Toyota Aurion Problems

You definitely need to get the servicing done "by the book" on the number of years, not the kilometres travelled, as short stop-start runs are worse for a car than long highway trips. As for the Aurion, it's a great choice.

It’s hard to know how the used car market will react to the end of production of the Aurion. I suspect that because we have known about the end of the Aurion for some time that it won’t have a huge effect, it has possibly already been factored into the market. I don’t expect the parts supply to be affected at all, after all Toyota is a massive company and has a good reputation for taking care of its cars and customers.

I think you’re comparing apples with oranges in comparing these two cars. But to try and give you a guide I would say the build quality of the Aurion is a little better than that of the SS. I would also say the Aurion’s V6 engine is of a higher quality and standard than the SS’s V8, and would use less fuel, but I would say that both are equally drivable and practical in city traffic. My feeling is that the SS is an emotional purchase, the Aurion a safe one.

Clean it inside and out and make sure it's dry when you park it in the shed. Leave the handbrake off and put the transmission into Park if it's an auto and in gear if it's manual. Change the oil and filter, and change the coolant if the life limit will be exceeded while you're away. Disconnect and remove the battery, clean it and store it in a clean, dry place. Place the car on stands, remove the wheels and store them flat in cool, dark place. Use a cover made of natural material and the garage is dry and well ventilated. Finally, rethink your plan to store the car; it's a lot of effort for what is an ordinary car.

Thanks for the email. Hopefully I can keep this simple. 

I would strongly recommend a Toyota Aurion V6 $30,990 drive away or the Toyota Camry $28,990 drive away (pricing current September 2015). 

Unless you want the acceleration of the V6 I would opt for the four cylinder Camry, which is spritely enough and will also deliver good open road fuel economy. 

For the type of driving you're doing you do not need the hybrid Camry. 

Also, the base model Camry on the smaller wheels and Michelin tyres will be much more comfortable and a touch quieter than the dearer Camry models that come with sports tyres. 

In both the Aurion and Camry you will be protected by seven airbags and a five star safety rating. A rear camera is standard on both models too. 

The servicing costs are among the cheapest in the business. 

Furthermore the intervals are longer than other Toyotas (15,000km rather than 10,000km) and the capped pricing lasts four years or 75,000, whichever comes first (other Toyotas are three years, 60,000km). 

This was done to help Aurion and Camry appeal to fleets. 

However, your warranty is the same as other Toyotas at three years/100,000km. 

Dealership extended warranties are generally not worth the paper they are printed on, so save your money if you're offered an extension. 

Please check you're comfortable when driving the Aurion and Camry. They have ample room inside and a lot of travel in the front seat rails. 

Meanwhile, you're right in your assumption that Toyotas are regarded as a premium over Holden and Ford. The price is cheap because Toyota is trying to keep the factory running until 2017. It is in effect making a loss with each Camry it sells. 

Toyota also has a vast rural dealer network so hopefully you're never far away from help should you need it. 

Lastly, the Camry was at $26,990 drive away for much of last year and the price may limbo to that level again in the lead up to the end of the year or early next, to clear 2015 stock. This is not an inside tip, merely an educated guess on my part.

Good luck and let me know if I can help any further. I hope I'm still driving big distances in my 80s. 

No, we haven't had other complaints about wheel alignment of the Aurion, but we hear reports of wheel alignment not holding. If your car had done more kilometres I would suggest there could wear in the steering that is causing the problem, but yours has only done 30,000km and shouldn't be worn to any great degree. I would take it to a suspension specialist, like Pedders, and have then give it the once over.

The Aurion should easily run beyond 200,000km without major mechanical dramas but, with local production of the Camry winding down, it would be a good idea to have a replacement plan in place.

There is a problem with the VVTi hubs on the Aurion that causes the rattle you can hear. The problem for you is that the car is seven years old and long past the end of the warranty period. We have heard of other cases in which Toyota has paid for part of the cost of the repairs, so I would suggest that you approach Toyota for a similar deal.