Owning A "Fort": My Pre-Owned First Gen Toyota Fortuner

[Driveright]

Nice Update.
Tyres of Fortuner itself cost a fortune.
I almost spent the price of your 1 tyre for replacement of all 4 Manza tyres few months back.

Agreed .my M800 BS 290 tubeless cost me 12 k for 5 tires 2 years back !That was inclusive of WBWA also .
Also I got 900 rs for my old 5 tires and a free wheel alignment at my local wheel alignment store .4 out of 5 tires were having multiple patches .Just one tire was acceptable for reuse.

 

[Driveright]

weekend run :
my first longish trip after owning the fort .
Destination :;bharachukki water falls .With the monsoons having filled up water everywhere I thought it shuld be a good time to "test waters" with the T Fort
On the way I took a detour to Ganalu water falls which became a revelation to me as to what the TFort was capable of .Tarmac ride was good with sharp bumps and pot holes easily swallowed .
Grip in wet conditions was exceptional although I never took the SUV above 100kmph as I was getting used to the dynamics , handling of the car,the gear changes ,overtaking ,braking distances,visibility and night driving .
Overall very pleased and very very impressed with the quality of ride and comfort offered by the T-Fort..Some pics from the trip are shared below.

 

[Driveright]

Finally I was able to get some picture updates for the interior 3D car mats which i have used .
the fortuner comes with interior fabric mats which are very soft and plush but difficult to maintain in the monsoons .I researched through amazon and youtube and finally narrowed down to a company called OSHOTTO which supplies 3D mats at reasonably affordable prices .I placed order through amazon and the product was delivered to me in 2 days .Available in black and beige .The package comes with 5 pieces one for driver side ,1 for passenger side ,one first row passenger mat,one second row passenger mat and one for the boot
The mats costed me 3543 inclusive of delivery;comes ordinarily packaged and with video instructions on YouTube for installation .
LIKES:
1)decent fit and finish and goes well with my interior color .
2)comes with velcro attached to the underside which holds mats firmly with out sliding onto the OEM floor carpet.
3)easy to fix and take off
4)easy to clean ;either use a scrub and vacuum method or wash it and dry
5)its spill-proof in instance of food or water spillage inside car
6)the borders are shaped to fit the edges almost flush
DISLIKES:
1)if the second row or first rows mats needed to be taken out the velcros make it a task .When you have removed one side and go to remove the other end, it would have stuck back on the first side .
disclaimer : I don't have any association with the seller of the mats.

 

[vijay]

Many congratulations on your T-Fort, this machine can run for many lakhs of kms without any ditch, keep servicing and maintaining it regularly.Its a brute machine with majestic appreance.Mind sharing the price you got it for as it would be helpful for our community and other members looking to get hold of a used T fort for.
Keep updating and happy mile munching!!

 

[Driveright]

Many congratulations on your T-Fort, this machine can run for many lakhs of kms without any ditch, keep servicing and maintaining it regularly.Its a brute machine with majestic appreance.Mind sharing the price you got it for as it would be helpful for our community and other members looking to get hold of a used T fort for.
Keep updating and happy mile munching!!

Thanks for your many wishes .I got the vehicle for 12L in bangalore from the toyota u trust showroom .Pricey ..but shows how well it holds a resale tag as well

 

[bhvm]

Congrats on real fort!
The tough build and macho looks, what more to ask for?
Yours is the similar to mode I had. It can run lacs of Kms without a single hitch. Just keep an eye on Maintenance and make sure you have all kinds of Zero dep and engine covers in Insurance.

 

[Driveright]

Congrats on real fort!
The tough build and macho looks, what more to ask for?
Yours is the similar to mode I had. It can run lacs of Kms without a single hitch. Just keep an eye on Maintenance and make sure you have all kinds of Zero dep and engine covers in Insurance.

thanks for your wishes .Yes I have got insurance covered in and out ..hope i wont have to use it at any time

 

[Mathew]

Toyota fortuner 2009-2012 model,Manual transmission(MT),4x4 with low gear.
My Likes :
1. Safety and security: fantastic respect which is immediately noticeable. Autorickshaws and pesky two-wheelers stay away .You feel very confident on highway driving with its massive road presence. Handling characteristics are good but not to forget body roll can be unnerving at times !
2. Loads of space and excellent seating comfort especially when you are coming from likes of M800.
3. The AC is simply fabulous being automatic and chills rapidly. Even the heating works superb with Bangalore weather being on the colder side after rains.
4. Visibility of the road and all round is excellent with large windows and rear view mirrors .The fender mirror also helps to gauge distance on the left side and front bumper distance to obstacles .
5. Mileage is hovering at around 10.2-10.4kmpl and in city driving conditions with full time AC. Impressive for a 2 ton vehicle !
6. Great pulling capacity ;easily could carry 8 persons during recent visits from relatives .The car felt light to steer in heavy B2B traffic .
7. Decent music system although I am not an audio buff .There is automatic volume control depending on vehicle speed .
8. Headlights are very bright and offer good night visibility ;also the height helps to avoid high beams of Cabs and tempos.

Congratulations Driveright, from another Fortuner Owner. My vehicle photo is Here.

Your likes 1-8 are genuine.
Since item 2 above, the left front, left ORVM, and bikers at front must be taken care.
Left ORVM to right ORVM, the width must be considered while driving in bumper to bumper/city traffic. You are having fender mirror, but position it properly to read the front and left-side views. I think only bikers are the one to taken care off while driving Fortuner.

 

[Driveright]

I take it easy on city traffic by keeping one car distance and always use the horn to warn my presence to those mobile talking 2 wheelers.In B2B I wait and watch the fender mirrors and ORVM for smaller mopeds to pass by even if I am in doubt .AnywYs I can see you also have an Adipoli facelift model as your DP

 

[Driveright]

Had a round trip of 1592 kms to kerala and back yesterday night .Did all types of terrains ie.,Butter smooth toll roads of Tamilnadu ,Heavy winds and rains ,Washed out roads of Kerala,non existent roads of the Konni forest and slushy clay mud around our home .All was taken with great stride and the Fortuner performed with abated breath and supreme confidence.Truly a master in all departments proving it worth for every Rupee.
Shall post a few photos and videos soon of its performances ..truly a legendary vehicle in its class!

 

[Driveright]

starters of the images to come forth

 

[Driveright]

OF RATS AND GREASE:
Monday night parked the car in its usual spot .Tuesday morning as usual cranked the engine .It did crank but wont start .Tried again .Same result .Dang I used the spare key and cranked again no running just cranking .Ran through trubleshooting sequence in the owners manual .All was in perfect order .I feared the worst now "THE RAT"!the vermin had taken a attack against my T-Fort.
Called the yota RSA. Guy arrived in 15 mins .Talk about promptness of action.He again tried cranking and i told him about the entire sequence i had gone through.he told lets check for rat attack and opened the cabin ac filter and lo behold there was huge mess of rat trash and sliced wire bits.He told me that the rat has attacked the immobilizer unit present in the dash behind the cowl and then we started a discussion as to how to sort it out .He told me it needed to be towed to the service centre and fixed there and would take a day or two .
I persuaded him that I dint mind if the same work of pulling apart the dash was done right here at home.The RSA guy was also a mallu and it dint take us long to get going pulling the dash apart.He said knew I was a car guy from the way I had trouble shooted and was ready to help .
So we started out work by 1.30 pm and finished fixing the cut wire and resealing the whole dash by 3.30 pm .I also took this opportunity to understand the how and what of the electronics behind the dash and asked him a lot of questions.I also cleaned the instrument cluster to sparkling clean shine as it was completely disconnected from the dash. So then the moment of truth .The car started with a single turn of the key and the mighty D4D purred back to life .Yippee!
The RSA told me to pay him what ever I wish to and he also gave me his personal number for future needs .Total damage from Rat attack Rs 2000.I need to get a rat mesh installed asap in the cowl area at the fresh air intake to avoid future "Immobilizer"attacks.

 

[Driveright]

GREASE MONKEY:
the service manual suggests that all greasing points be greased at 5000 km intervals or after driving through water.My recent trips to Kerala saw me driving through lot of water and hence I thought of doing a DIY greasing of the 6 grease points at the underbelly of the T-Fort.
Materials :
1)grease gun with "zirk"nozzle and flexible hose attachment
2)WD 40 to clean the grease nipples
3)old rags to remove the old muck and old grease coming out of the fittings
4)protective eye wear as you are under the car .
Method :
I could easily get under the car owing to its ground clearance.
Identify the grease nipples on the drive shaft and the rest of the drive train from the transmission housing and the transfer case;6 points in total.
First spray WD 40 to get off all the road grime and expose the grease nipples .Insert the Zirk nozzle to the nipples and now start to squeeze the grease gun lever to pump fresh grease into the joint.You can start to hear and then start to notice the old mucky grease flowing out as the new grease is being pumped into the joint space.
Clean off the old grease as much with the old rags to prevent slinging when you drive later on .
Repeat the same for all the 6 nipples and voila you have completed a very vital task to improve performance and longevity of your drive shaft joints .
Note :
I found it very tough to get the ZIRK nozzles of as mine was a new device .Use a flat head screw driver to pry of the nozzle if your stuck tightly .
I wish I could get more pictures of the process.

 

[anshuman8]

But did you get any method to keep rats away? There was a mention of 3M anti rat treatment solution in one of the threads here.

 

[Driveright]

But did you get any method to keep rats away? There was a mention of 3M anti rat treatment solution in one of the threads here.

nope not yet contemplating any such RAT treatment for the car.I have made some home remedies to keep them away.Till then I have to cross my fingers