SilverProdigy

DkZR6, what's the tyre spec, ie. width, aspect etc. Did it only really cost you $550 all up for rims, lowering, etc? That's pretty cheap! How's the ride like? I've only got 16s on, and keen on getting 18s but worry about the harsher ride.

DIY, with a heatgun and a scissor... get prepare to cut yrself sometime... it doesnt improve SQ(thou some might say YES?), but a LITTLE more bass(for sure)... i get it "sticked"(installed as u can say?), coz i dont wanna cause future rattling sound on doors due to too much bass trembling the whole door(still an experiment, tell u the result in a few years ) yea, search before u ask.. Many car audio enthusiasts are saying that sound deadening would improve mid-bass response. Also SQ will improve when you drive as it would recduce the road noise coming into the vehicle. I'm going to get it installed to both the doors and the boot. Probably around $400 to do the job, depending on how much material they end up using. Will get around to doing this in the next month or so.

As someone mentioned before, it may be time to go to TT or ACA. Write to your local paper, may be they'll publish your letter. Maybe start up some chain e-mail with a heading like "Do Not Buy Cars from Jarvis Toyota" explaining your experience. Email them to your mailing lists, and get the recipient to email to their mailing lists. It's amazing how quickly this will spread..I probably email it to Toyota also. If Jarvis gets some bad publicity, I'm pretty sure they'll quickly act. If they don't, you'll probably affect their bottom line.

I get that clunk noise pretty much each time I drive off after parking. I got the dealer to test it and they said that the noise is "from tension put on when hand/foot brake applied (caliper groan)". Basically its "normal".

I hope you are right. It was a pretty cold and humid day as well. The chances to have leaks in both doors would be pretty low you think. I tested out the power windows by pushing them right down and up again. The inner side of the windows were completely dry. So there wouldn't have that much water inside the doors if there are major leaks. I'm going to contact my speaker installer just to make sure. Perhaps even get them to check that the speakers were not completely drenched (which I doubt because they still work and sounded ok). I took it to my audio installer and showed him a pic of when it was dripping. He was surprised to see it. Anyway, he opened the door trim and checked the surrounding. Everything was completely dry. The speaker looked ok and the surrounding area did not have any moisture. Mind you it's been three days since the big rain. Also reviewed the area and it looked completely sealed. He mentioned that if there have been water inside, the material in the speaker would increase in size. There was none of that. We just put it down to condensation. The speakers still work and they sound the same.

I hope you are right. It was a pretty cold and humid day as well. The chances to have leaks in both doors would be pretty low you think. I tested out the power windows by pushing them right down and up again. The inner side of the windows were completely dry. So there wouldn't have that much water inside the doors if there are major leaks. I'm going to contact my speaker installer just to make sure. Perhaps even get them to check that the speakers were not completely drenched (which I doubt because they still work and sounded ok).

and the fact that labour is aust cost heaps! so not that reliable, high labour rate.... then theres closure costs if factories move overseas. mmmm not much going for it there hehe maybe its the fact of the 'she'll be right mate' work ethic. Ive seen in a few factories here as part of a tour for my job, people tend to talk to one another, crack jokes, not giving 100% on the production segment their on. Whereas in Japan or some other countries, workers would get slammed hard for not concentrating. I know in Toyota Japan, they use Kaizens throughout the production chain, which is basically a principle to always improve effeciency/effectiveness throughout each individual process and processes are highly monitored. Toyota still has the best quality of all the local manufacturers. Just check out how much problems Falcon, Commodore and Magna/380 users have experienced. Other marques, like BMW, VW, Mercedes, etc are not immune from quality issues also. Surely in this day of age, the quality of the vehicle is not too dependent on where it is made, but the design and manufactur of its components. Remember, a lot of the components are imported. All we do here is merely assemble. Most of these components are design to fit in nicely.

It's been raining heavily here in Melbourne today and I park my car outside. I notice that there are some minute drops of water coming from the speaker seals in BOTH the passenger and drivers side doors. I look at it closely and I'm sure the water is coming from below the speaker seals. The water just drops into the side pockets. I reviewed both doors and cannot find any obvious leaks. If there was such a leak, i would assume the side doors would show more signs of moisuture. I checked both the power windows and the audio system and both are working. I reckon if the doors have been flooded, they would not work. Has anyone experienced this? Is it normal to get some water into the doors. Apart from the bit of water leaking, the interior is totally dry. I also checked the rear doors and no leaks.

I upgraded the speakers on my Aurion and added couple of subs. I am thinking of adding sound deadening to doors and boot. Just wondering whether anyone has added sound deadening to their Aurion or Camry. Would like to hear your thoughts. Is it worth the effort in improving the sound quality. How much did it cost and where did you get the job done.

I agree with you. Your car is a lemon and I would feel the same way as you if my car turned out to be so unreliable. I still think that Toyota produces better quality cars compare to most of other car manufacturers. Remembering how many cars they sell around the world, you will bound to get lemons. Unfortunately, due to their recent high growth, they have slipped in quality and customer satisfaction. This has proven by the latest recalls of the RAV4 V6, TRD Aurion and the Corolla earlier this year. Maybe buy a "near new" car next time. At least you can test drive it and have an independent inspection. Buying brand new could be a lottery as you can't exactly pick the car you want. And yes, people should avoid Jarvis Toyota dealership. If they did their pre-delivery inspection properly, that car should not have been delivered to you in the first place!

Just my opinion but man... thats old man styles on such a nice car :), get some protectant and spray over the dash, cover up the windscreens when your facing the sun, and dash mats cover the top part of the dash, which you wouldnt be touching so often anyways me thinks... Also be careful where you put your mats as it could hinder the passenger air-bag deployment.

I probably wouldn't buy a demo car as there would have been so many different drivers who would have "trashed" the car to test out how it accelerates, handles, brakes, etc. Toyota mentions that the Aurion does not need any "breaking-in" period, so if you're comfortable with having different people test out your car, then go for it. Besides, it would still be under warranty. If you only plan to keep the car for a few years, then there shouldn't be any issues with buying a demo.

I have the same problem in my Prodigy. As mentioned before it only seems to happen when the fan is turned to the max. I also noticed that it's coming from the centre air vent passenger side. If you adjust leaver horizontally, the noise disappears. This could be worth a try for a temporary fix. Not sure what it involves to fix this permanently. I wouldn't mind getting it fix if it's not a major job. If it requires the dealer to have the car for the whole day or more and they have to disassemble the dash, it's not worth the effort. Besides, it's only happening when the air is turned to the max.

Excellent value indeed. It pretty much has the same features as a Prodigy (except for the leather seats) and costs $5k less!

I'd feel the same way if i was you. In theory when you buy a new car you should not have any issues, irrespective on how much you paid for it. I too was a bit disappointed when I picked up my Aurion which had the following issues: - Minor scratch at the sided of the front bumper - A small minor chip on the chrome grill - One of the high-beam lights wasn't working I am first to admit that these are very minor and most people wouldn't spot them. How the car was supposedly have gone thourgh a pre-delivery check and passed is beyond me. Remember, that's one of the reasons why we pay the dealer-delivery charge. Why i bought an Aurion is because of the Toyota reputation for build quality and reliablility, plus wanted to support the local industry. So you should chase up Toyota, and definitely get a replacement I had to bring the car back to the dealership twice because they just repainted the bumper instead of replacing it. It's ok now, the only issue i have is the passengers head-rest is making some annoying noise when i go over some not-so smooth road. I'll get the dealer to check it out on my next service. Overall, the Aurion is still a great car. I'm sure the falcons, commodores and 380s have more quality issues..From what i hear, the imported Fords, Holdens, Mazdas and Volkswagons don't score that highly on the quality stakes.

So why not make more for the ZR6 and Presaras and less AT-X. That way you lower the waiting period for those models. Surely, they'd be making more money on those models than the special edition models. Why would anyone buy an AT-X now? Unless of course you don't want the spoiler :P

With all so many people having to wait up to months to get delivery for their Aurions, you would have thought demand is so high that Toyota won't need to release an "special" editions. I guess they've stopped making ATXs during this time.

I drive 50-50 freeway/bumper to bumper traffic and average around 10.5 litres per 100k on 91 RON. Using 95 RON would lower this to around the low 10s. Things to check: - Tyre pressure. Should be around 32-33 psi - Check tyre alignment/balancing. - How you drive it. Being heavy on the accelerator especially on peak hour would see your fuel consumption increase rapidly. - How do you calculate your fuel consumption? Maybe the trip computer is incorrect. - Extra load in the car (as mentioned earlier) - Roof racks?

After some discussion, I was able to get the job done around $3,300 (gear + install). It will depend on the gear you select, the type of installation you want, etc. If you see them now, you'll find most of the brands would have just released new models, so the price could cary a premium. Keep in mind what you want from the system and they should be able to tailor to your requirements. By the way, they were able to get the install done in a day. Good luck!

Talk to the guys at GL Pro Sound (www.glprosound.com.au) who did the stereo upgrade for my prodigy. Very impressed with the results and installation. Did not change the head unit as i wanted to keep the look "factory", but also ensure that I retain the steering wheel controls for the audio. All that was needed was the Rockford Fosate 3Sixty.1 unit to connect the head-unit wit the amps. Upgraded the front and back speakers with MB Quart Premium splits and speakers. Added 2x 12inch Rockford Fosgate subs. You'll lose about 40% of boot space, but you still have more than enough for your daily use and the bass is huge! The subs and speakers are powered by two Rockford Fosgate amps. These guys know they're car audio. I got mine upgraded back in April. One of the reasons I selected these guys because they do the Sat-Nav upgrades to the Aurions for a nearby Toyota dealer. So they have the experience with Aurion installs. The guys at Tower Audio are pretty good too.