Revive Brandi Joo's Land Cruiser: A Call for Help

To all Land Cruiser Owners and Toyota Owners,

I am reaching out seeking a favor for a military widow. Please read this story. My name is Steven Duncan. I run a group called Bushtaxi North Carolina. A new member, Brandi Joo, joined the Bushtaxi North Carolina Group approximately three weeks ago after I placed a referral card on her window. I had no idea about the tragic story I would hear.

At the end of 2019, Brandi and her husband bought a vehicle for their trips. Like many of us in the military, Brandi's husband Brandon became familiar with Land Cruisers while overseas and was determined to own one when he returned. He kept that promise and bought a 2004 Land Cruiser 100 Series.

For about a year and a half, they explored North Carolina with their children and dogs, from the beaches to the western part of the state. In the middle of 2021, Brandi tragically lost her husband. After Brandon's death, the vehicle remained unused for a long time before Brandi could bring herself to drive it again.

About six months ago, Brandi checked the vehicle's oil and discovered it was low. She grabbed what she thought was a new container of oil from the garage, not realizing that her husband had used that container for old oil. When she poured some old oil into the engine, a zip tie from the container fell into the oil fill.

She called a shop in town and advised them what had happened. After 3 days inspecting the vehicle, the shop said she would need a salvaged engine because they heard a loud noise in the engine.

After three months and a staggering bill of $13,000, she had a used/replacement engine, but the check engine light and all the VSC lights were on. Even after six more visits, the shop could not figure out what was wrong and eventually gave up.

This is when Brandi joined our group, and I promised to look at her car. It was a simple fix - the shop just needed to check the ground wires after the engine swap. After seeking advice from several shops, I realized she had been overcharged by about $3,000 for the job and was left to deal with the remaining issues independently.

Hearing her story compelled me to make things right and offer my assistance. The truck still had several issues. The exhaust about the midpoint of the chassis needs to be replaced, and the tires have flat spots from sitting unused for so long.

I continue working on all the mechanical issues, and another Bushtaxi member is working on a detail and paint correction. However, Brandi's overcharged money could have been used to address these issues. As we work toward a suitable resolution, I would like to ask all Land Cruiser and Toyota owners for assistance, as I believe this is a truly worthy cause.

I would like to raise $5,000 to pay for new tires, exhaust, and address some of the other mechanical issues, and make this rig bring joy to Brandi and he family once again. This story will be documented for all to see.