Dissapointed

[VX04]

Hi everyone :)

I purchased a 2004 Prado VX 3l Turbo Automatic 12 Months ago.This would have to be one of the best purchases I have made,until a recent trip to our Northwest on a camping holiday.When we decided to take our so called Fourwheel drive off road into the sand.We were well prepared Lowered the tyre pressure and so on,Off we go hit the first lot of soft sand and down we go Bugger! I have a large amont of off road experience but didn't see that one coming.Lucky for me got snatched out by a 200series GXL no problems,next patch of soft sand same thing.Snatched out again by same 200series.Let tyres down now to 14psi continue on get to the beach only to go down one more time.Now there were 2 more Prado's on the beach and they had no issue with the sand on the track or on the beach.Ok now I'm thinking I just must be a crap 4WD Driver and leave the beach after getting snatched out of there.Now I drive this Car flat out down the track back to the Hard surface where I belong.My so called off road adventure in ruins.......

Now as I have returned home and discuss this with a few offroad friends one is a Ex Toyota Mechanic the other a ARB mechanic,we are all stumped saying that a Prado is a very good offroad vehicle.So we went through the drive line to make sure that everything is working correctly, Constant 4WD Ok Transfer Case lockup Ok Limited Slip Differential ????.The LSD is buggered Ok that explains a few things.Take the vehicle back to my Toyota Dealer as I paid for the extra 3Year Factory warranty.They take the Vehicle into the workshop to inspect it.

The Service Manager then comes out and procecceds to tell me that as I have purchased a VX Prado it is fitted with Vehicle Stability Control and I said Yes that is correct,He then tells me that the Vehicle is NOT FITTED with LSD as that affects the VSC!!!!! and I said how can that be if I want to go off road I really can't.His asnwer was that it is a Luxury 4WD to be used on Gravel Roads and not in soft sand and mud.If you want to do that you need to go to an ARB Store and have an "Air Locker Fitted" for only $1600......

Now you can see why I'm Dissapointed.....Oh and the CD Stacker Stopped working and that Audio is the only thing NOT covered under the Extened Factory Warranty Very Dissapointed.....

Thanks for Reading will keep you posted Jeremy

[King Young]

Oh wow.... LSD not fitted because of VSC? That's crazy! So you must buy a non-luxury 4WD to go through sand and mud?

[eviltwin]

that sounds preety bloody silly mate... i hope you can address the problem.

[Blind Kid Seeks]

well... if you think about...

the VSC and the TRC take care of any slip occurring in the axle... and LSD is really just a mechanical way of doing this.

The car has a centre DIFF lock, activate this and you get equal power to the rear wheels as the front wheels.

new prado kakadu also has a rear difflock too.

[Obituary]

Ok I understand the thinking here............but what then explains the Prado's inablity in the sand?

I am looking at purchasing a 2010 Prado.......and intend on using its 4wd capability as much as possible. Is there potentially a performance issue here?

[Blind Kid Seeks]

Ok I understand the thinking here............but what then explains the Prado's inablity in the sand?

I am looking at purchasing a 2010 Prado.......and intend on using its 4wd capability as much as possible. Is there potentially a performance issue here?

without bagging out the driver, it wasnt the car's fault.

they are a very capable vehicle on and off road, and making nay comparison from previous model prado's compared to the new prado, you be very silly.

new prado is an absolute weapon off road, articulation and 4wd capabilities are 2nd to none.

if you live in melbourne, please bring yourself and your trade in to see me.

[VX04]

Ok I understand the thinking here............but what then explains the Prado's inablity in the sand?

I am looking at purchasing a 2010 Prado.......and intend on using its 4wd capability as much as possible. Is there potentially a performance issue here?

without bagging out the driver, it wasnt the car's fault.

they are a very capable vehicle on and off road, and making nay comparison from previous model prado's compared to the new prado, you be very silly.

new prado is an absolute weapon off road, articulation and 4wd capabilities are 2nd to none.

if you live in melbourne, please bring yourself and your trade in to see me.

You can think what you like,but there is no way in hell a vehicle that will only drive to one wheel at the back and one at the front will get out of soft sand.

I have had a lot of off road driving experience as a Feild Service Technician for an earthmoving company so I have been bogged down to my axles before.

But what i am saying is that without drive to both back wheels once one wheel starts to go down all the power goes straight into that drive and won't change to the other side.

Just like any thing that involes power it takes the easy route.So you get bogged.....What gives me the ****s is so called sales people who don't know what the are selling.

When I looked at the VX Prado there was a GXL Prado next to it same KM'S and Price!! I ask the question what was the difference between them and was told nothing but the VX is better appointed.

Having driven a couple of GXL Prados on minesites and road construction jobs and been more than impressed by thier capabilites,The decision was made to go with the VX.

If I had known that there was no LSD I wouldn't have brought it and got the GXL instead.I'm just dissapointed that I now have to fit an air locker to the car to be able to get onto the beach and travel the Canning Stock Route.

I have no issue with the Vehicle at all,like I say "DISSAPOINTED" thats all.

[rayc]

Ok I understand the thinking here............but what then explains the Prado's inablity in the sand?

I am looking at purchasing a 2010 Prado.......and intend on using its 4wd capability as much as possible. Is there potentially a performance issue here?

without bagging out the driver, it wasnt the car's fault.

they are a very capable vehicle on and off road, and making nay comparison from previous model prado's compared to the new prado, you be very silly.

new prado is an absolute weapon off road, articulation and 4wd capabilities are 2nd to none.

if you live in melbourne, please bring yourself and your trade in to see me.

You can think what you like,but there is no way in hell a vehicle that will only drive to one wheel at the back and one at the front will get out of soft sand.

I have had a lot of off road driving experience as a Feild Service Technician for an earthmoving company so I have been bogged down to my axles before.

But what i am saying is that without drive to both back wheels once one wheel starts to go down all the power goes straight into that drive and won't change to the other side.

Just like any thing that involes power it takes the easy route.So you get bogged.....What gives me the ****s is so called sales people who don't know what the are selling.

When I looked at the VX Prado there was a GXL Prado next to it same KM'S and Price!! I ask the question what was the difference between them and was told nothing but the VX is better appointed.

Having driven a couple of GXL Prados on minesites and road construction jobs and been more than impressed by thier capabilites,The decision was made to go with the VX.

If I had known that there was no LSD I wouldn't have brought it and got the GXL instead.I'm just dissapointed that I now have to fit an air locker to the car to be able to get onto the beach and travel the Canning Stock Route.

I have no issue with the Vehicle at all,like I say "DISSAPOINTED" thats all.

[rayc]

driving in sand can be a trap with vehicles fitted with all the fancy stuff. MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE TRC AND VSC.

I have had many brands and types of vehicle that will dig a hole and bury you with the fancy stuff ON. What happens is that as soon as one wheel slips, the fancy stuff locks it and transfers power to any wheel not slipping. All the power then makes one of these slip which then causes it to be locked. By this time the original has probably been released. The cycle can repeat many times per second. This will bury you quick as a flash. Over the years I have driven extensively on Fraser Is. I have forgotten to turn off and bogged, X5, Santa Fe, Prado and Landrover.

[feralwombat]

Have you done a search on ebay there are some mirrors on there cheaper

[Rod Baker]

yes i agree you need to turn the trc and vsc off i drove 200 klm of sand this weekend most of it without locking the center diff

noosa to inskip point what a

blast