Long hard road…

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

Yep. A genuine kit, I found a dealer selling a bunch of then when I was trawling eBay for Genuine mats and Bootliner before Sebastian even arrived here.  
 

Most of the (family/practical) cars we’ve had in the last 20 years have had some form of footwell illumination so the $85 for the kit was a no brainer.  It’s something that should have been a standard fitment or an easier install but I guess by some point Toyota AU had given up on the Aurion development and market.  

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

Today Sebastian had his first oil change in my care.

some things of note.

Sump plug was in really good condition which is nice.

However.

The drain bung in the bottom of the oil filter housing was well stuck in.

Yeah this thing.  I ended up using a rattle gun on it off the car.  That revealed a nice pocket of sludge in the drain valve.

the housing itself cleaned up nice with brake cleaner - but again some carbon crumbs and some varnishing.  All that’s gone now.

I did take a leaf out of Sludgies book and run through an oil flush prior to draining.  Definitely got some extra muck loose compared to just dumping oil.

Frah filter and a sump full of cheaply purchased Gulf Western synthetic.  We will hopefully do some longer runs in the next couple of weeks and I’ll do another flush and change after that.

Next official service is due in January-ish so he will go to Toyota for that.  
 

Overall still a happy camper.  The sludge I could have lived without but I don’t know how many “book service” cars wouldn’t have some lingering around.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

11 hours ago, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

The drain bung in the bottom of the oil filter housing was well stuck in.

That's a common issue. Mine is always a bugger to loosen off. Each time I try it rotates the housing off, just to add to your frustration.

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

I will see in a few weeks when I do this again 🙂  it’s a neat design in principle but I think you’re right.  

 

[campbeam]

I have given up trying to use the drain bung at the bottom of the oil filter cartridge housing. The housing rotates off first.

Forgotten how many months ago, that I used an oil filter removal tool to hold the housing in place on the grass while I applied pressure to remove that drain bung. Ended up deciding that it was not worth the effort and just loosen the housing gradually and let the oil drip into a drain pan before fully removing the housing. 

 

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

I grabbed the rattle gun and chooched it.  Having the correct 10mm square key meant little to no risk of chewing it up. 
 

Makes me think either the torque spec of the filter housing is well above “nip it up snug” - would have to be 50Nm compared to the drain bungs 25Nm - or we should be lubing the o-ring and threads differently.

Edited October 9, 2021 by Sebastian Woodhouse

[Tony Prodigy]

On 10/10/2021 at 10:31 AM, campbeam said:

Ended up deciding that it was not worth the effort and just loosen the housing gradually and let the oil drip into a drain pan before fully removing the housing. 

That's pretty much what I've been doing too Ash. Just have to remember that there is an O-ring in side that small drain bung that will perish eventually and may induce leakage, so at some point I will have to remove it. Probably needs bugger all tightening torque like the rest of the housing.

[Tony Prodigy]

On 10/10/2021 at 10:58 AM, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

Makes me think either the torque spec of the filter housing is well above “nip it up snug” - would have to be 50Nm compared to the drain bungs 25Nm - or we should be lubing the o-ring and threads differently.

Well, I do know first hand that the filter housing has a torque spec of 25Nm. I stupidly over-tightened mine years ago and broke several filter removal tools trying to get it off. This was before I noticed the "25Nm" guide cast into the bottom of the housing. So I'm thinking that the drain bung is probably the same value and with mine being difficult to get off may have something to do with my past ignorance lol.. 

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

Sebastian and I had a spa date in the garage for about 7 hours today.

 

I’ve shown some of the swirling and paint damage before - and I had compounded a stack of the body, that’s the hazy look to the quarter in the foreground but didn’t do the boot lid, rear bumper or roof.  
 

I’d gone pretty hard on the bonnet leaving only the worst of the damage.  But again, only with a diminishing compound and not a final polish.

Today this was going to change.

Roof compounded - yes the compound is a diminishing type and when worked fully dry will give a near complete finish.  The clouded areas I had worked the compound damp (stops it from breaking down, increasing the cut time).

Bonnet after final polishing.  There’s still the deeper scratches etc but for the most part the finish is as good as it is going to get without risking the clear coat. 

After a lot more polishing, and then two (heavy) coats of Ceramic.

His bad side, the rear door and quarter have had some of the worst paint repair I’ve ever seen.  I might end up repainting the door myself if it gets to me enough.

But for now it reflects nicely.

The other side is factory paint, and while it has some mediocre scratch repairs they’re blended a little better after the compounding and polishing. I like the art level of capturing our other cars in the shot too 🙂

A close up reminder of where we started and where we are at right now. 

 

[Tony Prodigy]

It's a lot of hard work,  but the results do speak for themselves. Dark colours do make you work for it though.

Don't bother chasing those deeper scratches, as you know, it will only compromise the clear coat further than you need to. If you can't get it to a decent stage by the second cut, I'd be more inclined to leave it and just go to a finishing compound. It will still present better than most cars you will see anyway. Give it a decent sealant and future marring will be mitigated, if you wash it carefully.

Car looks so much better. Thanks for the update.

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

Yep - there’s not much point in pushing harder on Sebastian’s paint.  I’ve left a decent amount of deeper swirls and marring as well as the scratches.  He’s now probably typical in terms of paint damage for his age, but with a really good clarity so the various metallic flakes sparkle in the light.

It’s got two heavy coats of CQuartz over it now.  There’s not much else to be done except be on top of the coating maintenance.  
 

But enough on the body.

I’m currently getting my head around a glitch in the climate control system, but I would say I’ll just fire the parts canon at that - it’s either the Fan, or the controller.  I wouldn’t mind a a control panel with less wear on some of the buttons and it does have to be stripped for the LED conversion.
 

The other to and fro is the headunit.  On one hand there’s a couple of Joying units that could be fitted and work.  Joying are one of the better aftermarket integrated units if only because their base specs are generally higher.  
The other hand is waiting for some normalcy in aftermarket units to return.  I’d been looking at the Kenwood DMX820WS specifically, but I’m also wonder that maybe giving up on the 200mm fitment and going for an Alpine ILX407A and pairing it with the (US sourced) CANBUS interface to do the one screen vehicle configurations that the factory unit does would be cool.  That said I can always use Techstream for config and do I really need the A/C settings appearing on a screen directly above the AC controls?

[Tony Prodigy]

4 hours ago, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

He’s now probably typical in terms of paint damage for his age, but with a really good clarity so the various metallic flakes sparkle in the light.

It’s got two heavy coats of CQuartz over it now.  There’s not much else to be done except be on top of the coating maintenance.  

Plenty enough I reckon too. The CQuartz is like the icing on the cake. Keeping it clean is so much easier when it has a decent sealant on it.

4 hours ago, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

The other to and fro is the headunit.  On one hand there’s a couple of Joying units that could be fitted and work.  Joying are one of the better aftermarket integrated units if only because their base specs are generally higher.  

That's good to know for the generic range because it can be a crap shoot from the junk that comes from China. Some people are reporting various issues with software, functionality and even radio reception. How frustrating that would have to be and the people who make these junkers could care less. If I had the time, inclination and money, I'd invest in a name brand for total peace of mind. Kenwood, Alpine, Pioneer are the pick of the bunch.

 

4 hours ago, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

 That said I can always use Techstream for config and do I really need the A/C settings appearing on a screen directly above the AC controls?

I purchased the Techstream system from an ebay seller and got stiffed. He turned out to be a crook. Paid for it, sent me a fake tracking number and never heard from him after a few messages and never saw the item. That was around 6 months ago or more now. He's a guy who operates out of Israel, ships from China and went by the name of 'feldman'. Got the old lip service for a short time then poooft, then he took the vow of silence.The dirty dog has most likely started a new user account as I can't find him under that name anymore. Ah the joy of Ebay.

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

Finally clocked up so actual driving in Sebastian.  
 

Nothing remarkable but more importantly nothing went wrong or weird which bodes well for longterm use.

We are very happy with our measured fuel

consumption.  A couple of 7.61/100km fills and then a 6.85L/100km stint over 400km that included West to Easy Sydney.   
 

We’d bought an Aurion with the intent to do long-distance and day trips (like the ~750km I did yesterday) so fuel consumption was a factor.  Recent rental small/medium SUVs typically getting sub-8L on the highway, but lacking the torque for punchy overtaking on “B” roads and various single lane rural and remote region roads.  
 

To return 7.X and have the torque/power on tap is a good result.  He’s not the most powerful car we’ve owned, nor as sure footed as those that came before him but he’s definitely still a worth successor.

Will have to check the oil colour (about 2000km since the flush and change) and get on with booking the trans service.

[ZZT86]

Wow, you're clearly a pro. Pitty about the orange peel, then most cars have it so that's life. Excellent work mate.

[adn]

On 8/15/2021 at 6:30 PM, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

Sebastian is a Prodigy, bought because we needed a long-legged distance car, and to be honest after spending $2k on hire cars in the last 12 months and another $1k booking in a couple months we started to realise that not having a tourer was starting to bite.  But just because we want touring doesn’t mean we don’t want some cornering. 
 

Step one was decent tyres and alignment, step was ordered before he got here.

Whats metallic blue, has two position adjustment and is 19mm round?

 

A quick wrestle around the exhaust and body roll should be moderated somewhat.

We can still look at dialling the suspension in a bit more, considering the other cars in the household are nimble little things Sebastian can have some poise, but he’s not getting away with being a “boat”.  
 

Which sway bar is this?

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

3 hours ago, adn said:

Which sway bar is this?

https://www.hardracesuspension.com.au/rear-sway-bar~1308
 

Hardrace.  Fitted up and made a big difference in the feel/confidence in cornerss

[Twixter]

When are you coming to QLD to clean my car? hehe.

Looks like you've done a tremendous job with Seb!

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

I mentioned earlier a “Climate Control Glitch”.

Well the glitch ended up turning into a fault and as such it had to be resolved.

So what was going on?  In short, intermittent cabin fan function.  Initially I’d thought it was just a delay in starting the fan after PowerOn, but it became random, and would pulse the fan full on, then off, then full on for a few minutes on warm days before working fine.

Then a few days before Christmas, just as the “cold” weather broke and we were in the 30’s.  yeah not happy.

Luckily I’d seen a cheap (used) blower fan and so I had that awkward “what’s this delivery from OnlyFans?” discussion with my wife on Christmas Eve.  
 

New fan wasn’t the cleanest.  I sprayed it liberally with cleaning agent, and proceeded to pull Sebastian apart.

It takes a lot more tools and screws to get to the fan than actually removing the fan.

On my old fan jigging the connector could reproduce the fault.  But also with the fan out of the housing it was obviously making a bit more noise than the replacement unit indicating that it’s bushings also aren’t that great.

So why the pulsing?  
well the fans seem to have a PWM controlled built in, it drives the fan motor at the chosen speed and also incorporates a safeguard against overloading/over current.  My theory is that the controller itself has cooked a bit, and as the fan has aged and the cabin filter been left clogged (and the bushings start wearing) the controller starts cutting power because the load is excessive.  Once the fan pulses enough times the inertia and heat in the bushings overcomes the resistance and it can settle down and keep running.

Anyway my $72 delivered used fan works perfectly and is a bit quieter in the lower speeds.  
If/When it fails I’ll just replace it with a new one from RockAuto.com.  Shouldnt be more than about $250 for a brand new one delivered (I did check new pricing and there are some very cheap options, but $72 and a localish return policy was a good middle step to see if that’s my problem).

—

Checked the oil and it’s good and clear too, next scheduled service is February and I’ve got a couple more distance runs to do before then. 

[KAA]

TY Aaron, Great detailed description of the fan issue mate, I also would try out the middle of the road fix first before going to the expensive option. And now you know the dismantling procedure any future replacement will be much easier to do. I remember you saying the cabin filter was clogged so do think this caused the excessive build up of heat? most likely it would but how much?

Glad the oil issues seem too be now cleared up and the long runs will at least be far more fun for you before you change it all again

Keep Well mate and ty again for the detailed report

KAA

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

The cabin filter when we got Sebastian was definitely well past it’s prime.  Obviously skipped at least one interval, possibly two.  
 

Where the clogged filter theory falls down a bit is that when the system is in Recirc mode (either full defrost, or in hot weather full AC) the filter is bypassed and air is draw. Directly from behind the glovebox.  

It’s an odd fault, most googling points at the weird fuse in the engine bay or the fan motor itself being “burnt out”.  
 

Either way, fixed is fixed 🙂

[campbeam]

9 hours ago, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

The cabin filter when we got Sebastian was definitely well past it’s prime.  Obviously skipped at least one interval, possibly two.  
 

Where the clogged filter theory falls down a bit is that when the system is in Recirc mode (either full defrost, or in hot weather full AC) the filter is bypassed and air is draw. Directly from behind the glovebox.  

It’s an odd fault, most googling points at the weird fuse in the engine bay or the fan motor itself being “burnt out”.  
 

Either way, fixed is fixed 🙂

I do agree with your clogged filter theory. It would put more load on the fan and its controller.

Unsure about the bushings wearing which could be more related to the number of hours of working life and under dash temperature. As I noticed earlier, you were not so happy about the recent hotter weather with 30+ temperatures.

Good to speculate upon possible underlying causes so that a repeat repair can be avoided or minimised. Anyway it makes sense to check/clean/replace the cabin air filter on a regular basis. My vehicle is parked outdoors under shade, when possible so I notice an accumulation of leaves when I open the engine bonnet.

Totally agree with your closing comment of "Fixed is fixed".

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

I figure the fan is was at 7 years old, and the car has averaged 500km/week for its whole life (before I got it in July) so a fan just plain wearing out isn’t unsurprising either.  
 

in other news.  I’ve decided to finally bin the factory stereo and replace it with a modern (CarPlay being the specific objective) aftermarket unit.  While I would have preferred to have either an Alpine (like out other two cars) I also wanted to have the headunit sit in the Aerpro Fascia kit without an adapter ring.  
That meant shopping for a 200mm unit as opposed to DoubleDin.  Options were Kenwood DDX-920WDABS, Kenwood DMX-820WS and a couple of lower spec Clarion options.  
 

What I settled on was the Pioneer AVH-ZL5150BT.  On paper the spec is great and there’s a lot of generally positive commentary about the units online.  
 

The real win was stock availability, both Kenwood are on restricted supply - so installers can get them on demand, but DIY and online only retailers struggle to get stock.  The other win is price.  I paid a hair under $650 for a unit that has a RRP closer to $1k.  In the current market I’ll call that a good deal.

Obviously it’s yet to arrive, but I have the Install facia and loom kit here already (bought for sub $100 earlier this year).

Detailed Install pics etc will come once it arrives.

[KAA]

Good idea Aaron to change the head-unit out, you will not only benefit from a far more adaptable unit with modern conveniences but also save heaps on the deal as well. When we replaced ours for a nice unit I was after modern maps ability to update them myself and most important to me was sound quality as we love our own music and not the thump thump stuff on the radio nowadays. so went Double Din with 2 separate cables slipped into the glovebox so we can use our flash drives which I regularly add to as I find songs I don't have already. Awesome for the days we managed to do long drives, and as your all set up already with the facia and cables it should be a nice easy transfer over. Looking forward to your Pic's of the new unit when you receive it.

Keep Safe Mate

KAA

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

We have Carplay in our other two cars, and Sebastian’s predecessor had a super useable Satnav setup that despite lacking Carplay worked flawlessly with the phones via USB or Bluetooth.

The Toyota system is just clunky and more than a bit finicky.

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

Operation Plug-n-Play.
I'd had a extra beer after getting home from a NYE lunch with friends and decided that installing the sweet new tunes was a good idea.  I mean it's all plug and play right?

Step One, remove a bunch of stuff.  The cover from the clock and seatbelt reminder gets unclipped (it slides towards the rear of the car to disengage with a bit of an upward angle.  Then the Center vents and clock unit get removed - again they're just clipped in and a firm tug pops them out.  On the lower corners two little cover pieces get in clipped.  Now the 4 X 10mm bolts that hold the centre stack in place are exposed.  They get removed and the assembly can be unclipped and unplugged.

So. Many. Plugs.  

Stock unit is held in place with 3 bolts per side.  The metal frame is actually attached to the climate unit and the climate unit is clipped onto the fascia.

The yellow clips get transferred to the Aerpro Fascia tabs.  There's two types and they are specifically oriented.

Test fit of the climate unit and fascia.  Looks OK.

Back view.  The “trick” is the stereo needs to be screwed into the frame then the frame, stereo and climate unit installed into the fascia.  In the bench the fit looks appalling, this had me stumped but clipping the fascia into the dash resolves that.

Lots of plugging.  There were a couple of WTF moments.  I had to swap a (supplied) wire into the adapter loom to replace a male bullet terminal with a female one so it could plug into the adapter loom for the headunit.  This explained (not documented) why there was a random terminated wire tagged “reverse”.  
The little magic box that converts steering wheel buttons was a pain in the —-, but once I reset the headunit with the handbrake connected I was able to configure it.  Or rather activate it.

In place.  It's not quite an slick as you'd hope, but the entire front panel is motorised and tilts for access to the DVD/CD slot.

Sound quality is way better than the factory unit and overall it's got good features but some of the execution isn't great.  I have some configuration fine tuning to do and I will pull the unit again to wrap some insulation around all the connector bundles in a day or two after a good test.

What I'm most pleased about is the factory USB and AUX ports are used, the factory (6v) reverse camera works and genuinely everything plugged in and just worked.  No splice and extra wire etc.

I don’t like having to use the Pioneer microphone, apparently it’s possible to power and adapt the factory microphone so that may be a task for future me.

My Bill of materials:

Pioneer AVH-ZL5150BT

Aerpro Toyota Aurion GSV50 Fascia FP8052

Aerpro CHT015C Control Harness Kit (this is the one with every adapter for the car)

Aerpro APP9PIO8 Stereo Adapter (This hooks the pioneer to the CHT015C kit)

I’m still stunned that it was 90 minutes of relaxed pace work and the job is done.  It would take probably 30 minutes to pop out to do my insulation.

Edited December 31, 2021 by Sebastian Woodhouse