mr_grumble2010

I assume you use Royal Purple Engine oil, was what I was wanting to use. &$%#ing expensive gear, do you think the cost is warranted ?

ZR's coming up to it's first service and I'd like to start getting either synthetic or semi-synthetic engine oils into it. Do Toyota offer a 'Toyota' branded Synthetic engine oil ? I'm a bit cautious about just lobing containers of my own engine oil to them and hoping they don't just throw them straight into their vehicles

- The amount of creaking plastic on the interior. Quiet when it's cold, but on a walmer day, things expand and start rattling and creaking. I thought they had adressed this issue in the facelifted models - No instantaneous fuel usage - Very poor low beam

I did think this at the time so I just checked on the RTA website. 30-45km/h over the limit is $647 and 5 demerit points. 30-45 km/h over the limit in a school zone is $816 and 6 demerit points so not only did Toyota do the sly on me, but the RTA also %&^$#@ up by assuming that 40km/h in a TUNNEL means it must be a school zone. Can't remember the last time I saw school kids wondering around a 3-lane motorway tunnel !!!! Well, knowing my wife as I do, I'm fully expecting to see a set of kidneys sitting on the kitchen table that she tore from the salesman's **** today

We're situated on the Central Coast of NSW (as is the dealer), which is some 75km north of where the offence was commited (Lane Cove tunnel - Sydney). If they want to push for the excuse "that it occured when we were test driving the vehicle", even though it was some 2-3 weeks prior to even having set foot on the dealers lot, then I hardly think that the're going to permit someone to take it so far from the dealer in the first place. As for the fine itself, it was 74km/h in a 40km/h zone (they often do road works in the Lane Cove Tunnel which reduces the speed limit from 80km/h down to 40km/h) The Dealer, well without naming names etc, if your familiar with the Central Coast (or google for that matter ;) , there is only two Toyota dealerships and the're owned and named under the same person and as a side note, the vehicle in question, even though it was listed as a demonstrator, was actually the dealer principle's own 'for personal use' vehicle. As the aurion is registered under my wife's name, she's heading in to the dealership today to rip some new *#%holes, I really do pitty them if they don't fall to their knees in forgivness This will come in handy as the opener to them I think....Cheers

Came home tonight to the missus wearing a s**tty face. Walk inside to her standing there with a Speeding Fine ($800+) with a WTF look on her face. Looked at the fine and yep, it was for the Aurion With a bit more of a look, I noticed that the fine was in fact issued by the State Debt Recovery Service and that the initial penalty notice had been 'fowarded' onto us by our local Toyota dealership where we purchased our vehicle (demonstration vehicle). Then I noticed the date the offence occured, mid Feburary. I thought to myself, gee, don't recall actually owning the Aurion that long, looked at our purchase receipts and sure as s**t, we didn't take receipt of the Aurion till mid March. The pricks at our local Toyota dealership gratiously nominated us as the 'responsible' party, 4 weeks before we acyually bought the car. That was me off the hook with the missus She then got onto the blower to the dealership, the same salesman in fact, and gave them the same WTF.... The salesman argued that the date on our invoice must be incorrect and that we were rightfully the ones at fault and then couldn't get off the line quick enough. Some customer loyalty $35k buys.....

Serious? Are you sure you are in an Aurion? Ours will often result at the end of a tank with a tank average of 8.0-10.0 depending on who drives it. Mainly my wife drives it to work which involves; Home - School (2 min drive) School - Her work (10 min drive) Her work - School (10 min drive) School - Home (2 minute drive) All of these transitions involve stopping and starting the engine each time. I hate this fact This constant cycle will result in a tank average of approx 12.5 - 13.0 I will usually take it 1-2 days a week to work which is 70min freeway each way which will bring the tank average back down to approx 9.0-10.0 If I take the car to work with me for the week, the tank average will usually be down around 7.0 - 8.0 Steve

Thanks, a job for the weekend

As I picked up my Aurion technically as 2nd hand (8000km), I noticed that neither paint nor leather protection was initially taken up. Being the first vehicle we've owned with leather, we're not sure what maintenance / protection scheme we need to implement on the leather. Is it just a case of keeping clean with a soft damp rag or is it supposed to be 'treated' as such. Steve

Probably the case. I notice that in 'D', the speed picks up as though it's still driving and not completely in fuel cut-off mode, Even more so when cruise is set, it just seems to be happy to build up speed as opposed to relying on the transmission to limit down hill speed. I just put it down to being my first auto (a smart one at that ) Steve

Sound System - Yes you will be infact drawing more current (will your alternator cope). HID Lighting - Your actually saving power, HID don't use as much current as filament bulbs. LED Brake Lights / Foot well LED Lighting - LED's draw 2/3 of &%#@ all, so don't factor anything running LED's into your power draw estimations as it will be in the relm of milliwatts. Steve

On the topic of reducing the 'indication' of average fuel economy. My travels to work include 50km of up and down hills. If I leave the transmission in 'D' and roll down these hills with no accelerator, I don't find that the average falls very much. However, if I put the transmission into 'Sports',gear down and ride the transmission down the hill, I will always usually reduce the average ecconomy by 0.1 each time. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but in both cases arn't the injector pulses disabled, allowing no fuel to be injected into the inlet manifold. So why do I see the substantial reduction in average fuel consumption when I gear down, down hills Steve

I think the number plate's pronounced......T-O-O-L I mean really, eva seen one of those things go ! I'd think twice

I've had Bi-Bi-Xenon in our Echo now for almost 2 years. Makes great light, as the same bulb is used for Hi and Low beam, the intensity remains the same, but the position of the bulb within the headlight moves to adjust focal points, giving the hi and low beam. After being followed by a car similar to ours where HID lamps have been fitted, they are VERY bright and light scatter is a problem, no mater where you adjust them, but the quality of the light is great. Picks up the reflective pieces on the States Police vehicles / clothing with plenty of warning I'd like to to add HID to the Aurion (low beam only), I just hate messin with new cars , maybe later though. As for the reliability, I had a minor issue with one of the connectors not making contact occasionally with the HV igniter and when cold one light not firing up straight away, but with a bit of jiggling around, never had the problem again. With almost 800 hours of use so far, the bulb glass is starting to get a slight brownish tinge to it, but they seem to be as good as the day I put them in. There is a hell of alot of differing brand names out there, all ex china obviously, but they seem to be coming out of one or two different manufacturing plants as they all seem to look the same ! Steve

Mines the opposite. Cruise set to 100km/h and GPS reads a steady 95.5km/h You can play with tyre profiles to correct the speed difference which I successfully did with our Pajero, gave me an additional 4km/h but it did effect the pick-up of the vehicle as well as fuel eccomony. However if your displaying a lesser speed than what your actually travelling, as joelau007 stated, the Australian Design Rules dictate that The current ADR prohibits any under-reading: "5.3. The speed indicated shall not be less than the true speed of the vehicle. At the test speeds specified in paragraph 5.2.5. above, there shall be the following relationship between the speed displayed (V1 ) and the true speed (V2). 0 ≤ (V1 - V2) ≤ 0.1 V2 + 4 km/h." This formula means that the vehicle's actual (true) speed must not be greater than the displayed speed. (Displayed speed minus true speed must be greater than or equal to 0, and less than or equal to 4kmh plus 10% of true speed). This means that if your vehicle's actual speed is 100kmh, the displayed speed is permitted to be anywhere between 100kmh and 114kmh. Steve

Just on a side note....... I've only been around this forum now for a few weeks, but have noticed that if there's a question regarding an Aurion, it's DJKOR that has the answer, all the time Are you just really, really, really into Aurions or do you by chance work for Toyota ? Just wondering, is good to have people in the know on forums such as this Steve

GSV40R, cheers for the ebay link to the remote covers, we've been looking around for something to put them into since we brought the car home. Have placed an order for (4) and that should help prolong their lifespan hopefully........... Steve

Thanks for the offer, I'm on the east coast so probably not viable, besides I can get wholesale thru Jaycar anyways. Cheers....

Hey look, thanks for that. The last 'newer' vehicle I had with a key fob, couldn't have the battery replaced, instead Nissan wanted $275 for a new key fob. Just out of curosity, has anyone had to purchase a new remote, what did it cost ? Steve

Just wondering, when the batteries in the key fobs for the Smart entry system eventually go flat, are the batteries simply replaced or do Toyota try and force you to purchase new remotes ? Steve

Yes i believe it is the latter. It took me a month of Sundays to get hold of a genuine repair manual for our Echo and now that we've just purchased our Aurion, I would love to know just where it is that I can get my hands on a set of genuine repair books for the Aurion. Where did you pick yours up from if you don't mind me asking ??? Steve

That pdf attachment, is that an extract from the vehicles manual or is it the dealer repair document ??? I've just seen that text format type in our Echo's dealer repair books and was wondering Steve

I had always thought there was a shift lock solenoid in place to prevent this? If it's anything like our old Honda Oddysey, it would lock the ability to change gears into P or R while the car was above 5km/h. Below this speed, you would hear a clunk as the solenoid would disengage. Does the Aurion actually have this? Too scared to go and test it myself! Why would you opt to coast in N ? Firstly it's considered dangerous to do so (although I don't really find this to be the case) Secondly, if it's to conserve fuel, then again, I don't think thatas the case. Being new to Aurions, I cannot definitively quote, but as far as our Toyota Echo, and most other efi management systems are concerned, in particular to Manual transmissions (not sure about auto's), the most fuel efficient method of driving down hill is in gear with the foot off the accelerator. In manual transmissions, there is a 'fuel cut' device that senses deacceleration >1400rpm and therefore cuts the injector pulses thus no fuel entering the intake manifold. Like I said I'm not sure about auto's, as this is my first, but I can't see why this wouldn't be the case ? Anyone shed any light on whether this is the correct operation in the Aurion ???? Steve

Anyway, the decision was made, thanks to a bit of advice from you guys. We pick up our Sept 2009 ZR6 tomorrow Was listed at our local Toyota dealership as being a Demo, but it turns out the owner of the dealership took this one as his golf buggy tow vehicle. Has 8,000km clocked up, in as new cond, towbar, weathershields, mat's etc Bargained down to $36k on-road. I wanted the Prodigy, but the missus wouldn't be swayed ! Steve

Thanks guys.... What dates are we talking about here when we say pre-facelift ???