Full-Throttle

I've seen a number of Aurions with the towbar that comes out underneath the bumper rather than through the rear lip like the factory optional one. This one for example should fit no problem, even with the Sportivo rear lip: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TAURUS-Aussie-Made-TOY033-Heavy-Duty-Tow-Bar-For-Toyota-Camry-Aurion-07-On-/120964504122 - I'd suggest giving a few local towbar dealers a call however, as you may find something cheaper and/or more suitable.

I decided to custom make this cold air intake this weekend. It took me just under 3-hours from start to finish but it sounds amazing. The filter is routed between the fusebox and battery and sits just behind the LH fog light. The list of parts I used is as follows: * 1x 3" 45-degree alloy intercooler pipe. * 1x 3" alloy MAF sensor adapter pipe. * 2x 3" black silicone joiners. * 1x 3" black 45-degree silicone joiner. * 3x 3" stainless T-bolt clamps. * 2x 3.5" stainless T-bolt clamps. * Simota extra long (220mm vs 130mm) 3" pod filter. * Simota mini breather (for crankcase ventilation hose). '

I managed to get a couple of mods done to the Aurion today. The first thing on the 'to do' list was to make a cold air intake from scratch, using a bunch of parts I bought last weekend from various online sellers and performance shops. All of the parts are designed to be a universal fit for most makes and models, not specifically for the Aurion, so I had to modify certain things to make it all fit. I didn't end up using the straight 3" alloy pipe seen in the first photo, but all of the other parts I ended up using. I still have to buy one more 3.5" T-bolt clamp as I was one short due to the throttle body opening being bigger than I thought, but aside from that the set-up is complete and it sounds AMAZING!! :D. It's too hot here today to tell if it's made a difference in performance but on the cooler mornings during the trip to work next week I should be able to tell - However to be honest, I only did this mod for the noise enhancement, so any performance increase will simply be a bonus :) The list of parts I used is as follows: * 1x 3" 45-degree alloy intercooler pipe. * 1x 3" alloy MAF sensor adapter pipe. * 2x 3" black silicone joiners. * 1x 3" black 45-degree silicone joiner. * 3x 3" stainless T-bolt clamps. * 2x 3.5" stainless T-bolt clamps. * Simota extra long (220mm vs 130mm) 3" pod filter. * Simota mini breather (for crankcase ventilation hose). ' The second mod I got out of the way was the installation of this 'Potent Booster' throttle controller. I installed the unit next to the ashtray in the centre console, which gets hidden when you shut the flap. This works by amplifying the signal sent from the accelerator and makes the ECU think that you're applying more throttle than you really are. The benefit of this is that it eliminates the lag when you push the accelerator (typical of drive-by-wire systems) and makes the car 'feel' faster. You don't gain any horsepower or torque with this mod and I was really skeptical about it's effectiveness when buying it, but after driving the car after the install I can confidently say that it livens it right up and transforms the whole feel of acceleration. I thought it might have been a case of just having to press your foot down harder to achieve the same result, hence why I was so skeptical to spend good money on this product, but after testing the difference between the 'normal' mode and 'sports' mode the responsiveness definitely can't be replicated by pushing your foot down quicker/harder, so it seems like it was worth the money overall. There are a number of other modes you can put it on too (including a fuel economy mode), each with 9 intensity levels for each mode but I found that Sports 5 is the optimal setting for my driving style.

Watch this space ;)

I decided to get the personalized plates remanufactured to freshen them up with the new font, and opted to add a couple of spaces between the zeros :)

Thanks mate :D I slapped this personalized plate on the car a couple of days ago. It doesn't stand for anything as such, but adds a little more character:

A small but effective addition:

Yesterday I found myself stranded on the side of the road due to a leak in the infamous oil cooler hose at the front of the engine. This is a VERY common problem which is well documented online by other Aurion, Rav4, Camry, Sienna, Highlander, and Lexus owners that have the 2GR-FE engine. Some of you may remember my post on page 1 of this thread where the VVTi oil line at the back of the engine decided to spring a leak in the same sort of way and I replaced it with a full metal line as found on the latest shape Aurion (GSV50). Fortunately that time I noticed oil dripping on the garage floor and managed to get it replaced the next day before it created a serious leak. This time however I wasn't so lucky, as out of nowhere the oil cooler pipe ruptured seemingly out of nowhere, and began to squirt the engine oil out at an alarming rate. I noticed the smoke straight away as it leaked down onto the exhaust and burnt off, so I quickly pulled over into a gas station which was conveniently right there. I immediately looked under the car, expecting to see a coolant leak but when I wiped my finger along the plastic undertray it was hot engine oil that greeted me. I called my Dad, whose house I had just been visiting 5-minutes earlier, and asked him to kindly bring me some oil so I could get my car to a mechanic ASAP. Even in the short space of time that it all happened (about 100m and 20-seconds as I was stuck at a red light) the hose had squirted out almost all of the oil. My digital UltraGauge only indicated an engine temp of 90-degrees (regular is 85-degrees) when I switched the engine off, so there was no engine damage thankfully. After refilling the oil and letting the engine cool down to around 60-degrees, I set off to my mechanic, which was only about 2km the opposite way. As luck would have it, I caught every single red light on the way, so I turned off the engine until it went green again as the oil only pumped out when the engine was running. I got there as quickly as possible, with the engine temp not exceeding 87-degrees when I arrived, but when I checked the oil level after I arrived it was almost empty again. So in that very short space of time almost 6-litres of oil had been lost. God must have been on my side that day because even though it was a Sunday, the mechanic had popped into the workshop briefly and I was able to explain the problem, give him my keys and leave the car overnight until this morning. Funnily enough, I had the full metal replacement line sitting at home this whole time, 'just in case'. As a side note, I had been meaning to replace the alternator pulley at some stage too as it had started to make a chirping sound at idle once warm, so I decided to get it done at the same time and chucked in a brand spanking new genuine Toyota alternator that I had sitting at home. I dropped off the parts this morning, plus some more oil, and 4-hours later the job was done. All up it only ended up costing me $278, which is a damn side cheaper than replacing the engine . The leak in the oil hose was literally a pin hole prick - So it's amazing how a leak so small can squirt out such vast amounts of oil and make so much mess when it's under pressure. TL;DR version: Oil cooler hose started leaking, oil everywhere, new metal one put in, alternator replaced due to squeaky pulled, no more squeaking, engine fine, everybody happy. This is a photo I got from Google but it shows the comparison between the two lines. With both oil lines now replaced with metal ones this problem should never happen again, but I urge other Aurion owners (or any owners with the 2GR-FE engine that have the rubber oil hoses) to replace them with the metal version ASAP as it could leave you and your family stranded when you least expect it: