r/FJCruiser

I’ve always laughed at how the FJ looks in the road. But ironically, I ended up taking it at a steal of a price 18000$.

Milage: 95,000km

Model: 2015

I never had this peace of mind while owning many cars. But the FJ is just simple. And confidently does the job. No headaches. No stupid turbos.. no computers.. nothing except pure reliability. A sleeper 4.0 1GR that doesn’t complain about nothing.

Now realistically, I don’t see it being a perfect family car because it doesn’t fit that many people. But I’d never sell this thing. I’ll keep enjoying it and it will always be the do-it-all car that ai’ll be using for dune bashing or beach trips…

Phase 1 of getting the dash out is complete.

Didn't take me nearly as long as anticipated, will continue on tomorrow to replace my evaporator & heater core.

Evaporator has a big leak in it so haven't had AC for about 6 months, trying to get this done before this Texas summer hits in full swing!

My daughters FJ got clipped from behind today while driving on I-84 east of Hartford CT.

She was able to drive away. The other car not so much. Had to be towed. The two in the car played the ole driver switch-r-oo

The trooper didn’t pick up on it till after my daughter called him .

These things are built like a tank!

Any ideas what this is? 147k miles. Already did alternator.

So the 3.5 in the dash started squealing and completely cutting out recently. It will do it for awhile and then it would randomly start working properly. Hell, sometimes it would go weeks without incident.

Went to autozone and battery tested good, however alternator test was not performed due to low voltage.

Stock alternator since 2007, it’s a Toyota battery.

Any input?

Thanks everyone for reading.

Started the day by installing my new OEM Black Mirrors and Door handles then spent the rest of the day cleaning and working on the paint and trim. The hood and roof paint are toast after 18 years in the Texas Sun so I had to decide do I try and save up like 5 grand to have it painted or do I go the DIY route. As much as I love my FJ I just don't see myself having the discipline to save up for an expensive paint job like that. So the plan is to start by Raptor Lining the Hood. But not in black. I ordered color matched 1D4 Titanium Metallic Tint and a 4 liter Tintable Raptor Liner kit. This way my hood will still be Titanium but have the added durability of Raptor Liner.

A lot of people seem to use the words "Raptor Liner" as a generic term for bed liner but it is actually a brand. 😅 every time I bring up this product there is always pushback from people on the internet that have either never used the product or don't know exactly what it is. They always say things like "Its Gonna Fade or Peel" or "Its going to rust underneath it" so before this post gets bombarded with these comments lets make it clear what Raptor is and what it is not. Raptor is 2K Automotive Paint exactly like the paint that came on your vehicle from the factory, its a hard shell urethane paint that is sprayed through a specific type of spray gun that makes it land on the parts in a textured finish that resembles the typical rubberized bed liners like LineEx, but it is not rubberized at all.

"But I heard that it peeled off before" Well yes and no. This being a DIY product there is always room for User Error and any paintjob is only as good as the prep work and skill of the individual applying it. I have personally used Raptor Liner on my FJ about 4 years ago to paint my Grille, Hood Bulge and the silver trim bits on the front bumper. This was a litmus test for me because I didnt want to dive in to painting large portions of my FJ with it if it wasnt going to hold up. So I have a 4 year long test sample and I gotta say the stuff is awesome when it is done right. Its tough as hell, stays looking clean even when its dirty, its easy to wash and after 4 years it looks almost as good as the day I sprayed it. All this is to say, save your criticisms because I believe in Raptor and I'm proceeding with the project regardless of anyone else opinions on it.

Prep is everything when taking on a project like this, I wont be just scuffing the old paint and spraying like a lot of people do, I will be sanding the top of the hood down to a smooth surface and priming it with a premium epoxy primer. I think this is the key to a durable Raptor application. It should hold up for a long time and in the end I will be out about $500ish dollars for the project.

I was quoted $1600 just to paint the hood on the FJ from a local shop and even if I did go that route they wouldnt really be able to exactly match the existing 18 year old paint on the sides of the vehicle.

Once the hood is done the only thing from there to do that scares me is to raptor line the roof. I will again choose to use a color matched tint to match the existing Iceberg White Roof, but the roof is a lot more complicated than the hood due to the paint line which runs behind the rear quarter panel glass pieces. That wont be an easy thing to DIY. I will probably have to get an auto glass shop to remove the 2 windows and then reinstall them after I am done painting but thats another mission all together. Anywho sorry for t he bible I know only like 2 people might read. 🤣 The day is coming for the hood soon. The products are on their way to me and I just gotta take a weekend off work to do it. Pics will surely follow.

2007 4WD. I went from driving fully electric to a total gas guzzler, and I couldn’t be happier! I named her Stitch🐨💙

Hey guys, my mechanic did some tests on my engine for fun yesterday and noticed that my LTFT (Long term fuel trim) was high, around 17%.

I have a TRD CAI installed, I know my valve cover gaskets are leaking a little and will be replacing them shortly, I am curious if anyone has had this issue though and what the solution was in your case?

Additionally, my PCV valve is new and my vvt components are fine too (tested yesterday). I ran a compression test a year ago and everything was good, but maybe I didn't reconnect the vacuum lines properly or they could be a little damaged, who knows.

Thank you kindly!

Ndugu the FJ was out on manoeuvres in Botswana last week for a father son adventure road trip. The Magadigadi is not to be taken lightly at the best of times. But when Mother Nature clearly doesn’t agree with your itinerary it can get brutal. Through mud, fech fech, sand, gravel, potholes, thunderstorms, and being ‘inspected’ by a leopard at 1am (after emergency bush camping), Nudugu neither broke a sweat nor missed a beat.

In midst of this magnificent whirlwind adventure we stumbled on Uncle Tim’s baobab tree (GPS S 20.325713° E 25.312821°).

Second pic is from the northern side of the Ntwetwe Pan

Just like the band…