200k-300k Mileage

[jaydenprc5]

Hey guys!

I was looking at picking up an Aurion as a cheap runabout. My brother has one and it's been a very reliable car but he's only clocked 130k on it. As I was looking at some cheaper examples on gumtree, between the 200k-300k mark and was wondering what you guys have experienced with these cars in that mileage range. They tend to only cost between $4000-$6000. 

Doing my research I understand the GR motors on the Aurion's and Lexus's are very very reliable. The only thing I have found to go bad on more than one occasion is the water pump, which is a $1000 job because of the labour involved and where it is placed. My brothers also developed the famous 'Toyota death rattle' on cold starts, which I assume earned its name for a reason, but his car still runs every single day with the death rattle and has done for over a year. 

Any info you could give me on your own cars and experience with the higher mileage would be awesome.

Thanks guys 

[campbeam]

The 2GR-FE engine is very reliable however it needs to be regularly serviced with quality oils to avoid oil sludge. White smoke on start up is a symptom of oil sludge build up affecting oil circulation in the valve cover and oil via the pcv valve getting into the air intake.I bought my 2006 Aurion with 160k and a 2009 Aurion with 108k with this oil sludge/white smoke issue.

There are also 2 known weaknesses with oil hoses with earlier models. The rear VVTi oil line had a rubber mid section. Eventually it develops a pinhole leak which causes obvious oil loss. I replaced this oil line with the full metal version and this job was quite frustrating for me. Quite separately are the oil cooler lines which have rubber hoses and when they leak results in immediate and total oil loss. Toyota Australia will replace these oil cooler lines when they leak at their expense. Replacement part is all metal..

Recently, at 208k, I have replaced the alternator. It is not a simple task. Before that, I replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils. Again, another time consuming task removing various vehicle components to access the rear spark plugs. 

Another absolute must is the regular servicing of the automatic transmission. After lots of internet research, the ATF in these sealed for life transmissions should be replaced after 100k miles / 160k kms. At 165k, I replaced the automatic transmission filter/strainer and cleaned off the sludge build up on the transmission pan. Another frustrating job because of 1 bolt on the transmission pan that is difficult to access because of the vehicle sub-frame.

Something else on my to do list is the replacement of the fuel filter. Rear seat needs to be removed for access.

Absolutely love my Toyota Aurion and why I bought a standby 2008 Aurion, The driving pleasure more than makes up for the very occassional DIY weekend jobs.

[DeafDave76]

Hey mate my car is 2011 Aurion Touring (one of the last few 40 series before the 50 series came out) and it has 75k ODO. Has not let me down and never missed a beat. 

May I give you advice: go for the lower mileage ones rather than 200k or more mileage. You will never know if those has been looked after properly and has not been thrashed a lot. 

Learnt my lesson with 200k mileage 1991 ford falcon back in 1999! 100k mileage later it is gone for the mitsubishi magna with 30k (ex demo vehicle) mileage until its write off 10 years ago. My current black aurion is the one I have owned since brand new 0 kms. I am glad I got this instead of going for the 50 series ones (Aesthetics look being the reason why).

[jaydenprc5]

Thanks for your input Ash and Dave! 

Thank you for your insight into these cars and the repairs you have done. Sounds like you've had a lot of hands on time with your Ash, I'll be weary of transmissions though I think a lot of toyotas use their sealed for life transmissions so its good to be more filled in on them. I havent yet ended up getting one but I'll keep you posted. Seems like theres so many Toyotas of different kinds still in circulation with 300k+ kms on them, which is great piece of mind when considering getting one. I'm sure you guys have seen the Toyota Tacomas in the states that get over a million miles on them and are still running well, plenty of videos on them. 

Again cheers boys  

[matt36415]

Mine has 250 000km, no repairs yet other than normal service parts