Kesawi

I'm sure raining after polishing is one of Murphy's Laws. At least the water would have beaded :)

Arm rest has broken again after being replaced Back to the dealer again to get it fixed

I've changed my driving style to that of a 90 year old to improve fuel economy. The acceleration and gear changes used to be very responsive, but now the ECU has also learnt to drive like a 90 year old <_< I've been caught out a couple of times already when trying to turn right through a small hole in traffic, planting my foot only to have the car slowly take off. In my opinion an ECU should interpret planting the foot to the floor as wanting to go somewhere very quickly now.

My phone often doesn't reconnect and I need to hard reset the phone and switch the ignition on and off a couple of times. Sometimes I even need to re-pair the phone. I had put it down to the phone but I'm not so sure. It's very frustrating when I'm already driving and discover it isn't synced.

On longer trips form Brisbane to either the Sunshine or Gold Coasts I am able to average 9-10L/100km, and I've seen others post some consumptions below this for trips similar to yours. Anyone found the cruising speed sweet spot for the Kluger which gives the optimum fuel consumption?

Unfortunately I don't know what the installer had to do.

Couldn't agree with you more Ken. It has only taken me 16 years of driving to figure it out.

Don't have the Clarion but do have an Alpine which I'm very happy with. Check out the following post for pictures. Not sure which clarion unit you're looking at, but remember the bigger the screen, the more it obscures your view through the rear view mirror. Get some aftermarket prices for the clarion and other units (as well as other accessories) as it may work out cheaper than through the dealer.

I used to be a real lead foot, racing off at the lights only to come to a halt at the next set of lights. I was averaging 13-15L/100km. I changed my driving style just on one month ago and am now down to 11-12.5L/100km around the city. Basically as others have said: Drive smoothly with slow starts and stops. I have noticed that when I flog it from the lights the average fuel economy will spike by a coupler of 0.1L/100km. If you can time it right, coast to the traffic lights so that you have a rolling start when they change. Don't fight gravity, avoid accelerating up hill. Try to only maintain your speed or allow your speed to drop slightly (use gravity to brake if you're approaching an intersection uphill, instead of accelerating up hill, and then slaming on the brakes). Use gravity to your advantage, try to only accelerate when going down hill, or if the hill is steep enough, let gravity do the work for you. I find the cruise control tends to be too agressive with the throttle when on a road with lots of changes in vertical direction, and by slightly adjusting the throttle with my foot I'm able to be more smoother. If you're driving down a road with a lot of traffic calming devices (speed humps, round-a-bouts, etc), try to maintain a constant speed rather than accelerating and braking between each device. I've noticed that my journey times don't tend to be longer than they were compared to my previous driving style. I've followed cars that do the "race to the next red light" and I seem to always arrive at my destination at exactly the same time, or 30-60 seconds later, which in the overall scheme of things is insignificant, but provides for much better fuel economy. I probably should stick a bowls hat in the back, as it really is similar to the type of driving style associated with the more mature aged driver :P One thing I must say, is that I don't get as stressed or take bigger risks now that I'm driving this way. Unfortunately I've always run my tyres at 40psi so I don't have any annecdotal evidence to compare the effect on fuel usage. I do find the ride comfortable though, but that's just me. On the issue of fuel, I ran 91 RON originally and then switched to 95 RON, but can't really comment on any difference in fuel consumption as my driving pattern changed at th same time since I was no longer working and doing shorter trips. The difference in price between 91 & 95 RON where I fill up is around $0.09/L. At current prices my consumption would need to reduce by around 0.8L/100km to justify the extra price for the fuel. I'm not quite convinced that I achieve this with 95 RON. I will most likey switch back to regular.

I've had the same experience, but so far have been unable to find any adjustments. The mic for the bluetooth on the KX-S is the small hole the front of the radio between the Toyota badge and the green call button. I had a rear roof mount dvd fitted by Mr DVD at Moorooka (http://mr-dvd.com.au/). I was very happy with the quality of their work.

Another typical money generating excercise by Toyota dealers. BTW, this topic has been discussed before (see this thread).

One thing a lot of people often over look is that any goods purchased are covered by a statutory warranty which gives the consumer the right to negotiate with the vendor should the goods break down or develop a fault within an unreasonable time. Even if you are outside the Toyota warranty, you may still have rights for a remedy under the statutory warranty. The NSW department of Fiar Trading has a publication available at http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/Abo...tions/ft230.pdf and I believe there are similar provisions in all other states. The question therefore comes down to whether the cause of the rattle is one which has occurred in an unreasonable time. Me personally, I would expect a car to last for at least 5-10 years without major fault, assuming it was cared for properly. If a rattle is caused by a broken clip, design or manufacturing defect, then they should fix it. Don't give up and let the dealer get away with it, stand up for your rights as a consumer.

You have 30 seconds to open/close the windows unless you open a door. Once a door is opened the power windows will not work. It is detailed in the manual under either the section on the operation of the power windows or the ignition. That's Toyota's friendly/annoying way of reminding you that you've left your keys in the ignition :) Unfortunately turning it off doesn't seem to be one of the customiseable electronic features (See http://mojavetrail.webng.com/CustomParameters.pdf).

I agree the original ScratchX forumla was quite mild and took a lot of elbow grease to get results. ScratchX 2.0 is supposed to be more agressive but I haven't tried it out. If the scratch remains try moving up in agressiveness to a compound. If that doesn't work the the next step is wet sanding but personally I'd rather leave that to someone who has done it before, or practice on a car you don't really car about :)

Anyone noticed whether the bonnet is hotter with the engine cover removed? I'm a little concerned with the potential for additional heat from the engine to accelerate the degredation of the clear coat over time.

Check out this thread which has covered scratch repair in the past. If you are getting scratch X, make sure you get Scratch X 2.0 as it will do deeper scratches quicker than the original version. Saw it at Supercheap here in Brisbane the other day, so the newer formula should be available now elsewhere in the country. I suggest you read the following link for tips on how to use it and what to expect. Hot to remove a defect by hand with Scratch X The definitive SratchX Thread Collection

Noticed dash rattles starting to happen the other day with my KX-S <_< Time to battle with the dealer again.

Chrome fog lights are a nice touch. Chrome exhaust tip to complete the look.

From memory there are about 3 clips along the top beneath the A/C controls and two on the bottom. Then on the wings either side which go to the glove box and steering column I think there are two top and bottom. I think I started by prying off the wings at the top with my fingers and just pulling hard until it came out at one of the clips, and then working around the edge of the panel until all clips were out. You just have to keep pulling and trust you're not going to break anything, which I found hard to do the first time.

It can sometimes be worse than no choice at all :) If you like the features of the altitude, you could always go for aftermarket leather. It's approximately $3500 here in Brisbane for the Kluger.

Could also get lucky and score a working power tail gate :D

Smart key is nice from that perspective. Also, I guess there would be a reduced risk of locking the keys in the car. There would also not be the annoying alarm when you leave the keys in the ignition while the door is open. A real pain when I'm working on the interior and want to listen to the radio. I don't think the Grande has seat memory as neither the manual or marketing info mentions it. Would be great if it could be installed aftermarket, as the power seats are really not complete without it.

Do your Kluger a favour and don't use E10. While it is slightly cheaper, the fuel economy isn't as good. See the following topics: FASTER THAN R50 V10 TWIN TURBO VW TOE RAG!!! ultimate vs vortex I'd like to know where you get premium or diesel for only 5c more than regular. Price gap is around 10-15c here in Brisbane.

I've seen instructions for the following items after market. Auto-dimming mirror. This has been fitted after market to the US models and instructions are available at http://mojavetrail.webng.com/AutoDimMirror.pdf. Not sure whether the Australian models are prewired. Given the dark tint to rear window on the Kluger I've never found that I've been dazzled by headlights in the reart view mirror. Some comments from someone with a Grande on the mirror performance would be good. Further information on the mirror can be found in the topic Auto dimming mirror. Rear DVD Player. I had an Alpine PKG-RSE2 installed into my KX-S and it is great. In my opinion the Alpine is much better than the factory unit as it is slimmer and doesn't block the rear view mirror as much. Pictures of the player in my vehicle are in the thread Close to getting my first Kluger. If all you want from the Grande is the rear DVD player, then spend $1600 on getting the Alpine installed rather than an extra $10k on the Grande. In Dash Sat/Nav. The factory sat/nav is pretty limited in functionality and there are far better units around. Again if all you want from the Grande is a in-dash Sat/Nav, go after market as for $2000-$3000 you could get a much better unit. I would also argue the portable units offer better features and value for money, but then it depends on what your preference is. Threads dealing with Sat/Nav include: Toyota Genuine Sat Nav, Is it worth it ? DVD player with 7" Screen Installed. AVICHD3 DIY Radio and Subwoofer Install in 2009 Toyota Highlander (From Toyota Nation Forums Which GPS is worth the value? Auto Head Lights I haven't seen any threads confirming whether it is possible to install this after market. It may be as simple as replacing the indicator stalk as the sensor comes in the KX-S. Moon Roof In theory it may be possible to install this after-market, but would probably be very expensive and create a lot of corrosion and structural issues. Power Tail Gate This is the only feature of the Grande that I would like to have in my KX-S, however I believe this can't be installed aftermarket or would be prohibitively expensive (see http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286413). The Kluger's tail gate can be quite heavy and a couple of times when I've had shoulder problems it has been hard to close. It is also a little too high and heavy for the kids to close (aged 6 & 8), which means if I drop them off at school I need to get out of the car and close the tail gate after they've got their bags out. Smart Key In theory this could probably be installed in the KX-S, but would require a lot of work. I haven't seen any threads confirming whether it can be done. I've never owned a car with smart key so I can't comment on how it performs. Something to keep in mind when comparing an after market upgraded KX-S against a Grande, is that the resale value of the Grande will always be higher simply because of the badge. I don't think too many upgrades will increase the resale value of a KX-S against an otherwise identical unmodified KX-S. This may or may not be important to you. Personally I went for the KX-S instead of the Grande as it was $10K cheaper, and for a little bit more I could install the extra features I wanted.

For the leather treatmen I use Meguiars Gold Class Rich eather Cleaner/Conditioner. I generally apply this every 1-2 months. For cleaning minor marks on leather between treatment, I use Meguiars Gold Class Rich Leather Wipes . I keep them in the car to use these whenever the kids get marks on the leather. They do a really good job. For the trim I use Meguiars Gold Class Dash & Trim Foam Protectant. I apply this generally every 1-2 months when I do the leather. I also keep it in the car along with some microfibre towels, which I use for spot cleaning as required. I find it stops the white marks appearig on the black interior plastic trim ever time you touch it. Meguiars do make some Quick Interior Detailer Wipes, but I haven't used them. For the interior side of the windows I use RainX Anit-Fog Wipes with Glass Cleaner. Yes I am a little bit of a Meguiar's nut, but found these products to be the most commonly recommended, and they do a good job for me.