings going regular from premium, you could get a lot more miles per dollar running regular, but that's a subject for another thread.
Suspension setting shouldn't really have an impact. And for highway driving, weight shouldn't have a large impact either. It's almost all down to speed and smoothness.
Slower acceleration, steady pace, as few stops as possible, pray for no traffic. Don't mount anything on the exterior.
Depending on the cost savings going regular from premium, you could get a lot more miles per dollar running regular, but that's a subject for another thread.
09-11-18, 06:00 PM
#14
Driver
Thread Starter
Back from the road trip. Put on 8700km in 4 weeks. 5 provinces and 6 states. Spent $1200 on gas...and about the same amount on beer and wine . GX preformed flawlessly. I can't imaging taking a long road trip in any other vehicle. It was smooth, quiet, and very comfortable. DVD player and satellite radio was great. Radar cruise control is fantastic, and I really appreciated the auto high beams and auto wipers. GPS was garbage.
Average over the whole trip was 21MPG, but I did have two tanks of 24+MPG. The better gas milage was on the sections of the trans Canada hwy that are two lane and have lower speed limit.
Thanks again for the great site, with so much useful information!
. GX preformed flawlessly. I can't imaging taking a long road trip in any other vehicle. It was smooth, quiet, and very comfortable. DVD player and satellite radio was great. Radar cruise control is fantastic, and I really appreciated the auto high beams and auto wipers. GPS was garbage. Average over the whole trip was 21MPG, but I did have two tanks of 24+MPG. The better gas milage was on the sections of the trans Canada hwy that are two lane and have lower speed limit.
Thanks again for the great site, with so much useful information!
09-13-18, 07:44 AM
#15
Advanced
Nice, thanks for following up!
Yeah the GPS is garbage.
Yeah the GPS is garbage.