Tony Prodigy

My Dad had a 2000 model Avalon VX and it was a superior vehicle. Ran like a clock. He'd have it serviced regularly and it had well over 300, 000 kays on the clock before deciding to upgrade to a brand new Aurion. He only did this after he saw my 2012 Prodigy I purchased at the time and he fell in love with it, so he went and treated himself. He still has it and says it's the best car he'd ever had besides the Avalon. It's a shame it didn't quite catch on here, but in the U.S, the Avalon is a huge success. Have you seen the latest TRD version ?? OMG !! Why do the Americans get the nicest cars ?? If they sold this car here, I'd have one in a heartbeat !!

Haha, nice one Ash. I feel your pain too trying to remove wheel nuts over tightened by those Neanderthals at the tyre places Arrrgghh !!. Next time I get a set of tyres fitted, I AM going to ask the question to the proprietor. ":Why the hell do tyre places over tighten our wheels nuts to buggery ?" They are supposed to be a tyre and wheel place and wheel nut tightening should be a religion to them.. I guess not, probably atheist the lot of them lol..

I second that. You have one very nice car mate. New tyres, a general service and leave it as she is and enjoy it. Otherwise you'd have to sell it to me lol.

The car looks beautiful mate. I remember that colour combo when it came out and it always stood out nicely. I'd love to own one like it to be honest. Another question. Are you aware of the recall they had on the VVTI oil line ? Is there anything in the books that show that this upgrade has been done ? The previous owner may not have been made aware of this and or either he was not internet savvy...You should find out because it's an important issue on these earlier Aurions. There was also the sticky dash issue too. Apart from these two things, they were solid. Overall, the ride may just well be a little firmer than a standard ATX say, but the ATX also has 60 series tyres which soak up the bumps better than the 55 series tyres. Couple this with tuned suspension and the overall experience will be different. Drive it around for a few months and see if you get used to it. It may just grow on you. Give it some time. Look after it. She's a beauty !! Here's a passage I found from The Sydney Morning Herald from 2009, so you are definitely not imagining it. I think if you start playing around with suspension you may ruin it's characteristics. If you have to bounce test, make sure you bounce it via the shock tower or radiator support and not the guard, because you will dent the metal. ON THE ROAD The Sportivo gets a different suspension tune to standard Aurions, with unique springs, dampers and rear stabiliser bar settings. Toyota says the changes make the car more responsive, sitting flatter through corners. That's good because in basic form, the Aurion's handling is below par compared with the other locals. The suspension is too soft and the car tends to wallow over bigger bumps and lean through corners, with vague steering not helping. Under hard acceleration, the steering wheel tugs slightly at your hand as the front wheels scrabble for grip. The Sportivo's stiffer body, retuned suspension and some aerodynamic aids under the car make it more stable and agile, while not detracting too much from the car's ability to soak up potholes and corrugations.

Yep, I also remember a time when the difference was only a few cents... Now they have this "Gouging" down to a fine art and hence we now now see up to 20 cents difference. I will make a note of this next time I fill up at the Scungy Caltex near my work.

Agreed. The very notion of using E10 in a performance car beggars belief. If you don't want to pay for 98 RON buy something that doesn't. My M3 is a premium only car and it's always 98. The Aurion on the other hand will get E10, regular unleaded and the occasional 95. That's pretty much it.

Karma is a B***h. That'll learn 'em lol..

I ordered these way before the recent ones I showed you previously. I saw these and thought how nice they looked and the quality looked outstanding. I did bear in mind though, coming from Asia may take some time but not this much time. I purchased these on Mar 27th and they just arrived today. In the meantime, I did purchase the Bacho set to get me by, but I really wanted these more. They just look beautiful, unlike any I've seen. The wait was worth it. The photos don't really do them justice. 17mm, 19mm & 21mm. All the ones I use. Made by Jimy.

E10 isn't bad per say, because it can contain up to 94 octane and hence offer similar performance to 95 RON. The only drawback is the economy suffers a little and this is why it's cheaper than regular unleaded. Depending on someones weekly budget too, If they can afford to pay for the 95 then it's not a bad thing but standard unleaded is ok for general driving. The TRD was designed to run on 98 I believe but you can use lower octane. The computer will adjust the settings for you so it's not detrimental to the engine. Knocking is what you want to avoid. It can blow a hole in your pistons and then it's game over. What does it say on the inside of your fuel filler cap ? 95 or 98 ?? For me, I'd use what it says for the most part, but the occasional lower RON won't hurt it.

Hi Kiwi Mike. How did you come across such a low mileage car ? Deceased estate ? Man that is something special to find, especially these days. I have to agree with Ashley. If that car has seen little of the road since new, then I'm assuming the tyres would still be original issue in any case would be bad, bad, bad. They'd be rock hard and will not give a good ride, not to mention unsafe in the wet. I wouldn't be thinking struts at this point. Also, depending on how it had been stored, the bushings may have hardened a little too. Get yourself some Aerospace 303, go around and give all your suspension bushing a soak with this stuff. It's a miracle product for the preservation of all things rubber and porous plastics. Once you get the new tyres, give it a good run to exercise the suspension and it should come good. I haven't heard anyone complain about the suspension being to firm on a Sportivo. They are hardly a performance car to begin with really. You also have the same wheel/tyre combo as my Prodigy and it rides just nicely. Post up some pics of your new car if you can. Be nice to see it. Where are you located ?

Too right

I very much agree with you both. Form and function is important but for me I am happiest with the factory wheels shod with the most compliant tyres I can afford. I'm not into the boy racer look anymore myself, but I wouldn't discourage anyone else going for it either. I'm with you Robert on keeping the originals looking good. Mine are still quite nice despite small rash spots ( wifey, not me..) but I can live with this. I have a new set of OEM wheels for the Aurion which I will reveal at some point. Something a little different but very nice I reckon. I'll post up in the future.

Just remember Ash. No good deed goes unpunished. I get punished on a daily basis and still haven't learned my lesson

For me personally, I'd never deal with 3rd party operators. I get a good deal of satisfaction doing this myself. Not sure of your circumstances but if you have some time, do some research and make the deal yourself, or if you have a friend who can help that might be more beneficial to you. There is plenty of info online.

Hi Andy, Genuine parts are mostly from the dealerships unless a private seller may have the odd part for sale which is pretty uncommon these days. I would probably be sitting down if you plan to call Toyota for prices on those items. Perhaps a good starting point and then go on ebay and take another look. You can get OEM quality without the OEM price most times. There are plenty of good alternatives to Genuine parts. All the best

Hahahahaha so funny. I have tools like that too. Thanks for your compliments mate You'd have to get in line mate,

But wait, there's more !! The socket sets also came with FREE complimentary torques wrenches. If the socket sets weren't cheap already, they throw in quality torque wrenches in for free too !! Who does that ?? Thank you Trade Tools ! I now have two sets Trade Tools are awesome to deal with. Friendly staff and prompt dispatch. Couldn't be happier. I wish there was one in Sydney !

Howdy Gents, My order arrived yesterday, well most of it anyway. The second portion is still in transit. They had a Killer special on and I couldn't resist. I am especially pleased with the quality of the tools they sell too and the prices are Genuinely unbeatable. I don't know how they do it honestly. Items purchased were: 1/4" drive socket set $49 ( wow !!) 3/8" drive socket set $69 (wow !!) 1/2" drive socket set $99 (wow !!) 2 x Dewalt Medium Sized clamps $15.95 ea (wow !!) 240mm x 140mm magnetic tray $7.45 (wow !!) 150mm Round magnetic tray $6.45 (wow !!) Toledo 4 piece stubby screwdriver set $7.90 (wow !!) Toledo Telescopic magnet pick up tool $10.90 (wow !!)

There's some psychology to tailgaters, but the most likely one is anxiety. People just need to slow down and take a deep breath and try to be patient on the roads. Some regard it as their own and forget that we all have to share the road and be as courteous as possible. Who am I kidding ?? In a perfect world this would be nice, but unfortunately we have to put up with it. The best way to rid a tailgater would be to slow down a little. This would only have the affect of them wanting to overtake you even more. I say, be my guest. I then say, see you at the next traffic light.

Good advice there. You have to stay one step ahead of the scammers.

The usual suspects these days are those you mentioned. Car sales is usually a good place to start.

I heard that you need to provide proof of ownership of a TRD for them to even talk to you. Really ??

Yep indeedy. I purchased 2 x 5w-40 6 litre Castrol Edge for my M3 immediately. Practically half price ! It's not that often they put the 6 Litre on special too. Always the 5 which means you still get gouged for the 1 litre because you need the additional 500ml.. Aarrrgghh ! ***Update. I purchased the wrong grade and had to amend my order so it's now 0W-40 as It should be.Next time I'll put my thinking cap on lol...

If the car still has warranty, Toyota need to front up and do the right thing. That's what warranty is for. It covers manufacturers defects within a specified timeframe. I get really annoyed at dealers who always try to weasel out of their obligation. Hopefully Toyota aren't the way Holden have been in the past. No wonder they went broke.

Neither. She fills the car from her own money actually. I pay for everything else..