m_luke

Wow. Things have certainly moved along after not checking in for about 2 years.

Good to see that there is now a Monthly meet and that the Victorian/Melb chapter is still alive and kicking. I'm also surprised that Garage Cafe is still around - lots of wonderful VIC TOCAU memories there.

What a wonderfully foggy morning it is today - should turn out to be very good weather for a drive up the Dandys, especially Mountain Hwy.

...only I have assignment work :( . Why did I get myself back into Uni???

Have fun guys.

-m_luke0

The cruise control system as fitted in our cars (Gen5, Gen5.5, Gen6 and Gen6.5 Camry/Aurions) are all basic speed control systems that work perfectly well on flat roads.

On uphill roads, depending on gradient and torque output of the engine, it will force the transmission to downshift if it senses that it is not keeping up with the set cruise speed, which if you are not expecting the downshift action may cause a slight panic moment for the driver. This is particularly the case with the 4cyl models where a surging effect can be felt when travelling over minor undulations with cruise control set because it is unable to maintain the set constant speed.

On downhill roads, as described in a previous post, the cruise control does nothing except cut all throttle input. For Gen5 and Gen5.5, because the throttle is controlled by throttle cable and part of the cruise control system consists of a mechanical device daisy-chained onto the cable, the device simply releases the throttle cable to a point that it believes is zero throttle input, but in fact there is still a tiny amount of throttle input being registered hence one can still feel throttle input.

This is probably one reason why Gen6 and beyond switched to drive-by-wire technology where zero throttle input actually means zero throttle input.

The cruise control systems where brakes are applied on downhill roads are actually called Active Cruise Control systems where the it can instruct the braking system to apply the brakes; Merc S Class and high end Lexus technology.

Previous posts also mentioned the experience of a 'speed hold' function when the car is travelling downhill. This is completely separate of the cruise control system and is actually a function of the auto transmission as fitted to Gen6 Camry/Aurion and beyond and is something that Toyota Japan have fitted to a lot of their auto transmission cars, I think, 2 generations ago.

-m_luke

Sometimes these "intelligent" transmissions seem too intelligent for their own good I think <_<

Exactly the reason why I do some of the gear shifting myself!

I'd say take it back to a Toyota dealer for servicing at least once for any of the minor service stuff as they can find and check for any uncompleted Toyota Service Bulletins that you and I and the general public don't know about, but are done to correct whatever the issue is.

-m_luke

Quite a marketing spin you've put on there Seph!

...got to take the rolla out some time, so why not this one.

-m_luke

Very much a dilemma... although I'd be careful up there at this time of year.

-m_luke

Am also on the stock Michelin Vivacy tires with 38psi at the front, 35psi at the back; drive alone about 98% of the time; 99% of time in city traffic.

Have tried 36psi at the front and found that steering feels inaccurate as there is more flex in the sidewalls, but is offset by a slightly more comfortable ride especially going over bumps.

36psi sounds better for the 4-cyl model as the engine is lighter.

-m_luke

Updated List

1. BKS

2. Guni

3. Jaderd

4. lateralus

6. Kenji

7. m_luke

If you are starting from TMCA HQ and wanting to get onto the Westgate/Monash from Montague St, then you'll need to reroute as that onramp has been and will be closed for some time. Either get on from Todd Road (near the Shell servos) or go past the Casino, under the Art Centre and get on via Swan St bridge. I don't think you can get on via Power St.

-m_luke

I have to agree with SupaTouring, you really have to keep haggling if you are serious about trade ins; the dealers find it hard to offload these and because of the new car sales boom in previous years as well as cars coming out of leases, it is even worse for sellers in the used car industry although very good for buyers as there is a very big choice.

With fuel prices the way they are, it seems we are going the way of Europe where 2.0L cars like the Mondeo are considered large cars and diesels are everywhere!

Toyota seems to be doing the right thing utilising a 6-speeder in order to keep real world fuel consumption down and the press have applauded this when compared to Commodores and Falcons - one reason why Holden is bringing Active Fuel Management to their V8s and retuned their V6 and Ford rejigged their auto trans.

Despite all this, V8 popularity has never really waned. You can still get relatively good fuel economy as long as you are light on the throttle and just ride the wave of torque at low RPMs.

Aside from the fleet cars, take a look at the retained value of the Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty, Honda Accord and perhaps Nissan's Maxima. You may be in for a rude shock at first, but if you think about it, it actually makes sense if you think about who buys these cars.

-m_luke

Ahh fantastic, that will look pretty good then :) Thanks heaps for the suggestions re. the CB's, I better get my skates on and start looking in places like Autobarn & D*ck Smith to see what's around.

The smarter way would be to have a look online and see if there are catalogues for these places, esp at D*ck Smith, JB HiFi and the like and see if they are on sale.

-m_luke

the latest list :

1. BKS

2. Guni

3. Jaderd

4. Kolourhero

5. thegourou20

6. Mopp (as if I would miss it)

7. lateralus (about 93% sure)

8. Jaems

9. TOYTRD

10. akuma (pm for taxi service from airport)

11. Ravvvie:)

12. osodvs

13. m_luke - it's been too long... (Nice choice for the cruise route)

NSW.

1. xoom

2.M_M

3.Tats

4.Big Pete

5. JVN11L

QLD

1. Northy

2. DJKOR

3. Silvabullit (not 100% but about 80%)

4. Evo7

5. SuperDave

6. whitestivo

SA/WA.

1. (WA) trdsaads

2.

3.

4.

Count me in.

I hope it won't be a disappointment like most other events - all enthusiasm on the forums and 80% no-show on the day!

-m_luke

Pure curiousity...

Would the "jigglyness" be from the fact that the profile of the tyre is much smaller?

I pumped the types up to what was written on the tyre placard - 35psi, I believe, on all four corners before I set off.

The smaller tyre profile was also my initial thought, but I guess I never expected such a dramatic rise in ride harshness having driven the test car over a variety of tarmac roads in Melbourne from freeway/motorway, suburban roads and streets to inner city streets with and without tram tracks and crossing over tram/railway crossings.

Obviously, the even stiffer suspension must having been a factor.

-m_luke

i actually contacted the people who made them for Toyota Australia

Luna Nameplate Industries.

sending me some "Samples" yay!

I wonder what other badging they produce for Toyota?? Could they be contracted by Toyota to produce every car badge in the Toyota range to supply to their Parts department?? ...a little food for thought...

-m_luke

For me, it was to know what was involved in the repair work:

- What parts were replaced

- Amount of labour involved to remove, refit, respray, etc.

- Total cost of repairs

The repair bill may or may not include photos taken by the repair shop that was submitted to the insurance company for assessment.

As I drive a Gen5.5 Camry, I used the description of parts and necessary work described in the bill and compared it to the collision repair manual that I downloaded to gain a better understanding of the structural parts within the car that I drive; just taking advantage of a bad situation.

-m_luke

I could be very wrong, but once badges have been removed, you can't put them back on again - some kind of 3M adhesive material

Nevertheless, here are some part numbers for you

Description: Black with silver outline alphanumeric characters with the wording Sportivo v6

Application: Right hand side of the boot lid

Part No: 75443-YC620

Description: Black with silver outline alphanumeric characters with the wording Toyota Camry

Application: Left hand side of the boot lid

Part No: 75442-YC140

Hope these help, and as I recall, they were not cheap for simple stickers from Toyota

-m_luke

Just a few questions if you don't mind:

What state are you from?

Did you move from the original 16" to 18"? If yes, how have you found the ride? I'm expecting the cornering handling has been improved, right?

I ask this last question as I have driven the current model Camry Sportivo with stock 17" and the ride feels a little 'jiggly' at times.

Thanks for your help.

I too have the same car, but have purchased the 17" Aurion rims secondhand and waiting for the current tires to wear out. However, my decision has been thrown into doubt having experienced the ride of the current model Camry Sportivo.

-m_luke

Sorry to hear about your incident and good to see you are still OK.

As you've found out, it's not a cheap repair exercise considering the amount of stuff inside a door

When you go and pick it up again, inspect every detail and inspect it again before leaving the panel beaters. Red is a difficult colour to mix and get right, which is why they have to practically respray the whole right hand side of the car in order to blend it to the existing panels. This is why there is a need to inspect, inspect and inspect some more.

Something that I also do is get the repairer to print you a copy of the itemised bill, which can contain some useful info.

-m_luke

Try these guys:

www.scratchmagic.com.au

I've called up their Melbourne counterparts on two occasions to have scratches and minor dents repaired and their work is exemplary, even dealers use these guys, ...and they come to your door to do the job.

-m_luke

Posting this on behalf of Mariox:

Sorry for the last minute posting.

To all VIC members,

Meet to chat about this year's National Meet and throw around ideas for next year's National Meet to be held in Melbourne.

Will start at 6pm, but feel free to drop in anytime after this (due to the extreme late notice)

Garage Cafe Address:

221 Berkeley St, Carlton

Melway Ref: 2B C8

-m_luke

wait a minute

I picked up my Aurion and bought comphensive insurance last weekend

if I understood the NRMA lady correctly...she said something like I get a new car if I have an accident in the first 2 years?

and that I should not specify insured value but rather use market value

NRMA call centre agent would have said that in the if your new car was involved a serious accident and is written off within its first 2 years, then you will get a new car hence she suggested that you take market value comprehensive insurance and not insured value.

-m_luke

Sorry to hear about your sorry tale, especially if this is your first car accident. It is quite painful to see your car carted off on a back of a flat bed to somewhere.

Insurance companies tend not to repair old cars once they have been involved in an accident so you and silvabullit are correct in that the VK commo will be tagged and auctioned off as a repairable writeoff even though parts are most likely aplenty.

It is quite surprising the amount of collision damage a modern day car absorbs even in a lowish speed accident as these things are designed to crumple as much as possible to absorb as must energy as possible so the passenger receives the least amount of injuries as possible.

Pics would help, but if yours will be repaired, start worrying about three things:

(1) Whether it will be sent to a reputable repairer

If you know a reputable repairer, now is the time to tell the insurance company to send your car to them assuming your insurance policy allows you to dictate the repairer

(2) The travel distance between you (your home or your workplace) and your repairer

It is really, really frustrating to have to spend ages on public transport just to collect most of your belongings from your car before being repaired and then have to travel back to collect your car once it is repaired - I've learnt this the hard way!

(3) Time of repair

This is affected by their current workload, whether they work on Saturdays, whether there is a public holiday/long weekend, how fast they can get replacement parts in, etc.

Most parts will be replaced rather than repaired as insurance companies actually prescribe the amount of time necessary to do repairs to keep the repairers honest and also keep their costs down as they are the ones forking out the money to do the repairs. This also explains why even reputable repairers will do some dogey things as they have their bottom line to look after.

Might want to ask the repairer to give you a copy of the itemised bill after your repairs are complete as you'll be initially gobsmacked by the cost of repairs and surprisingly learn a little about what they actually did.

There was a post somewhere in the Camry forum at this site referring to a another site that had the factory repair manuals. Go there and download the one about collision repairs - it's a very good reference and learn quite a lot about the construction of the car itself.

-m_luke

Just some additional info about the varex muffler on aurion, for some reason, the setup would be illegal. Engine warranty will be void too.

Cant wait to spend my saving on aurion, i went to few muffler/exhaust shops, conclude nothing interest me more than Varex. I called Vic distributor of Varex(same person who did Darius' setup), reasonable price around $1100, but it would be illegal.

Call toyota, explain what i am going to do to my aurion just like was told by the mech, engine warranty will be void too. (you know wat this means..)

I cant confirm yet if the car will be defective if found with this mod, not sure where to ask for correct info..(mayb stop a cop and ask him next time) IF defective, then have to ask insurance what will happen to me in serious accident..

Suggestion is please put more consideration on it.. Good luck to people who is in the same shoe as i m..

Best to check the Product Disclosure Statement of your insurance policy rather than calling them up as the conversation will be recorded and will be dug up when needed - do you really trust that they will turn off the conversation recording mechanism?

The insurance company will not honour the insurance policy on any vehicle that is deemed to be defective - you know that the vehicle is defective and you're driving around in it so you are breaking the law in the first place. No insurance company will cover incidents caused by this as the law has already been broken. The defence would be to claim innocence - I didn't know.

Having said that, there is most likely an exception to vehicles that have been given defective notices whereby the vehicle would still be covered if it was involved in an accident.

-m_luke