DJKOR

I didn't do anything to my car today because it is in the panel shop, but I did pick up a silver Camry Hybrid to drive for the weekend to see if I could live with a hybrid. So far, I'd have to say a hybrid car is just not for me. Everything just feels too different and it doesn't feel as connected as a petrol only car. Anyways, I wrote up my opinions on my blog, but I will copy it here: http://djkor.blogspot.com/2010/06/so-this-is-step-in-right-direction.html

I'm not going to mention is because my method isn't something I would recommend to anyone. It won't 'chew' the threads. There is only so tight that it can go and the threads are pretty beefy (as can be seen in the attached image), but even thought it can only be tightened so much, it can still be that tight that you may not be able to remove it without leverage.

Depending who last serviced your car, if you don't have the oil filter wrench, removing it can be difficult. Some people still use the rule of thumb of tightening it to a Hulk grip. I don't actually have the cap-style oil filter wrench, but I still use a (unnamed tool) to remove mine due to how tight mechanics tend to do them up.

OMG!!! I laughed that hard I coughed up my dinner on the keyboard. F*** I love you Mick.

Don't know. Just Toyota being themselves I guess. Probably not any adverse affects seeing the difference isn't much. The biggest issue you will have though is insurance. Get into an accident and they find you have the wrong tires, they will probably invalidate your claim.

Avalon Oil Change (PDF) A mob named 'T&E Tools' makes such oil filter wrenches. You can order them from most auto stores like Repco and the likes.

If your logic is true then what's the point of making 100's of different engine oils? You might as well put cooking oil into your car if it makes no difference at all. Your statement is like saying why make multiple varieties of the same vitamin? They all contain the same contents etc. There are 100's of different engine oils, but of those hundreds, there amount of different oils with a set oil weight (eg. 10W30) doesn't amount to overly that much. There is variation between similar types of oils (ie. different brands of a synthetic oil of the same weight), but on the overall aspect of things for the sake of the argument, you can have a good handful that are basically no different of each other, but there will be some that are different in their composition.

Remember this is the TRD Aurion brake options thread. Out of the 612 or so TRD's that are currently in existence, I wouldn't be surprised if SecaBoy is the only one to have put slotted rotors on his TRD. That said, the chance of finding another TRD owner who has changed their brake lines to braided lines is pretty slim... finding even just an Aurion owner who has done this would probably be a bit of a search. Anyways, changing to braided brake lines wouldn't really be what I call an upgrade. You will probably find the difference to be that marginal that it won't really necessitate the costs.

Well the last layout aalso had a PayPal option in addition to the credit card payment option from what I remember. The new layout though has nothing so we can't tell if there will be any other option like PayPal or something.

Mick got a hold of it. Wasn't quite the most efficient option though seeing he is still in Sydney so you are going to have to wait.

That is correct. The AT-X requires a higher load rating for some odd reason so you will need to look for other tires.

Well fancy that. I guess you guys are probably right. I never read the manual for this phone (who does these days) so I don't know what tricks this thing can do.

The size tire that fits on these 17x7's when used on an Aurion is exactly the same as what the Sportivo takes. Either 215/55R17 or 225/50R17.

I was about to help you out but then I though... nah, stuff it . Actually, I really was about to check but then my brain clicked and I realised that I can't. But that there appears to simply be the part number. Just because it is the same, it doesn't mean it hasn't been replaced. It could simply be a reflashed unit. That said, looking up the part codes for the 07+ Aurion, the transmission ECU comes up as: 89530-33020 COMPUTER ASSY, TRANSMISSION CONTROL So it appears you may definitely have a different unit. And besides... even if it wasn't changed, your problem is fixed right?

Here's a question. I was cleaning up the crap that was splayed out all over my room and came across the box for my Xperia X10. This reminded me. On the back, it has some symbols which outline features of the phone. They are pretty self explanatory... except for the last symbol. Would anyone here know what it means?

I'll be out... just not in my car.

This is the photo that Dave snapped: I just remember approaching it and seeing the Merc emblem and wondering 'WTF is that?'. It was certainly something different.

Look underneath your air filter box/battery and you will see it attached to the gearbox.

Are you familiar with my last ride or -DAvo's ride? DJKOR's Aurion -DAvo's Aurion Edit: That's just the wheels though... that should be obvious. The above comments about the tires still hold true.

Either it is an improvement from stock... or you just had a dodgy setup to begin with and now you are feeling what a normal Aurion feels like

Like you said, it's all personal when it comes to how much you want to wax. For me personally, I wax mine every week for the simple fact that it definitely makes washing my car easier (for me). I wash my car twice a week and I find if I go for a few washes between waxes, the little black dots or road grime (tar or whatever) that gets up onto my sides of the car etc, require a little more effort to clean off compared to washing my car after waxing it only one or two washes ago. The way I feel is that if it's easier to clean, the surface is more protected (as I said, the way I feel). On top of that, whenever I'm at the office, I'm forced to park under a tree that drops these little round seed things (like 100's & 1000's) and if it has been 2 washes or less since my last wax, these seed things just roll off my car when I start driving. On average, if it is a few washes or more since my last wax, despite my paint still showing signs of good wax protection, these seed things will actually adhere a bit to the surface of the car and after a drive, there will still be a fair few on the paint surface. To me, I feel better when they all roll off easily. But that's a personal thing. I don't care if it is ultimately wasting wax as I feel better with it in the end. It only ends up using an hour and a half of my time and about $5 in wax per week.

I'd really like to support the club so getting this issue resolved would ne nice. I say this because I'm technically a Silver Member for free right now. If I recall correctly, my renewal date is sometime late in April. I still have all my Silver Member privileges despite not having renewed it yet. It just doesn't feel quite right. On the alternative side, if it never gets fixed, those of us that are currently Silver Members get our own exclusive section with no additional members.

A lot of the things on the quote are quite funny how they charge it. For example, they charge like $25 in labour for headlight removal and re-fitting (which is quite funny cause they don't have to do that when removing the bumper) and then another $25 or so for fog light removal and re-fitting. Just little things like that to add up on the costs. As for the quote, this time around I asked for it but only because last time I had a claim when that Suzuki t-boned me, my claims manager offered it to me automatically so I knew they could do so. If they didn't offer it, you just have to ask if they have a copy of the quote they have there... which they should. They will then get your email address and should be able to email it directly to you in PDF format. I got mine before I finished on the phone with them. It's being repaired at a different place to the last. When I got t-boned, they chose Bignell Panel Repairs on Fairfield Road, but I guess this time, that place in Moorooka must be either more competitive or can do the repairs better.

As with every other online partition, joining this group if going to go absolutely nowhere. Edit: Also want to say, sucks to be you guys in Victoria and New South Wales.

Depends on which tire shop you go to. They all vary in price, but basically if you bring in your own tires, you'd be looking at around $15-20 per wheel for a 'strip fit and balance' plus new valve stem. They may not necessarily have to strip old tires off, but the cost doesn't usually change. Balancing comes standard with most tire fitments and an alignment is only really necessary if your car isn't driving that straight or it's been around 30,000km or so and you feel like making sure it is all in order,