campbeam

Check your engine for accumulated oil sludge build up in the front valve cover which has the PCV valve. Check/clean the PCV valve. Something else I do is to undo the oil housing and inspect the oil filter cartridge. You may also see "coffee grounds" in the oil which are the undissolved oil sludge deposits. If your engine has a fair bit of sludge, then the quickest solution is to remove the front valve cover and thoroughly clean the oil channels leading to the PCV valve. After the engine has been adequately desludged, then use quality oils preferably synthetic or semi-synthetic. Being "old school", I believe in oil and filter changes every 5,000 km especially for city type driving. Positive Crankcase Understanding.doc White smoke on start up.doc

Suggest changing the transmission fluid. Consider replacing the transmission filter [if it has one]. Not sure if your gearbox has shift solenoids, but if so, remove then check/clean the fine mesh screens.

Over the last few weeks, the P0420 error code has been reappearing and I have been recording the freeze frame data before erasing the code. What I have noticed is that the high temperature reading for the catalytic convertor has gone up for a few readings to 700C. I did a reading of live data and noticed that the voltage reading for the post cat sensor was fluctuating around the 0.4 range before finally increasing to 0.7 while the voltage for the post cat sensor on bank 2 was steady at 0.7 then it started to fluctuate. I was starting to think that the sensor was faulty or an intermittent poor electrical connection. In the meantime, I have continued with desludging the engine, bypassed the PCV valve so no oil is sucked into the intake and continued to use 98 RON fuel. Since an overnight trip during the week, the OBD has reset and removed the pending error code [again] so it is back to waiting fo see if the code reappears.

Yes best to do your research first then decide what to do. Sometimes the best option is a wait and see approach. Personally, I own all of my vehicles outright so my options are limited by my bank account balance and future plans. About a year ago, I was ready to proceed with the suspension upgrade on my 2006 Aurion but ended up buying a 2008 Aurion Prodigy which needed lots of TLC.

I have a similar approach window shopping / researching regularly and buying later when the need arises. After a check/clean of the rotors and brake pads today, I expect that i will be replacing them in the next 18 mths. I have them already in my eBay watch list.

Best advertising is word of mouth from friends, work colleagues etc. Check the Toyota Australia website. You can do a Google search for likely possibilities then do a check for recent reviews on Google and Facebook.

Case of horses for courses. A lot of driveways into car parks are more like obstacle courses. Amusing and boring [to me] watching these lowered cars having to crawl their way slowly over speed bumps especially if they have body kits. Bad enough with standard height clearance. My Aurion already has a scrape mark on the front cross member and oil pan [from the previous owners] and for clearance has to have a paver in front of the car ramps. I think that I am a recalcitrant at heart for some things, dislike speed bumps so I only slow enough so as not to damage suspension.

Interesting dilemma. I think that this is where it is prefer to have standard profile tyres to help absorb the harshness of an upgraded harder suspension. From memory [not always perfectly accurate], the ride in my 1998 Camry was a bit harder at first then appeared to smooth out after a few weeks. Maybe I just got more used to the firmer ride but i think it was also the new struts and springs "settled"into position. I also have a biased personal preference for retaining a vehicles standard height so it does not bottom out going over speed bumps etc. More economical and low risk approach would be to reuse your existing stock springs if they are in good condition and upgrade the struts.

1 Excellent maintenance record. If not properly maintained, the 2GR-FE engine [like most modern engines] is prone to accumulated oil sludge. Engine smoking on startup is due to this oil sludge in the valve cover. Also check for engine noises at idle, it should be quiet with no squeaking or rattling sounds. 2. Check for water pump leaks. Expensive repair job to replace water pump. Dealers have quoted $2000 saying engine has to be removed. Apparently it can be done without engine removal but still time consuming. 3. Rear VVT-i oil line in earlier models [prior to July 2008?] had a rubber hose mid-section which eventually leaks. It is not a case of if but when. Replacing this oil line with a full metal line costs about $500-$600.

Yes but always best to confirm with your local tyre fitter. Following recent thread from the Aurion Forum has a few tyre suggestions. Personally, I am quite happy to stay with the stock size tyres which I reason are going to be cheaper and more choices/availability than non-standard sizes. There appears to be more advertised "performance orientated tyres" with lower profiles for the 17", 18" wheels.

Andrew, you need to provide more specific information. Is it leaking engine oil or transmission fluid? How much is it leaking; a few drops or a small puddle? A good idea to park the car with paper/cardboard underneath so you get a rough idea of where it is leaking. Have you checked the engine bay or underneath the vehicle? Assuming that it an engine oil leak, check that the oil filter is tight and also clean around the oil drain plug. Check the engine valve cover and the engine sump pan for visible leaks.

Did you replace the battery ot just recharged it? SuperCheap have a 30% discount on Century 4WD and truck batteries. After a bit of online research, went for overkill and got the NS70LX MF [720 CCA and 85 Ah] instead of the NS70L MF [650 CCA] Both of these batteries are the same dimensions as the 55D23L for the Camry/Aurion. The existing 15 mth old extra heavy duty battery [only 420CCA] will be recycled into my 1998 4 cyl Camry. Just checked again but i could not notice any difference in ease of starting car with the new battery and extra CCA compared to the replaced battery.

There have been some recent posts in the Aurion Forum about sway bars and front strut bars. From memory, the 19mm rear sway bar is the recommended "sweet spot". I have also considered changing to a mesh grille but decided to leave as is; not enough benefit to me for the cost.

Oil is due for a change; should have probably been done at 70,000 kms especially if you do a fair bit of towing or off-road driving. Hopefully after the oil change, the whining noise will disappear. Located this related thread and diff repairs were required. http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/34522-whine-in-transfer-case-2011-kluger/

Interesting that the King Springs catalogue did not include standard height coils for your Toyota Camry. Toyota Aurion in the King Springs Catalogue; KTFS-63 and KTRS-61 standard height coils http://kingsprings.com.au/catalogue/vehicle/915/toyota-aurion-40-series-2006-2012 You could send an email enquiry to King Springs to clarify. Perhaps they have reservations/concerns about using standard height coils in the Camry http://kingsprings.com.au/contact

Comparing to the base model but not other car manufacturers. I am not a new car buyer but I have read enough car reviews to know that Toyota is lagging the rest of the field when it comes to the infotainment unit. Personally, I am more interested in how the car performs its primary transport function; safety and reliability. Don't know why but apparently BMW also resisted the adoption of apple car play/android until 2015. If it is that important to you, then replace the unit.

I have just checked the drive shafts on my 2008 Aurion Prodigy. With the car on the ground, I have movement in both driveshafts, the same amount which only feels like 1-2mm, so not very much.

I have noticed when looking at the different halogen bulb specifications, high output bulbs usally have a shorter lifetime compared to extra performance and standard bulbs. Just something to be aware of when selecting/comparing bulbs. http://www.carbulbsdirect.com/au/store/category/car-bulbs/fitting/h7-499

I suspect that you may have a fair bit of oil sludge in the valve train, I would be wary of using commercial oil flush products unless you are also prepared to drop the engine sump and check/conform that the oil pickup screen has not become clogged with the dislodged sludge. I use diesel to flush my engine at every oil change. Drain the old engine oil, refit the drain bolt and add about 5 litres of diesel. IDLE [no fast revving] the engine for 5-10 minutes. Drain the diesel then do the oil and filter change. The drained diesel will look very filthy. Been doing this for many years and being öld school"I do oil changes every 5,000 km. Something else that I have been doing to help desludge the engines in both of my Aurions is to add about 500 ml of diesel or ATF to the engine oil. You could also do this about a week before the oil change.

I would be inclined to check the front wheel bearings. I would also remove the front wheels and do a visual inspection of the suspension and check that all bolts are tightened. Might as well check the pads and rotors as you rotate the wheel hub. I would then be checking both the inner and outer cv joints for any movement. Something else for consideration on the checklist is the wheel alignment.

Interested to know their recommendations for your Camry whether it is a combination of Sachs struts and King Springs or a different brand combination. Will be handy for me and other members to know if/when we are considering doing a suspension upgrade.

They have got good reviews in both Google and Facebook. One review mentioned a speed camera in a nearby 50kph zoned street. Sounds like it will be worthwhile talking with them and getting a quote.

Perhaps other forum members can recommend a good suspension shop in Brisbane. My own starting point would be Fulcrum Suspension, Browns Plains.

For performance, I upgraded my 1998 Camry with King Springs, Boge [now owned by Sachs] Shock Absorbers and a Ultra Racing brand front strut brace. Absolutely love the way how the car handles going through roundabouts.

Consider spark plug replacements if the car has done >100,000 kms. Use synthetic or semi-synthetic engine oil. Changing headlights will most likely be illegal. Better off upgrading the existing halogen bulbs. Just remember the brighter the light, the shorter the life span. https://www.powerbulbs.com/au/store/category/car-bulbs/fitting/h7-499 Legal use of foglights is limited to fog, heavy rain so in my opinion better off upgrading the parking light bulbs or possibly adding driving lights. Current example of lip spoiler available on eBay. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TOYOTA-CAMRY-REAR-LIP-SPOILER-2007-2011-/322332884633?hash=item4b0c897e99:g:2pEAAOSwo4pYKAU5