Hiro

For those still on their way we're in the Maccas carpark, and Pete's forgotten his phone so don't bother ringing :P

One of the best things about the widebody Camry was the cavernous boot....I remember a hiking trip to the Snowys with 5 people in the car and 5 85L hiking packs in the boot :D

can we have likes on posts as well ? heheheh :P

We had that ages ago :P

Why do people "need' to be "liked" on Facebook ? People post things up all over the place then ask to please like them ? Is there a prize?

Two words:

Attention

Whore

And since Little Pete finally posted his pictures from this year's '12 TOCAU meet, I've got another one to add

Got a few little surprises lined up in the next coming weeks, need to get my wedding out of the way first though :P

You'll need a C160 from a blacktop AE111 Levin - should bolt straight up to the 7AFE block, but I'm not sure what combo you'll need to come up with for clutch and starter motor, as well as mounts (3 of the 4 engine mounts in an A-series are actually gearbox mounts, and I think one of the C160 mounts is different). Also, C160s tend to be a bit expensive

The thing you'll find though is that the C160 isn't really that suited to the 7A, it's not a standard 5-speed with an extra tall gear added on the top, it's a close-ratio box so cruising in 6th in the C160 won't be much different to 5th in your current C52.

Sweet, I know who I'll be driving in front of...

1) Nix 19

2) flipsta24

3) ChrisZRE

4) Seby123

5) GTL05T

6) Y34HOK p.s. Thanks for posting it up on facebook Seby

7)jaay

8) Cappuccino.

9)sikwitit

10) Windsor (have work on Sunday, but I might come to the M4 meet)

11) LFT-00F

12) Hiro (tentative)

Find out what exactly is bottoming out. Some car park speed-bumps these days are so severe that the mudflaps of standard-height cars scrape if you go over too fast. Being a '90s model though, there is a distinct probability that if it is still on original suspension that it is completely shot - still roadworthy and the car might look right when sitting still however. Try bouncing each corner of the car and see how it responds - if it pogos up and down a few times then the shocks are stuffed.

Might actually be coming now, Cara's hen's night is the night before and I've been kicked out of the house for it so might as well make a weekend of it.

Would be nice to go DOWN Macquarie Pass for a change too...

We're not talking about a full re-spray here, just touch-ups/repairs right?

I got my FXGT front bumper painted when I bought it from Japan, colour change from black to diamond white (not metaillic or pearl) and it only cost me ~$170 cash (on the books). Didn't need it blended to the rest of the car, no cost for removal/install (I got it painted before I fitted it), the paint was a standard off-the-shelf Toyota colour, and the painters I used do a heap of work for Toyota as they are just around the corner from a dealership. Quality is perfectly fine, no runs, no mis-match to the rest of the car - could have been a bit thicker though as it has copped a few stone chips/scratches already but the bumper does bear the brunt of those anyway.

Hmm, the weekend before my wedding.....

Yes, the Camry bores me in comparison to my old car... It's relatively boxy, no real sweeping lines, standard door handles, conventional headlights.

I would describe those sort of things with words like "bland", "inoffensive" and "run-of-the-mill" etc etc. "Boring" implies it actually _makes_ you bored looking at it (a lot of people would argue that you would already have to be bored to look at a Camry for any length of time anyway). It is a car designed to be used as a tool, heart-palpatating looks aren't meant to be part of the equation. It is like looking at a cordless drill and saying that it looks boring, yet when it excels at the job it was designed to do. I find it easier to call a sports car "boring" in visual terms if it doesn't quite back up the performance credentials with a racy body; you are looking for excitement and coming up short, hence the boredom, but a normal every-day car is almost never boring.

Actually, I tell a lie - the _ultimate_ boring car is one that is both uninspiring and lifeless to look at AND drive, such as something like most 90s Yank boulevard cruisers. Camrys aren't anywhere NEAR that bad.

I hate it when people call cars boring - that implies that the car itself is physically making you bored. Take any decent road and there should be no such thing as a "boring" car, in fact chucking a barge around corners at twice the posted corner speed can be much more interesting than breezing through in a car with on-rails handling

Still got the TRD strut brace?

From an unbiased point of view, it seems to be quite a high-performing oil (someone will always find it crap though, happens with every oil). However, it is ridiculously expensive, and totally not worthwhile for a daily-driven car unless you d/d a Lambo :P

Why would you want a h pattern pad for? Is it illegal? I've heard from some it is and it isn't

In NSW you need to have a gear pattern displayed, either on the knob or as some form of sticker next to the shifter (like you get with the TRD ball knobs), it is a defectable offense (not sure if you'd get picked up on it at roadworthy though).

nothiing has changed since the 70's Corolla 18RG motor!

Something obviously has changed, becuase the Corolla never had the 18RG, or any R-series engine for that matter

I had a Celica with an 18RG, from new........

Were you even born then???????????

Congratulations, you must feel so proud. Now, tell me again which Corolla had the 18RG? And while you're at it, which Australian-delivered Celica had it too (or was yours overseas)?

nothiing has changed since the 70's Corolla 18RG motor!

Something obviously has changed, becuase the Corolla never had the 18RG, or any R-series engine for that matter

Good so you intention is honest then, think about my first reply and read why these "flushes" can be of use and why they are needed, its mostly to refresh an engine that has been choked up by the use of inferior OILS and by definition from you and viper33 its in the vast majority cause people are useless and rely on goign to stealerships who are known to cut corners and use bulk oil contracts to cut down on costs at the expense of you a "valued customer" lol............

Use higher grades of premium oils and you will not have sludge or varishes (bigger problem) occuring over the life of your engine, as my rants according to you pointed out to the OP, in the interest of passing on real knowledge and not a sheeple mass opinion........... take it as you will.

Using higher-quality oil isn't a guaranteed fix for oil sludge (nor a guaranteed preventative). Neither is using a flush product. Regular servicing is and always has been the best solution, regardless of whether it is done by the owner, a mechanic or a dealership, with quality (now before you go off your rocker, quality doesn't automatically mean top shelf)

As for the "bulk oil contracts", just because they buy it in bulk doesn't mean it is the cheap crap. They may use a name-product like Magnatec or GTX, or the oil company may actually produce a specific blend just for Toyota. This is perfectly fine for the vast majority of people who use dealership services, who use their car as a tool to get from A to B every day with a minimum of fuss.

If run-of-the-mill Castrol etc is so bad, what about the multitude of home mechanics who buy GTX/Magnatec/Helix and do the oil change themselves? They're doing their own work, so must be awesome, but they're using the same oil as the dealership, OH MY GOD THE CAR IS GOING TO EXPLODE.....

Remember a Stealership WILL NOT use the highest grade of oil in your car, only what meets minimum requirements @ a cost benefit to the dealer principle, who is paying minimum wages to his staff, has lowest cost parts and consumables, YET charges out a wastly inflated cost to you the "valued customer"

You mean they don't put Royal Purple in my dad's widebody Camry? Oh the humanity! No, of course they don't, and anyone who thinks that any mechanic (dealership or not) is going to put freshly-refined 100% premium single-malt decomposed dinosaur into your car is an idiot. The dealership isn't going to tender an oil contract based off the minority who treat their car as if it is made from solid gold and spoon feed it 100-octane.

And the reason why you see those inflated costs for servicing and parts is that is how most dealerships actually make their money - the profit margins on selling the car in the first place is relatively low. The vast majority of the commerical world follows those practices - it is called the Gillette model, because you buy the re-usable razor blade handle at or below cost, but pay a premium for the disposable blades. Petrol stations do it too, which is why a bottle of milk is $2 at Coles and $4-5 at the servo, because they are only making a couple of cents profit per litre on the fuel.

Out of curiousity, what makes my opinion worthless? The fact that I disagree with you?

oh I dunno, maybe the fact you are a troll who has not owned a Kluger let alone worked on one yourself?????????

I'd class that as worthless in this thread ;)

Last time I checked, your rant was about dealership servicing, not a Kluger. No, I haven't worked on a Kluger, but I consider myself to be interested in all Toyotas (and a supporter of home maintenance if the owner is capable), thus why I opened the thread.

If we look at the OP's original request for help, maybe you or others token keyboard farts could address his original question and also expand on it with your own knoweldge???????? now that is a novel idea hey :)

Sludge & Varnish

Why do they exist?

I have man'd up through my own knoweldge (high hourse according to you?)

What have you done to address the OP's original question or done to help him out?

Think about it then and why I class your input as worthless ;)

Ok, fine, I have never used an engine oil flush before doing an oil change on any of my cars, and haven't had a problem with sludge.

As for sludge, it is most commonly caused by the oil being contaminated with water and dirt etc, which is why the manufacturer recommends more frequent oil changes if the car is driven regularly in dusty environments. Infrequent oil changes on their own aren't the cause, however they allow the problem to manifest.

Happy now?

Out of curiousity, what makes my opinion worthless? The fact that I disagree with you?

Rant

Dude, get down off your high horse. You've obviously got some kind of grudge against dealerships (I'm guessing one has rubbed you up the wrong way in the past), the average corner mechanic is just as likely to use poor quality oil if not more, as they are less likely to have a multi-million dollar contract with a big-name oil company (I believe Toyota uses Castrol for instance, not Joe Bloggs Motor Oil). Dealerships aren't this big bad enemy like you make them out to believe, thousands of people get their car serviced by dealerships every single day without any problems (yes there are bad ones and good ones, but that is true of every market, and also true of home mechanics as well). Hell, my Corolla was dealer-serviced for the first ~250,000km of it's life and it is still perfectly fine, 363,000km and the engine has never been opened ONCE. If anything, I've probably caused more damage to the health of my car by sometimes being a bit lazy with the servicing (air filter really needs a change for instance, and the oil is a bit overdue).

Is RWC considered a car service?

No, not in ANY way - unless other states RWCs are markedly different from NSW's pink slips, they basically just check the lights and tyres, make sure nothing leaks, the brakes work, no rust etc etc. Nothing should be touched, adjusted, removed or replaced in carrying out a roadworth, so it is about as far from a proper service as you can possibly have.

FWD V6 + wet roads + heavy car + open-diff = very easy to get wheelspin.