idisc

Did you negotiate much? Perhaps you bought it from a dealer that had already met their yearly targets. You can do the math; 48000 (KXR with 7 seats) 150 (weather shields) 800 (nudge bar) 900 (side steps) 150 (mud guards) 450 (reverse sensors) 100 (cargo mat) 100 (carpet mats) 100 (window tint) 1000 (paint protection) 600 (warranty) -not sure of this price. just guessing. Total: 52350 So you saved about $4000 from full RRP. Never mind the price now.. enjoy the car, its a great one! p.s. The prices I mentioned were around June/July 2010, so I'm assuming the prices might be a little cheaper now as the facelift is coming next month.

Sorry to say, but I think that sounds a bit more than some of the better deals some were getting. I know people here were getting the FWD 5 seater KXR with nothing on it for around 38,000. When I was shopping around, the FWD Altitude could have been had for less than 46,000. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news....

I don't quite understand your 50k, 60k and 70k question; also, which "extras" are $3k? About the models of Kluger, VVT-i is not an actual model; VVT-i stands for Variable Valve Timing (and the i stands for Injection). So the badge is merely saying the engine has Variable Valve Timing. Its like how Honda cars have VTEC badges. The current model Kluger has 4 spec levels: KX-R Altitude (Limited Edition) KX-S Grande Dunno how this has turned you off Toyota and validated your perception that they only sell whitegoods. It doesn't seem that you know the Kluger models and differences to start off with, so how can you claim that the information you were given was incorrect? You really should take a look at the Toyota website, it explains all the different spec levels and inclusions, including driveaway prices.

As others have stated, its quite common for cars to read more than the actual speed. As you wear down your tyres, the speed difference also increases slightly. I stick to the speed limits, but on highways, cars always seem to be whizing past me at a much greater speed.. so it got me curious to see how much the speedo was out on the Kluger. I ran a comparison tonight against a GPS speed program on my phone and my car was over reading by 5-6kmh at 80kmh and 90kmh.. that is, at an indicated 80kmh, the GPS was showing 74-75kmh, and likewise, at an indicated 90kmh, the GPS was reading 84-85kmh. This is a brand new Kluger, so the tyres are brand new too. When its time to change the tyres, I may see what other profiles are available to increase the rolling diameter slightly and make the speedo a bit more accurate.

Without hearing it, its a bit hard to say what it is. But if it is a clunking/clanging noise from the wheels when you brake after reversing out of the garage, then this is common to all cars and it is the brake calipers. What happens is that the brake calipers have a bit of play in them, so if you are coming to a stop from driving forward, the calipers will slide forwards under the braking force. When you change direction (say going in reverse) the calipers are still in the forwards position; applying the brakes will now make the calipers slide to the rearward position, making a clang/clunk noise as it slides into place. it will only ever happen once on each direction change. The way to test it is: - drive forwards (doesn't need to be fast, even a walking pace is sufficient), come to a complete stop. - put the car in reverse, and drive in reverse, and then apply the brakes. It will have a slight clang. if you move in reverse some more and apply the brakes it won't clang anymore as the calipers are already in the backward position. - put the car into D, drive forwards and apply brakes, it will clang again. Any clunking/clanging on turning is nothign to do with the calipers, so wilsact, I think you may have 2 separate noises there.

It depends on how important the leather is to you As you can get the Altitude for around the same price. Altitude is the KXR plus DVD player, moonroof, fog lights, 19" wheels, roof racks, 7 seats (and dual air conditioning), and the 6 stacker sound system with blue tooth.

that's interesting.. NRMA quoted me much more than you and your KXS is a more expensive vehicle. Just checked my policy. There is one item called as years of insurance discount ($300). I think its just the Suburb that is making the most difference. I've been recently shopping for insurance for my other car; I know of someone who is two suburbs away also in the inner west, but is paying $700 less than I am. That is going through the same insurance company, same car, same year model, similar age and driving history (both excellent driving record). Its amazing how much difference a suburb can make to your premium.. you'd almost think car theives aren't mobile and can't get around to neighbouring suburbs or something!!

Normally if you are experiencing vibration at a particular speed, it is due to the wheels requiring balancing. Can you explain the vibration? does it come through the steering wheel or does it come through the body? if it is coming through the steering wheel you can always try swapping the tyres from front to rear and see if the vibration starts coming from the rear, in which case it would definately be a wheel balance problem. I would try take it back to the place that fitted your tyres and explain to them the situation, and have them recheck the wheel balance.. sometimes the lead balancing weights can fall off. Or maybe they just forgot to balance one of the wheels? I haven't heard of vibration caused by wheel alignment before, but if you are experiencing vibration when braking for the duration of the braking period (which you have stated you aren't), this is due to warped brake discs. Good luck with sorting this out..

Do you know if the car has been in any accidents? Often when replacing badges on the rear tailgate after repair work, panel beaters don't pay attention (or just don't care) and just stick the badges wherever they feel like.

really?! - change the grille and lights and that's a "new model"?! it looks EXACTLY like my current one inside...disappointing. Where's the memory seat for the driver? new trim to replace the plastic 'wood'? new wheel designs? Well, I did say cosmetically; everyone knows its the same car underneath. That headlight is a totally different design to the outgoing model, it changes the whole front end appearance of the car making it look more like the rx330. Midlife facelifts are typically very subtle with only very minor cosmetic changes, unlike this one. On another note, is the current model Prado a facelift or a new model?

looks very stylish.. cosmetically it looks like a brand new model more than a facelift!

that's interesting.. NRMA quoted me much more than you and your KXS is a more expensive vehicle.

I'm paying ~$1000 for a 2010 Altitude AWD through Allianz. Rating 1, named drivers both over 30, ~15years driving experience, no claims in previous 3 years, Garaged. Removed windscreen and rental car option to lower the premium a bit, excess of $550. I think its the suburb it is garaged in, Inner West Sydney. Its not good for car theft. NRMA was around $200 more expensive, AAMI was about the same. But I chose Allianz due to choice of repairer in the event of an accident.

I found this: http://www.repcotrade.com.au/go/news/ryco-in-tank-fuel-filters It doesn't really mention much about the benefits of an in tank fuel filter though.

I used to have a Honda Jazz. The fuel filter was also inside the fuel tank. Honda once quoted me $200 to replace this filter. What is the benefit of having the fuel filter in this location?

Those 2nd set of side steps look pretty good. I'm guessing they are an aftermarket item? Would be interested if you can find em!

Some of you guys seem to be getting some really good fuel consumption figures. My 2010 AWD Altitude with around 800km on the odometer is averaging around 15.5-16L/100km around town. Not peak hour traffic, but off peak city driving with (sometimes very frequent) traffic lights etc. Running 38psi in all 4 tyres and 95RON Caltex fuel. Im taking it very lightly on the throttle and keeping the revs down too. I've noticed there's quite a big difference between when the car is economical (cruising) and when the car wants to be thirsty.. i.e. even after racking up 250km on the one tank, if I am cruising, the fuel consumption figure will drop quite quickly, but if I'm banked up in traffic, the fuel consumption average also rises very quickly too. Hopefully after I rack up a few more K's and change over to some better oil the car will become more economical.

I don't have the manual handy right now. What is Toyota's recommended alignment settings for the Kluger? I would try to stick to the Toyota's alignment settings as much as possible. Dave is right; excessive toe (out) will cause inside shoulder wear and likewise, excessive toe in will cause outside shoulder wear. Scrubbing and shoulder wear also works in combination with camber settings, but any uneven wear is a sign that something is wrong (normally from hitting potholes etc), so its time to get an alignment. While the Kluger is no performance car, and zero toe is normally the best for tyre life; the manufacturer sets the suspension and alignment in a way for the car to handle in a certain (normally safe understeery) way while at the same time not compromising tyre mileage. So unless you didn't like the way the car was handling and wanted to change it, I would try to stick to Toyota's settings.

I noticed that the ECB aftermarket nudgebars are airbag compliant. They cost just as much as the genuine item though. I was enquiring at Toyota about a month ago about the kluger nudgebar and I was informed that there were some quality issues. As a result there are no nudgebars coming in for the moment until they can sort out those issues.

While I was doing research, I realised a very important point. The Oznest one won't be Airbag compliant. Although if its a copy of the OEM one, I guess there's a good chance it will be fine.

Hi everyone, I was under the impression that the roof mounted DVD player in the Kluger is unable to play audio through the car's sound system. What I've been doing is using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm speaker cable to connect the DVD player to the AUX plug on the Audio Head Unit; selecting AUX allows sound playback of the DVD through the car's speakers. I was reading the Kluger manual and it says you can route the audio to the car's speakers by pressing the DISC SELECT button on the headunit. However the picture of the headunit is different to that on my car. Can someone confirm whether the DVD audio can be routed to the car speakers or not? It would be really good if it can. I also considered using an FM Modulator, but due to poor sound quality and the need for power/batteries, a cable into the AUX port seemed to be a better option.

Well, I have never gotten rust protection or paint protection on any of my cars before either as I always thought it was just another way for the dealer to make money. But all my other cars have been strictly 100% road cars too. I guess the reason why I got it in this case is because there is a transferable lifetime warranty on the stuff and I intend to keep the car for a long time. I also can see myself taking the car camping and possibly driving on the beach. So $400 for the black goopy underbody rust protection is pretty cheap peace of mind I think.

yeah.. when you have sound deadening installed on a car, they spray a thick black goop on the car's underside and insides of the doors. When they do underbody rust protection they spray a thick black goop (a different kind of thick black goop) on the car's underside.. so i think it does help a a little bit with shielding road noise; not quite as good proper noise deadening though and not quite as heavy :)

When I spoke with the Toyota dealer that I purchased the vehicle from, he advised that there are both Toyota "Genuine" sensors and also aftermarket ones that may be fitted at a dealer. The unit that I have is the genuine one and the user guide that comes with it has Toyota printed on it too. I can't remember what the reasoning was, but he said at times a dealer may fit an aftermarket product, and these would be the ones that have an LCD screen above the rear view mirror. I'm pretty sure the Genuine product isn't one that is made in japan specifically for the vehicle, rather Toyota Australia probably struck up a deal with a local vendor.

I find user tyre reviews to be rather subjective though. I've just taken delivery of my kluger and I find it really quiet on the stock tyres; although I did have underbody rust protection done and apparently that helps reduce road noise from entering the cabin. how long did it take you to do 50,000km on your stock tyres? Just have to bear in mind, by the time you hit 50,000km, the tyres may be 3 or 4 years old and the rubber would have started to harden from UV exposure and heat cycles; they will be a lot noisier than new.