2007 Aurion

[Vix]

Hey guys,

I've bought a 2007 aurion prodigy recently. 131,000km on the clock. Love everything about it so far. Just had a standard service (oil, filter change etc) after I bought it. Been using it for work in the last 7 days traveling 50-50 highway and urban. Current fuel usage around 9.5L per 100km (using 98 since last owner). When the fuel warning icon came up and I re-fuel the car after traveling another 2-4kms. Only ended up filling 53L worth of fuel in total before the pump stops. Is this normal? Also, I have the full logbook since the 1st owner but it doesn't have any details of what major service has been done. If I want to improve my fuel economy, should I change my spark plugs etc when my next service due at 137,000km?

Thanks!

Edited August 16, 2021 by Vix
typo

[Tony Prodigy]

5 hours ago, Vix said:

When the fuel warning icon came up and I re-fuel the car after traveling another 2-4kms. Only ended up filling 53L worth of fuel in total before the pump stops. Is this normal?

Yes. This is normal. When the fuel warning light comes on, it doesn't mean your tank is close to dry, infact there is around 10 litres left which should give you around 80 or so kays of distance. That said, don't wait for the warning light to come on because your fuel pump lives inside the tank and the more you run it on empty, the more the pump can heat up and reduce it's lifespan. The fuel pump relies on fuel sloshing around to keep it cool, so the more fuel you have the better. I like to use 1/3 to empty as my indication to refuel.

5 hours ago, Vix said:

I have the full logbook since the 1st owner but it doesn't have any details of what major service has been done. If I want to improve my fuel economy, should I change my spark plugs etc when my next service due at 137,000km?

There is no major servicing required in that service range you mentioned. Only routine stuff. I don't have my service book in front of me at the time of writing this, but what I can say is that it's all purely fluid and filter related with other general checks and adjustments. The 2GR-FE doesn't have a timing belt so this doesn't figure as a major service component like older Toyota engines did which was generally around 120K intervals. Just keep an eye out for the water pump as they have been known to be a failure point on the 40 series at around your current kays. If you hear any strange noises coming from that location have it looked at, otherwise they are a very reliable engine. Change the oil regularly with a quality 5W-30 oil and do not follow the stupid service book oil change interval of 15K. This will cause sludging and create all sorts of issues. Try to keep it well under 10K and like most of us here between 5K and 7.5K. I was initially doing 10K intervals but will now start doing them every 5K. Oil can be purchased cheaply enough when the stores have their sales on so there's no excuse for not doing the oil more often than not. Even if you aren't a DIYer, oil changes aren't difficult to do yourself if you have the inclination.

As for spark plugs, If the spark plugs are still the original Iridiums, then they will still be good for a while yet. Some say up to 160k- to 180K if I recall correctly. They aren't cheap hence their very long lifespan. 

Follow everything that's set out in the service book except for the oil service as I mentioned and you'll have no issues.

If you need any advice please ask. There is plenty of knowledge here on this forum. We try to make it as light as possible and have a bit of fun along the way too so there's no such thing as a stupid question.

Hope all this helps. 

Cheers mate 

[campbeam]

Agree with what Tony has posted with some exceptions. Check your owner's manual and the fuel warning light should display when there is approx. 15 litres of petrol remaining in the tank. Fuel tank capacity is 70 litres. Personally, I refuel my vehicle before the 1/2 full indicator on the fuel guage. However, I use jerry cans to be able to take advantage of the petrol station fuel pricing cycle when it is lower.

Definitely keep a watchful eye on the water pump. It seems to be a bit of a lottery as to how long your water pump lasts. Check the service history as to when the coolant was last changed. In previous years, I used to remove the coolant overflow bottle, clean out any sediment in the bottom of the bottle and replace the coolant in the overflow bottle annually.   

I bought my 2006 Aurion with approx. 160K on the odometer with an incomplete, suspect service history and an engine with accumulated oil sludge. I do mostly urban driving so my oil change interval is much shorter then 5K. After a recent highway trip on the weekend, "Sludgy" did her trick of blowing white smoke. So she will be getting another overkill oil change procedure after approx. 2.5K .   Highly recomment that you consider the old school approach of a 5K oil change interval. Definitely check the colour of the oil at 5K and possibly continue to 7.5K. I also regularly check the level on the dipstick usually every weekend.

A definite issue on the 40 series Aurions before late 2008/2009 was the rubber hose mid-section in the rear VVTi oil line. Toyota did a limited service bulletin at that time to replace that rubber mid-section with a higher quality hose and then a full metal rear VVTi oil line. Highly recommend that you confirm that your vehicle has the full metal rear VVTi oil line. It is a ticking time bomb. From experience, the engine at idle will pump a lot of oil out of a pinprick hole that you cannot visually detect.

Check the service history to confirm whether the Automatic Transmission Fluid has been changed. If the transmission has never been serviced, then I would recommend removing and cleaning the transmission pan and replacing the ATF. Most members report experiencing smoother gear changes after changing the ATF. Regular changes of the ATF are going to extend the life of the transmission. 

On a closing note, the Aurion is a reliable vehicle but it needs to be regularly serviced using quality fluids.

 

 

 

 

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

As a recent buyer of a circa 180Kkm Aurion I would throw the following suggestions:

- Air Filter

- Cabin filter

- Oil & Filter 

- Spark Splugs

- Coolant

- Trans fluid and filter.

Mine has full history, all with Toyota but the last major, and depending on how dates are played against mileage maybe one before.

Its evident that the last major was not done completely so we are simply doing those items ourselves.  Nominally it’s a $1200 service at the dealership.

Sadly many workshops will stamp the book after doing just an oil change for minimal cost and kick the rest of the maintenance can another interval down the road.  Eventually filters get too clogged or spark plugs break down and then that stuff gets caught up.  Arguably that’s cheaper than servicing correctly.

You can register your car in the “myToyota” app and get a lot of Toyota service history direct.

Also www.toyotamanuals.com.au will give you the ability to read the owners and service manuals plus find service bulletins like the VVT oil pipe.  

[Vix]

Thank you all for the advise. 👍👍👍

[KAA]

Welcome Vix, As all above have answered most of your questions all I can say is I have found loads of regular quality Oil and filter changes makes the world of difference to the feel and joy of our beauties, "Faye" our Presara is always a pleasure to slide behind the wheel and just cruise quiet and smooth enjoying our music in the sunshine, sadly lately it is up and down the driveway with the rare trip to the supermarket for food and essentials. But the dream of soon the day will come we can do a long haul road trip keeps me motivated to keep it in perfect condition. One thing I would suggest is not only concentrate on the engine and transmission but remember to give the interior love as well, I enjoy giving those lovely leather seats a good clean and condition and the dash etc as well. Enjoy the Prodigy and enjoy the forum as you can see a wealth of knowledge here and send us a few Pic's of your beauty.

KAA

[Tony Prodigy]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:45 AM, Sebastian Woodhouse said:

Also www.toyotamanuals.com.au will give you the ability to read the owners and service manuals plus find service bulletins like the VVT oil pipe.  

I suspect Toyota have killed this site as the page is unreachable.

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

 

Nope still there 🙂

[Tony Prodigy]

The www. was what fouled the search so I ended up google searching it and discovered that you need to register as a company and then they extort a subscription fee from you to be able to download a service manual.

All Service & Repair Manual Pack Access to all available Service and Repair Manual on the SRM site

1 Day - $ 16.50 7 Day - $ 66.00 30 Days - $ 198.00 6 Months- $ 990.00

 

So much for the poor old punter.

[KAA]

Wow Tony, they know how to make you dig deeply into the hip pocket to just download the service history and manuals etc

KAA 

 

[Sebastian Woodhouse]

No.  Service History of your car is free through the myToyota App if you have a history with Toyota.  Also the Owners Manual and the Service Booklet is free.  Yes these are the ones included in the glovebox if they haven't been lost.  However if you need a service schedule, its there.

The detailed service manuals and procedures are a charged Item, but I would question anyone needing them to perform the basic maintenance.

[Vix]

Hey guys,

Just discovered a new problem with my aurion (I thought it was normal). My AC/climate control wont start until around 60 seconds after the car start up (after parking over night). And once its turned on, the settings are always random but the temperature is always set at 25 degrees. Short trips are fine, the system actually saves the settings but it resets every morning when I start driving. It seems its a pretty common problem with toyota's climate control system delay issue. How can I start DIY fix before I take it to auto electrician. I've tried some DIY research myself...but the info is just too much for me lol. Change a certain fuse, reset ecu, servo motor, assembly plate etc...

Thanks in advance!

[Tony Prodigy]

On 9/2/2021 at 8:03 PM, KAA said:

Wow Tony, they know how to make you dig deeply into the hip pocket to just download the service history and manuals etc

KAA 

 

I don't think they are aimed at helping the DIYer. More likely aimed at a garage owner/business owner. I guess you could pay the cheapest subscription, which is one day, and then go nuts and download as much as you can. I wonder if that's been done and if they then put a restriction on how many files you can download...

[Tony Prodigy]

7 hours ago, Vix said:

Hey guys,

Just discovered a new problem with my aurion (I thought it was normal). My AC/climate control wont start until around 60 seconds after the car start up (after parking over night). And once its turned on, the settings are always random but the temperature is always set at 25 degrees. Short trips are fine, the system actually saves the settings but it resets every morning when I start driving. It seems its a pretty common problem with toyota's climate control system delay issue. How can I start DIY fix before I take it to auto electrician. I've tried some DIY research myself...but the info is just too much for me lol. Change a certain fuse, reset ecu, servo motor, assembly plate etc...

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like the climate control module is starting to play up. You can get these relatively cheap on ebay. Find yourself a good second hand one and just swap it out before spending all that extra money at an auto electrician who will probably just tell you the same thing.

It's a very simple job if you are prepared to do some minimal dismantling. There are plenty of youtube videos that can guide you in this process. You'll save yourself a lot of money and it's very easy, trust me.

Let us know how you go.

Cheers mate 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Tony Prodigy

[Vix]

4 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Sounds like the climate control module is starting to play up. You can get these relatively cheap on ebay. Find yourself a good second hand one and just swap it out before spending all that extra money at an auto electrician who will probably just tell you the same thing.

It's a very simple job if you are prepared to do some minimal dismantling. There are plenty of youtube videos that can guide you in this process. You'll save yourself a lot of money and it's very easy, trust me.

Let us know how you go.

Cheers mate 

Hey tony,

Thanks for the reply. So basically just swap one of these?

Just worried the problem could be somewhere else and it wont fix the current problem. Will do some more research before I purchase one of these.

Cheers!

[Tony Prodigy]

Yes. Just swap yours over if it's the same for your model car. 
By all means do your research. Usually the issue will reside in a localised area. It is a controller at the end of the day. Its function is to set and control the A/C so the symptoms you described point to the controller. The ECU has nothing to do with it really. These controllers can play up as they are pcb controlled and pcb's can play up over time.

[Vix]

3 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Yes. Just swap yours over if it's the same for your model car. 
By all means do your research. Usually the issue will reside in a localised area. It is a controller at the end of the day. Its function is to set and control the A/C so the symptoms you described point to the controller. The ECU has nothing to do with it really. These controllers can play up as they are pcb controlled and pcb's can play up over time.

Thanks for the advice!

[Vix]

Hi guys,

The air con problem is fixed. Found out that the blue plug (near the foot/hand brake) was disconnected. Maybe one of the previous owners accidentally stepped on it. Just needed to plug it back in. Its working fine now!

Just a quick question in regarding fuel consumption...I've been only using the car for local grocery shopping for the last couple of weeks 3-5 mins (start-stop) short trips. current fuel consumption reading is 15.5/L per 100km...I've only done 240km ish so far while using 98 with 1/4 tank to go. Is this normal for short trips only?

any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks!   

[campbeam]

6 hours ago, Vix said:

Hi guys,

The air con problem is fixed. Found out that the blue plug (near the foot/hand brake) was disconnected. Maybe one of the previous owners accidentally stepped on it. Just needed to plug it back in. Its working fine now!

Just a quick question in regarding fuel consumption...I've been only using the car for local grocery shopping for the last couple of weeks 3-5 mins (start-stop) short trips. current fuel consumption reading is 15.5/L per 100km...I've only done 240km ish so far while using 98 with 1/4 tank to go. Is this normal for short trips only?

any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks!   

Fuel economy is at its worst for short trips. Until the engine and coolant warms up, the transmission operates more in the lower gears. Fuel economy for the Aurion is at its best for cruising on the highway. A bit hard when you are under travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

In recent times, I have given up worrying about the fuel economy and more concentrate upon just enjoying the drive. The lead foot also plays havoc with the fuel economy. I may not be the fastest away from the traffic lights but I do overtake them further down the road. 

Also best to keep as much fuel in the tank to cool the fuel pump to hopefully extend its operating life.

[dng__]

I couldn't find a relevant sub so I thought I'd ask here. I recently bought a 2007 Aurion sportivo sx6 with 150,000 kms on it. I didn't have any issues during the first week but it soon developed the dreaded vvti rattle. Despite this is it drove well and could engage vvti (after 4800rpm) just fine. But recently I've noticed that once it exceeds the 4800 rpm limit and transitions into vvti there is a noticeable grinding sound that occurs that isn't present in any other portion of the rev range. Is the grinding sound a result of the bad vvti spring or could it be another problem. Ever since it's developed that noise I haven't really taken it beyond 4800 rpm. Just had a service done yesterday so decided to check whether the noise is still there, and it is. Is there an easy fix to this? And is it diy-able. 

18 hours ago, Vix said:

Just a quick question in regarding fuel consumption...I've been only using the car for local grocery shopping for the last couple of weeks 3-5 mins (start-stop) short trips. current fuel consumption reading is 15.5/L per 100km...I've only done 240km ish so far while using 98 with 1/4 tank to go. Is this normal for short trips only?

Also similar to Vix I was getting ridiculously poor fuel economy on 94 (around 15L/100km) but since then i've been using 95 and it's settled at 12L/100km. The previous owner claimed to be getting 9L/100km which I honestly find pretty hard to believe. Does anyone have any tips for helping reduce the fuel consumptions? Will using 98 make a big difference? 

 

[KAA]

Hi Muhammad, I can't assist with the rattle/grind sound but I am sure others will help with that as many good minds on here. The fuel consumption really has a lot to do with your driving style, tyres also pay a big part and most of all maintenance of the beast under the bonnet and transmission. I personally wont use full unleaded at any time unless really stuck with no choice, I use E91 and if the price is right E95, lately most petrol stations are not budging on price wars so all are expensive so E91 it is, when I check the economy read out my normal usage for short (COVID restricted) trips I am getting around 9.7L/100 this is pretty much the normal for me, as always there are days I just want to enjoy the power and the who cares about fuel consumption part of me kicks in and like Ashley said enjoy that power feeling. We have debates before about using the E98 verses E95 E91 so there will be some threads I am sure in the Aurion section to read, but if I recall most thought it really a waste of money for what you gain, I am sure when we can do some long drives a few more comments will be coming regarding fuel economy

Keep Safe

KAA

[Hiro]

11 minutes ago, KAA said:

Hi Muhammad, I can't assist with the rattle/grind sound but I am sure others will help with that as many good minds on here. The fuel consumption really has a lot to do with your driving style, tyres also pay a big part and most of all maintenance of the beast under the bonnet and transmission. I personally wont use full unleaded at any time unless really stuck with no choice, I use E91 and if the price is right E95, lately most petrol stations are not budging on price wars so all are expensive so E91 it is, when I check the economy read out my normal usage for short (COVID restricted) trips I am getting around 9.7L/100 this is pretty much the normal for me, as always there are days I just want to enjoy the power and the who cares about fuel consumption part of me kicks in and like Ashley said enjoy that power feeling. We have debates before about using the E98 verses E95 E91 so there will be some threads I am sure in the Aurion section to read, but if I recall most thought it really a waste of money for what you gain, I am sure when we can do some long drives a few more comments will be coming regarding fuel economy

Keep Safe

KAA

E91/E95/E98 implies 91%/95%/98% ethanol by the way (like E85), basically straight alcohol...

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, dng__ said:

But recently I've noticed that once it exceeds the 4800 rpm limit and transitions into vvti there is a noticeable grinding sound that occurs that isn't present in any other portion of the rev range. Is the grinding sound a result of the bad vvti spring or could it be another problem. Ever since it's developed that noise I haven't really taken it beyond 4800 rpm. Just had a service done yesterday so decided to check whether the noise is still there, and it is. Is there an easy fix to this? And is it diy-able. 

Got some bad news for you. I may have had the occassional VVTi rattle upon start up. I have no direct experience or read about a grinding noise when the VVTi system is engaged at higher revs.The car is giving you a warning sign about the VVTi system. Ignore at your peril of an expensive repair at a later date when it fails badly.

Best thing to do is get an experienced Toyota mechanic to check the VVTi system. This is going to involve removing the valve covers and checking the bolts on the VVTi system as a starting point. Another potential related issue could be oil sludge particles caught in the filter mesh screens of the VVTi system for the oil control valves. 

As for the previous owner's claim about getting a fuel economy of 9L/100kms, I would expect that was achieved from mostly highway driving with some urban driving. Lead foot/spirited driving will also impact your fuel economy. KAA must be more light footed and disciplined than myself to be achieving 9.7L/100 kms. I also do mostly short distance driving <10 km trips so my fuel economy is terrible compared to a road trip where I can achieve <8L/100 kms [at the speed limit and without too much overtaking]. 

[KAA]

Yes I am a fairly gentle driver and only on occasions when "She Who Must Be Obeyed" is not in the car do I let the young lead foot out in me LOL

Usually I must admit I just like to cruise gently and enjoy the knowledge that if I press my right foot down I can leave many behind LOL

Checked again today and it was 9.2L/100 so I am due to get out now and give it a really good run, well at least as far as we are allowed right now so family visits that are way too long overdue so at least on a freeway for about 1/2 hour 

KAA

[Tony Prodigy]

On 10/10/2021 at 4:48 PM, dng__ said:

Also similar to Vix I was getting ridiculously poor fuel economy on 94 (around 15L/100km) but since then i've been using 95 and it's settled at 12L/100km. The previous owner claimed to be getting 9L/100km which I honestly find pretty hard to believe. Does anyone have any tips for helping reduce the fuel consumptions? Will using 98 make a big difference? 

 

On 10/10/2021 at 5:00 PM, KAA said:

The fuel consumption really has a lot to do with your driving style, tyres also pay a big part and most of all maintenance of the beast under the bonnet and transmission

Fuel economy is very subjective and you can't really can't compare apples with oranges. Rob mentioned a few factors, but another factor worth considering is how much idle time you spend in traffic. You could be on a roll abd get all the green lights, which means you don't have to stop, wait, accelerate, which in turn keeps the economy scale within target, even potting around town. HIghway use is obviously the best measure, but roughly 80% of our driving is mostly done in crazy metro areas so the economy will fluctuate depending on conditions. 

Another point I'd like to add is you need to be pretty light footed to get the best out of it. Heavy foot work will be punished. We use a combination of E10 and 91 RON fuel and rarely the 95 RON, unless it's cheap enough. The car gets used daily so the E10 is of no concern to me.
I can't say in all honesty, when my wife drives it around town the economo meter always reads around 12ish Lt/100. She doesn't know any better, so I just accept it as you can't teach them either. For me, I take up the challenge whenever I get a chance to drive it (which isn't often) to see how far I can pull that figure down and believe this, I was able to pull it down to 8.4 Lt/100 after around 30 minutes of driving. That stint was a combination of stop/start, but mostly 60 to 80 kay zones with favourable conditions.

So yes, the potential is there, regardless of what fuel you use. Don't waste you're money on premium fuel unless the manufacturer recommends it. It's a rip off and you don't need it. The Aurion is optimised to use E10 so don't let the scare mongerers tell you its bad for the engine. If you plan to put the car in storage, then you'd best drain the fuel system dry, put a bit of premium in there with fuel stabiliser but never leave E10 stored to too long as it will absorb moisture and go off pretty quickly. Daily usage is just fine as it will be circulated very often.