byw

Thanks for the info - they're about the same price as the stock pads and hopefully a bit gentler on the rotors. :D Cheers.

Thanks for the replies guys... You're not wrong, I nearly fell off my chair when the service rep told me the total cost for the pads and rotors. Where can you get these "thermo-quiet" pads and do you know how much they cost? Thanks - I and other TRD Aurion owners would be interested to see whether these stock rotors can be purchased for a cheaper price. It's a relief that I am not the odd one out with faster than usual rotor wear, however, I am still surprised that they only lasted 45,000Kms with the stock pads - I guess more profit for Toyota given that there is no aftermarket alternative for the rear rotors and TRD owners are forced to pay stupidly high prices for them!! Are the DBA slotted blanks suitable for the front only? Do you know how much these slotted blank rotors cost?

Just had the 45,000Km service for my TRD Aurion and was shocked to be told that all 4 pads and rotors will need to be replaced. I can understand the pads wearing out, but the rotors after 45,000Kms? According to the service rep the rotors are worn below the minimum thickness and cannot be skimmed and reused. I don't drive my car hard and have purchased it secondhand with 30,000Km on the clock so cannot say how the car was driven before I purchased it. The other shock that I got was the price of the replacement parts. I was quoted a total of $1858.60 for parts only (4 pads and 4 rotors). Front pads were $97.38, rear pads $99.36, a pair of front rotors $751.43 and a pair of rear rotors $910.42. I thought this must be a mistake and called another dealer to check the prices and was quoted $1976.59 for the same 4 pads and 4 rotors!! I have read Dave and Secaboy's thread on TRD Brake Options and there is not a lot on offer and the only saving is to go aftermarket with modified front rotors only (stock pads are cheaper than I thought!!) - unfortunately have to go with the ultra expensive stock rear rotors. No matter what option I choose, it's going to be an expensive exercise and hope I don't have to replace all 4 rotors every 45,000Kms!! I also would like to hear from other TRD Aurion owners on the rate of wear with their pads and rotors and whether they also have to change their rotors. I understand brake wear and tear will depend on the type of driving (eg. city stop/start or country) and how hard you drive the car. Perhaps you can also indicate the type of driving and how hard you tend to drive your TRD with your replies. Thanks in advance for your comments. Cheers.

Likewise Chicken...

Dave, thanks for organising the photoshoot/meet. It was really good to put some faces to usernames and cars.

1. Davo 2. and1 (although I'm not sure which car to bring :( ) 3. chicken 4. Mole 5. Stripeydog 6. byw (may turn up a bit late and cannot guarantee the car will be clean :P ) 7. 8.

Thanks heaps Daryl for posting the latest maps and allowing us to download it from your website.

Would you care naming the dealer? I have had my TRD taken for an 80km "test drive" when I booked my car in for a leak in the boot! This particular dealer is in the Morley area . I would never take my TRD back there again! i would love to tell you but my missus works there and we may still end up in court over it. the Punk was sacked over it so i am comfortable that this sort of thing wont be happening at that dealer for some time. Its bound to happen at any 1 of the Toyota dealerships as there are not many TRDs, 537 AUS wide and every young punk Toyota mechanic wants to take the most powerful Toyota for a strap. No probs.. I understand your situation and hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction as soon as possible. Good luck and let us know the outcome.

Would you care naming the dealer? I have had my TRD taken for an 80km "test drive" when I booked my car in for a leak in the boot! This particular dealer is in the Morley area ;). I would never take my TRD back there again!

No worries - we're all here to try to help out the TOCAU Members

Please do not take this the wrong way, but based on your figures of $37,011 as income with $5,000 worth of work related deductions, the tax payable is: Taxable Income is $37,011 - $5,000 = $31,011 Using the ATO Tax Scales for 2010 - 2011, he falls into the 2nd tier ($6,001 – $37,000 15c for each $1 over $6,000): Tax Payable is: $31,011 - $6,000 = $25,011 * 0.15 = $3,751.65 I thought the 11 cents was a typo as you stated an amount of $37,011 not $37,000.11 - anyway, the ATO only deals in whole dollars and the 11 cents would effectively be "tax free". I agree! As I am not an accountant either, however, I just don't want any TOCAU members to get the wrong idea that earning an extra 11 cents or $11 will penalise you thousands of dollars in extra tax! :D

This is not quite true, using your example, he would still pay 15% tax on the amount between $6,001 to $37,000, however, anything above $37,000 and below $80,001, ie. the $11 will be taxed at 30%. Below is a table of the marginal rates from the ATO website: Tax rates 2010–11 Taxable income Tax on this income 0 – $6,000 Nil $6,001 – $37,000 15c for each $1 over $6,000 $37,001 – $80,000 $4,650 plus 30c for each $1 over $37,000 $80,001 – $180,000 $17,550 plus 37c for each $1 over $80,000 $180,001 and over $54,550 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000

Interest earned via savings/investment accounts form part of your taxable income together with your wages etc. and taxed at your marginal rate. Financial institutions will withhold some of the interest earned at the highest marginal rate if you do not provide them with a Tax File Number (TFN), however, if you have provided them with a TFN, the Financial Institutions should not deduct any withholding tax and assume you would declare your interest earnings at the end of the financial year when you do your tax. Remember to declare all your interest income as Financial Institutions provide the ATO with info for data matching to check whether you have failed to declare any interest in your tax returns.

I think it's for facial recognition... New Panasonic cameras come with facial recognition feature Thursday 29th January, 06:34 AM JST OSAKA — Panasonic Corp said Wednesday that from February it will market four compact digital cameras capable of registering facial data in advance so that the cameras will automatically focus on specific people. With the function, users can take pictures of their relatives and friends in group photos more easily and can also input the names and ages of their children to record the process of their growth, the electronics giant said. http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/new-panasonic-cameras-come-with-facial-recognition-feature

You can check whether your car is eligible for the Toyota Service Advantage by entering your car's VIN in link below. https://webapps.toyota.com.au/apps/advantage/

I used to own a Presara before I replaced it with the TRD. The keys can be programmed to recognise seat and mirror settings so that my wife had her pre-programmed settings and I had mine. I did experiment with having both keys near the drivers door and opened the door and I think the key with the fresher battery was selected by the sensor. Normally, the driver would have the key on their person and even if your wife have her key in her handbag, I think the car will know that the drivers key will be detected by the sensor near the drivers door and will set the seat and side mirror setting for the key that is closest to the drivers door.

Thanks for the awesome pics -DAvo

-DAvo, thanks for organising the photoshoot and taking some excellent photos. It was great to also finally meet some of the members and put some faces to names. :D

I'm in :)

No preference from me - happy to go with whatever you guys decide. However, if it looks like it's going to rain, a location that we can stay dry would be preferred. Not sure if any of these 2 locations have cover if it rains.

Have we confirmed on a location to meet up?

That's DJ at his efficient best!! :D Appreciate your thoughts and point of view as well! :D Thanks.

Different springs and shocks, wider wheels an tires, and an alloy rear bumper support beam on the 3500SL. That's about it. Te springs and shocks make a pretty decent difference though. Cheers Daryl :)

Yes. Even the TRD is 16mm stock. So what has been changed between the Sportivo that the TRD started off from to the final TRD? Does the stock TRD handle the same/better than the stock Sportivo?

I am okay with the date - what time are you thinking of meeting up? im thinking around 830ish 8:30pm suits me also.... I'm in. :D