Demon Dave
New member
Greetings one and all. Long time lurker and returning 4runner owner with a couple of questions that I’m hoping someone on here will have the answers to!
First, a brief introduction. I started out with a white 2004 Hilux Surf which I drove for five years before my wife inherited it and I moved onto a brand new FJ Cruiser. (My first ever new car :biggrin2
Drove that for five years, before my wife inherited that and I moved onto a Land Cruiser 200, which I was fortunate enough to buy new.
Well, after two years of Land Cruiser ownership, we decided it was way too big for our needs. Our kids are all grown up, so now it's just the wife and I. Plus running costs of the big thirsty LC here in Japan are crazy expensive.
So we sold the LC and were without a 4X4 for the first time in a very long time. I had a Mazda Roadster (Miata) for a while, but missed not having a 4X4 to go out into the mountains in. So we bought a 1991 Suzuki Jimny (with 660cc of raw throbbing power. :biggrin2 Great little car and perfect for the incredibly narrow forest trails we have here. But it was constantly breaking down and not ideal for longer trips. So, the little Jimny has gone and I’ve found myself back in a 4runner.
It’s a 2009 Hilux Surf SSR-X, one owner, non-smoking car and the best bits: full dealer service history and only 23,000KM (~14,000 miles) on the clock! :thumbs: So far, it feels very good to be back behind the wheel of a 4runner.
Now, onto the questions. It seems the previous owner lived in Tokyo and didn’t use the car much. The paintwork needs a good polish, and some of the trim pieces have suffered under the harsh sun. There’s a trim piece that runs up along the windshield edge to the front of the roof rack. Mine has become brittle and come loose. I plan to replace it, but wanted to know if it’s possible to do so without disturbing the roof rack. Basically, can the trim be replaced with the roof rack in place. Dealer says it needs to be removed, which is something I want to avoid. Found a couple of threads on the topic, but nothing with the info I'm looking for.
Any help would be most appreciated.
I plan to restore the car as much as possible, and then some light mods.
:thanks:
Some pics
2009 Hilux Surf SSR-X
1991 Suzuki Jimny
2017 Land Cruiser
2013 FJ Cruiser
2004 Hilux Surf
First, a brief introduction. I started out with a white 2004 Hilux Surf which I drove for five years before my wife inherited it and I moved onto a brand new FJ Cruiser. (My first ever new car :biggrin2
Drove that for five years, before my wife inherited that and I moved onto a Land Cruiser 200, which I was fortunate enough to buy new.Well, after two years of Land Cruiser ownership, we decided it was way too big for our needs. Our kids are all grown up, so now it's just the wife and I. Plus running costs of the big thirsty LC here in Japan are crazy expensive.
So we sold the LC and were without a 4X4 for the first time in a very long time. I had a Mazda Roadster (Miata) for a while, but missed not having a 4X4 to go out into the mountains in. So we bought a 1991 Suzuki Jimny (with 660cc of raw throbbing power. :biggrin2 Great little car and perfect for the incredibly narrow forest trails we have here. But it was constantly breaking down and not ideal for longer trips. So, the little Jimny has gone and I’ve found myself back in a 4runner.It’s a 2009 Hilux Surf SSR-X, one owner, non-smoking car and the best bits: full dealer service history and only 23,000KM (~14,000 miles) on the clock! :thumbs: So far, it feels very good to be back behind the wheel of a 4runner.
Now, onto the questions. It seems the previous owner lived in Tokyo and didn’t use the car much. The paintwork needs a good polish, and some of the trim pieces have suffered under the harsh sun. There’s a trim piece that runs up along the windshield edge to the front of the roof rack. Mine has become brittle and come loose. I plan to replace it, but wanted to know if it’s possible to do so without disturbing the roof rack. Basically, can the trim be replaced with the roof rack in place. Dealer says it needs to be removed, which is something I want to avoid. Found a couple of threads on the topic, but nothing with the info I'm looking for.
Any help would be most appreciated.
I plan to restore the car as much as possible, and then some light mods.
:thanks:
Some pics
2009 Hilux Surf SSR-X
1991 Suzuki Jimny
2017 Land Cruiser
2013 FJ Cruiser
2004 Hilux Surf
