I am the original original owner of my 2005 4R Sport 4WD in silver metallic. I originally purchased this beauty in Feb of 2005. I wanted to give a 15 year reliability report. I currently have 170,200 miles.
I have tried to keep it stock with minimal modifications. It has had regular maintenance(oil changes, fluids, brakes).
It has only spit out a couple codes at me in its lifetime. Both were fixed by changing out the gas cap.
The original Panasonic battery lasted 7 years. I changed that out in May 2012.
March 2015 Valve cover gasket replaced. July 2015 both front wheel bearings replaced. Feb 2017 both front CV boots replaced.
August 2017 Interior Dash replacement. December 2017 Tailgate lift supports replaced.
November 2017 Changed out both rear tail lights to 2006 -2009 4R LED tail lights.
March 2018 Timing cover replacement, trans fluid flush, water pump replaced, serpentine belt replaced, thermostat replaced.
April 2019 XREAS suspension replaced with Bilteins 6112 on fronts, and 5100 rears with 1 inch coil in rear. I didn't want too much lift but a subtle lift. This works for me. It sits faily level now with a 3 inch lift up front.
July 2019 Replaced hood lift supports.
May 2019 changed out the OEM headlights and did a HID retrofit with Morimoto's.
I got rear ended in Nov 2019, ugh. I was thinking of giving it a new paint job. The TX sun had done some damage to the clear coat and paint. The fenders, roof, hood had the clear coat coming off. I knew I wanted to give it a paint job so this rear end collision sped up the process. I got several quotes for a complete paint job from the $3,000 range up to $6-8000 range. Most shops wouldn't even give me a quote because they didn't think it was worth to spend at a minimum $5000 for the paint job. I got a quote for the damage from the guy that rear ended me and I took it to MACCO. Yes, MACCO...the company that everyone that gave me a quote told me not to take it to because they said they'll do a shitty job. I originally went to MACCO back in early Feb 2019. They had quoted me about $2500 for a complete paint job with their top paint, with a 5 year warranty. So after the collision, I went back to MACCO to see what they could work out. Joe at MACCO was super cool to work with. He said they could fix my tailgate, bumper, and give me a complete paint job. I said cool, what's the prince....he said I'd only have to pay $1100 out of pocket. I said, DEAL! I'm very pleased with the work MACCO did on my 4R and I'd recommend them to anyone that is looking for an affordable option to make their vehicle look like new.
I have done some other mods that have nothing to do with its reliability but make the vehicle more enjoyable. I changed out the head unit. I got tired of the cassette/CD head unit and no bluetooth. I added a Kenwood unit with Maestro RR, steering wheel controls, front/rear cameras. I also had a custom subwoofer made where the factory sub is located.
I have to say that every time I get in and drive, its a feeling of love, passion, and gratitude. I never thought I'd keep this 4R for this long but it has been the best thing(smartest) thing I've ever done. I hop over to the 5th gen section on occasion and can't believe what people are paying for in a new middle level 4R (TRD OFF ROAD).
I plan to keep this 4R at a minimum 20 years. When I'm ready to buy another 4R, I'll guy it new, cash payment, and drive it until I'm dead
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