Calling all Aussies and Kiwis !!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sleeka @ May 28 2006, 01:06 AM) [snapback]261766[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the info.

Actually we are leasing through work and so we don't get a choice of dealer. And we didn't get a choice of colour either.......................our daughter said she wouldn't ride in the car if it was any other colour but blue. OH HOW TEMPTING!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(justkroozin @ May 27 2006, 07:31 AM) [snapback]261733[/snapback]</div>

hi all


finally picked up the car last week.. got the usual "sorry this, sorry that" from the dealer.. then he showed me this sample customer service survey that im gonna get in mail.. and he begged me to no tick the bad boxes... haha, i know what to do...


anyway.. totally happy with the car.. report more experience later.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cupcake @ Jun 7 2006, 07:10 AM) [snapback]267145[/snapback]</div>

Congratulations, and welcome to the club. You don't have to enjoy the service from the dealer just the car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Orf @ Jun 7 2006, 09:58 PM) [snapback]267703[/snapback]</div>

Well, in a sick sort of way, it's nice to see that lame dealerships aren't just a Yankee thing. Glad to here that you've finally gotten your car, Cupcake. What do you guys pay for a litre of petrol downunder? Just curious.

 

i use to live in sydney, more specific, Lindfield, close to Chatswood, but back then we didnt have a prius, now we are in L.A.
that makes me a ex-aussie? hahah

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jun 12 2006, 04:58 AM) [snapback]269585[/snapback]</div>

Tripp.
Re: your query on fuel pricing....our capital cities vary wildly in pricing, and prices always go up markedly just before any holiay period.
Given that, prices here in Brisbane, Queensland, at the moment are around A$1.30/litre. This is a high point (currently), having just gone up last week from around A$1.22/litre. Other States' pricing is as much as A.15c/litre higher.
We're having dinner on Thursday night with a couple of US Prius people over here on holidays. It will be interesting to compare notes on a range of things about motoring in general between our Countries.

Regards,
Sleeka.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sleeka @ Jun 13 2006, 07:02 AM) [snapback]270437[/snapback]</div>

So it's about $3.63/US gal. Yikes. I actually wish gas were taxed more here. It would save us a lot of pain in the mid-long run.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sleeka @ Jun 13 2006, 07:02 AM) [snapback]270437[/snapback]</div>

I'm envious. Would love to visit down under. Tried to get the wife to move down to NZ but she'd have none of it . We'll get down there sometime in the next couple of years and maybe hit Oz as well. Just a matter of how long we can afford to make the trip. If I had my way I'd sail down and back but I think that'd be asking a bit much. Maybe in 30 years when I'm older and bored.

Congrats on the win over Japan, BTW. I watched the whole match and was psyched to see you guys come through with 3 goals in the last 10 minutes, especially after that BS goal in the first half. I love the World Cup!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jun 14 2006, 01:01 PM) [snapback]270908[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, that's an Aussie trait....we never give up!!

BTW, petrol prices have gone up again...now A$1.36-$1.40 around town. School holidays start this weekend, so the petrol companies jack up the prices again!

Make sure you look us up if/when you make it to OZ.

Regards,
Sleeka.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sleeka @ Jun 14 2006, 10:55 AM) [snapback]271182[/snapback]</div>

Good luck against Croatia and Brazil. They both looked solid in their match.

That's a bummer. Prices here have been flat for about a month or so. I'd expect things to creep up though now that summer's in full swing.

You can count on it. It'll probably be a couple of years though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cupcake @ Jun 7 2006, 10:10 PM) [snapback]267145[/snapback]</div>

I'm glad that you finally got your Prius. Perhaps you shouldn't be too hard on your dealer if he didn't contribute to the delivery time?

We still have an estimated 73 days to go before delivery and are still learning how it works. For example we received a letter from Toyota a week ago with a login for the website http://prius.toyota.com.au/yourPrius which shows the status of our order. I didn't even know that Toyota did this. Somehow our order has already skipped through the order received and the production phases into being shipped. Maybe this means it is less than 73 days away? Does anyone know how long shipping from Japan to Australia takes?

 

hi justkroozin, welcome to soon prius experience


im lovin the car so much. 1st tank (dealer said he gav me a full tank) ran 700km.
filled up 38L, thats roughly 5.4L/100km very close to the screen figure of 5.6
this new tank is filled with premium unleaded... lets see if i can do better....

thinking about changing the wheels to some chrome of same size.
but i read from some site that the 2006 model has this tyre pressure monitor thing that if u change wheel it will disable this function.... any advice??

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cupcake @ Jun 28 2006, 11:39 PM) [snapback]278463[/snapback]</div>

Cupcake, the premium gas won't do anything for you in terms of performance. It's just a higher octane rating and probably engine detergents. Using the recommended octane is the way to go and it's cheaper! Regardless of octane all varieties of gasoline have the same energy content. The octane rating describes how combustable the fuel is. The higher the octane rating the less explosive the fuel.

I watched the Oz vs Italy game over the weekend (or was it monday) and turned off the TV disgusted. The FIFA officiating is truely horrid. There need to be two umpires on the field and the diving and theatrics should be reward with yellow cards and ejections. :angry: :angry: :angry:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jun 29 2006, 01:10 AM) [snapback]278471[/snapback]</div>

Yes, it was a real let down. At the BP Service Station I noticed this BP Ultimate, and it includes detergents etc, although it's 98 Octane. I thought about whether a tank of it would help to clean the engine out or not, but decided to check into compatibility a bit first.

I must bookmark this part of the forum. It's good to be able to compare notes with other Australian drivers.

Actually I was wondering if anyone knows if there is a neat solution for a mobile phone antenna for the Prius, preferably something that can double for radio reception.

We're also planning to go on holiday for a month, and I've read that the 12v battery might not hold its charge for that long, although that was a US model that was being discussed, and there could be some differences. I've never tried to access the 12V battery yet, but I think it's somewhere in the rear compartment.

I've also read about the fact that different tyres can reduce road noise. Does anybody happen to know what the options are in Australia/ NZ? I should probably ask my son that one, because he's in the business.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aussie56 @ Jun 29 2006, 11:07 PM) [snapback]278981[/snapback]</div>

The 12V should be fine. I'm sure that there's no difference between yours and ours. However, if you're going to be on holiday for a while turn off the keyless entry. There should be a button beneath the steering column that allows you to turn it off. That system can drain the battery if it's left on for too long. People here on PC have mentioned leaving their cars parked for months at a time with no problems.

What kind of tyres are stock on the Aussie Prius? In the states we get the Goodyear Integrity, which has a low rolling resistance, but is a pretty mediocre tyre. There are a few Michelin tyres that are popular over here as replacements but I don't know if they're available down under.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jun 30 2006, 11:50 AM) [snapback]279172[/snapback]</div>

My 06 came fitted with Michelin Energy 195/60R15 88V XV1 Radial XSE tyres. They give a reasonable ride and are not unduly noisy.
There has been talk of ethanol E10 coming to Tassie. The fuel will be 95 octane. I contacted Toyota about suitability for the Prius and they replied that it was OK to use 95 E10.
Although the manual says to use 95 octane petrol, the dealer filled the car with standard petrol which is 92 octane. I have been using 92 ever since (2 tank fulls).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Orf @ Jun 30 2006, 08:54 PM) [snapback]279452[/snapback]</div>

My 05 Prius came with the same tyres, so they must be standard. They seem reasonably quiet. I don't know if you can get Comforttreads here or not.

I've filled up with E10 a few times and noticed no drop off in economy.

 

G'day Guys, Anyone know how to turn the reverse beeper off on Aussie spec cars (itech 2006). The US spec instructions don't work I'm afraid <_< (though they do for turning off the seatbelt beep)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aussie56 @ Jun 30 2006, 09:06 PM) [snapback]279483[/snapback]</div>

E10 is fine for modern cars. Here in the states there are many places where E10 is pretty common, especially in the winter to combat ozone pollution. There is a ding in mileage but it's not too bad. evs, somebody had that some question a while back. They might have posted it in this very thread. I don't know if a solution was ever posted. If you find one post it. The issue seems to come up once every couple on months.

BTW, how do you guys calculate Octane down under? It looks like your octane numbers are a bit higher than our here in the states. I put 85 octane in the car since I'm at a pretty high altitude (1610m above sea level). At sea level the recommended octane is 87.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aussie56 @ Jun 30 2006, 03:07 PM) [snapback]278981[/snapback]</div>

Aussie56.
Welcome to Prius ownership!

Are you anywhere near Brisbane? If so, there are a few other Prius owners here who enjoy their cars and like to talk cars and what we have done to them etc. Please let us know if you would like to join in.

RE: fuels...Shell Optimax (or BP Ultimate) will give a noticeable benefit in economy, but not enough to offset the 10cents extra per litre cost. I am trying E10 at the moment...no difference in either performance or economy, but cheaper per litre. I give ours a fill with Optimax every 4th tankful, primarily to keep the internals clean...it will certainly do that for you!

Sorry, can't help with any advice on the phone antenna at this time.

As you have a base model, your 12v battery (which lives underfloor in the right rear corner) should be fine while on holidays. Only the I-tech in OZ has the keyless entry which could drain the battery over time.

The standard tyres on OZ cars are the Michelin Energy series, which are low rolling resistance (and therefore quiet by nature) variants. Keep the pressures up to 42 Front/40 Rear psi, and they should be at optimum efficiency. By all means, ask your Son for further advice on that one, though.

Regards,
Sleeka.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(evs @ Jul 2 2006, 01:34 PM) [snapback]279918[/snapback]</div>

Hi EVS, and welcome.

No joy with the reverse beeper on OZ cars so far, although many have tried!

Regards,
Sleeka.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sleeka @ Jul 3 2006, 01:48 AM) [snapback]280101[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sleeka @ Jul 2 2006, 10:55 AM) [snapback]280101[/snapback]</div>

I live in Central Queensland - Gladstone on weekends and Moura (200km West) during the week. I get to Brisbane infrequently, but don't usually have time to stop and chat. When I go to the Big Smoke, I usually have a number of reasons for going there Actually got my car from Scifleet originally.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(evs @ Jul 1 2006, 10:34 PM) [snapback]279918[/snapback]</div>

No, but if you find out, let me know It's annoying. Interesting to hear that you can disable the seatbelt beep. Must try that.