Quark

Hi Laurie, Sorry for the late reply. Things have been quite hectic since we arrived back from holidays. As you have already deduced there is no readout of your instantaneous speed. I am rather disappointed that a $2000 high end Sat Nav doesn't show something as basic as your actual speed. Particularly so when the speedo reads low by several Klm/hr. Just prior to Christmas I purchased a Tom Tom GO 600 for our Land Cruiser and I must say that for $269 works just great and displays your actual speed. I have noticed with the Toyota accessory Sat Nav, when it displays the speed limit for where you are it is shown in a filled in white disc with a red outline with the speed limit in black. If you exceed that speed limit the indicted number turns red and then if you exceed the upper speed limit that you have input in the settings, the colour of the back ground disc turns red. There is very little information about this in the Sat Nav manual, well, if there is I have yet to find it. During our trip there were a couple of times that the speed limit was shown as 60 klm/hr when it should have been indicating 110 klm/hr, this was out in the middle of no where on our return trip from Adelaide to Broken Hill. Also, when we were still over 100 klm from home the trip duration and arrival time were indicating that were had arrived home. The voice over for the turn by turn instructions is quite annoying as the first letter of the street or road seems to be repeated twice so ends up being sort of garbled. The Aurion Pressara that we traded in for the Kluger, of course had a Sat Nav as standard and had none of the vagaries of this accessory unit. Coming up shortly we have trips to Adelaide and Melbourne. To have a better idea of our speed I intend mounting the Tom Tom GO 600 in the Kluger. Regards Trevor

Hi Laurie, Took delivery of a new 2013 KX-S Jan 2nd. Had said SatNav option fitted. In addition to Sam's reply it displays the street numbers as you go. Also has Bluetooth, I believe that if you have a smartphone the SatNav will update traffic conditions via the smart phone. The audio/satnav also will play video and has a USB 2,0 plug which can be used for playing music and I believe also video. Have only done a couple of hundred Km but am off on a holiday trip shortly that will add a couple of thousand Km. Am a long time Toyota owner, have had previously a 60 Series LandCruiser wagon, 80 Series Turbo Diesel GLX LandCruiser Wagon (now 24 yrs old and still going as good as the day I purchased it, have also had a 2002 Avalon and just traded a 2008 Aurion Presara in on this Kluger. Thus far, love the Kluger, excellent ride and very quiet. Regards Trevor

Hi Blue, I truly sympathise with you. Since joining this forum I have followed your struggle. Maybe in the big cities, with so many dealerships, they may get a bit impersonal, after all their customer base is quite large and really they just want to sell the car and then fob you off. That said there must be some, good city dealers. In Broken Hill there is only one Toyota dealer, it is a small community and pretty well everyone knows everyone else. We actually talk to one another. If a car dealer here gives crap service then the word travels fast, if they want to stay in business they have to offer good service. The lack of competition in such remote areas as this means that we don't get the discounted prices that I read about on this forum, but I was prepared to fore go that in exchange for the level of service I am confident of getting in Broken Hill over the life of my vehicle, based on the experience with three other Toyota's over the last 22 yrs bought from this dealership. Regards Quark

Hi 1rocky, How about Caroline Corolla or Kylie Corolla. Are you sure your Corolla has a female disposition? Wouldn't want to give it an identity crisis. Regards Quark

Hi 1rocky, Boris is good and why not name the Corolla. We had a family conflab about Albert. We came up with a list of male and female names, ended up being Albert. Quark

Hi Leroy, Clive has got a bit of character about it, why not. All of my cars have seemed to have a bit a character, they sort of demand a bit more recognition than just, "the Toyota". Quark

Hi DavoP, Andrew was sold before the dealership received him, another local bought him. He rang me and I told him about Andrew's history. It turned out that I went to school with this character 50 yrs ago. He assured me that Andrew was going to a good home. Regards Quark

Greetings All, Albert settled in quite well on the first night in his new home. I should have also mentioned in my original post that, as Albert is so flash we also gave him a middle name "Percival". What a top idea Toyota have with the console lid, designing it to slide forward, making it just so comfortable as an armrest. Attached are our first images of Albert, taken this morning. It is very hard to capture the colour, Sakana Silver photographically. It changes, depending on the level of light. It doesn't look silver at all, sort of more a pastel shade of green, but in these photo's it looks silver, we like it. Regards The proud new parents

Hi All, Took delivery of my new Presara this afternoon,ordered on 24th March, Sakana Silver with Sandstone upholstery. Has a bonnet protector, boot spoiler, boot-liner & scuff protector and tinted windows. At this early stage every thing look great. When I ordered the car I was most adamant that it should have V14 of the SatNav DVD. When I picked the car up the dealer was stressing out because a V13 booklet was in with the Nav system owners manual and he thought it had the V13 DVD but when I turned on the unit the DVD display showed it to be V14. I ejected the DVD an it is labelled V14. The Sandstone interior looks stunning and the car was presented for delivery in immaculate condition. This is the 4th Toyota we have brought from this dealer, all of them we gave names. We traded in Andrew Avalon on the Presara they asked us what the name of the new family member would be, we told them Albert and when we arrived today they had made up a plaque with Albert Aurion on it displayed on a stand beside our car along with a nice bottle of red. Tonight I went on-line and registered at Toyota link and then went out and sat in Alby having a marvellous conversation with some nice young thing, it sounded like she was in the back seat, to activate Toyota link. This is definitely the coolest car I have ever owned. Regards Quark

I liked the look of the silver with black inteior as you see the Presara in all the brochures but having had black leather interior in my ford before i didn't want to get black again. If you wear shorts cause it's hot and park in the sun you do regret it even if it does look good. Hi all, Strewth, there sure is no substitute, for trying to gauge the look of an interior or exterior colour than by seeing it in the flesh. My Presara has arrived, a week early, take delivery next week, and the sandstone interior looks great as does the Sakana Silver exterior. Just waiting on the arrival of a spoiler. The finish of the car is right up there with that of my previous Toyota's Regards Quark

Hi SydGunner. Depends on actual speed of the car and engine revs. The worst thing you can do is sit at the lights with the A/C turned on or cruising around shopping centre car parks with the A/C on. The A/C condenser is the coil mounted in front of your radiator. The air flow across it is dependent on the cars forward motion or the thermostatic fan in front of it, at lower car speeds. The discharge refrigerant gas pressure from you A/C compressor is fed into the condenser as a hot high pressure gas. The air flow over the condenser controls the discharge pressure, the higher the pressure the more energy ( think horse power) is required to turn the compressor. Thus more fuel will be consumed when the A/C is on at low engine revs and low car speed. It is probably a good idea to get into the habit of turning the A/C off at traffic lights and when travelling below, say 15 km/hr. Regards Quark

I'm not convinced that this will help in my situation as the rattle is also there when the moon roof is open (in either the up or slide position). The rubber seals are not stressed when moon roof is open, therefore that can't be the problem in my car. I keep trying to isolate the noise, can't believe how temperamental and difficult it is... Likewise for the dash, just far enough to be out of reach for the driver. Hi riftime, Just had a look at the Sliding Roof pdf from the manuals site at the front of our forum. The diagrams on page RF-41 show the many setscews fixing the associated parts for the sliding roof in place along with the torque setting for each set screw. Might be the place to start looking, checking that none of these setscrews have worked loose. Not sure as to how accessible they will be, but judging by the number of them involved this looks a likely spot to look for the cause of your rattle. Regards Quark

Hi All, Ordered my Presara, Sakana Silver with Sandstone interior, 24th March. Delivery date was Early May. The car turned up on 24th April. Just waiting for my spoiler to arrive and be fitted. Should take delivery later this week or early next week. Had a good look at the car just after it came off of the transport after the 900 km trip from the factory. Apart from some road grime looked in good nick. Love the interior, what a great idea the rear sun blind is. Checked out all of the compartments, drink holders etc all of the upholstery is flawless and the general finish is what I have come to expect from Toyota. The sticker on the window from the factory had 22nd April on it so no complaints at all regarding the delivery time. Regards Quark

Hi funkd, I think you need to be a bit careful when thinking about seat covers. Many years ago I had a set of sheepskin seat covers tailor made for my first Landcruiser. When I took them off years later, when I sold that vehicle, the internal seams of the seat covers had damages the original seat coverings. Obviously having that set of seat covers ended up being counterproductive. Another thought on this matter. If you like the original seat coverings then don't put covers on them, after all your car is there for you to enjoy, to take pride in. Why put covers on so that the next owner has the satisfaction of nice new seats. Isn't one of the reasons behind new car ownership to be able to bask in the whole ambiance of the latest in car interior design, including the designer colour scheme of the upholstery. Just a thought Quark

... and reduce visible light thereby increasing privacy. As you described, reducing IR though would act as a heat insulation of sorts ? So increasing the insulation property of the vehicle (most noticeable in summer?) and increasing privacy... isn't that why people usually get window tinting ? At least that's my criteria. I haven't made the leap yet, and although I've had the Presara now for 4 months, I still miss the privacy of the window tinting I had in my last car. My idea/point about the UV-sensitive tints was more in line with having a changing level of tint based on amount of UV. So at night there would be less tinting to avoid the reduction in visibility. However, as you point out, UV gets filtered out so for this to work (assuming that there is such a film) the tint would have to be applied to the exterior rather than the interior (as the glass filters UV before reaching the interior film). Exterior film application would be silly though ? Just an idea... Here's another question about the tinting process. Given that the film is applied on the inside, how well are the windows actually cleaned prior to the film being applied ? What's used to clean the windows ? Might seem like a silly question, but have you ever tried to clean the car windows (especially the rear window) to such an extent that it is absolutely spotless and streak-free? Seems to me like quite a challenge, and to have film applied over a bad clean job would permanently seal that disappointment in? Maybe there's a scientific explanation why this is not important if you add another layer on top with no gap for light to be refracted? They should be able to clean the glass to a streak-free finish prior to applying the tint. There are many solutions out there that can clean your windows well and remove all that oily residue from the plastics in your car. One of my favourite glass cleaners is CRC Glass and Window Cleaner. It may cost about $7.95 a can, but that stuff is wonderful. Just spray it on an wipe it off for a crystal clear finish. It's even safe to use on tinting. Otherwise, if you'd like to get down to basics; metho and water also works rather well. Hi DJKOR, Have also had good results with CRC Glass Cleaner but my favourate is Meguiar's No Smear Glass Cleaner, it doesnt streek and is ammonia free. I also clean it off with Viva paper roll, does a brilliant job. Regards Quark

Hi DJKOR, Not sure that its a good idea to run the tank that low if you can help it. The lower the fuel level in the tank the greater the likelihood of condensation, especially in the colder weather. This will be exacerbated if left over night or perhaps several nights, depending on your driving habits. Over time this condensation can build up. This is not a major problem unless you consistently run your fuel very low, You may be lucky and get away with it but if your unlucky it could result in major engine problems. I regularly add an additive to the 269 L fuel tank on my boat, a Chaparral Cruiser that, among other things, breaks down this condensation and it is probably not a bad idea to do the same (occasionally) with the car. Regards Quark

Greetings All, Interesting thread. Just thought I might add some info worth considering before applying a window tint. There is no doubt that the right window tint certainly looks good, but is it's value really just cosmetic? Lets consider what UV & IR radiation really are. UV radiation is outside the short wavelength end of the visible specrtum 40nm down to 10nm wavelength and as such more energetic than the radiation making up the visible spectrum. We are probably most aware of it as the cause of sunburn and melanomas. IR radiation is just off of the red or long wavelength end of the visible spectrum 700nm to 1mm wavelength. We feel IR radiation as heat. From the manuals made available to us by AurionZR6, the specifications for the glass used in the Aurion (if the Australian spec's are the same as for the US Camry) make interesting reading. From the NCF pdf page MO-21, "all glass used is HSEA (High Solar Energy Absorbing), which blocks UV and IR rays in sunlight." The table on the above referenced page provides the following specification. Windscreen blocks 100% UV and 25% visible light. All other windows other than Moon roof block 90% UV and 25% visible light. Moon roof blocks 93% UV and 80% visible light. These figures quite categorically list specific UV reduction figures, however as IR is at longer wavelengths than visible light, the figures listed as reductions in visible light really have no bearing on IR. Flowing from this, it would seem that the value of tinting is primarily in the tints ability to reduce IR. The ability of any added tint to reduce UV would seem irrelevant. Just some food for thought Regards Quark

there are no factory tint, just dealer installed tint. Hi All, If the specification for the glass in the Aurion is the same as for the American Camry then all of it reduces UV from between 100% to 90%. The windscreen blocks out 100% of UV radiation. This info is from the NCF pdf on Aurion ZR6's manual download thread. Regards Quark

Greeting All, Just wondering how many Aurion owners are doing their own oil changes? Do you need ramps? Do you need to be double jointed plus have the ability to dislocate your shoulder, wrist etc or have they designed it so that it can be relatively easily done at home in the shed. Regards Quark Greetings All, Have just been looking through the manuals, so kindly made available by Aurion ZR6 and checked out the design of the oil filter. Having spent 34 yrs in the mining industry performing maintenance on various types of mechanical equipment, obviously designed with no consideration for whoever had to do the maintenance, it is quite refreshing to find a filter system such as this. It is designes so that the filter can be changed without any oil spill at all. Well done Toyota. Highly recommend downloading the manuals. Quark

Hi Aurion ZR6, Have just finished downloading the lot. Cannot seem to get the index working but that is really irrelevant. There is just so much information that would take months to work through. Appreciate your efforts in making this reference material available to other members of this forum. Just a brief glance through the material provides many of the answers to the queries raised in this forum. Regards and Best Wishes Quark

Greeting All, Just wondering how many Aurion owners are doing their own oil changes? Do you need ramps? Do you need to be double jointed plus have the ability to dislocate your shoulder, wrist etc or have they designed it so that it can be relatively easily done at home in the shed. Regards Quark

Hi Andrew. As the other respondents to this thread have pointed out , there are major downsides to going dual fuel. Surely one of the Aurions major pluses is the cavernous boot and the storage area in it. After the installation of a but ugly gas tank this would be reduced considerably, probably by at least 50%. I suppose it really comes down to the type of car you want to drive. You mentioned that you currently drive a Carola but that the Aurion appealed to you. Obviously the Aurion will never compete with the Carola regarding fuel consumption but hey, the Aurion is a great car, it does many things very well including class leading fuel economy. If you are not content with that then you are probably considering the wrong car. Regards Quark

Very good questions. To be honest, I didn't really look at the Prodigy, but no regrets here. As I understand the differences are: - Moon Roof (a moderately pricy option) - Illuminated Vanity Mirrors (who cares...) - Rear passenger reading lights (who cares...) - 17" wheels rather than 16" wheels (a few hundred dollars difference?) - Michelin Tyres vs. other brand (a few hundred dollars difference?) - Sat Nav is a dealer fitted cheaper unit around $1k rather than $4k Presara unit - HID head lights (unsure of $ value) - Active / Moving / Leveling headlights - Keyless start (button rather than key) - Bluetooth? (works extremely well) - Rain Sensing Wipers (nice to have, I use it all the time) - Rear Reversing Camera (nice to have...) - Rear window louvre (nice to have...) - Toyota Link (3 year subscription) and its satellite phone/link - Obviously a different radio/CD player (Presara is through the GPS unit) - not sure what else... If you were to add the individual prices of each of these, I'm sure that it would exceed $10k, but only worth it if you want these options and are prepared to pay $10k for them. Well said Riftime. I actually didn't look at the prodigy either. Strange that. However I too have no regrets and agree that the extra features are well worth the extra spend. It's nice to have a vehicle that has the little comfort features that the others dont. Mind you, I'm sure there are people who would disagree, It all depends on your budget. There is no doubt that the Presara is jamed packed with features and as riftime said it would cost a lot more than 50 odd K if it had any other badge. Totally agree, if you were desparate enough to option up a Ford or Commadore to the same level imagine what it would cost. I suppose they don't do that because all they would end up with would be a high spec car still with endemic quality control and reliability issues. Regards Quark

I have the same problem in my car - tried cleaning and everything - worked ok for a few days and the noise is back. TOYOTA SUCKS - will sell mine and get a Holden. Can not ever imagine being that desparate. Might be an idea to check out the Commadore owners forum, there sure are some frightening stories there. How about cleaning the rubber and applying Armor All. Regards Quark

Hi Quark, One day I left my ignition on in the car ( not use to the press button then ) and about an hour later I get a phone call on my moble phone from a Toyota link operator to tell me that the battery in my car is getting low. Hows that!!!!!!!!!!! I love it. Derek. Thanks Derek, That sounds like a very positive experience, it would seem to be more than just a gimick. Regards Quark