PaulMT

My SX6 is a 2008 model and has the dreaded rattle. Toyota have informed me they will fix it with the "official repair kit" within the next two weeks. Would have been this week but I am away on business all week. I will be very happy when they do fix it as the rattle drives me nuts! - when I don't have the stereo on :-) Took Toyota since march to acknowledge the problem which they now have. They also said some lexus' also had the problem. The didn't get as much hassling from me as they should have because I need the car for work and get to busy to be bothered with them. When my car went in for it's first service I really got stuck into them.

I stayed away from leather because every other car I have had has ended up looking ******* even though I looked after it. I also find leather hot in summer? I should also add that other than the rattles I am very happy with the car and so far with Toyota's response to my concerns - yet to be seen if they back that up with action ----------------

Yep, I have a 2008 SX6 (In New Zealand) I have just passed 14,500k and the car is going in next week for 1st service and several fixes. Rattles, yes, the centre consul. A Hard plastic rattle that responds to bumpy roads. I think it's coming from passanger and centre vents, but also Toyota blue tooth speaker pick-up mounted on the steering column rattles. The parcel shelf rattles sometimes. Issues I have had since buying this car in March 2008 are.. - Carpet centre consul drivers side falling down - Fixed by Toyota - Rear Parcel Shelf rattle - moderately successful fix by Toyota - Rear Bumper coming adrift both sides of car - Fixed by Toyota, blamed on Tow bar installers - Speakers - Popping at "0" bass. Now have them at -2 and still they pop with standard modern pop/rock music I complained second day I had the car and it is on their list to look at but I don't think I will get anywhere here as the speakers ARE just plain crap! - Rattles - Passenger and centre consul hard plastic rattle - To Be looked at by Toyota - Bluetooth - Rattles and the connection is not long enough to allow the steering to be moved out - Toyota are blaming third party Toyota Bluetooth installer - Rear Heater Demister either is not working or is useless if it is Toyota have a courtesy car for me so they have no pressure to get the service done and fix these issues. I spend a lot of time in this car in my work and they are small but very annoying problems. ----------------

I do a mix of city and open road driving. I get better fuel consumption on the long trips than I do around town (as expected) On trips, I regularly get 8.8 - 9.9l/100km. Around town usually averages out over the tank at 10.1 - 10.5l/100km I don't drive crazy but I like to have fun so don't hold back when the circumstance allows. Also I have 245 wide wheels so would have to say my consumption is exceptional. With my Jaco caravan in tow I get 12.0 - 14l/100km I hope you figure out what's going on with your car. ----------------

The new wider tyres I now have have effected the fuel consumption a bit which I expected. I have just done a round trip in excess of 1000km and the first tank averaged 9.8L/100km while the second which is not ready for a fill up yet is at 10.5L/100km and dropping. I am very pleased with the fuel usage of this vehicle when you weigh up the pleasure of having all that power at your finger tips (or right foot perhaps) I wouldn't go back to the Michelin 215 tyres because the handling is so very much improved now with the 245x19's. ----------------

Well I wasn't going to lower my car, but damn your car looks good now. Mine is the same colour as yours Davo. I thought I had stopped spending money for a bit ----------------

I am currently doing 9.7l/100km after a long trip. I will have to check but I think I did see just over 500km as the range. ----------------

If your asking if it's normal to hear a tick tick tick sound when indication then yes, this is normal and to the best of my knowledge normal to almost all cars. It is just a warning to let you know your indicator is flashing. This would be a good thing. ----------------

I decided not top get paint protection after doing some research. It is basically a Teflon coating designed to make it hard for dirt etc to stick. If you get tar on your paint and use tar removers to clean it off this will remove the paint protection from that area also. You still need to wash and detail your car regularly to keep it looking good and in some cases the protector needs to be renewed each year. Not worth it! I did get fabric/leather protector because I work from my car and eat and drink in it during the day with the usual potential for mishaps. Anything that can help to keep the interior looking good is worth it in my book. With Leather, dirt gets into the creases and stitching of the leather and works like an abrasive, eventually breaking down the the area and resulting in a crack or seam coming unstuck. Drying out is the worst thing you can allow to happen. Use good quality cleaner and moisturiser regularly to keep up the appearance and protect your leather for a long life. ----------------

And that is my attitude also. Pay good people to do their job and demand answers if they get it wrong. It's all part of the learning curve. I have learned a lot about my wheels since your first post - so thanks for that :) ----------------

Well actually I don't give a toss about fuel consumption as I don't pay for my fuel, the company I work for does, but, I still like to drive responsibly and find it fun to see what I can get it down to. I also like to plant my foot at times and to achieve low petrol usage and still have fun is a great feeling. ----------------

I can't say I have noticed this with my SX6 - in fact I thought on high beam they are much brighter/whiter than previous standard Holdens I have had. THe SX6 has fog light spots so that may make a difference. ----------------

When I first got the car and it was on 215 Michelin tyres, I averaged on one tank which was a long round trip 8.8l/100km. Then the next tank around town averaged 9.8l/100km I towed my caravan the other day for a service and the mileage for this tank went up to 14l/100km and then the same day I had the new 245 Falken tyres fitted and after 3-4 days the mileage has come down to 10.6l/100km. I will be filling up tomorrow for a long trip to a funeral on Saturday so will be able to get a feel for the difference the new tyres are making. I knew they would impact due to more friction but as I have said so long as that is 10.5i/100km or below I will be very happy with that. I'm not a lead foot but I ain't no Nana either ----------------

I'm not to sure spags but here is a very good explanation of what "offset" does. ----------------

Well this thread really got me moving! Today I went to the tyre professionals that installed the mag/tyre combo for me. Their brief from me at purchase time was that I wanted to keep the standard turning circle (as it's fantastic) I did not want the wheels to extend outside the body work and I had to be completely assured that there would be no rubbing, touching or issues with the wheels. They were also aware that I tow a Jayco caravan and the wheels had to be ok with at least 130kg down on the tow bar. I relayed the experience described here and I am not in any way suggesting that this didn't happen as described (of course it did) but here is the result of the tests done today. Just to repeat, the Mags are 19x8 and the tyres 245x40x19 Falken square profile. Please keep in mind I am not an expert, I am a driver that likes handling and performance, but I do pay for good quality and expertise and expect to be looked after. - The strut configuration at the rear of my SX6 is such that there is absolutely no way the tyre could come in contact with it - under any circumstance. - The gap from the bottom of the spring housing to the wheel is approx. 15mm and as this (mount) moves with the wheel cannot touch. - The gap from the back wall of the tyre to the inside body of the car is closer to 18-20mm and again the advise is that this would never touch. - The overall diameter is 11mm bigger but the gap between the tyre and the top of the wheel arch is such that it is very unlikely that this would ever touch also. So I think the only thing that can be different between mine and the ones that caused an issue is the offset. My tyres are almost in line with the wheel arch at the rear and are in line with the front arch. I believe the company I dealt with who do mostly performance fit outs has done the right thing for me and ensured that this is the right tyre for me. One thing that has come out of this for me though, is that I will get a load leveller for the caravan just in case ----------------

Oops yep that was meant to be 6x9 though 16x9 would be VERY cool! I haven't checked the pressure yet, but will because I am aware how much difference this makes. The fuel economy is still coming down on this tank full, now down to 10.6l/100km so getting there. With regard to the 245x40x19 tyres, there is another thread here that is discussing a problem caused apparently by this size combination. I have had this tested today by the company I bought from and I comment to this in that thread. ----------------

I can imagine you were shattered! I'm glad no damage was done. Something's not right here though. You say the overall diameter is 11mm more but that was checked by my pro's as well. Here is their assessment. Old Tyres (Standard Toyota Aurion SX6 17") overall diameter 670mm New wheels and tyres (245x40x19) overall diameter 660mm that's 10mm smaller? I will re-discuss this with them tomorrow because I am concerned and thank you for raising it.

I have had 245x40x19 fitted on my SX6 for a couple of days now with out any hint of rubbing or noise from the wheels on rough roads. You have me worried though, because the professional advise I had was 245x40x19 over 245x35x19 because that was the best and nearest to original speedometer readout. Which springs are rubbing front or back?

@ AcoustiK No, I do to much open road driving to really be compatible with lowering, though I can see that 30-40mm would really look awesome! @ saintly It is the Gold. It was just late evening and overcast rainy skies when I took the photo. The Gold does have the ability to change from yellow/beige right through to sparkling Gold. I like that! I had some very positive compliments today about the wheels and the overall appearance of the car. The handling is hugely better. Grip is outstanding and cornering now what it should be. The steering is a little heavier, and more torque steer but all well worth it and infact the feel from the wheel much more reassuring. The one negative is the mileage it has gone up from very respectable high 8's on a trip to 9.9 - 10.5 round town to currently 11.0 but dropping. I expected fuel consumption to rise because of the greater friction so when it comes down to inside 1l more, say 10.5l p/100km I will be very happy with that. I have put the original wheels and tyres online for sale and hope to get a bit more than $1000 which will make the upgrade about equal to what Toyota quoted for an upgrade to 18" wheels. Next upgrade is 4x 6x9 speakers. So, Toyota *Feedback* Put more rubber to the road, this car needs it Better speakers. A lot of buyers will be sales people like me, on the road for long trips. The sounds are very important. All this week I have been happy to wake up and go to work. Man, I hope that wears off soon, it just ain't right

Hi Danos, no I didn't get chrome but they are polished. I had to keep the car looking a little restrained I like the look of the Sakata model, but the more you look the more you want, and the more you get confused about what you want! I knew I liked the standard look so kept that as a guide. Here's my pic's

Thanks Danos Another tyre calculator that I have found a lot of tyre places use is http://tententires.com After speaking to a lot of professionals and reading advise on this and other forums, I have settled on and am having fitted tomorrow... TSW Vortex 19x8 Mags with Falken 245x40x19 tyres. The mags have a similar look to the factory fitted ones which is good as I liked that look. The new tyres have a very square profile and will I am sure improve road feel and holding. I don't want to say what these cost, in case my wife reads this forum To continue my first impressions... Mileage is still averaging below 9.5 litres p/100kms with a recent long business trip averaged 8.8l/p100kms - all at 100Km open road speeds. Incredible! I have started to use the "manual" shift now and like has been said is great when you get the timing right. I am still very happy with my purchase, I will take the promised photo when the wheels are fitted and post here. My car has a few little rattles in the dash that when I figure out where they are coming from I will get fixed, but other than that all good so far. Thanks to all for the friendly welcomes and comments :D

Thanks everyone for your comments. @riftime I was the same, I tried all the brands and was initially looking at the new Mondeo Sport, but something was missing - power! hehehe @adrian It does appear from what I have read on the net that 19/35 is right, but all the calculators I have tried seem to say that 19/40 is a better match. Anyway I will go to the local Mag/Tyre place and get their advise. @acoustiK Your right as adrian said, the TRD website does indicate 19/35 but do they tweak the speedo? Also there is no doubt this is a very quick V6 - I am still learning how to motivate it, but it seems very responsive and agile. I can believe those times. I have access to a drag way near here and will go to an open day to see what I can do. That will be when the car is run in and I am not so protective :-) @clementwcm That does seem like a very good price. I paid NZ$39,775 converted, this is AU$35,000 - The ZR6 would have cost me NZ$42,000 which is approx $AU37,500 I had the benefit of Fleet discount because the company I work for (who pay me $NZ19,000 p/a car allowance) provided a letter stating the vehicle is a part of their fleet. Cars a very cheap in NZ by comparison to OZ because of the high number of Jap imports that keep the retail price down. Of course the downside of this is greater depreciation and less at trade in or sale time. At the moment I don't care at all about this :-) I have now filled the tank for the first time. I averaged on the first tank 10.1l p/100km which is absolutely amazing. Currently I am averaging 9.3l p/100km but it is rising. I know what your thinking, I must drive like a Nana, but I haven't been. I actually think I am being wasteful because I am still learning the auto gear changes and in some cases pushing down one to many gears etc and not driving as smooth as I can. I haven't held back on acceleration - how could I! So so far the economy is living up to the advertising blurb. I want to take some photo's but since I picked the car up last Thursday it hasn't stopped raining after 3 month's of drought! - go figure that?

I picked up my new Gold SX6 (Pic's coming) just the other day and have now done 440km. Some of the things I read after test driving and during the 3 week wait for delivery were, "Lacking the excitement of Commodore SV6" "Not enough feel through the steering" and "Looks like a Falcon" Of course these were the very few negatives compared to the numerous raves from owners and reviewers alike. So my excitement as the delivery day arrived was both full of anticipation and trepidation (What had I done) Now after a couple of days of both Motorway and City driving, I can say absolutely THIS IS A FANTASTIC CAR! Boy, what a head turner, the dark tints set off the gold and black and while I didn't upgrade the wheels (soon) the overall impact and feedback I have had is WOW! This car is quick. Squirting into gaps is a breeze and the note from the engine and exhaust is adrenalin pumping. Feedback through the steering is better than I had expected and lively enough, while the overall feel is one of "hang on" which I love. I have owned lots of Holdens and HSV's and this car is right up there in terms of performance and driver satisfaction, especially as it is front wheel drive, something I don't think they told the car yet! There is a hint of the Falcon about it, understandably, but that's not bad and the final product on the road is a head turner. This car is no sleeper, it looks the part and backs it up with performance and ability. I went for the SX6 over the ZR6 because of economy. I was able to add Tinting, Towbar and Electrics, Bluetooth, Fabric Protection and 3M bonnet stone protector for a final drive away price of $39,775 This came with Free Sportivo mats, 5 year warranty, 2x Free services (30k) and they "presented" me with a set of Brenner Driving Glasses worth $150 which I might add are brilliant and have taken over from my standard sunnies. So far, no rattles or bumps that there shouldn't be and my only issues are... The Speakers, not good, already I have had the rear speakers "popping" and that wasn't loud, but was heavy on Bass, so they will go in favour of better quality and the Wheels/Tyres. The standard 17" mags look great but the 215/55/17 tyres don't, and I am not too convinced about the corning capabilities or general performance feel of these. Is 19/35 keeping the right ratio? or does it need to be 19/45? I have done some online conversions and it appears the 17/55 standards is a strange size, can any help here please. So, I am one very happy Aurion owner, but I didn't need to tell you Guys that, did I.

Thanks for your reply. I don't think there is a fix, unless of course the geometry of the steering is out for some reason then a check would pick this up and remedy it, or at least minimise the effect of the wider tyres. As I said I noticed it on a Nissan Maxima I had with 235 tyres, but also on a Holden that I had wide tyres put on, so not just restricted to FWD I suspect, though you would probably expect it to be more noticeable on FWD. If you do have this checked and it improves please post the results. - Thanks

Your wheels look very cool! I am looking at putting after market bigger rims on my new car also and was wondering if the wider tread (245) causes any negative effect on the road, e.g. following the road camber more, or dips in the road etc. I have had 235's in the past on a FWD and found this to be the case though not too bad. How are you finding yours? Thanks