Owning A "Fort": My Pre-Owned First Gen Toyota Fortuner


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100% fun Sir !! It's such a nice feeling to drive a tall n rigid SUV on open roads in such a pleasant weather.. You're enjoying your Fort a lot!!
Wish you many many miles of happy journey ahead!
BTW, does a Fortuner (Your gen model) costs a bomb to maintain? Many people say this, so I want to get clarified from a proud and happy Fortuner owner.. [roll]
 
Thread Starter #80
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100% fun Sir !! It's such a nice feeling to drive a tall n rigid SUV on open roads in such a pleasant weather.. You're enjoying your Fort a lot!!
Wish you many many miles of happy journey ahead!
BTW, does a Fortuner (Your gen model) costs a bomb to maintain? Many people say this, so I want to get clarified from a proud and happy Fortuner owner.. [roll]
Thanks for your kind words! Indeed I enjoy and am trying to make the most of the vehicle abilities.
Coming to maintainence mine is a manual transmission vehicle and has very good service history.I do the general upkeep personally and am very observant on the vehicle behavior and service needs.
Age and distance ( nearing 1.5 lakhs) are always detrimental to any vehicle .Periodic service as per schedule and being mechanically empathetic to the vehicle is important.Parts which need to be replaced after certain time better be replaced even if there is no issue as otherwise can cause cascading effect on related parts or catastrophic failure.
Toyotas are reliable as far as the build quality goes and definitely timely service extends life of any vehicle.
Since I am a DIY guy most regular services are done by me to the last detail.
I stay away from unnecessary modifications which can strain the vehicle components and like to stick to factory settings.Iv had a very happy ownership until now and guess TANTOR would agree with me

My experience with Fortuner 2013 model (3L automatic , 4WD) , was not that great , I think it depends on diff dealership run service centre, and most importantly , the 5k service interval is a major cause for the cost hike.
Hi VISHNUCARCRAZY, very surprised about your experience! Could you kindly let me know what issues you faced with your vehicle so that I can relate to mine .
Once the vehicle is out of warranty most people service the vehicle outside of the company and I think that's when things can go wrong .Use of less expensive parts and workmanship can affect vehicle in long run.
The dealership as far as I have seen are good in their work and don't upsell unnecessary works when the car is in for service .They stick by the schedule.Labor charges are reasonable .Labor charges can be mitigated if you are ready to get down and dirty .
Kindly pen down your opinion sir I'd like to hear more about your experience
 
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I had bought a used Fortuner (mint condition ) , at 50k km on odo (48. something ) .
The main thing is post 50k km , the vehicle needs replacement of crucial parts at different intervals specified in manual ,moreover my running was quite high (me and my cousin shared the ride for our long drives ), so 5kkm in 2-3 months , such interval thereby economically it wasn't feasible , so sold off the ride at 67k km .
Resale was good , just 10k difference from the price we bought.(we had for 9 months )
 
Thread Starter #82
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I had bought a used Fortuner (mint condition ) , at 50k km on odo (48. something ) .
The main thing is post 50k km , the vehicle needs replacement of crucial parts at different intervals specified in manual ,moreover my running was quite high (me and my cousin shared the ride for our long drives ), so 5kkm in 2-3 months , such interval thereby economically it wasn't feasible , so sold off the ride at 67k km .
Resale was good , just 10k difference from the price we bought.(we had for 9 months )
Wow an auto 4x4 at 50k is still a virgin ! I do agree that Toyota recommends its genuine parts for its vehicles and the build quality when you compare really shows .
The price for a Toyota genuine front brake pads is around Rs 6000 while a bosch or delphi costs around 1800-2400.
Something as trivial as a cabin air filter costs Rs1600 while a purolator costs Rs 400. The wiper blades are also exorbitant and can go to the tune of Rs 4000 for a pair.
The engine and transmission as far as i know don't need any special service .the timing belt is to be done at 1.5 lakhs KMS
5k service is for check up and top-ups only ;and if anything found amiss its informed before repair /replacement.This is only preventative but i agree it does escalate ownership costs.
Oil change at every 10k is done as with other lubrication of prop shafts.Other than this I cant fathom that they had asked you to change any major parts as the parts really are hard wearing .
Any ways since you have changed hands with the car with a very good resale value there is nothing you have lost largely[cheers]
 
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Exactly , the parts cost are high , I had to change the Front Brake pads (Previously was changed at 30k ) .
And also wheel bearings .
I also don't prefer to give to other service garages, wipers I had put in Bosch Frameless.
But parts quality wise , they are great . Service experience wise , its Ok , but for me Ford's service is always the best .
 
Thread Starter #84
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Automatic vehicles usually have a higher rate of brake pad wear and more so the Fortuner due to its weight!
Wheel bearings are a surprise[roll]
The speed sensor for the vehicle is inbuilt to the bearing and could be a other reason for high replacement cost .
Did you have ABS malfunction light on dash ? How was it diagnosed to a bad wheel bearing ? Sorry for asking too many questions it's just my eagerness to understand the issue you faced
 
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Bearing noise .
Symptom - Noise when vehicle moves from wheel side (Point to be noted , from wheel side )
How to diagnose- Lift the vehicle , rotate the wheel , you may get the same noise , or you may find uneven rotation of wheels when spinned together , one spins as if there is friction on the wheels (Like jammed motion).
No probs sir , you may ask any doubts , only issue being fortuner was handled mostly by my cousin than myself , although am quite equipped myself with many vehicles and can share technical knowledge whatever I know.

No malfunction light was lit .
 
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Meanwhile , automatic version(4 Speed DCT) of Fortuner is more like a caged lion than its manual sibling (Although this issue had been addressed in New fortuner having a 2.8L engine , and better auto gear box - paddle shifters TC), where it shined was the 4WD system , which was robust .(Best in segment even now) .
 
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100% fun Sir !! It's such a nice feeling to drive a tall n rigid SUV on open roads in such a pleasant weather.. You're enjoying your Fort a lot!!
Wish you many many miles of happy journey ahead!
BTW, does a Fortuner (Your gen model) costs a bomb to maintain? Many people say this, so I want to get clarified from a proud and happy Fortuner owner.. [roll]
Definitely not. Not a bomb to maintain as per my experience.
We have some heavy rain and driving through heavy rain is fun.
Vehicle Maintenance is normal, cost on every 5000km routine maintenance is normal.
 
Thread Starter #88
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1,50,000 kms service update
TANTOR
breached the major milestone and was time for the major service .
the following were performed using genuine Toyota parts only.
1)engine oil change with oil filter :6.9 L Toyota genuine motor oil (TGMO);oil sump washer also replaced .
2) diesel filter
3)timing belt and dashboard light reset .
I planned a DIY for this service .
oil change:
the 14mm oil sump drain plug is located at the bottom which can be accessed through a window in the under body protection plate.
A large drain pan is needed to drain 7L of old engine oil .
14 fluted special oil filter removal tool is advisable as access to oil filter is little difficult .
new oil filter from toyota comes prelubed and can be screwed on by hand and one 3/4th turn clockwise with special tool as per instruction on the oil filter package.
The sump washer was also replaced with a new one from toyota costing Rs 54.It comes with a felt lining on either sides to grip against the metal interface of sump and bolt .
Torque is 37Nm .
add the new engine oil and check the dipstick for its level .
Slide5.JPG

Diesel filter replacement :
next the diesel filter cartridge was removed from the vehicle .
disconnect the water sensor and diesel input and out put hoses after loosening the respective clamps .
the water drain tap at the bottom is opened to empty the diesel and particles sediment at the bottom .
remove the old gasket from the canister and also the diesel filter and replace with the provided gaskets on the new parts.
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make sure the diesel filter cartridges are aligned to the marks on the cartridge housing tightly .(see yellow arrow marks on the canister).
Re-fix the sensor,the inlet and outlet hoses and use the priming pump 30-40 times until the fuel is filled completely withing the diesel filter .
TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT:
this is a little technical and needs a little common sense to achieve or else the engine is damaged severely.
for the Toyota fortuner there is a dashboard warning indicator at 1.5 lakhs kms for replacement of timing belt.
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there are 6 numbers 10mm bolts to remove the timing belt cover case.
next the timing has to be aligned to the arrow marks given on the crank case as seen below
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now slowly loosend the 10mm bolts holding the hydraulic belt tensioner to gradually loosen the tighness and release the old belt.
10mm allen hex key is to be used to loosen the idler pulley and examined for damaged bearing at the same time .
Mine was good and hence not replaced .
place the new belt in pace and reverse the order of fitment .
and finally remove the hydraulic tensioner pin so that the belt again regains its original tension over the pulleys .
Slide8.JPG

re-check that the alignment marks are proper and crank the car .If all is well it will start as usual at the first crank .
replace the plastic case and a-fifx the 6nos. 10mm bolts snugly.
The rest air filter and cabin air filter was blown off by a strong air compressor at the nearby cycle walla and replaced back.
5-tyre rotation is pending which will be completed shortly.
lubing of the propeller shaft at 6 pont s was completed as described in my earlier posts.
In all around 7500 rs was spend in parts and Lubricants and I took two days to complete these works.
TANTOR is back on the road ..ready for more exciting long runs in thee coming months [cheers]
 

mayankdixit

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I like all the DIY jobs you did here.
Timing belt is tricky.Haven't done it yet.Afraid of throwing the specs out of whack,they are so precise. On the other hand none of my cars have ever done so many kms also,so never needed it.
What all parts eg fender linings/ panels /covers/timing case cover etc you removed to reach the timing belt easily?
 
Thread Starter #90
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nothing needs removal in the fortuner !very easy access right in the front of the engine .I shall send you the pic here ..only the plastic timing cover case needs removal via 6 nos. 10mm bolts.
please check your manufacturer recomendation for timing belt replacement .Aging can also cause early deterioration and its cheaper to replace belt than the engine any day [lol]
 
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