UZZ32 Maintenance and Repair

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Introduction

Although Toyota designed the UZZ32 to high quality standards, maintenance and repair is still necessary:

  • Like any motor vehicle, they require basic regular servicing (including items such as, eg, new oil and oil filter)
  • There are also items that are more specific to Soarers in general (including sagging door hinges on older vehicles).
  • Finally, there are service items that apply only to the UZZ32 Soarer.

Owners also need to be aware of modifications that may have been performed by previous owners.

As of 2024, UZZ32 Soarers are now between 28 and 33 years old and have often travelled 200,000 kilometeres or more. This means that, even if the vehicle has been well maintained, it will likely require a significant investment in time and/or cash, either immediately and/or over time.

Basic Servicing

'Generic' Soarer Servicing

UZZ32 specific service items

Common Modifications

Modifications such as the following are common on Soarers, either as part of the initial registration process after importation to eg the UK or Australia, or because of a preference by the owner:

  • Replacement of the Japanese Toyota-branded seat belts with eg Klippan-branded units
  • Replacement of the (convex) drivers' side mirror with flat glass, with the (unintentional) side effect of rendering the mirror's vibration feature inoperative
  • Removal of the feature which allows the drivers' side window to be operated for a limited time after the ignition has been turned off
  • Installation of child seat anchorage points
  • Removal of the rear-seat's middle (waist-only) seat belt
  • Reconfiguration of lights to allow "fog light" operation on vehicles where they were not previously installed
  • Radio frequency shifter, allowing the Japanese-spec radio to receive frequencies set a higher band, albeit with an offset display frequency
  • Removal of the 108 km/h limit on the cruise control
  • Upgraded front light bulbs
  • Replacement of early-model (plastic-lens) high-beam lights with the upgraded glass units from a '94+ model
  • Replacement of early-model tail lights with those from a later-generation Soarer, including solutions for a) correcting the flashing rate of the indicators, and b) the lamp failure detection (which notices that the number of working light bulbs is "wrong") after the change
  • Replacement of the original (Toyota, "Soarer" and Griffin) badges with Lexus badges on eg the front bumper, boot lid, engine, airbag, wheel covers
  • Wheel upgrades, typically to 17" or 18" size but sometimes larger
  • Installation of a DVD player
  • Bypassing of the EMV screen safety features, allowing eg an after-market navigation system to be viewed whilst driving
  • Fuel pump ECU may also have been bypassed if faulty (safety risk!)
  • Boot release button valet-lockout may have been bypassed
  • An after-market immobiliser and/or alarm may have been fitted
  • Removal of the reversing beeper
  • Removal of the "door open" warning chime
  • Exhaust system modifications
  • Air intake modifications
  • Installation of an after-market stereo, often in conjunction with the removal (or in some cases, relocation) of the cassette player and/or removal of the EMV
  • Replacement of the wiper blade assemblies with a more modern design
  • for UK cars, conversion from kilometer to miles for speedometer (and odometer)
  • Aftermarket height controllers are often found on UZZ31 (airbag) models, but rarely on UZZ32s
  • Exhaust System

Whilst personal (and legal) opinions differ on whether such modifications are "good" or "bad", owners are encouraged to understand the current and original state of their vehicle before making decisions regarding what modifications to make (or "un-make") as part of servicing and/or restoration.

Diagnostics

The UZZ32 (and other) Soarers feature on-board diagnostics which can assist in troubleshooting.