Hi all, this is my first T4R (prior Land Cruiser guy). I picked up an 07 Sport w/ V8 and full-time 4WD with 43,xxx miles on it about a month ago from a dealer in Washington State.
I was looking at a Land Cruiser when my wife said "Have you ever thought about a 4Runner?" The guy had like 10 on the lot, this one with 43k on it was, in my mind, a great find, especially when compared to Land Cruiser prices, so I bought it.
I didn't have much time to have it looked at/looked over thoroughly other than myself, and it looked and ran solid. A few days went by when I noticed a clicking from the passenger's side of the rig, which I assumed was an exhaust leak. I also noticed something odd in the brakes, like I have a possible sticky piston (kind of a "clunk" after the fact, when I let off the brakes a few seconds after the pedal is released).
I took the rig to a local exhaust place and they confirmed I've got a couple leaks in it. The muffler had been [badly] replaced, as well as a ton of corrosion/rust, and either a cracked exhaust manifold or the gasket, which is causing the clicking.
What got ME personally, however, and kind of amazed the exhaust guy is the shape of the underbody. I know the car is from the east coast, but -- let me put it this way -- it simply doesn't look like a 43k Toyota, even from the east coast.
So my question is whether anyone has any clue as to how I can figure out whether the mileage has been tampered with and/or reset? I'm sure it would be an ECU/ECM reflash, but would the data or some record be hidden in the ECU/ECM data somewhere if they did? How about if they simply replaced the ECM with a different one? Any way to verify that the ECM in the rig did NOT originally come with it?
I guess I should start with the Carfax and see if there are any anomalies there first. But I'm thinking swapped vins, swapped ECMs, reflashed ECMs, etc.
I mean, maybe this rig was basically parked in the Boston harbor or something because they guy had a hard time finding parking where he lived, I have no clue. But short of that, the underside of this rig definitely does NOT scream 43k miles to me, so I'm having a hard time reconciling the issue.
Keep in mind, however, that the body and interior are absolutely mint -- so maybe I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion? I'm not sure.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks all. I really love this rig, but I can't afford a lemon right now. This was supposed to be the "no problem" rig for the next ten years while my wife and I have kids and stuff. Now I'm a bit worried.
I was looking at a Land Cruiser when my wife said "Have you ever thought about a 4Runner?" The guy had like 10 on the lot, this one with 43k on it was, in my mind, a great find, especially when compared to Land Cruiser prices, so I bought it.
I didn't have much time to have it looked at/looked over thoroughly other than myself, and it looked and ran solid. A few days went by when I noticed a clicking from the passenger's side of the rig, which I assumed was an exhaust leak. I also noticed something odd in the brakes, like I have a possible sticky piston (kind of a "clunk" after the fact, when I let off the brakes a few seconds after the pedal is released).
I took the rig to a local exhaust place and they confirmed I've got a couple leaks in it. The muffler had been [badly] replaced, as well as a ton of corrosion/rust, and either a cracked exhaust manifold or the gasket, which is causing the clicking.
What got ME personally, however, and kind of amazed the exhaust guy is the shape of the underbody. I know the car is from the east coast, but -- let me put it this way -- it simply doesn't look like a 43k Toyota, even from the east coast.
So my question is whether anyone has any clue as to how I can figure out whether the mileage has been tampered with and/or reset? I'm sure it would be an ECU/ECM reflash, but would the data or some record be hidden in the ECU/ECM data somewhere if they did? How about if they simply replaced the ECM with a different one? Any way to verify that the ECM in the rig did NOT originally come with it?
I guess I should start with the Carfax and see if there are any anomalies there first. But I'm thinking swapped vins, swapped ECMs, reflashed ECMs, etc.
I mean, maybe this rig was basically parked in the Boston harbor or something because they guy had a hard time finding parking where he lived, I have no clue. But short of that, the underside of this rig definitely does NOT scream 43k miles to me, so I'm having a hard time reconciling the issue.
Keep in mind, however, that the body and interior are absolutely mint -- so maybe I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion? I'm not sure.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks all. I really love this rig, but I can't afford a lemon right now. This was supposed to be the "no problem" rig for the next ten years while my wife and I have kids and stuff. Now I'm a bit worried.
