Buddha

Working in insurance, this is something I'm passionate (or compulsive :P ) about. It is always best to be up-front with your insurer and tell them about anything you have on the car (and anything in your driving history, too). It is far better to be told that they can't cover you, so you can get suitable cover elsewhere, rather than wait for a claim and find they deny it, and all you're left with is an expensive bit of paper. Even better is to talk to insurers before you spend the big dollars so you know where you stand if you do modify the car. Some reasons a company might decline a claim ... those big wheels that aren't quite legal cause a tyre to rub on the guard, and upsetting the handling and causing an accident ... maybe you're car is stolen, and the insurer denies the claim because of the big stereo (which you didn't tell them about) making the car more of a theft risk. Leroy is right, it is up to the insurer to prove you wrong, but frankly, you just don't want the hassle.

I will be making the trip in the Crown, haven't done a roadtrip in ages! I would take the wagon, but the Mrs will need a car here, and besides, the Crown has cruise control! ;) I'll have a few spare seats if any other QLDers want to come with, and happy to convoy with other QLD drivers. Maybe we can tee it up with the NSW guys to meet them along the way, build up our group like they do in the TIVO ads!

Those weren't quite the words I used when Zoran passed our wagon, but close! :o But now I see the video and know he had road reports from cars ahead, I don't feel so put-off by it! :D

LOL, I know what you mean! A couple of years ago I made the silly mistake of trying to keep tabs on the Sportivo's in my original Rolla wagon up Nebo ... one corner I came in a bit too hot, and learnt about weight transfer, the limitations of my wagon, and the need for me to take a pair of brown undies next time! :P I can almost hear Silvabullit nodding from here ... being the next car along, he had impromptu front-row seats for the "show"!

With the power to weight thing, you'll be wanting more weight, so it'd be best to keep the spare.

I will be along tomorrow night ... its been a while! Time to roll the Crown out for her first TOCA meet. :D

Yeah, I see that ... I was talking about back in 2004 when we bought our first wagon, but its cool to see not only more wagons, but well modified ones, too.

Great to see another wagon on the forums ... I still remember when I was just about the only one with a wagon on here!

and u kill others in the process of killin urself I don't mind people smoking in their cars ... as long as they wind the windows up so the cars following don't have to deal with it! <_<

Yeah, but how much free petrol? Someone wins, they think they've won lotto, they take the winnings to the servo, and it ends up only paying for 2 or 3 litres!

First of all, in regard to the brake and coolant flush, can you tell from the service history when these were last done to the car? It may be that your mechanic is assuming these haven't been done in a long time. The brake flush and wheel alignment prices sound about normal to me, but the other parts are overpriced. Did the mechanic tell you how much wear is left on the brake shoes, i.e. is it urgent now, or do they have, say, 5k or 10k left in them? The main rear seal is potentially a $500 job, we had a similar repair on our Starlet a few months back, but thankfully it was still under the statutory warranty, and the dealer knew about it from the safety inspection, he just chose to leave it that way. As for the gearbox, how does it feel to drive? Is it hard to select gears, or do they crunch when you change gears? Is there any noise you can detect from the gearbox? From my experience, Toyota manual gearboxes, generally, are pretty hardy sort of devices, you'd have to be pretty brutal with them to kill them. I agree with dannywss, take the car to another mechanic for a check over and see what their opinion is.

Just updating my Toyota list ... After (begrudgingly) selling the Conquest wagon in 06, we had an RA40 Celica for a couple of months, before that was written off. Had a 95 Falcon for a while before buying my 2nd Starlet (a 97 model) in mid 07. We traded the Starlet on our current 04 Corolla Ascent wagon (facelift model), which we intend to keep for a very long time to come!

That photo can never be erased from the memory, only repressed just a little bit! As others have said, good to hear from Craig after all this time!

1 SILVABULLIT (QLD) 2 Northy (QLD) 3 Azza (QLD) 4 Superdave (QLD) 5 DHC09 (QLD) 6 M_M (NSW) 7 Mark(the good side of M_M) (NSW) 8 Aimee (NSW) 9 Yoshi (QLD) 10 Mick.wheelz (QLD) 11 Natedog11six (QLD) 12 T_Money (QLD) 13 Gavin (QLD) 14 AUR15 (QLD) 15 LTS60 (QLD) 16 LTS60 brother (QLD) 17 Xoom (NSW) 18 MOPP (VIC) 19 Zoran (VIC) 20 Donggae (VIC) *POSSIBLE* 21 Mono (QLD) 22 バハム－ト aka MarioX (VIC) 23 BigPete (NSW) 24 Tats (NSW) 25 whitestivo (QLD) 26 ZZR88 (QLD) *Possible* 27 SecaBoy (QLD) *Part of the weekend* 28 SupaTouring (QLD) 29 Buddha (QLD) *Sunday only* Accomodation at F1 Motel 1.AUR15 2. Zoran 3. Mopp 4. バハム－ト aka MarioX 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

I've recently bought one of the grilles from Kelvin on Ebay, it did need a slight prod to fit, but some of the suggestions above would have made it easier! Here's a pic of mine:

Sorry fellas, going to have to give this one a miss ... other stuff on Friday means I won't be able to make it. But have a hoot, just the same!

Up here in Brissie, I know of a Woolworths/Caltex and a 7Eleven that does the same thing. Someone should blow price boards up! Sorry, just watching a re-run of Kingswood Country on Foxtel! :-)

I will also be along tonight ... definitely. Promise. I'm actually ready to go, will head out soon.

Bugger it, I did the same ... I sat down in front of the telly, I obviously nodded off, next thing I know its 3:30am! On one hand, sorry I didn't get out ... on the other hand, probably best I fell asleep on my couch, rather than on the mountain!

Thankfully, she caught it really early and she had a top surgeon, and the latest scans are all clear. But thanks for the sentiment, anyway. :)

Glad to help. Yeah, life away from the forums have been busy the last six months, mainly work and helping my wife get over a cancer she had removed before Xmas. All good now, though! :-)

Is that at North Lakes or Brendale? Doesn't matter either way, just interested, although North Lakes has heaps of room. BTW ... a call out to all Rolla wagon owners! Lets see if we can get enough wagons to really put the "boot" in! B)

I'll be along, regardless of weather ... perhaps we could head to somewhere for a snack and a drink if the weather plays up.

Well, luckily for you, I work in car insurance, and my wife works with CTP! Firstly, the difference between insurances: CTP (Compulsory Third Party, or also known as a Green Slip in some states): This is part of your rego and it covers third parties who might be injured in an accident where you're at fault. This includes people in your own car. Some insurers also extend this cover to the driver at fault, so even if you cause an accident, you can claim for your own injuries as well. My personal suggestion is that you go with one of those insurers. Its compulsory, as the name suggests. TPO (Third Party Only cover): This covers you for any damage you might do to other parties' property where you're at fault in an accident. Everyone talks about hitting that Mercedes or Rolls Royce, but you also need to think about things like fences if you crash into a yard, or armco or light poles that you might hit ... the govt DOES charge for these things, and they ain't cheap! The cover is very cheap and could literally save you thousands. Most insurers also include some cover for your car if you are hit by another driver who doesn't have any insurance, up to $5,000 in some cases. My personal suggestion is that if you're driving a car, and you don't have at least this much cover, then you are truly an idiot. TPO + Fire and Theft: This is the same as TPO, but your car is also covered in the event of a fire or if it is stolen. Check with your insurer as to the full extent of this cover, as "theft" might only refer to the car actually being taken away, it may not cover attempted theft. Not all insurers necessarily offer this sort of cover, though. Comprehensive: Covers you for all damage, to your car and other property. Its the most expensive, but it does pretty much cover every possible scenario, unless you're silly enough to do something illegal. Some insurers can also give you a reduced price if you don't drive the car often, or even if you don't drive it at all. A bit long winded, but hopefully that explains it for you.

I shall be along this week (promise) ... and as for a "leisurely" cruise, I'll give ya leisurely! Especially after the mountain bit me that time ... <_<