DJKOR

I don't know what I actually find more funny. 1) The whole FWD vs. RWD vs. AWD discussion. 2) The fact the thread has gone predictably off track. 3) People wish their Aurion was so much more when they chose to buy it in the first place.

Camry Hybrid: Auto only Aurion: Auto only Your question answers itself.

Welcome mate. I'm in Brisbane and drove my TRD back from Adelaide as well. Though those circumstances were slightly a bit different to yours, but nevertheless.

I can't comment. The tire is completely rated to more than what you need in terms of speed rating and the load rating is the same, so there are no worries there. Maybe Toyota in all their wisdom thought that a standard sized Sportivo wheel on one wheel only should be treated like a space saver in terms of limitations. Personally, if you make sure you fit it to the rear, you will be fine for highway speeds. The spare is 2.175% smaller in diameter, but it doesn't affect the handling to the point that you will notice it. It would make a difference if you had to do a defensive driving manoeuvre, but I don't think it is going to make you lose control.

You missed the most obvious point. You're headlights would melt or catch fire if you tried to use a HID lamp (even a smaller 21W version) in your parkers.

I won't comment with my personal opinions about the car because like everyone else here, you just going to be hearing the same thing which are opinions biased towards trying to convince you to get one. However, I will provide some input on your other questions. Maintenance costs I would say are reasonably low. This is coming from a DIY perspective however. The engine isn't overly complex to work on and for those moments where you don't quite understand something, there are service manuals available. There isn't much required in terms of consumables for this car, just your usual items like oil, fluids, and filters, all of which can be obtained for reasonable prices from either your Toyota dealer or local automotive store. Parts are readily available as well so you don't typically need to wait for general items to come in. As for ex-government cars etc, there usually isn't too much to worry about. They don't usually keep the cars for long and as long as they did the service/s, if the car looks to be in good condition, it's usually alright. These cars are pretty hardy so if they were given a trashing beyond what they are able to take, you should be able to pick up on it from an inspection.

I can't quite contribute to the figures, but out of curiosity, when you calculated a 7.9l/100km average, was that mostly city or highway driving? You will find that you get greater economy out of a hybrid with city driving with frequent stopping with gradual braking.

You do realise that is is not going to fit properly in the spare wheel well. The board that sits on top of the spare wheel will sit 1 inch higher making a bulge in the middle of the boot carpet. Just get a stock Sportivo wheel or something. The car is fine on a standard wheel as a spare so you should be fine while you go on your trip.

I don't really care if you were to diss it anyway. What I'm trying to say is that it's not so much of a failure as everyone makes it out to be. There were some bad decisions that were made by Toyota when they designed the thing which ultimately led to the end of it, but those that did end up with it probably looked at it beyond just the whole FWD aspect. A lot of the people that do make big comments about the FWD vs. RWD scenario tend to prefer their Holdens and Fords. It's all easy to make judgement on a car from just what you hear or after a single drive but drive it for a week and I'm sure you will be able to form a better opinion. It just comes down to what you are after. On a side note, wheel spin is never an issue. You can drive these things pretty hard without getting any of that unless you intend on doing so.

I don't think you'll find it. It was built originally just for SEMA. They weren't saying they they will 'break it'. I think you will find that they were saying to take it easy until they break it in.

For those that missed out on my previous thread about it: 2009 Camry 5.8l V8 TRD RWD at the SEMA show

F*** ME..... Can't believe they are selling it like that. But that said, this would be something you would want to really drive around but probably can't. Edit: That's pretty cool how they showed the progress photos in their listing. That's the one thing I haven't seen yet.

Don't want to scare ya, but give the lights a few months/half a year or so. Your mileage may vary (pun intended), but you will find that one side will eventually start to flicker and then eventually die. I went through 2 sets of those on my Sportivo back when I had it. I currently have a blown parker at the moment as well, but this time it is a different LED. At first I thought it may have been caused by the heat from the headlight, but then when I noticed that the door lights started to die as well (over a longer period though for obvious reasons), I realised something else was at play. If you have LED door lights, leave your door open and pay close attention to them. You will find that they flicker every now and again. It's not actually the lights though that are causing the flickering. I'm guessing it's due to the supply of power... but I still haven't figured out how because one would think the power comes straight from the battery. I've found that for the parkers, the longest lasting ones are the LED replacements that are built from multiple 3mm LED's or so instead of the SMD ones. The 3mm LED's seem to be a bit more stable when used in the Aurion.

Please tell me that was only just a dream, because I would think you would have to be pretty crazy (in the bad sense) if you could actually justify the amount of custom work and dollars involved. It's like saying that I'd sure like to sleep with Hollywood celebrity, but I know that it is something that would never ever happen.

To locate the parking clearance ECU, open your boot and fold back the carpet on the right hand side: If you plan on disconnecting the sonar, I would predict that this would just create another (or the same) error message rather than getting rid of it. As for whether another aftermarket sonar would be compatible, that can only be determined if you could compare the transducer specifications of your OEM one and the aftermarket one. I can't provide those specs unfortunately. Edit: I re-read your post and noticed that you already tried disconnecting the sonar. If the error is still there after unplugging it, then there really isn't anything you can do from the ECU side of things.

I wouldn't call the FWD 'epic fail'. Sure it is has some aspects of it that is fail, but it still doesn't disappoint. So if you think it's an epic fail, would you turn one down if you were given one to drive? Too much wheel spin? Only if you aren't used to how it should be driven. Each to their own though. I guess you have to drive one to understand. Personally, if I was going to do something to the Aurion that involved saying goodbye to my savings, it would be something along the lines of what these guys have done (performance wise only): 2009 Camry 5.8l V8 TRD RWD at the SEMA show Mmmmm. Love that sound:

Man, I don't know what is more fail... the attempt at making a personals ad, or the thread resurrection for someone who was last active in October. I think the OP is long gone, and this thread resurrection from RO11ER is making for some really late welcomes.

Um... 5x100 Andrew.

Oh snap! You got that Harrier emblem that I really wanted to get.

For future reference, it's best to just use the information already here on the forum to search eBay for the item and compare the part numbers. Then post questions into one of the already open discussions. The reason I say this is because posting a thread asking for an eBay link will become next to useless 90 days after the eBay auction ends. Then we have a useless thread that someone may come across in a thread and think their question isn't answered. Just trying to make it easier for future searches. Anyways, to answer your question: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/K-N-Typhoon-Air-Intake-07-09-Toyota-Camry-3-5-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem45f1161eecQQitemZ300397502188QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Not saying it is impossible because I have been surprised before, but a sub-14 second pass may be pushing it just little bit for a N/A 2zz without a fair bit done.

You only have the ODBII port which is also referred to at times as the DCL port. In the Aurion, for sake of this discussion, they are the exact same thing. Unless you have a specialist tool, there is a good chance that you are not going to be able to clear this code with any run of the mill OBDII diagnostic tool. The SRS warning light is a completely different code to clear compared to the Check Engine Light that these tools commonly clear. You should probably consider taking a trip to your dealer anyways to make sure that everything is in running order.

This is only available on those models with Smart Entry. This does not include the AT-X.

Valid point. I am not able to go into the specifics of that without certainty so I will make no comment. My purpose of the thread was to provide information as to what is involved. The way I see it is that someone was going to realise this sooner or later and instead of getting a rough solution that can truly be unsafe, I wanted to at least provide a solution that would be less likely to cause any issues due to incorrect wiring. As for insurance related stuff, someone else's scenario may vary, but I drive with a camera recording every time I am on the road. May not solve the problem of a case like this, but an extra set of eyes so to speak can be useful.

Well, we have come to recognise you in the GT4 anyways, so close enough.