Tony Prodigy

You can almost guarantee you'll get hosed by the dealer. Their mantra is REPLACE, REPLACE, REPLACE, despite an incorrect diagnosis. Shot gun diagnosis seems to be the order these days. Even IF the cat was faulty, I would never pay that extortionate amount. I would most definitely find a good used one. Nothing wrong with that. Cats are supposed to last the lifetime of the car and if you have had the wrong diagnosis, paying the stealership 2.5 to 5K to fix a problem that isn't the real problem, I'd run as fast as I could.

Haha, green death... Could well be, or the O.P. needs to check the integrity of the control wires. There could be a break somewhere, more likely the one that signals the battery light.

Ouch. That's nearly double what I paid for a set of tyres for the 17's. I didn't think your 225/45/R18 was an unusual size though to warrant the extra sting. Sheesh.. Road noise wise, I think once you start going 18s and larger with the low profile, you will get a degree of road noise no matter the brand. It gets worse as the tyre wears too, as you know. Looks like you've done your homework, so I reckon your tyre of choice there should be fine.

So how much are PS4's or 5's in this current climate ? I'm happy on regular Michelin's for the 17" rims the Prodigy has. Does the job perfectly and no performance required because it's not a performance car to begin with and is driven tamely. I feel your frustration though mate. We've had to endure the price gouging during Covid and now with inflation out of control, topped with a dash of transport companies going out of business due to high fuel prices, it's no surprise the stupid costs we have to cop. I'm glad I don't need tyres for quite some time yet.

Clearcoat failure and complete paint failure are two very different animals. I've seen clearcoat failure on many cars, not only Toyotas. It mostly comes about from improper maintenance and not necessarily product failure, which is why I stated there are too many variables for a clearcoat issue. You don't know how the car was stored, cleaned or maintained so as a dealer I too would reject that claim. The paint peeling issue is a factory issue that stems back to epoxy primer failure, one that the maker recognizes and although met with some resistance from them, are compensating customers to a degree.

I'm not surprised to be honest. Too many years and way too many variables to give any consideration to fixing this.

Here are the following dimensions of a Genuine Toyota Oil Filter Cartridge. A = 66mm (Measured at various points of circumference with caliper just touching substrate) C = 25mm (Absolute distance between glued section) H = 64.2mm (Absolute edge to edge from centre glued portions) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ These are the dimensions for a counterfeit Toyota Oil Filter. It's the only one I keep for reference from a batch I purchased years ago. A = 66.8mm (Measured at various points of circumference with caliper just touching substrate) C = 25mm (Absolute distance between glued section) H = 68.44mm (Absolute edge to edge from centre glued portions) The main difference between these two is the overall height. 4.2mm difference ! Not that is would cause any issue, but I dare say the counterfeit one will compress slightly as the one shown by Ashley. Also note how it deforms under light hand pressure. Also note the colour difference. Original is the pale one on the left. The counterfeit is a more vivid yellow colour.

Haha, yes, they are quite strong. Like a block of wood lol,..

Haha, yes it is. I glanced over to your profile minutely and saw "Avalon". The same would apply for Corolla nonetheless. Hope I was able to help in the meantime..

I'd be interested to know the exact dimensions of the aftermarket filter cart compared to the Toyota Genuine article. Is the deformation possibly be due to it being a few millimeters too tall and thus is compressing when fitted ? I'll dig a genuine Toyota filter out and measure for you if you don't have one and can post back later.

She's getting there Ash. It is a long and frustrating process, one that will continue for quite some time I reckon. It's trying to remove the sludge from the hard to reach places where oil doesn't move as much or as fast as other areas within the engine. I think this is why the recommendation of using the flush with the old oil works better than with new oil. The debris in the old oil can be used to your advantage to aid and assist with the movement of the "stuck" sludge particles. if that makes sense. If you have fresh oil it's too slippery. You need gunk to help move the gunk.

The head unit doesn't have a back up battery. The juice is delivered via the body control module. I would dare say that the BCM has a dodgy relay that's not making when the vehicle is switched off. I have no idea where your module is situated in the Avalon. Perhaps the Avalon people can chime in.

I suspect your battery is on the way out mate. If there is a blown fuse, it might be the constant 12v power supply. If all your fuses check ok, then I'd start looking at the battery condition and potentially your alternator. Your Central Body Control Modules (BCMs) needs a certain level of power to operate all the systems and with a battery that's boarder line some accessory functions will behave normally and some won't. In this case your radio's clock. If the battery checks ok, then I'd be looking at the BCM.

Hi David, It should be a 3ZR-FE. Did you peer down onto the well of each plug and see there isn't anything fouling the socket ?? It is also possible someone may have left a grommet behind from a previous spark plug change. This can also stop your socket from locating onto the hex. If that isn't the issue then I suspect you're not using a thin wall socket for this. The well is quite tight and some regular sockets may not get enough space for purchase onto the hex of the plug.

In my experience Ash, I would be inclined to NOT replace the internal strainer if it's clean. I believe it's there to filter out any ferrous or non ferrous material. The friction material from the bands, I tend to think not, as this remains in suspension with the fluid. After my last fluid flush, I replaced my Original strainer with a paper element type too and so next time I take the pan off, I'm putting the Original one back. Upon inspection, it appeared to be quite clean with no foreign material in side it. The drain pan magnet essentially mopped up any ferrous material from the break in period and no other contamination was present.

I have inadvertently used knock off Toyota oil filters early in the days of my ownership and I have to say that although they weren't Genuine Toyota, they still did the job well enough. I didn't report any defects or break up as shown in the video. To me and to many other unsuspecting people, it was as good as a filter got but my OCD led me to explore this and eventually come to realise that I did in fact buy some counterfeit oil filters. It angers me in the sense that the Chinese have the hide to copy the entire item from Toyota, packaging and all and pass it off as a Genuine product. That's what gets up my nose. So from that day forward, I did the research and learned how to identify the counterfeits from the original and as you all know, have since stocked up on several cases of Genuine Toyota Filters. So plenty to do many more oil changes. Some good news to also report is that my Mrs has recently resigned from her current job as she has found employment closer to home. So what does this mean for the Aurion ? Less kilometers travelled. From 40 kays per day down to 6 kays per day. The only addition to this is travel to Seven Hills to drop our boy off to school in the morning which will add another 3 kays only in the morning run. I pick him up in the arvo with company vehicle. So all up from say roughly 45 kays per day down to say 9 kays per day. Less wear and tear, less idle time caught in traffic, Less fuel usage and less maintenance costs overall. So happy days for all. With the daily commute being shorter trips this will then require me to change the oil more frequently. I am starting to entertain the idea of doing the oil service every 5k after this kicks off. I'll check the oil condition as we progress. She's not scheduled to begin her new role until 3 weeks from now. I am finally relieved this is happening as the daily grind was taking its toll on the car and I'd like to preserve it as best as possible.

I was thinking the same thing. My thoughts would be that the engine will be ok, if it's only had one extended oil service rather than several, it couldn't have done long term damage. If it starts and runs ok without any funny noises then I wouldn't worry. The extra 10k on the oil shouldn't make the amount of sludge you typically see on engines that have had poor a service history. As Ashley mentioned, start doing oil services at 5K intervals with high quality fully synthetic oil and I would also recommend the use of an engine flush agent for a few services. It will help dissolve any potential sludge not normally removed just by virtue of the oil circulating. Carefully inspect the used oil drained from each service along with oil filter. Check between the pleats for any bits of sludge. If you don't encounter any, then you should be on the right track. Best of luck and please keep us posted as you progress. Photos would also be great. Cheers

They look great ! Glad you're happy with them. What I liked most was the stainless steel trim along the top edge which provides the continuity over the original door frame trimming. The dark plastic should also provide good shade from the sun. I do recall there being metal hooks in the Toyota Genuine Kit too. The just provide more stability and help reduce movement over time. The hooks fit into the bailey channel of the window frame. I would've bought a set for myself at the time I was looking but they only had them for 40 series cars. I ended up having to buy the Genuine Toyota shield kit. I suspect they have them now for 50 series.

My Pleasure.

Hey bud. I don't have an answer to the fuel reset for the 40 series Aurion as I don't have that model. In the 50 series there is a "DISP" button on the steering wheel which when pressed does reset the fuel consumption data. Not sure how the 40 series is set up. If you're looking for weather shields, I too was searching for a set way back for my 50 and ended up with Genuine Toyota ones. They're ok. I wouldn't say they're the best because they are from Toyota, but that's what was available at the time. The aftermarket ones were all to suit 40 series only. This seller had the ones I would've preferred for the 50 but they only do them for the 40. The nice part of these is that they have the stainless steel trim that follows the trim on the door frames. The others usually don't. That's what I was hoping to find for my 50. The Toyota ones aren't stainless, but the plastic chrome like trim they have usually fades in the sun and polishing tends to bring them back up. Mine have faded again and will need another spruce up. With those in that link, you don't have to worry about the chrome fading as it has metal in them. Good value for money too. Also, I don't think Toyota stock those for the 40 series anymore.

I don't think we're going to hear back from the O.P any time soon. Thread is quite old. Many people jump on this forum looking for a quick fix, then don't bother to hang around let alone contribute anything meaningful. It's a shame though.

Control arm bushing won't induce vibrations but more of a knock when jostled.

That is a disgraceful situation, especially when you have paid big bucks for a car and I dare say had to also wait an eternity for it too right ? Two key fobs should be standard and Toyota Australia saying that it's out of their control smacks of disdain and contempt for the very people who feed them. I'd be ****** too. What has your dealer got to say ? They should be back pedaling to make this right.

Hey Caitlin. from what I'm seeing on carsales and the like, these Prado's are holding their values really well, even those with 300-400 + Kays on the ODO. If this one you're looking at has original kays backed up with a service history then I would be inclined to pay around 20K for it. The better you can negotiate, the less you pay, of course. For the kays, It's barely run in. These vehicles were built like tanks and a proper old school tough and will last for generations. Not many bad things to say about them, except just ensure it gets a thorough inspection. See if it's been off road and look for chassis damage scrapes and scratches. Even if it has low kays, it can still potentially had a hard early life. Check service history and see if the correct maintenance items have been covered. Check for smooth gear shifts and how the vehicle rides over the bumps. Be aware of any vibrations or steering issues. Engine wise. they are pretty bullet proof too. The 3.4lt V6 is responsive and smooth and will last a very long time. Efficiency will be dictated by several factors. How well maintained it is and the mercy of your right foot. Average fuel consumption is around 14 lt/100Klms. So I suspect you'll fill it up once a week. The diesel version is better at around 8 lt/100Klms. Some prefer diesel for the towing capacity and fuel efficiency, but are more costly to maintain. They also have excellent longevity, not to say the petrol engine doesn't. It's all relative to how you maintain it. If you change the oil on time within 7-10K intervals, the engine will last a very long time. I can't see why one couldn't do a million Klms if it were impeccably maintained, and don't worry, it will last another 30 years at least, not ten. Good luck with it and I hope it all goes well for you. Be sure to post back if you end up purchasing it. Regards Tony

Many things come to mind. Wheel Balance, probably the rear if no steering vibration. A wheel weight may have come adrift ? Tail shaft universal joints ? Loose wheel nuts ? Transmission / transfer case ? I take it you haven't been to see a mechanic yet.