NOEL GORDON

Hi All Here's a product for those with limited time: Eagle One's WAX AS-U-DRY, which gives a good shine on my Series II Avalon. Simply spray it on to several spots per panel, then rub it over gently with your drying towel, and you're done. My car - in Tuscan Red - had a problem from new, with the paintwork hard to dry, but very easy to scratch, and I've washed a lot of cars over the years. The scratching was becoming bad, so I had it "Paint-Protected" twice, without much luck; it was still necessary to dry the paintwork with the lightest touch, and use a scratch removal product every few months. The situation has improved enormously since going on to WAUD and life is much better. The car gets washed more often, now! Hope this helps. BTW, I have no connection to Eagle One. CHEERS NOEL GORDON

Spot on, Dave, especially when it comes to letting your significant other wash the car! And avoid car washes. In recent months, I've been using an Eagle 1 product called Wax as U Dry and find it does a first-rate job. The car - an Avalon - had been previously paint-protected but, for my money, this product matches both protection products. My car - a pre-Christmas assembly - was almost impossible to dry when new and scratched easily. Washing left dirty-water marks on the surface; knowing what I know now, I should have taken it straight back to the dealer, for correction. And I found it essential to use Scratch and Swirl Remover after every wash. Having it paint-protected x2 helped a little, but the surface still had to be handled with kid gloves, using towels for both washing and drying-off. Before you throw rocks at me, I bought and "ran-in" car cleaning gear, before delivery. I find that. as WAYD contains drying agents and wax, scratching is minimised and the shine is great! Anybody else used this product? CHEERS NOEL GORDON

Hi All I had one of those 'vortex' things on my Avalon for one week, before taking it back for a refund. Seems to me that it actually gave more power (or did the right foot go down more?).at low speed. I believe it moved response to down low, but it seemed to drop off over say 80kmh. And it seemed to me that the motor actually used a hollow-tooth-full of oil, which it hadn't done previously, or since. Could it have generated higher vacuum/suction - or something? My Series 2 Avalon does around 12l/100km around town and drops to 9-10 on the open road, at legal speeds. It recorded 9.1 on a return trip, Newcastle-Canberra on freeways/motorways and around Canberra. Zero-ise the computer readout on the run, on the F3 and it comes in at 8.1l/100k's, so long as you get a smooth run, the latter not easy these days! But then, it is lighter than the Aurion. CHEERS NOEL GORDON

Hi All I had one of those 'vortex' things on my Avalon for one week, before taking it back for a refund. Seems to me that it actually gave more power (or did the right foot go down more?).at low speed. I believe it moved response to down low, but it seemed to drop off over say 80kmh. And it seemed to me that the motor actually used a hollow-tooth-full of oil, which it hadn't done previously, or since. Could it have generated higher vacuum/suction - or something? My Series 2 Avalon does around 12l/100km around town and drops to 9-10 on the open road, at legal speeds. It recorded 9.1 on a return trip, Newcastle-Canberra on freeways/motorways and around Canberra. Zero-ise the computer readout on the run, on the F3 and it comes in at 8.1l/100k's, so long as you get a smooth run, the latter not easy these days! But then, it is lighter than the Aurion. CHEERS NOEL GORDON

Hi All I am but a humble Avalon owner and find it a nice car. The temperature gauge needle sits halfway up the last segment before "90 degrees", around town. On the open road, the needle rises a smidgen so that the needle and the 90-degree mark are virtually as one, with the needle immediately below the mark. In its 71,000k's the needle has not risen higher. An engineer friend tells me it all depends on where they place the sensor. On my early model Falcon, if the ignition were left on after stopping the motor, the temperature gauge needle would climb up the dial, to halfway between 90degrees and Hot. For what it's worth. CHEERS NOEL GORDON

FWIW The E10 I used was rated at 95ron. But, like most other users report, consumption goes up on E10, which only just offsets the 2cent reduction in cost. Cheers NOEL GORDON

Hi All MY first post: experience with ethanol, on a Series 2 Avalon. After about 1,000k's on ethanol, starting probs exaserbated. The motor has always been a little "iffy" on hot starts, often firing, then stopping. Yes, I know about holding key rings and the remote as extensions of the key, and not at right angles. The problem extended to cold starts (previously good), hot starts requiring long cranking time, before a "fluffy" start. Starting greatly improved, after progressively diluting with unleaded. Now, it's close to normal. I broached the subject with my local dealer's service wallahs, who, of course, toed the company line, saying that the Nagoya Ranch ok'd the use of ethanol, but they certainly did not say that Toyota recommended ethanol. When ethanol was mentioned, the customer standing next to me let out a snort - and seemed to mutter "bloody ethanol". Others I've asked have had varying experience of the blend; it seems to vary, car-to-car. These recent incidents may be simply co-incidental and would have happened anyway, but it's been my experience that car problems don't usually go away - they just get worse! But, as starting is virtually back to normal, ya gotta wonder! CHEERS NOEL GORDON