TommyM

Quarter windows/opera windows. Similar concept haha. But yes the body integrated quarter windows vs putting a massive "C" pillar. Vinyl roofed pimpmobiles, love it 🤣🤣

Patterson Cheney Toyota in Dandenong were the original selling dealer back in the day. They admire seeing it come in from time to time. Some of the guys say the Avalon's weren't exactly world class, but they were exceptionally well built cars. Combined with the amount of Lexus bits you find in'em. They're solid Still rep the dealer plate covers too

Looking good as always, the only thing i wish they'd kept from the Avalon is the opera windows in the body, because the blind spots in the avalon are minimal vs the later aurions. I swear the "woodgrain effect" trim was carried over because my steering wheel looks identical 😂 Same with my trim pieces. Atleast there was pros & cons with either model. End of the day i'll probably be selling my G6E at some point & moving to a later gen V6 Camry SL or late 16'/17' Aurion Presara. Still cross shopping a few things, but ol'e faithful is here to stay. Funnily enough the 4sp is way more willing to kickdown vs my ZF box FG at times can be "Napping". Although i'm undecided on being picky and finding a cashmere interior Aurion/Camry or going black. I've always liked the cashmere interior on my G6E, although a bi**h to keep clean.

Also considering it's been a while, here's how the interior is looking. Combined with replacing the headliner due to age it was starting to drop. However everything else is original. Don't mind the sheen, i'd just used a leather conditioner that previous day, not silicone s**t. Also hint the new power steering reservoir 😆 I do have floor mats but took'em out for the images initially.

Hell i even brought genuine gaskets/tube seals because they're funnily cheaper than aftermarket & without a doubt better. 😂😂 I was really suprised though considering the reputation these have for build up, sludge, etc. My mechanic (who i also know personally), and his son i grew up with basically said. Hell i even brought genuine gaskets/tube seals because they're funnily cheaper than aftermarket & without a doubt better. 😂😂 "Because whenever you do drive it, you put it through a full heat cycle, that combined with 7500km or less intervals & the best quality oil although over kill is why it's so clean, cams have minimal wear same with the bucket shims". I've been running Castrol Edge A3/B4 for a while now & it's the quietest it's ever been, i found with Penrite near the 5000km mark there'd be a little more valvetrain noise during the OCI, however since going to Castrol it's quiet all the way through the service interval. The fact this thing has no oil consumption issues currently suprises me more so 😂 To date it's ran Penrite ENVIRO+ GF5 & GFS (not bad but could be a little better, great in my FG though) Castrol Edge 5w30 A3/B4 (API SL*, MB 229.5 approval) Penrite ENVIRO+ 5w40 (C3/MB 229.51 approval) Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 And earlier during the previous owner who my fam knew, Mobil 1 5w30, but it's a PITA to source same with Shell Helix Ultra in bulk so i just stuck with Penrite/Castrol. Now i'm almost due for a new set of rubber. Contemplating Falken Ziex ZE310 Hankook Ventus Prime 4 Yokohama BluEarth AE51-GT I've driven vehicles with Primacy 4 & 4 ST, but they're way to soft for the handling i require or reassurance grip. I did just have a set of Dunlop SP Sport FM800's, they were a solid tyre, but felt a bit too devoid of road feel & a little too soft for my liking. How's things with the aurion squad ?

G'day @Tony Prodigy @Hiro Hope you've all been well, i've been pretty MIA from the forum. Had alot of work i've done to my Avalon, including common maintenance things. Just replaced the rocker cover gaskets because they were leakin a bit. Did the full timing kit inc all gaskets, waterpump, etc again recently. New control arms, balljoints, etc Did the headliner which looks beautiful New front bumper which really sharpened up the front end. However i thought i'd forward some images of how clean my engine actually is given it's clocking up close to 275,000km. I was honestly surprised with how clean the valvetrain is given these are notorious to get dirty, sludge etc. My mechanic even said it's the cleanest 1MZ-FE he works on with similar k's

Exactly, the Avalon has a more aggressive timing tune vs the Camry so i've found from a mate of mine who's a tuner, even back in the day Toyota press paperwork spec that Avalon's have a better tune, even though they make more power & torque on paper, it's not just the tune, it's also peak timing allowed under WOT, transmission programming, 3.93 final drive isn't exactly freeway friendly but it pulls very f**king hard vs the common 3.08 final drives fitted to Commodores, 3.23 for Falcon's, etc. Many factors, having driven similar condition Camry & Avalon's, the Avalon higher output does show evident especially in the midrange where the Camry felt choked, but the Avalon's do have a variable backpressure muffler. Something kinda bespoke to'em. I have no issues losing traction even in the dry if i plant it too hard. I run both my cars on 95RON minimum for comparison. I honestly found it sometimes semi annoying how it will willingly drop a gear with the slightest throttle input, when cruising at 80km/h. However if you want the full WOT kickdown, i find the A541E's very eager to deliever firmly & directly. Then again they are an adaptive auto so it's probably down to my drive style. I've stuck with Toyota Type IV spec fluid in mine & it's been great. Honestly at times the kickdown of my Avalon feels more aggressive/willing than my ZF 6HP in comparison. I have no issue leaving some commodore & falcons at a merger or set of lights. They're not speed based, but they definitely move if you want them to.

So it's been brought to my attention from a mate looking at buying a new Prado, however his concern & naturally mine too. So he wants to retain the factory wheels, but the new 19" design has an utterly stupid tyre size setup for ALL-TERRAIN rubber, not the half ar**ed factory Dunlop AT30's which are utter junk. OE size now is 265/55/R19 (VX & Kakadu) same size, different design Yet NONE of the good AT's come in that size. So for peace of mind & obviously put in advisory sizes Would there be any ill effect or negatives going for lets say 255/55/R19 or 255/60/R19 *NOTE rim width is only 7.5"* (7.5J) Seeing as that opens up ALOT more real AT's ! Falken Wildpeak AT3W, Yokohama Geolander G015, Continental CrossContact AX6, etc just to name a few reputables. Send through your ideas ladies & gents ! 😊😊😊

I've had good success with my scan tool, i mainly monitor LTFT's, STFT's, MAF, timing advance, etc to diagnose issues, even being OBD.

Yeah i'm sticking with the Penrite ENVIRO+ 5w40. Brilliant s**t.

It's weird how some Yota's consume decent amounts of oil, and others don't. literally every service, atleast on mine. I might get 40ml in the oil/air seperator, checking the dipstick, that bish be full still. Just usual crankcase vapour/oil that would have otherwise been burnt through combustion. I buy in 20L quantities because having 2 cars it doesn't last long 🤣

Good aiming practice 🤣🤣🤣

I've got all the invoices when i did shocks, new springs which really improved handling substantially, only things i wana do now is a bigger sway bar, hd sway bar links & control arm bushes all round. I sacrificed minimal comfort for straight line stability. Combined with the Dunlop SP FM800's it scoots along real well & stops on a dime !

The pics were @Haberdasher not mine, i've got a scan tool myself it's how i've diagnosed issues with both my cars which have since been rectified. My OCD already kicks in as it is 🤣🤣 - e.g i only will use certain tyres, brands, etc. I already have every service on my Toyota filed on a document to compact every invoice going back to 4km lol Just simplified it by going date, dealer (where applicable), and km's In 260k it's had like 7 transmission services off memory 🤣 - my fluid comes out red af still even at 45,000km when i change it. External transmission coolers are definitely a blessing haha !

I'd be making some notes or investigating why on bank 1 you've got -5.5% LT fuel trim yet on bank 2 you're running spot on at 0.0% (- trims thus taking away fuel) One banks running a bit richer than the other. Obviously the tolerances for a CEL were far greater back then vs what they are now. Obviously numerous reasons can cause it, the fun part of diagnostics 🤣