Tony Prodigy

My pleasure mate. happy to help. Car Care Products will use a courier service so it will be delivered fairly quickly. Don't hold your breath with Aust Post. They are hopeless. I know from many experiences... If you ordered it today, you should have it by the end of the week if you're in the Sydney Metro. Always a good thing finding those little treasures you forgot you had. I've had that case many times. When you buy so much stuff as I do, things can get misplaced and my brain's a little foggy sometimes in the memory department and it makes it a happy moment when you come across them again lol..

Damn straight ! I have a pretty stout towbar fitted to my new Colorado and I'm never tentative about tailgaters. I know I'll always have the last laugh !

Your car was specified with a tow pack then. Does it have a tow bar ?

Thanks Robert, appreciate the kind words. In the past I had been using a wheel cleaning product by Duragloss. It was OK but the Nextzett Colourtec Iron wheel cleaner is in a different league. I found I had to use more Duragloss product to get a similar result as the Nextzett wheel cleaner and after using the latter I was extremely happy with it. It has a much better ability to dissolve the iron fallout, which is primarily the basis of the stubborn brake dust you see on your wheels and other brake components. You don't have to use that much to get the same desired effect. I purchased a 500 ml bottle and their 5LT version so I could then refill the original bottle. This makes it easier for me to identify which product I reach for as opposed to using a generic sprayer and then having to label it. The label will always rub off making it difficult to identify among the other products I use. The best way to keep to your wheels clean and protected would be to use the wheel cleaner and then after apply some kind of sealant to the surface to keep the iron fallout from attaching itself. This will make future washes much easier. I wouldn't expect you to remove the wheels on a regular basis, but say every 6 months or so would be a good plan. Every other clean would involve the use of specialty wheel brushes to help get in the barrels and other nooks and crannies. Here's what I use for my wheels. You can choose which of these best suits you. https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/colourtec-wheel-cleaner-500ml.html https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/wheel-arch-brush.html https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/daytona-ez-speed-master-wheel-brush.html https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/daytona-ez-mini-wheel-brush.html https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/wheel-woolies-twin-kit.html Hope this helps. All the best mate

Thanks Ashley. That write up took about an hour to put together. Glad you appreciated it. I'm always happy to share any knowledge or ideas with you good people. As time consuming the service was, and having to take pictures as I went along too, I actually enjoyed the day. I was immensely satisfied with the work.

Hi Tommy, not a stupid question if it made you post it up at 3am 😁 I love your dedication mate. I suspect the Avalon may just have a different pitch on the blades enabling more air volume compared to the Camry. It is also possible that the wiring harness on the Camry is such that it includes the third fan as an inherent design feature due to the Camry being a more universal vehicle where the extra cooling may be required in the more hotter parts of the world. Not sure if your model Avalon was sold in the Middle East or the U.S. I always seemed to think that it was a car made for our market. Sorry, my knowledge on Avalon is quite thin.

100%. I can't stand the "keeping up with the Jones' rubbish". I know plenty people like this and it sickens me. Whatever happened to humility ? People are so consumed with what nice things others have and forget to what's really important.

I came across this and it made very interesting reading how much variance there is between the 40 and the 50. You wouldn't have thought so but it's true. I didn't realise how much they actually differ. For those who like facts and figures have a read of this: https://toyota.pressroom.com.au/press_kit_detail.asp?clientID=2&navSectionID=6&categoryID=1000&kitID=319

Having just pulled and checked mine, I would guess that yours may have been replaced because it looks too clean for something having done 60,000KM or more. I suspect the service agent replaced it at some point. The threads look too fresh for original too.

+1 for the benefits of a catch can Ash. I will have to consider this some day.

Hi Gents, I spent the whole day yesterday carrying out the following: Oil Service (ODO Reading 120241) Brake Service Front and Back. PCV Check (Nathan) Doesn't sound like much but there was plenty involved. I was planning on doing the oil service and the fuel filter but when I inspected the front brakes I couldn't ignore them any longer so my plans had changed. So While I drained the oil via the sump and oil filter housing, I removed the PCV for inspection and then soaked it in a container of degreaser. Left it in there the whole day as I wasn't in a hurry to put it back in. Give it plenty time to soak and clean itself. Then I went to work on the brakes. Fully disassembled the calipers in order to clean the sliders and re apply lube. I did notice lately that the brakes had become grabby again when cold and I knew the reason why. The Bendix lube had dried up and got me thinking that perhaps I should check the sliders more often rather than wait for the pads to wear out before having to do them again. Note the top right one being almost worn. That came from the driver side caliper. Sliders not being able to release enough due to the gummed up nature of the lube. I was in two thoughts at this stage. Should I continue using the bendix lube or not. Well I didn't have any grease on hand so I went ahead and did, seeing I have around 6 sachets left. This will mean that I will have to re do them in around 12 months or so. Perfect as an inspection job. I then decided to clean the calipers using brake cleaner and wasn't getting good results, so I broke out my trusty wheel cleaner. Brake cleaner has nothing on this stuff. After all it is designed to remove ingrained brake dust from wheels, especially the area people never clean, which is the inner barrels. I wasn't after a brand new finish, just something better than what the brake cleaner couldn't do. If I had persisted and done several treatments, I would've got close. But, once for me was enough as time was a huge factor here in getting everything done and in a timely manner. The good thing about having to do the brakes is it gives me the opportunity to give the wheel a thorough clean on the inside, which I love doing. So while I was busy tending to the brake parts I had the wheels soaking too. Also gave the rotor hubs a hit. ,,,,,,,, Application of lube to the stainless steel pad retainer clips to stop any squeaky noises too. Then as I'm pushing the pistons back, I'm having to suck out the excess brake fluid from the reservoir so it doesn't spill over. I also gave the slider dust caps and piston seals a dose of Aerospace 303 to keep them soft and pliable post chemical cleaning. ,,, ,,. At this point, I had also washed the wheels, dried and applied a coat of Spray sealant to the inner barrels and face, then tyre dressed the inside of the tyres prior to fitting. I apply the out tyre dressing to the outers when the wheels were fitted and whilst still off the ground so I can get to the entire circumference easily. SCA tyre dressing with my new applicator, makes application so much easier. , The coating on the DBA rotors is holding up well after three or so years being torture tested on the car. ,, With the front brakes sorted and wheels back on, I turned my attention to the rear brakes. The pads looked like they could go another 12 months or so, But, I decided to do them anyway so both front and back are at their peak performance. These are the images of the rear pads. Carried out the same caliper cleaning process as the front and during this time after some frustration I searched and eventually found a tub of Moly Grease I forgot I had in my garage and decided to use this on the rear caliper sliders instead of the bendix lube as a differential test. I know the moly grease will outperform the bendix but I figured it would be one less job to do in the future. Had I found it earlier i would've used it on the front and I wasn't about to pull the front apart again. ,,,, Back wheels receiving the same treatment as the fronts. , Now it was time to replace the sump plug and oil filter housing. New sump plug washer too. Clean and degreased the filter housing and replaced O-rings as usual. I didn't want to fill it with oil just yet because as I wanted to get an accurate snapshot with my digital inspection camera from the inside of the rocker beforehand. ,, Something very satisfying about seeing a fresh, new filter.. Now for the finale. The PCV. After having left it to soak pretty much the whole time, I removed it from the degreaser and cleaned it thoroughly and then blew it through with some dry nitrogen. Shook it around and I could clearly hear the one way puck sliding around, so it was good to be put back in. Also did the blow test to ensure it wasn't faulty. After cleaning up packing the tools and equipment away I set about to probe the inside of the rocker cover with the inspection camera. On the PCV side the space was limited but was able to get a glance what was going on in there. There was a little gunk consistent with the normal operation of the PCV, nothing that made me worry too much. I've never seen the underside of the 2GR-FE rocker cover, but I'm guessing the PCV section is separate to the valve train side, so only the vapour makes it across to this chamber. ,,,,, , These next images are taken from the oil filler side. It was hard to get in there with the metal guard in place, but I was able to glean a look in between the slits. She looks pretty tidy. As you can see, no varnish. Just the residual oil prior to filling it. It's testament to using a Quality Fully Synthetic Oil such as the Nulon. I've been using this same oil for the last 80,000KM and no varnish or any signs of sludge. Most of my service intervals had also been close to 10,000KM too. After these were taken, I filled it with Nulon 5w-30 and took it for a test run to bed the pads in. Car starts and runs great. After the oil had enough time to warm up, I took it for a spirited run around the quiet parts of my area and boy it was exciting ! I hadn't opened it up like that in ages and it felt great ! What an engine the 2GR-FE is. Magnificent. I have one more container of Nulon left to use before switching over the the Penrite product. I will continue to use Nulon when I can but I'd like to give Penrite a go too. ,,,,,, I hope you enjoyed reading my service report guys. It was a long day, skipped lunch too but I got there in the end. I'll try and do the fuel filter soon too and the auto trans flush. These will definitely require plenty time and the right day to do them. Cheers everyone

Same here guys. Although my wife drives our Aurion 98% of the time (Her driving style being conservative ) doesn't mean I will compromise on tyre quality. I've been on the same type of Michelin tyres since replacing the original Bridgestone whatever rubbish they were, and am very happy with the ride, noise level, wet handling and wear. I'm on my second set thus far and not due for a little while.

I never fall into that trap Stephen. I always know what I want before I get there. Don't worry, they make plenty of money on all tyres regardless of what they sell. Last time I checked, my local Bob Jane owner was driving a new Porsche Cayenne, so he's not exactly crying poor..

I'm really tired guys. I'll post up all my work in the morning. I'll start a fresh thread and showcase everything I did for my 120K service. I didn't forget you either Nathan. Going to go and lay down and watch some Top Gear. Have a good evening Gents.

These images I took early this morning before I dropped the oil showing the dipstick and the filler hole. The oil service was last performed at 115,433K and today it was at 120,241K, so that 4808K on this batch of Nulon 5w - 30. Looks a lot nicer on the dipstick than in the Sample Jar. I swirled the oil around and then took the shot. The colour is deceiving though as it has a darkness about it, but when you swirl it around you can still see the golden colour. Definitely contaminated though.

It's looking ok Ashley. Pretty good actually. I must say the opening on mine is different to yours in terms of the metal protector. This is mine just now after doing a road test.

Had a busy day Gents. Just finished a marathon service session. Been at it since 7am. I'll post back soon. I need a shower..

I'm planning on doing the oil service and possibly the fuel filter (again...) tomorrow and check the PCV for you Nathan. I will try and get my borescope camera inside the rocker cover. Give me a chance to try out the digital inspection camera that came with my Autel Maxisys MS906BT. The camera is an MV-108. My first time hooking it up and trying it out on my desk. The Image is quite clear surprisingly with the aid of the LED light gives a pretty crispy close up. Here are some pics I took as a test. I'll post up some images if all goes well tomorrow.

I tend to agree mate. If it were a sludgebox you'd really see the stuff packed up in there. I reckon half a dozen oil changes at 5k intervals should bring it back. I'd stick with a fully synthetic too.

Looks pretty normal to me.

Well Said mate

Better Call Saul, Snowfall, Animal Kingdom, Foyle's War, Boardwalk Empire, Ozark, Chuck..to name a few..

I dare say more expensive to run, insure and register too.. I don't need a big heavy lug. It's just 3 of us in my family and a sedan is perfect. Very comfortable, safe and roomy enough. Easy to park and wash. You'll need a step ladder to wash an SUV.

That would be my next car if I decide to upgrade from the Aurion. I'd get a fully equipped top of the range Camry V6. NIIIIIICE !!

Haha, I'm the same unless I am watching an excellent TV series, usually a HBO or Netflix original.. Jack, good to hear you didn't find anything significant. Your time wasn't wasted mate. It's better to get in there and poke around, familiarise yourself with the inner workings of your car and making sure it's safe. Best way to learn. I'm sure that as my car ages, it will require more wrenching by me, which will inevitably give me more learning experiences. Thank God for you tube. Looks like the loose dog bone mount may have been the culprit. I'll have to check mine too. Things can get loose over time and the occasional once over with a socket set is advisable. I am yet to know if they are in fact fluid filled. Part of me thinks they are, but I'll try and find out.