And this is why Toyota has such a following.
We know some people are already triggered by the headline and sub-headline of this article. There’s some big time hate thrown at Toyota for a number of reasons: the automaker is boring, the new Supra is a BMW, Toyota likes hybrids, it’s Japanese, they don’t like enthusiasts, etc. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so we’re not saying you have to buy Toyotas, like Toyotas, drive Toyotas, etc. But, you should understand there are valid reasons why people love and drive Toyotas, and it’s not just because they think of their cars as appliances.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. Some readers no doubt are completely offended we dare to praise a brand they’ve made a hobby out of hating. But when you see the condition of the engine on this 2008 Lexus IS-F after it’s been driven hard for over 220,000 miles one can at least appreciate the level of quality of the company’s engineering and manufacturing processes.
To be clear, we’re not saying Toyotas are perfect, but a lot of them are pretty damn reliable cars. The fact this IS-F was driven so hard for so many miles without the engine crapping out is a good testament.
However, in the teardown you’ll see Toyota’s design isn’t perfect. But the cylinder heads are incredibly clean! For 220,000 miles for the valves, springs, etc. to be that gleaming in the light is just fantastic. We’re not saying there’s no other engine from no other brand that would look this way, but you have to admit that’s impressive.
Thanks to some oil leaks, the whole point of this job is to replace some gaskets to hopefully seal everything up. Sounds simple, but the one design issue is Lexus shoved a big V8 in a car that wasn’t designed for it, so things are pretty crowded in the engine compartment. So there you go, that’s something Toyota didn’t do well and you can knock them for that.
