2015 and the new girl

[TrexRunnerGirl]

Hi all...I have a 99 4Runner and it is my baby. Now I am on the hunt for a 5th Gen.
The old Silver Bullet will be staying safely in the garage forever, with occasional forays into the shopping mall.

I am going to look at a 2015 TRD Off-Road Premium tonight..Silver with only 92K on it. Super White was the dream but this is too hard to NOT go look at.

I have heard that oil consumption may be an issue as well as the audio freezing.
Any truths to these?

Anything else I should look for other than frame rust, wheel wells, typical things.?

Thanks for any help, info, etc. and I'm in the 3rd Gen forum so I know y'all are full of good info and a bit of sarcasm ... LOL

My 99 is rusty frame but I did get it WoolWaxed and she has a little oil leak but she runs like a champ and will be staying until I pass on.

 

[Hungryhawk]

Many runner owners service their rigs like a Camry-only doing oil changes at 5k miles. They ignore all undervehicle lubes-transfer case, diffs, tranny, propeller shaft zerks.
So find out if any maintenance records exist?
The rear diff works hard all the time-it needs good service. Oil burning I have not read about?
But, some silly recomendations are promoting 10,000 mile intervals for engine oil change-so maybe?
The under hood fluids are easy to assess. Remember old coolant eats headgaskets.

 

[SurfToy]

I have a 2014 that I bought a few years ago with 97K on it. No unusual oil consumption. If the diffs and transfer case have not been serviced I would put those on the list. A good maintenance history is also a good thing. Depending where you are body and frame rust could be a concern, but those issues are pretty east to spot. As I'm sure you know take care of it and it will go 300K. ETA: I did have an issue with the head unit sporadically rebooting, but a firmware update fixed it.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

I have a 2014 that I bought a few years ago with 97K on it. No unusual oil consumption. If the diffs and transfer case have not been serviced I would put those on the list. A good maintenance history is also a good thing. Depending where you are body and frame rust could be a concern, but those issues are pretty east to spot. As I'm sure you know take care of it and it will go 300K. ETA: I did have an issue with the head unit sporadically rebooting, but a firmware update fixed it.

Thanks for the info. That one was a midwest truck so had some rust on the frame so I walked. I'll keep looking and now I have a new friend in CO who said she can look there if I find one. She has a 17 Super White in my dream version.
The hunt continues but I am looking for anywhere from a 2014-2020.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

I was in South Dakota this last weekend doing the Black Hills Veteran March and saw quite a few NICE 4Runners.

Talked to a couple at the Chubby Chipmunk Chocolate place who just moved there recently and had the Super White. So if they are on the forum - HI and thank you. :high5:

Then I saw a big trail of 4Runners, 4-6 of them, going somewhere.:rockon:
There was a Jeep Jamboree at the same time as the event and some of those actually looked nice. They were nice folks I talked to.

You all out west make me jealous. Some day I'll get to join you on adventures. Gotta find my FOREVER TRUCK first. The HUNT IS ON! I keep seeing alot in Texas so may end up going there to grab one.

 

[SurfToy]

Nothing wrong with a fly - drive to pick up the right one. I found mine on the forums here and flew to Portland (it was located in Vancouver WA) and drove it home to SoCal.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

Nothing wrong with a fly - drive to pick up the right one. I found mine on the forums here and flew to Portland (it was located in Vancouver WA) and drove it home to SoCal.

When one does this, do you have someone go do a check on it prior?
I guess my fear is flying all the way to another state like Texas and then finding out it's got XYZ wrong. and I got no way home but to fly.

Heck I drove 3 hrs to see one at a dealership I REALLY wanted to buy but then...no OIL at ALL in it, the AC compressor was toast and that effects more systems. They dropped the price $3000 but I had to walk because the repairs were just as much.
Shifty place - they told me to wait and claim it on insurance. Yea, totally a bad vibe there.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

I am looking for anywhere from a 2014 to 2020. I'll go check the for sale section.

I'm glad I have a 4Runner because I find the folks at least in this forum are helpful and pretty nice.
ALOT of information and willing to guide others.

Thanks y'all!arty:

 

[SurfToy]

I would usually get a mechanic to check it out, but this particular seller had a folder full of complete service history at his local dealer, so between that and the test drive checking out all systems, I felt pretty good about the condition.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

UPDATE - that 2015 got sold fast.

Now I have 2 I'm looking at - 2016 black and 2018 white. SR5 Premiums
White has 94K and Black has 122K so both within my parameters.
Black has 0 accidents, White rear bump right before they traded it in in September 2025.
Price is really the only difference from what I can see.

I'm going to see the black one tomorrow and the white one next day if its still there. I do need to drive both and check their bellies, etc.

TBH I am surprised the black didn't sell already. Asking $23000 which is a good price.
My dream truck is white but then I figured I can skin the black with graphics if I really wanted to.

I will keep you all updated on my 5th Gen hunt.

 

[Hungryhawk]

I am looking for anywhere from a 2014 to 2020. I'll go check the for sale section.

I'm glad I have a 4Runner because I find the folks at least in this forum are helpful and pretty nice.
ALOT of information and willing to guide others.

Thanks y'all!arty:

I suggest ditching the 2020 model year unless you are seeking the "Safety Sense" gizmos mandated by the Feds for year 2020 foreward.
Read up on these gagets to see if you want to maintain them "forever" .
I propose 2014 to 2019 years to avoid the xtra electronics. Pre 2020 runners have plenty of electronic as such.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

I don't want a bunch of electronics so I'll ditch the 2020. I really like the 2017-2019 the best.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

The sales guy on the 2016 black one mentioned there was a timing case leak? I had no idea what he was talking about.

could it be a rear seal leak or something else I need to dig into?

 

[AuSeeker]

The sales guy on the 2016 black one mentioned there was a timing case leak? I had no idea what he was talking about.

could it be a rear seal leak or something else I need to dig into?

The timing case is on the front of the engine, from the valve covers down to the top of the oil pan.

You need to have ANY oil or other fluids leaks look at, IMHO

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

The timing case is on the front of the engine, from the valve covers down to the top of the oil pan.

You need to have ANY oil or other fluids leaks look at, IMHO

This is sounding like seals leaking then. UGH. I have that with my 99.
All I can do is go drive it and see how bad it is. In the long run there will always be another one.

 

[AuSeeker]

This is sounding like seals leaking then. UGH. I have that with my 99.
All I can do is go drive it and see how bad it is. In the long run there will always be another one.

The timing cover could be leaking and not have a "seal" leaking, the timing cover like the valve covers have gaskets that can sometimes leak, the "seals" are a special type of gasket that seals the engine block to the crankshaft, if these are leaking it a bit more involved and costly to repair than just regular gaskets, you really need to "pinpoint" a leak before you can determine what is actually leaking, so a good visual inspection for areas that have oil or other fluids coating them is where to start, then if it's going to be repaired a good cleaning would be required to remove any oil, etc. followed by running the engine for a day or week etc. until you can find exactly where the leak is at, then you can determine the cost to repair.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

The timing cover could be leaking and not have a "seal" leaking, the timing cover like the valve covers have gaskets that can sometimes leak, the "seals" are a special type of gasket that seals the engine block to the crankshaft, if these are leaking it a bit more involved and costly to repair than just regular gaskets, you really need to "pinpoint" a leak before you can determine what is actually leaking, so a good visual inspection for areas that have oil or other fluids coating them is where to start, then if it's going to be repaired a good cleaning would be required to remove any oil, etc. followed by running the engine for a day or week etc. until you can find exactly where the leak is at, then you can determine the cost to repair.

oh thank you so much for this info. Now I know what to look for.
But is it OIL or something else - other color fluid?

 

[AuSeeker]

oh thank you so much for this info. Now I know what to look for.
But is it OIL or something else - other color fluid?

As far as "oily" leaks, they can be from engine oil, which would be amber to black in color and of course oily, power steering fluid and or transmission fluid, which would be red to dark red/brown in color and of course oily, or brake fluid which would be clear or amber and as well oily.

All the oily fluid mentioned above the first color mentioned for each one would be for clean fresh fluid, the darker color would be for old/needs to be changed fluids.

Now anywhere there's an oily leak it most likely will have dirt/dust coating the area, so that would affect the color, the colors above would be at the actual leak site once the area has been clean and the "fresh" leak located.

That all being said the best way to know what the fluid is would be the smell and color, all of the above mentioned fluids smell slightly different, once you learn what each smells like along with the color you can tell what fluid is leaking.

The axle assemblies with have a much heavier gear oil in them, if they are leaking, it will be a thick amber to black very strong smelling fluid.

That covers most lubricants/oils.

The only other leak you can have would be coolant, different colors for different manufactures, Toyota would be red/pink in color and have a sorta sweet smell, if it's a long time leak the coolant would crystalize and buildup at the leak site and would look pinkish/reddish, if you have ever seen corrosion on a car battery the whitish/greenish looks like the crystalize coolant would look much the same but pinkish/reddish in color.

If you see clear water leaking while or after it's been running a while that would be condensation drainage from the AC and is normal.

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

Such good info on the liquids that can leak. Now I know where and what to look for other than oil.

This black one, the 2016, they dropped the price from $26K to $23K in like 6 days. Makes me wonder why.

The serpentine belt has been changed 2 x in a year which is odd also.

I'll be diligent checking this one out. Me, my flashlight, screwdriver and white gloves...always freaks them out.

:humble:

 

[TrexRunnerGirl]

I asked the dealership place about the timing cover.

He said they 'replaced/fixed the seal in a union shop". Hmm I've read up and watched some videos on this and boy is it ALOT of work.
Whole engine has to come out.

Anywho, he said that is why it was a budget buy but now that it's fixed....

I'm thinking, I was interested at $23K but if they jack the price, I will walk. Ain't no way and black isn't even my preferred color.
BUT - if the fix is good and the price is good, mileage is baby miles to me (122K) so this could be the one. :boxing:

I'll keep you updated on this one. OH and I told him I do NOT want this thing started BEFORE I get there. I MUST check it cold, then hot. If they fail, I walk.