The Mighty Highlander

[Tortoise]

I just got back from taking the Highlander on a 1400km road trip to the Saguenay region of Quebec. Didn't miss a beat for the entire trip, and the AWD was great at navigating the goat path that was the chalet driveway.

I managed to find some OEM wheels from FB marketplace.  The owner had painted the wheels black and the center caps red.  I'm not crazy about the red, but it looks better than I expected.  The old steel wheels couldn't be balanced because they were slightly bent.

I still love this thing, I'm not sure a better CUV was ever made.  Side note, a friend had his 2 year old QX60 shit the bed in Montreal, he and his family had to take the train home. If only he had a 17 year old Highlander.

[Johnnymac]

Still a good looking rig.  I actually think that the 00's was peak vehicle reliability.  Pre-turbo everything, rare to have direct injection, CVTs weren't plentiful, and the complicated infotainment hadn't taken hold yet.

[RRocket]

Yep, great rig.

I suggest some red anodized lock nuts for contrast. Had some on my IS-F!!

[Bubba]

I agree with johnny: it's a proper looking box. The Rudolph wheels are perfect for the Christmas season. 

[Bridgecity]

Nice update tortoise. At 233k you've got lots of life left. My BIL has an '08 that's pushing 400k.

Any serious rust issues?

[Tortoise]

Bubba, I hadn't thought of the Christmas angle, maybe I should paint two of them green!

Bridgecity, no serious rust issues, but there's some definitely some rust happening.  Mostly in the rear wheel wells, door bottoms, the usual places.  The previous owner didn't rust proof it, but did wash it religiously in the winter, and I have been Krowning it annually. So it seems to be kept mostly at bay.

[HannibalSmith]

Solid....what happened to your friend's QX?

[Gurgie]

That's awesome how it never misses a beat!

[Tortoise]

Solid....what happened to your friend's QX?

I'm haven't heard the full details. But what I was told is that the "engine died".  Not sure if it's a sensor or something mechanical.

[HannibalSmith]

Solid....what happened to your friend's QX?

I'm haven't heard the full details. But what I was told is that the "engine died".  Not sure if it's a sensor or something mechanical.

Eek. That would scar me for life on that car brand

[Tortoise]

An update on my friend's QX

Apparently his wife had the self serve station attendant check the oil and they didn't put the dip stick all the way in. It was spraying oil around and after 14 hours of driving I'm guessing a sensor was no longer happy.

[Tortoise]

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

This morning there was a bit of an oil slick around the Highlander.  I was able to bring it to my shop where they put it on the lift.  They think it may be a leaking rear main seal.

Need to figure out the next move, but the shop was pretty adamant that it is not worth fixing.

[Blueprint]

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

This morning there was a bit of an oil slick around the Highlander.  I was able to bring it to my shop where they put it on the lift.  They think it may be a leaking rear main seal.

Need to figure out the next move, but the shop was pretty adamant that it is not worth fixing.

Sad. A very $$ job indeed.

Maybe TheHire can cut you a deal on a mint, nos '23 Hornet 

[Gurgie]

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

This morning there was a bit of an oil slick around the Highlander.  I was able to bring it to my shop where they put it on the lift.  They think it may be a leaking rear main seal.

Need to figure out the next move, but the shop was pretty adamant that it is not worth fixing.

I'm surprised they didn't think it's worth fixing. Is it THAT big of a job? Or more there'd be a lot of while you're in there items that would add up. Did you look at replacing the PCV valve? Moving to a thicker oil?

[Tortoise]

The transmission has to come out, they figured the repair would be north of $2k.

And with an 18 year old car, who knows what else would break.

I brought up the PCV, they didn't think it was the problem.  They pulled the oil cap off with the engine running and there was no airflow across opening.

I put in some high mileage Mobil 1, we will see what happens. I'm not optimistic.