whofan

I just saw a Kluger parked not far from my house so I naturally went for a little look to see how inferior it was compared to mine ;) I was interested to see it had Hancook tyres fitted, 250/50/19 Has anyone done any work on compiling a definitive list of what can go on the 19" rims of the KX-S and Grande? When I had my VS Commodore and was forced to replace the tyres but knowing I was likely to sell the car soon... I went for cheap and Hancook was it. Does anyone know how good/bad these Hancook tyres are?

I've had some trouble changing the bulbs for the parking lights, what does Toyota call them.... ummm front position lights. Anyway after fiddling about for a while getting frustrated I decided I should probably consult the owner's manual Back to the Kluger and well had the lights out in a minute or less. My problem is that when I take the old bulbs out and put the new ones in they don't seem to fit snuggly or feel secure, in fact they quite easily fall out. Suggestions? Has anyone used any additional material added to the "housing" to make the connection between bulb and housing tighter? I will freely admit I'm replacing the standard incandescent bulbs with LED but they are the right size, I've had the key in the ignition turned to accessories and tested the LEDs they work fine, just have trouble keeping them in and worry they will fall out whilst driving.

used yes... 30k on the clock. it's a late 07 build first reg'd in early 08. I agree with what you say, if you buy new you are entitled to 2 x keys and 2 x remote controls and I think one valet key. All I got was one key and 2 remotes. I suppose one lesson I've learned from this is to ask the salesman BEFORE I sign if the car comes with 2 keys... I was somewhat silly and assumed it would, it was only too late before I realised I was in a compromised position. I'm probably lucky too that this key does not have the remote control included (an all in one key) as I think they're even more expensive like $300+ In the collection of manuals I was given during the sale there was a "fleet" book... so I even called this fleet company and got voicemail... I asked if they may have my key but of course there is nothing in this request for them and I got no response... Previous owner is a fleet driver and when he returns the car all he/she really cares about is that they get more for the car than the residual value... This may happen to others so all I'm trying to say here is... don't just listen to what Toyota tell you, there is a cheaper alternative... I've just saved $140... that's paid for my all-weather rubber cargo mat and I've still pocketed some change.

yes and yes :P http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Keys-and-Ke...s__W0QQ_armrsZ1 That's the link to the seller http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Toyota-Key-chip...=item5ad7f39862 That's the key I purchased... obviously the above link will only be active for the duration of the auction (finishing on March 25).... but if you speak with the seller I'm sure he will re-post regularly as he appears to be selling oodles of keys... BTW, I'm in no way associated with the seller, he's in NSW, I'm in Vic.... I just hope this helps some other Kluger drivers save some $$$

I thought I'd share you with you a great experience I had recently. I bought my Kluger and too late discovered it came with only one key... 2 remote controls but only one key... yes I know, I should have asked questions about this earlier. Once the deal was done my bargaining power was lost and so when I asked for a second key all I got was a lot of "no" in kinder words of course... So how would I get my hands on another key without busting the bank... I trawled the forums here and there was a lot of conflicting information on price and how to go about this. Mr Minit was mentioned... so I visited them, they quoted $160, or if I could prove RACV membership it was $120. Then I searched the internet and found a few ebay sellers... I found one particular seller who claimed to have a key for the 2007 Highlander and paid particular attention to commenting on the "dot" located near the top of the key, near the head. I checked my Kluger key and it also had that dot... I sent a few emails to the seller and he confirmed it was the key I was after... I was anxious purchasing the key from ebay as there are many skammers selling junk on ebay.... The key cost around $23 and the seller said he could also cut the key if I gave him the key number.... I found this printed in the front page of my owner's manual. $8 for the cutting and $3 postage it turned up in my mailbox 2 days later. Now I know what you're thinking... the key is yet to have the transponder programmed to the Kluger's ECU so it can open the doors but won't start the ignition, true. I searched the net some more looking for manual programming techniques but all I found was instructions for other cars, other years, other keys... So I thought OK, I'll try and haggle with the Toyota dealer to get it programmed for a discount price considering it was them that sold me only one key in the first place. I thought to myself what's my best chance of succeeding here.... the wife :D She called the dealership and asked about a quote to get a new key programmed, she was told that it could be done for free... when my wife rang me at work stating this I was stunned... Sure enough, my wife drove the Kluger to the dealership the following day and after 5 mins of programming we have a second functioning key... Oh did I mention that the same dealership 2 weeks earlier (during the 2 year service) quoted me $180 for a new key. I'm sooo very happy with this good result I thought I'd share it with you... if you buy a Kluger with only one key or loose one and need a replacement, it can be done for less than AUS$40.

I agree. When I collected my Kluger from the second hand portion of the dealership there were some issues with the rear passenger tail light and cargo blind was missing... subsequent arguments with the salesman and visit to the dealership got the parts replaced but they're obviously second hand and methnks taken from other cars on the lot, just shifting the problem .... I'm sort of glad I had the tail light and cargo blind rather than your radio/gear shift problem as my two parts required far less removal and re-attaching of parts and therefore less screws involved.

You need to maually switch between phones with the stero in the KX-S. From memory: Hit the green phone button. Turn the left knob until "Bluetooth" is shown on the display. Press the left knob. Turn the left knob until "Select Phone" is shown on the display. Press the left knob. Turn the left knob until the name of the desired phone is shown on the display. Press the left knob. The screen flashes "(connecting" or somthing similar) until the phone is connected. Once connected the screen flashes up "successful". You may then need to press the red phone button to get out of the menu. The above may not be 100% accurate but you should be enough for you to be able to find your way through it. Kesawi, many thanks for the reply... this is why I love the forums, you state a problem and more likely than not, someone who's reading knows the answer... Sure enough, changing the phone pairing using the radio's menu works a treat, I think this is extermely silly and unnecessary however I'll have to learn to live with it. Most likely the wife's phone will be setup as default and I'll have to remember to change to mine when I'm privileged enough to drive it on the weekends :(

There's a person on ebay by the name of sydneycityparts who's selling a lot of current model Kluger (and other Toyota model) accessories. I recently bought the Kluger all weather rubber cargo mat from him for $75 and paid $18.50 to get it posted. Very happy with the price as I think they retial for $100+ (my dealer in Melb wanted $125, I said "I'll think about it") but not that happy with the postage, I suspect the ebayer is recovering some of his margin in the P&H. Still I've saved around $25 and it's a fantastic mat, highly recommend it for all Kluger owners. Oh I almost forgot. I know you said you wanted to know of accessory sources other than Sydney Toyota well this cargo mat was deleivered to me from Sydney Toyota. Not sure if this is "above board" or earning an employee some cash "on the side". I'd be very interested to know if the prices on the net he is offering are the same as the walk into the dealership prices. Woulnd't it be interesting if sydneycityparts was a member or guest of the TOCA? ;)

After reading all other posts here are my gripes: - no mute for audio - no memory in leather seats - having to manually change bluetooth phone pairing - having to manually enter 6 speed dials, no phonebook sync - 19" wheels have limited replacement options = high cost - volume up/down on steering wheel takes 1,097 clicks to actually move the sound in either direction. When a good song comes on the radio I want to press the button say 5 times and go from average background volume to "hey think I'll sing along" loud volume. - volume knobs on the KX-S are chrome plated, what is with that? Did the designer deliberately place a slippery surface there so they could mock us all from their cushy swivel chair on the 53rd floor? - why does the radio need to be turned up to 50 whereas the CD at that volume will blow out the windows and needs to be around 40? As you can see most of my complaints are based around the audio system.... other than the above, it's perfect ;)

Just bought my KX-S FWD with tow bar as only option for just under $42k. It's build date is Dec 07, first reg in Jan 08 has just over 32km on the clock... it's 7 seat too by the way... feel I've got a bargain :)

Got an old 6233 (which was a flash phone for it's time) and it connects automatically without a problem each time I get into the car, seems like I'm lucky... My wife has an old, old 6230 and that does NOT auto connect.

Just bought a second hand Kluger from Melb City Toyota and happy to say that it included an almost full tank. Had a few other issues with the purchase (but that's another story, or two).... but the free tank was certainly a nice gesture.

Hi Whofan, The Fly Audio unit is not the same as the OEM. I have changed my OEM for the Fly Audio system the only thing that dosen't work is the voice activation but that was pretty silly anyway. The extra functionality I get is worth the loss. Regards Ham Ham, Can you tell me where you purchased the unit and price? I'm guessing you got it fitted by a professional (no slight intended if you did it personally)... can you tell me the cost of installation? I've done some reading and am very keen on it... as I would like to upgrade the unit in my standard KX-s unit to include sat nav and all reading I've done suggests the Fly Audio unit is the one to fit. Did you get the reverse camera working on the new Fly Audio 8" screen? If so, does this mean the smaller 3.5" display now has no camera feed? Did you connect the microphone in the Fly Audio unit to the mic positioned in the roof next to the interior light (near the the rear vision mirror)? Just wondering if you were able to take advantage of the existing infrastructure rather than feeding new cables. Did you have any troubles with getting the sat nav working straight after install and are maps up-to-date? Sorry, lots of questions I know but I'm a details man... I've spent the last 6 weeks of my life car hunting after my VS Commodore developred one too many problems and am so happy with the Kluger... just as any new car buyer does, they like to accessorise :D Regards, Whofan

Hi Whofan, The Fly Audio unit is not the same as the OEM. I have changed my OEM for the Fly Audio system the only thing that dosen't work is the voice activation but that was pretty silly anyway. The extra functionality I get is worth the loss. Regards Ham Ham, Can you tell me where you purchased the unit? I've done some reading and am very keen on it... as I would like to upgrade the unit in my standard KX-s unit to include sat nav and all reading I've done suggests the Fly Audio unit is the one to fit. Did you get the reverse camera working on the new Fly Audio 8" screen? If so, does this mean the smaller 3.5" display now has no camera feed?

When I collected my Kluger from the dealer he reversed it next to our trade-in (Commodore) so we could easily swap our 2 baby seats into the Kluger. Whilst reversing he hit a fire hydrant with the passenger corner bumper, scratching the paint and cracking the tail-light. My point here is that the camera is good but it's blind at the corners. The dealer would be in and out of cars daily moving them around the lot. He's no doubt had a bit of a brain fade in this instance but it does also highlight that the best efforts reversing can be improved with more support ie. rear sensors. Therefore we got em installed and as you can imagine had some pretty good bargaining power when price was discussed

A drive over the wekeend would have been a little "hairy", I hope you managed to avoid the worst of the weather. I was so happy that my car was under cover during the hail as I'm sure others would have been stuck out there crying as the hail thudded on the outside of their prize cars. I'll have a read of the club meets forum regarding the April/Mat drives.

Hi, For about 2 weeks now I have been the proud new owner of an 08 Kluger KX-S FWD. I have previously owned 3 Commodores, 2 x VK (manual, what was I thinking?) and a VS S for the last 13 years, that was a sad separation as it was a reliable and well loved car So this is my first car that's not a Holden, so far I'm loving it. I've been reading the forums here for a little while and find them fascinating, I've got a lot out of them, I hope I can contribute in return. Just before I sign off... yes I'm a big fan of The Who... So much so I've even got those words printed on my number plates :D Whofan

Hado, Why did you add a microphone when there is already one installed in the light assembly in the roof between the driver and passenger? Is it possible to connect the rear vision camera that currently exists in the KX-S to the 8" screen rather than the pitiful 3.5" screen? How do you find the performance of the unit now that you've had it installed for a little while? Would you do anything different? Did you buy this online and if so from where? Interested in your reply, Whofan

Is the Fly Audio E7548NAVI device exactly the same as fitted in the Grande models? Is Fly Audio the OEM supplier to Toyota?