Mark X Recommendation

MaleCortana · October 12, 2020

Hi a friend of mine has recently sold his car and is looking to buy a Mark X, he has a couple of options for the Mark X but the sweet deal for him is one for sale with a 3.5 Supercharged engine.

He wants to know if there is a 'Mark X' guy who deals in importing parts etc because Toyota Lanka told him they don't have parts for the 3.5 Supercharged engine model.

Any issues to look out for in specific models?

I remember someone posting a status 'Missing my X' or something to that extent so perhaps he (can't find the status anymore) could assist us a bit as well?

iRage · October 12, 2020

2 hours ago, MaleCortana said:

Hi a friend of mine has recently sold his car and is looking to buy a Mark X, he has a couple of options for the Mark X but the sweet deal for him is one for sale with a 3.5 Supercharged engine.

He wants to know if there is a 'Mark X' guy who deals in importing parts etc because Toyota Lanka told him they don't have parts for the 3.5 Supercharged engine model.

Any issues to look out for in specific models?

I remember someone posting a status 'Missing my X' or something to that extent so perhaps he (can't find the status anymore) could assist us a bit as well?

I do remember posting about my Mark X at some point...perhaps you are referring tothat ?

So the supercharger that is for sale...is it the original one or the converted one ? There are two

No..no specific Mark X parts guy...but there are the usual independent parts importers who you can approach regarding bringing down parts. The Supercharger comes with a standard 2GR-FSE engine...it is the same engine that came with certain Crown models of the era. So unless you mess up the crank shaft and con-rods, every other part is interchangeable.

Having said that, every other engine part (spark plugs, seals, etc...) is interchangeable with most other GR series engines which are more common in SL (as they were used in the Crown and Lexus sedans). Same goes with things like brake pads, disks, etc...

The issue is; because the Mark X is not a common car, no one stocks model specific parts for it. What we all did(and some still do) is purchase consumable parts and other preemptive maintenance parts ahead of time and actually plan the maintenance work in advance (i.e. before things break).

The greatest inconvenience you will face is with body parts..they simply are not there, apart from a few of random parts that pop up now and then.

All in all the Mark X is a solid and enjoyable car which you can easily fall in love with and would not mind putting up with the hassle of planning ahead.

Things you should look out for when buying :

1. Look for excessive carbon buildup (being direct injection engine cars...they are prone to the usual carbon buildup issues and require proper maintenance. I used to clean my throttle and injectors and stuff once a year or so and use injector cleaners to keep just the injector side clean...it is not too difficult and quite a few reputable places to do it). Acceleration feeling heavy and slightly delayed is often an indication of it coming up.

2. Listen to piston slapping. Earlier versions of the GR engines had an issue with the timing chain tensioning which lead to slight mistiming of the engine which lead to piston slapping and pistons getting pitted and cylinders getting scratched. This can be a costly issue requiring piston replacement, etc.... So if possible buy a Mark X manufactured AFTER 2006/2007 (i.e. with the engine updates).

3. Look at the crank seals both in front and the rear (i.e. in front of the engine and the side of the gearbox). They have a 10 year life span and are quite notorious for going bad at the 10 year mark (it is one of those nakathata yanawa type of things). Not a huge repair to do..just messy. Part availability will depend on your luck. Some have found 3rd party parts and compatible Toyota parts. Whilst some just got them mailed in through the post from Singapore, Malaysia and Japan in a few days.

4. Look for rust in the trunk in the little spaces you find on either side behind the wheel arch. That spot lodges water after rain and washing because the drain hole gets plugged and then leads to rusting.

5. Interior !!! The dashboard, just like every Toyota car from the period is prone for cracking and almost all the cars in SL have had the dashboards redone. Just make sure that the dashboard has been done up properly ! Some were done up by cheap upholstery shops that did not do a good job and broke the air vents and stuff in the process.

Also in the interior, quite a few cars have had their seats redone. 99% of the redone seats are utter rubbish; offenses include ugly color combinations, poor workman ship, weird diamond patterns, etc...to name a few. The worst offense however is that the redoing takes away the original shape and contours of the seat. One of the unique features of the mark X interior were its seats...

6. Check the actual grade and specs of the car. Most have swapped parts and "upgraded". The standard grade for the 250G is 250G. The most common grades for the 250G in SL are 250G F Package (which is a step lower than the standard 250G grade), and 250G L package (which is a level higher than the 250G). There are a few 250G Limited packages around and even fewer 250G S Packages (The S package was the sports package and came with funky electronically controlled suspension, carbon fiber bits and pieces, grade specific wheels and steering wheel, etc...).

6a. If buying a S Package, check what has been done to the Electronic suspension. The original shocks for the electronic suspension is quite pricey...most have replaced them with after market shocks (if it is from GAB, D2, Gekho, TEIN then it will be sweet....if replaced with the standard KYB shock for the standard grade then the ride becomes soft and the sportiness gone).

6b. Some grades came with automatic parallel parking. Check to see if it still works. There are a few with it where maka baases have essed everything up.

Other than that the car is pretty solid and will run quite hassle free.

The 2.5 does averages anywhere between 6 to 7 kmpl in pure city driving (which is good for a heavy car with a 2.5L engine). The standard 3.5L does a bit lesser than that. Some people will claim 9-10 in the city which ..well..lets say is highly questionable. On the highway you will get about 14ish.

Edited October 12, 2020 by iRage

MaleCortana · October 12, 2020

8 minutes ago, iRage said:

I do remember posting about my Mark X at some point...perhaps you are referring tothat ?

So the supercharger that is for sale...is it the original one or the converted one ? There are two

No..no specific Mark X parts guy...but there are the usual independent parts importers who you can approach regarding bringing down parts. The Supercharger comes with a standard 2GR-FSE engine...it is the same engine that came with certain Crown models of the era. So unless you mess up the crank shaft and con-rods, every other part is interchangeable.

Having said that every other engine part (spark plugs, seals, etc...) is interchangeable with most other GR series engines which are more common in SL (as they were used in the Crown and Lexus sedans). Same goes with things like brake pads, disks, etc...

The issue is because the Mark X is not a common car no one stocks model specific parts for it. What we all did(and some still do) is purchase consumable parts and other preemptive maintenance parts ahead of time and actually plan the maintenance work ahead of time (i.e. before it breaks).

The greatest inconvenience you will face is with body parts..they simply are not there apart from a bit of random parts you find here and there.

All in all the Mark X is a solid and enjoyable car which you can easily fall in love with and would not mind putting up with the hassle of planning ahead.

Things you should look out for when buying :

1. Look for excessive carbon buildup (being direct engine cars...they are prone to the usual carbon buildup issues and require proper maintenance. I sued to clean my throttle and injectors and stuff once a year or so and use injector cleaners to keep just the injector side clean...it is not too difficult and quite a few reputable places to do it). Acceleration feeling heavy and slightly delayed is often an indication of it coming up.

2. Listen to piston slapping. Earlier versions of the GR engines had an issue with the timing chain tensioning which lead to slight mistiming of the engine which lead to piston slapping and pistons getting pitted. This can be a costly issue requiring piston replacement, etc.... So if possible buy a Mark X manufactured AFTER 2006/2007 (i.e. with the engine updates).

3. Look at the crank seals both in front and the side of the gearbox. They have a 10 year life span and are quite notorious for going bad at the 10 year mark (it is one of those nakathata wenawa type of things). Not a huge repair to do..just messy. Part availability will depend on your luck. Some have found 3rd party parts and compatible Toyota parts. Whilst some just got them mailed in through the post from Singapore, Malaysia and Japan in a few days.

4. Look for rust in the trunk in the little spaces you find on either side behind the wheel arch. That spot lodges water after rain and washing because the drain hole gets plugged and then leads to rusting.

5. Interior !!! The dashboard, just like every Toyota car from the period is prone for cracking and almost all the cars in SL have had the dashboards redone. Just make sure that the dashboard has been done up properly ! Some were done up by cheap upholstery shops that did not do a good job and broke the air vents and stuff in the process.

Also in the interior, quite a few cars have had their seats redone. 99% of the redone seats are utter rubbish; offenses include ugly color combinations, poor workman ship, weird diamond patterns, etc...to name a few. The worst offense however is that the redoing takes away the original shape and contours of the seat. One of the unique features of the mark X interior were its seats...

6. Check the actual grade and specs of the car. Most have swapped parts and "upgraded". The standard grade for the 250G is 250G. The most common grades for the 250G in SL are 250G F Package (which is a step lower than the standard 250G grade), and 250G L package (which is a level higher than the 250G). There are a few 250G Limited packages around and even fewer 250G S Packages (The S package was the sports package and came with funky electronically controlled suspension, carbon fiber bits and pieces, grade specific wheels and steering wheel, etc...).

6a. If buying a S Package, check what has been done to the Electronic suspension. The original shocks for the electronic suspension is quite pricey...most have replaced them with after market shocks (if it is from GAB, D2, Gekho, TEIN then it will be sweet....if replaced with the standard KYB shock for the standard grade then the ride becomes soft and the sportiness gone).

6b. Some grades came with automatic parallel parking. Check to see if it still works. There are a few with it where maka baases have essed everything up.

Other than that the car is pretty solid and will run quite hassle free.

The 2.5 does averages anywhere between 6 to 7 kmpl in pure city driving (which is good for a heavy car with a 2.5L engine). The standard 3.5L does a bit lesser than that. Some people will claim 9-10 in the city which ..well..lets say is highly questionable. On the highway you will get about 14ish.

Holy moly this is quite the comprehensive response, super thanks @iRage

I will copy this post and pass this onto my friend and respond appropriately because I've got little to no clue about the engine models or which supercharger model is up for sale.

This was just me paying back the favour to my friend who drove me to Negambo to pick up my EP91, by helping him with the decision making process ☺️

RWD · October 12, 2020

Wow didn't know there were supercharged x's in sl. Is this the 120 or 130? Either way please post pics once your friend gets it.

Kavvz · October 12, 2020

5 hours ago, RWD said:

Wow didn't know there were supercharged x's in sl. Is this the 120 or 130? Either way please post pics once your friend gets it.

I didn't know Toyota MADE supercharged X's Wow! How much power does that make @iRage?

Also does anyone car to throw-up a link to this thing? Sounds totally bad-ass!

Edit: I guess this the model we are talking about? = The Mark X Supercharged version uses the 3GR-FSE engine with a supercharger added. Power output is 316 horsepower (236 kW) at 6200 rpm and 42.0 kilogram metres (412 N·m; 304 lbf·ft) at 3200 rpm, paired to a six-speed auto transmission.

youtube link

Edited October 12, 2020 by Kavvz

iRage · October 13, 2020

5 hours ago, Kavvz said:

I didn't know Toyota MADE supercharged X's Wow! How much power does that make @iRage?

Also does anyone car to throw-up a link to this thing? Sounds totally bad-ass!

Edit: I guess this the model we are talking about? = The Mark X Supercharged version uses the 3GR-FSE engine with a supercharger added. Power output is 316 horsepower (236 kW) at 6200 rpm and 42.0 kilogram metres (412 N·m; 304 lbf·ft) at 3200 rpm, paired to a six-speed auto transmission.

youtube link

The X120 Mark X supercharged came with the 3GR-FSE and pushed out 315hp. The standard 3GR-FSE pushed about 258hp. In supercharged for the 3GR produces the same amount of power as a stock 2GR-FSE; however the difference is torque...it has oodles more of it.

The X130 Mark X +M (which is the supercharged version) came with a 2GR-FSE engine putting out about 355hp.

The +M was used by many Japanese police departments for highway patrol (traditionally it was the large Crown sedans).

So..although the X130 GRMN variants are the super tuned limited edition, manual transmission sports Mark X...the Super charged 130 had more power and torque; but the driving dynamics of the GRMN made it more sportier