Scott_C

We're now getting both the front and rear sensors fitted. The dealer told me the front sensors hook into the speed sensor of the car, and automaticallly turn on if the car is travelling less than 10km an hour. Is this true? I thought someone here said they had to manually switch theirs on and off. Around 1k for front and back fitted sounds about right BTW.

Haha, yeah! Good point. :)

Thanks. :) Of course, now the dust has settled, you wonder if you couldve pushed a little harder!! (They really did agree to $41k fairly easily and readily)Sam - Premium plates in NSW are simply a different issue from our usual gold and black ones. The premium plates are slimmer, and in black and white. I think they look better as they dont clash with the car colour. Vic blue and white plates tend to blend nicely with the vehicle in most cases. Our big ugly yellow ones are a different story! As for fitting the rear cargo mat, I dont think it would be a problem, its just a rubber matt that goes straight onto the rear floor. Im sure you could pickup aftermarket seat covers, Im not a big fan of them to be honest. Cheers, Scott.

Thats a good point, my Lexus sedan is actually longer than the new Kluger! Im really impressed with how much space is in the new model Kluger without it being gargantuan. :)

Put a deposit on a KXR, 2WD 5 seater today. I got the following accessories; - Nudge Bar - Reverse sensors - Floor Mats - Rubber Cargo Mat - Bonnet Protector - Premium Plates Initial price was; $45,800 I told them I was working to a budget, I could only spend between $41k and $42k To cut the story short (and with the dealer trying to get some more money out of me) I got the vehicle with all the above options for $41k. It was actually pretty painless, and didnt take long. I just wouldnt budge off my price. Thats based on a brand new order straight from the factory. (around 8 week delivery apparently) In the end, I was happy to forgo the heated seats, fog lights etc etc in the higher spec'd models. I have all that in my Lexus now, and to be honest, I rarely use half of the options. :) My wife and I never bother with dual climate control either. Anyway, we're happy with our deal, we ended up going for the Sage Green (or Olive Mica as the dealer called it) It is an unusual colour, but its the only one my wife and I agreed on. :P (and both liked at first glance) The only thing that remains is to get the Hayman Reece tow bar fitted (lifetime warranty) and the BLaderunner Side Steps - Im buying the side steps before the end of the month, they have a deal to fit them free. (and will do so later, as long as I buy before the end of Feb) So, now I just have to wait...

Hi Aardvark, the pictures arent very big, but you can see them here; http://www.4x4store.com.au/Side-Steps-Bars-c-14743.html The Integra's seem to have grooves in them, the Bladerunners are smooth and appear to have more of a brushed aluminium look.

Update: I priced a Hayman-Reece tow bar today, the dealer confirmed that they do in fact make the tow bars for Toyota Australia. Price quoted for the whole assembly, including wiring harness, fitting and lifetime warranty - $493 I may even find it cheaper, thats the first Hayman-reece dealer Ive been to. Went and saw the Bladerunner and Integra side steps; they're really nice, but are not polished chrome like the Toyota ones. was quoted the following on an 08 Kluger; Integra Steps: $565 $120 fitting ------------ $685 total ------------ Bladerunner Steps: $700 $120 fitting ------------ $820 total ------------ I reminded the dealer that Bushranger (the supplier) have an offer of free fitting at the moment, he said if thats the case, they'll honour the offer. I suspect better prices can be found if I shop around, these are from local dealers here on the Coast. (just over an hour north of Sydney) The Coast is not renowned for being price competitive. I could drive 30 mins into the Sydney outskirts and likely get a better deal. Thats it so far! It does show, you dont HAVE to go Toyota genuine for everything. Cheers, Scott.

Im off to look at the Bladerunner steps tomorrow. As the person who started this thread, I just Id report on what I plan to buy from Toyota, and what Im sourcing elsewhere; Nudge Bar - Toyota; I know its air bag friendly, and it comes up high enough for the driver to see. (unlike many aftermarket bars ive seen) Side Steps - Probably going with the Bladerunners. They look (in my humble opinion) better than the Toyota step tubes and are roughly 20% - 30% cheaper Car stereo with Bluetooth - Going aftermarket here, there's cheaper stereo's with better bluetooth functionality for half of Toyota's price. Stereo's have their own manufacturers warranty. Reverse Sensors - Toyota here, not sure I trust going with a third party for these. Tow Bar - probably will go with Hayman Reece, Ive heard (unconfirmed) that they make Toyota tow bars anyway.

Actually, I dont think 15cm is much (just looking at a ruler here) - the steps are down low and 15cm is just enough to put your foot on really. I have a feeling the Toyota step tubes are a good 13 or 14cm in width.

Hi Taka, here's a store locator for the Bushranger steps; http://bushranger.findnearest.com.au/ - I plan to at least go and see some before I decide whether to buy the Toyota steps or these ones. Oh, and the name of the model as far as I know is Bladerunner. I think you simply tell them what model of car you have. Mrbishi - thats a good point about the airbags, Ill find out. Cheers, Scott.

Oh cheers, thanks for that. All these prices help me in formulating my attack on the dealers I got a great deal on our Lexus, I wouldnt budge from my price. Even got up to leave a couple of times, saying; you have my phone number. B)

@elmoticus - thats a good point about the warranty of a genuine Toyota part. I would at least be covered by a manufacturers warranty if I bought an aftermarket part (JVC car stereo for example) but Im sure it wouldnt last for 2 or 3 years :) @leighthebee - Any double din size car stereo should fit just fine, thats the size of most Toyota stereo's anyway. This unit is supposed to be amazing; Pioneer GPS, stereo, bluetooth etc; http://www.pioneer.com.au/products/car_ent.../avic/avic_hd3/ A bit pricey at over $3,000 though. (Ryda do them for $3100) @aardvark - thats why I think Im going to get the Bladerunner steps, they're more like a classic running board, rather than a 'step tube' - one minor point though; with running boards that stick out like that, my sister-in-law is short, and she complains that they dig into her shins when she is buckling her kids into the baby seats. Just a thought.

I was going to get the Toyota 6 stacker CD player with Bluetooth, (around $1000) now Im considering aftermarket; http://www.ryda.com.au/JVC-KW-XG706-Car-CD...r-p/kwxg706.htm - this JVC unit is $339! Seems to have more bluetooth functions anyway.

Thanks mate, Checking it out... Wow, one Ebay store has them for half the price, free shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-Toyota-Kluger-2...1QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry, the Bladerunners are more expensive, but still much cheaper than the Toyota ones. http://www.4x4store.com.au/Side-Steps-Bars-c-14743.html - Integra steps look pretty cool and they're cheaper too.

Thanks for the reply Aardvark, unfortunately the links dont seem to be working? The picture i showed of the BLaderunner side steps are $530 (there are cheaper models from the same manufacturer) - I think they even had an offer to fit them for free. http://www.kingsleyenterprises.com.au/blade_runner.php Im getting side steps for when my kids are a little older. Help them get in and out of the vehicle. My brother-in-law has the older model (therefore smaller) Kluger and his kids (5 and 7) use the side steps all the time.

Hi Guys, looking to get some accessories for my KXR, but some of them, being Toyota are hellishly expensive. $900 for a towbar for example? I hear that the towbars are made by Hayman-Reece for Toyota anyway. So. my question is, which of the following accessories might I be able to get elsewhere, that will save me money? Or more importantly, has anyone done this themselves? (bought their own tow bar for example) - nudge bar - side steps - tow bar - CD radio with bluetooth I like these side steps, and they're around half the price of the Toyota ones; http://www.kingsleyenterprises.com.au/blade_pics/Kluger.jpg (have to check if they fit the new model)

Is that a 5 or 7 seater? Cheers.

The dealer told me the other day, you can put up to E20 in the new Kluger. I put E10 in my 03 Lexus occassionally and its fine.

That would be great. Thanks! :)

Thanks for the info on this. We're about to buy a KXR 7 seater and have twin babies. I dont want them in the back row all the time, but for some trips when we have extra adults it would be handy to pop them in the 3rd row.

Hi Taka, well thats a good point. You wouldnt think bluetooth connectivity to a nearby device would be dependant on the network....

Hi, Ive read that the Toyota 6 stacker CD/Bluetooth unit is standard across all models, unless you're getting the Sat Nav version in the Grande. What disturbs me though, is that an owner of a 2007 Prado reports that his unit wont recognise telstra's 3G network. Anyone else encountered this? Full post and source is below. I recently purchased a 07 Toyota Prado. Part of the sales pitch was that it had Blue Tooth set up incorporated in the radio. After many fruitless hours I now discover the the unit only works with older mobiles and will not operate with phones usiing Telstra Next G network. On contacting Toyota their only comment was that phone systems change and they can't keep up with all the new systems. A bit of forward planning by Toyota would not have gone astray, or perhaps the just don't care as long as they sell cars. Looks like Toyota have taken me and no doubt many others for a ride. Incidently my mobile is a Motorazr max v6 3g, and is about fifteen months old. http://www.cnet.com.au/mobilephones/phones...40091501,00.htm

Thanks man.

Hi, Im soon to go shopping for a KX-R, 2WD model. I want to see what the best price a dealer can do on it with the following accessories; - nudge bar - side steps - tow pack - 6 disc stacker/bluetooth And Im also thinking about front and rear sensors. Ive been able to price the other items, but can anyone tell me what the sensors are worth? Also, can you expect a dealer to throw some (hopefully most) of these accessories in for free? Just out of interest, the Toyota 6 disc stacker/bluetooth unit, I believe retails for around $1,000 Ive seen two on Ebay for roughly $450 (makes me consider sourcing some of the items seperately, unless Toyota really come to the party with a nice package deal) -Scott.