As a new FJ owner I cover a few basic things that I discovered in the first month of ownership. Post below with anything else you think new or prospective FJ owners should know.
I've had mine now for 12 years with no issues except. The upper windscreen trim is metal and is prone to stone chips and rust. Cover it with clear 3 M to protect it. Skid plates under engine are prone to collecting road debris and rust. Easy to remove to clean and re-paint. Mounting a GPS? Suction onto that blank spot to the left of the steering wheel below the side defroster. Accessory section on the front of the engine developed a minor oil leaK. Manufacturing defect when assembling the engine as the surfaces are too smooth and the silicone gasket eventually squeezes out. Expensive to repair but so far not serious enough. Changing the oil filter? There is a catch basin below the filter with a hole so whatever spills will drain. Add a hose to the underside and feed it down to the plastic cap covering the crankcase drain plug. Clutch operation in the cold is jerky until it warms up (No fix) Love the FJ Hope this helps..
I've had my 07 for 6 years. My biggest complaint, other than poor mileage, is that it has blind spots. I bought convex mirrors and stuck them in the corner of each mirror. Made a world of difference and is much safer.
The FJ's really hold their value! I have had excellent service from Toyota's so 2 weeks ago bought my first FJ and I can tell you that so far I am ecstatic about it!
Ive had mine for 11 years and didn’t know about the door lock trick.. although I use the remote and don’t really use the key. Biggest negative is poor gas mileage, but I love my Fj. So many little things you can do to customize it. All the little codes to change from the electronics etc. Many parts just snap in/out. Such fun vehicle.
So wish we had a manual FJ here in Australia! All the ones we can buy are all autos. Great to see a black FJ covered in snow, once again something we don’t get.
I'll admit I'm partial to Jeeps, primarily because of the solid front axle and their simplicity. But both FJs and Wranglers are great vehicles with slightly different strengths...that's why I own both!
Thanks actually I've had my fj for 6 years and never new/noticed the red rear seat release goodies!!! Thanks man! Manuals are the best !! So much more power when needed!!
There is a secret hatch on the top of the dash board. There’s a button behind the steering wheel on the dash, you press it and it opens a secret compartment.
I've had mine for a bit over a year, lost one of the inserts of the cup holder, when I didn't notice it got sucked out by the moisture when I was taking out my cold drink. So, whoever likes to put cold drinks in there, be careful when removing as the inserts can stick to your cup~ hahaha
Tip Number 1 - If your front windshield has to be replaced make sure that the person who is going to install has installed one before. It is a long, tricky and additional parts that is required for this job. Good luck....
Yes, window replacements on these rigs tend to be nothing but problems. If I get a cracked window I'll probably just try to live with it instead of dealing with the leaks and/or missing body parts that tend to go along with window replacement.
I wouldn't have known about the back window if I hadn't stopped by a buddy's house during my test drive and he noticed it. This video made me realize that I'm missing the cupholder inserts.
Really don't understand why the rear window doesnt roll down like a 4Runner. I like to assume the engineering department at Toyota must have been in a time crunch when they got around to designing the rear end.
Great video, I’m sold! My wife and I have been considering buying a used one. With all of the great reviews along with this video as well, I think we have our minds made up. Thanks.
Nice tips. Always forget how to open rear window. I like having the seat bottoms removed for max space. You should also be able to open all doors with the unlock button on the drivers side door.
Tom I bought my 07 FJ in August of 06 and I love it. I now have 240,000 km on it and it has been trouble free the whole time. Except for Maintenance I haven't had a single problem with it at all and it has been a very capable vehicle in summer and winter and in the wet or dry conditions. I would recommend it to anyone.
Always good to hear positive feedback on these rigs. My current FJ had a lot of neglected maintenance, needed a torque converter, and needed a rear differential when I bought it...but price reflected condition so I can't complain too much LOL
There's a Facebook page with people trying to get Toyota to start a recall on a couple different problems I think one of the problems was the drive shaft I am not certain but if you Google problems with FJ Cruisers it'll come up.
Dirona is that what it is the rear differential there's some kind of problems that the fj's have there's a Facebook page about it they want Toyota to start a recall for a couple different problems I think one of them was the rear end or the drive shaft you can Google FJ Cruiser recalls and I'm sure the stories will come up.
@@dironaa Torque converter, a manual trans does not have one. I have a 07 with 191K km on it, just doing the rear diff now, it was a problem on the early 8" rear ends. Retired Toyota technician
I’m so excited to have found your channel! So many things I didn’t know about my truck after 4 years, lol. Also watched how to remove the headliner because I just realized yesterday that there are baby mice up there! Yikes! 😳
Still owns a Silver 2007 and still holding. Put in 178k of mileage already and just recently replaced the alternators, installed new rear differential, power steering fluid, cabin and air filters. Still have a few recommendations on the checklist, will do that as soon as I got the dough again. Other than that still running very decent. Will definitely check the back window, hell I didnt know about that?! I swear I would know if only I'd seen those telescopic window hydraulic rod, but I swear, I didnt notice any, I'll check again thoroughly!
Aaaawe if only I could find one at decent price. I love the snow and it's great seeing these videos in the snow. Even better to see them in the snow, in action. Great video
Honestly the resale value was my biggest factor in buying one... I use to HATE them thought they were ugly .. but I randomly looked inside one ... and fell in love with the interior.. then found a solid color Trails team and the rest is history I LOVE mine
@@dironaa well I grew up in New Orleans. 20yrs of traveling, I have yet to find snow I didn't have a blast in. Well except blizzards in Cheyenne, WYOMING. That place sucks.
As much as I love my FJ, at the current $$ they're selling nowadays, you'd probably be better of with a 4Runner. Just as reliable and capable off-road, and more practical.
I think that's really cool they made it to where you don't physically need to use the clutch pedal to start it. Now I have to get me a manual transmission fj just to be able to do this
I usually unplug the clutch interlock connector on my jeeps to permanently disable it, although that may not be the best idea if multiple people are driving the vehicle.
Got my FJ from the first batch to arrive in South Florida, 13 years ago this past June, and I'm still super happy with it. Very few repairs in that period (alternator, front brake calipers, a/c evaporator), but a fantastically reliable vehicle. Only one thing I regret: I wasn't patient enough to wait for the dealer to find me a manual transmission one. I officially envy you for that. Cheers!!
I absolutely love my 2012 FJ Cement...... they're the best.... we only had one model out here in Australia...... they stopped importing them around 2017.
My fj did not come with a alarm control. I purchased one on Ebay for 16.99 and looked up a video on how to program. It worked without having to buy an entire alarm system!!!
love mine except for none of back windows opening for doggo (i mean in city we’re not gonna be leavin back one all way open ya know. the suspension hood arm gave out on my 2007 a few days ago..& that wonderful loud squeak that happens at every bump & i have to wd40 the hood latch every few months.. ive seen some kinda cool tours of some people living in their fj on here lol
Well no wonder you have to lubricate your hood latch every few months.. WD40 isn't lubricant! 😂😂 you need to get 3 in one silicone oil they should have it in Walmart or home depot for 3 to 4 dollars 🙂
#1 I found that by accident. #2 Took me a while, I tried twisting it and looking for a slide like on a screen door. #3 I found them a pain to re install. #4 Mine never had them #5 That's a huge help as I've never known that. Base model as well without keyless. #6 Auto, so the wife can drive it if needed.
Glad the video was helpful. Yes, I agree the rear seats can sure be a pain to reinstall. The lock cylinder on my drivers side door has been giving a little trouble lately, so I bought what I believe to be the necessary parts to install factory keyless entry; stay tuned if you're interested in seeing that installed. Thanks for watching!
great vid thanks a lot for this! getting myself one soon hopefully. do the doors automatically lock when you start driving at a certain speed? or do you have to lock them yourself before you drive off?
Thx for the tips, just bought a 2012 and gradually learning all about it. The tips about the seats and rear window opening sequence very helpful. Do you know of a paper book basic repair manual ala haynes or Chilton for the 2010-2014 FJs?
I got my 2013 FJ about 6 months ago, didn’t know about the seats or that it had cup holder inserts! Evidently the last owner took the inserts out, I like that my big water bottle fits but it was frustrating when getting smaller drinks, now I know it wasn’t supposed to be like that lol
If you use a smaller bottle/cup the insert will sometimes get stuck on it when you take the bottle out and may or may fall on the ground while walking from your FJ to your destination…and that’s how many of the inserts are lost
My wife’s daily driver is a 07, it has 176,000 miles and other than maintenance we replaced the alternator and of course brakes. Good vehicle, it’s a TOYOTA!!
I bought mine used with only 1 cup insert. Was headed to work one dark morning and was cleaning out trash from the day before. The insert was stuck to the McDonalds cup and I tossed it in the trash with the insert still attached unknowingly haha
@@handelarmandomonteverdemej5948 yeah like when your fuel level sensor decides to be inaccurate and you run out of gas in traffic or anywhere for that matter.
I hate to say it, but the FJ has been my winter ride for the last few years. I have a couple modified Jeeps that I drive in the summer. That being said, every fall I apply a very heavy coat of Fluid Film to the underside of the FJ, which has significantly slowed the rust. In an ideal world I’d find another car to drive in the winter and keep the FJ off the road too.
omg i want this car so bad.. think i know almost everything about this car now Not helping watching all these youtube videos tho. well well. One day it will be mine. great video btw
Nice video man, what kind of seat covers do you have? Maybe a brand or link so I could find one? All the ones I found on Amazon are hot garbage! Lol Cheers!
They're Cover King brand, I posted a video of the install process a while back if you want to check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I5swXmfq_Yw.html
I had an issue like that a while back but was able to solve it by getting a front end alignment and having the tires rebalanced. Bigger tires alone won't cause this problem, you definitely have an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. Good luck.
Just bought my 2007 fj Ive got a lot to learn. I got yhe rear window thing down first day, I had to I was hoping the dogs would like it. I have 2 large dogs and an itsy one. Dogs arent into it. I wish yhere was a kit to make rear windows open. Overall Im more concerned about handling and visibility. I have the round stick on mirrors to help. Havent read manual yet not even sure which model I got. Its got the gauges and the front bars. Was having a little buyers doubts til I saw ur video and a few others. Pumped about positive possibilities with this vehicle outweighing the poor visibility and not being dog friendly. Is there a club? Im in Rockport.
Congrats on the purchase! Visibility seems like an issue at first, but I got used to "looking around" the blind spots fairly quickly. Check out fjcruiserforums.com for much more info on the FJs, they even have regional subsections of the forum where any FJ gatherings or clubs may post events.
