Tony Prodigy

Awesome. You must post up some pics to celebrate the triumph over tyranny !!

Actually, the 1GR-FE used in early and mid 2000's used is a 4.0lt. I had a 2005 Dual Cab Hilux which was one and to be honest, although it did have some grunt, I feel the Aurion would out pace it. It lacked mid range torque so I'm not sure if the 2GR-FE is a de-stroked version of that. I suspect the Hilux version of the 1GR was detuned as I feel it had more to give but was being held back somewhat. I don't have an extensive knowledge on Toyota engine line ups unfortunately to be able to make a clear distinction.

Hey Guys, An update for this post has me thinking I might have to start looking to replace the battery again. Battery was replaced July 24th 2017 !. Sheesh, how time flies !! So 5 years and a few months later, that same Century battery has been flawless till now. Just a small niggle the other morning when I went to start it. There was the slightest dip on the initial turn of the starter which had me thinking it might be time to keep an eye on things and start looking for a replacement. Another point to mention is the negative terminal post is weeping electrolyte, evidenced by the blueish powder residue forming around the base of the post. It'ss leaking from the case around the post base. I've been trying to keep it at bay, washing down with hot water and reapplying a coat of terminal protectant so the battery clamp doesn't corrode along with it. I forgot to get a pic, but you get the idea. So 5 years isn't bad I guess for a car which lives outside mostly and is used daily. Nothing else to report other than the oil service and brake check. Checked and adjusted tyre pressures and inspected tyre wear since they were replaced a while back. Tyre wear is pretty even this time around compared to the several times Bob Jane Tyres did the alignment. Their "so called" alignment had me seeing premature edge wear and feathering, which leads me to be suspicious if in fact they actually did an alignment or not and still charged me for it. The guys who did it recently, and I have to say impressed me the most, didn't even use a fancy tech gadget like the big guys do. They did it the old fashioned way, which in hindsight had me thinking how dodgy, but in actual fact, the alignment has never been better AND, I'm not seeing the tyre degradation as previously mentioned. So kudos to them for doing a great job. I will definitely be going back there. There are other items on the agenda but will wait until my shed is built. I'll have the proper space and equipment to be able to far better service my cars and when that time arrives, i'll be able to go more in depth with all aspects of service requirements. It's getting hard working on the ground, especially when it comes to the Transmission service, so the new shed and car lift I am desperately waiting for will be a welcome change. I'll update you again soon. Cheers everyone

I suspect your head unit has also expired. May be a coincidence, but I don't think it would be economically viable to "please consult the dealer" as the service cost will vastly outweigh the cost of a replacement head unit. The factory head units are rubbish anyway, so the natural course of action for this is when they fail, replace either with a good used Original item or go after market.

I agree Gentlemen, it would be a big no for me too, to have to remove the engine to cure that notorious leak. It is ridiculous really, to have to spend that much money to fix a simple leak. I hope it never happens to me too. In saying that, I have more faith in our Australian built cars, but I'm not sure if the engines were also built here or were they shipped from Japan. All I can say is for mine, is so far so good. It's just clicked over 148 Kays and the engine is as good as it was when the car was purchased at 40K. It's due to an oil service too.... Hopefully this weekend. I'll post up when I do. The last service was 141,168K. The current reading is 148,410 as of yesterday morning. So roughly a 7.5K interval is bang on the target I set myself. Cheers Guys

The following scenes may be disturbing so viewer discretion is advised. Sorry guys. I had to post this one seeing we're on the subject of oil changes etc.. Oh boy, why are there so many dumb people in America ?? How many oil changes you reckon this idiot needs ?? 🤣

I believe you can contact Toyota directly and quote them your VIN and proof of ownership of said vehicle and they should be able to provide the correct code. I suspect you don't have the original log books right ? I have also heard that you can try putting in the last 6 digits of your chassis number (VIN). Can't say for sure if this works, but can't hurt to try. I can't believe car companies are putting anti theft codes on factory radios lol.. Who would want to steal them right ? They are rubbish anyway and not even worth a second look. Go figure..

Contact A Current Affair mate and they'll have their attack dogs on the case. It would be a great opportunity for them to do a story on the Trucking Industry whilst they're at it. If you have the full details of the offending Lunatic, then by all means offer it up. Another mob is Dash Cams Australia youtube channel. You need to have decent footage of the offense for that one. Some of these drivers are so hopped up on chemicals they're willing to risk it all. There are more Morons per capita who drive trucks who shouldn't be, but it's the reality of the modern era with logistics being the number one driver of the economy since the death of our manufacturing sector. If possible, next time, move left and let the brain dead Moron pass you.

What this video demonstrates really is how many oil changes it takes to simply "mop up" the inside of the engine. Sludge and varnish are baked on moreso and will require a more aggressive approach with the addition of flush agents rather than dropping the oil each time. The agents are design to loosen up, break away and dissolve as much sludge and varnish as possible and it's a procedure which needs to repeated just as much as demonstrate here. Even the most sludged up engine will produce this same result by simply doing subsequent oil changes, but the baked on stuff will still remain. Prevention is always better than the cure right ?? This is a very costly affair.

It's like a "full circle" situation. Having started out with a high mile oil change interval, which created the sludge issue in the first instance, then having to fight your way back to what should have been implemented in the first place, which is regular low mile oil changes. The truth is that all this is avoidable if people don't skimp on their oil service. I can appreciate those who aren't DIY and have to pay someone to do the service for them, but in saying that, if you plan to own a car, then you should also be willing to accept all the running costs that come with it. Changing your oil more regularly costs more in the short term, BUT, it will save you in the longer term. Fact.

😄😄 I reckon you're close my friend. I've had to put into storage all the non-perishable items until my shed is built and keep the other stuff within simple reach in case of an emergency lol.. !! I stocked up mainly on various micro fiber cloths and towels including various buffing pads and detailing brushes. That should keep me going well into the 22nd Century 🤣😛

😁 I know right ? The status you reach enables any future purchases to a permanent discount which is ok I guess. I do appreciate the fact that Waxit do give back for your loyalty. I have purchased from several other companies over the years and there was no such thing as a loyalty program. It was all take, take, take despite spending hundreds at any given time. So this is pretty cool of them. They're doing something the others don't bother to do, so happy days.

No more for me for a while. I've already hit Silver Status with waxit 😜

Fuel contamination is my biggest worry. You don't know who's running the shop sometimes and tank maintenance may be lacking. Water ingress and other forms of contamination can enter those huge underground tanks and mix with the fuel. The dregs of the tank can end up in your car without you even suspecting it and it's hard to know when the tanks are full, half or low. Avoiding the low tanks is a lucky dip. For me personally, i've had all the fuel types in my Aurion, from E10, unleaded, 95 and 98 and the car ran just fine with them all. On the other hand, the only fuel I ever use or have used in my M3 is BP 98. Something about their fuel seems to agree with that car. Never had an issue in my 15 years of ownership with that car.

I suspect this particular Aurion was serviced according the stupid log book service interval, hence it's partially sludged up. 15k service intervals are very, very bad and this is what can happen as a result of "fixed price servicing" garbage invented by car makers. It's a total fraud in my mind and causes nothing but pain in the long run. This will definitely require several oil flushes to de-sludge it and then going forward oil changes every 5K or thereabouts as Ashley mentioned. It's going to take some time to bring it back, but it will be ok if you got it in time.

I somehow misplaced my drying towel with the place being upside down at the moment due to my shed construction project. I've had to pack so much stuff away in boxes which are stacked in a garden shed and I haven't the time to go rummaging through each box to refind all my small items. I know, I should've marked the boxes more clearly, but it is what it is, so I went hunting for another drying towel and it kind of snowballed just a teency weency bit 🤪😛😄

Your registration fee will be cheaper now it's under the normal weight for an Aurion. My Aurion tips in just over the 1505 threshold and as such I have to cop the $486 rip !! It hurts a little, but what can you do ? Tare weight (kg) Private use fee Business use fee Up to 975 $224 $365 976 to 1154 $261 $415 1155 to 1504 $318 $502 1505 to 2504 $486 $756 2505 to 2794 $705 $1,175

Yes, Big Mike. The V6 is a masterpiece of engineering. All that low down torque contributes to the effortless drive and if you have right foot sympathy and can drive it smoothly, it will reward you. I can't imagine a world without it, now that the enviro nazis are getting their way infiltrating our Govt's telling car companies to reduce emissions, axing V8's and V6's in favour of turbo charged 4 cylinder's. Imagine an Aurion or a Prado with a 4 cyl ?? What about a Landcruiser ? This is the slow death of the internal combustion engine. They're giving us turbo charged unreliability to fill the power void yet reduce emissions ? I can't see how a turbo charged 4 cyl can have that much less emissions than a stock V6. I'm sure they have all the answers.. That's ok , I guess. We have no control over it... Or do we ??? 😜 When my 351 Cleveland Powered XD falcon is resurrected, I'm going to put all those emissions back which were taken 😄😄😄

I have a few goodies on the way from waxit.com as we speak.....😜 I couldn't help myself 😄

Here's that car port i picked up the other day. I'm yet to assemble it, but still happy I was able to grab one at a more reasonable price. Damn, It wasn't that long ago too that it was $199. Price gouging is out of control. Most of the oil specials we once used to enjoy are not really specials anymore. 50% became 40% and now it's 30% in most cases. Nothing to get excited about anymore 🙄

It'll be fine. During the course of this oil change you will still have remnants of the flushing agent and whatever sludge comes out of the engine. I wouldn't use an expensive fully synthetic oil for the flush process. Give it a couple more flushes and then go full synthetic then. Monitor the colour of the oil over the next couple thousand kays and see how it's tracking. Do the next oil change at roughly 5k and see how it pans out.

I've only ever had Michelin tyres on mine. Our Aurion had the original Bridgestone's on it when we bought it and they were horrible. No grip and the road noise was horrendous. When we put the Michelins on it for the first time it was like riding in a Rolls Royce. It was sublime ! The car was totally transformed. Super quiet, improved steering response and way better ride. Just be sure when you have new tyres fitted, make sure the date codes are "old stock" I'm sure there are other tyres than can offer similar experiences to mine, but I can't confirm as I've only ever used Michelin. Been very happy with the brand and quality, so I just stick with them. Got my last set for a great deal with Supercheap Auto's promotion they had for their members, so that was great. Saved over $100 over a Bob Jane and the like..

Hi Rueben and welcome to the forum. You'd probably not get much more out of the stock normally aspirated engine to be honest. A lot of people go down the rabbit hole of mods, spend thousands of dollars and in the end might gain 2% more horsepower. Is it worth it ? Not really. It might give you the false sense of security having spent so much money on it, bigger exhaust, cold air intake, K&N filter, tune, etc but it's the law of diminishing return here. If you want more power, and I mean real power, you'll have to turbo charge it. Pure and simple. That'll wake it up. Talk to engine builders who know what they're doing and perhaps get the engine built to suit your needs and budget. 'Good luck with the Celica, they were really nice cars when they came out. I remember them vividly still.

Nice work mate. It's a lot of work but the results are always spectacular. A proper, thorough chemical decon is always required before clay bar. Using the right products is imperative too. Colour indicating fallout remover is great and gives a sense of satisfaction seeing where the nasty areas really are. The tops and bottom sides always fair the worst and you have no idea how badly contaminated your car is until you spritz it all over. I'd also give the glass a hit too. My Aurion is overdue for a similar treatment. Though this time, I'm going to do a two stage correction then apply a dedicated ceramic coating so it'll free me up to do other things. The ceramic will keep it protected longer and help reduce time washing in between too. Good call on the those spot lights too. They were nakkered. Were the new ones OEM replacements or aftermarket ? Also, I never noticed the grille badge till now. What is that ??

Legend ! Thanks mate