johnny's Recent Reviews and Comments

I've had two 2005 model Klugers - a CVX and my current one, a CV Sport. I prefer this model series than the new one (2006 onwards). The CV Sport is excellent, as it comes with all the features of a CVX minus leather seats/steering wheel, rear heater and six stacker CD. It comes standard with a rear spoiler, which makes it look sporty.

The car is very reliable and up to Toyota's typical build quality (to be expected given it is really a Lexus RX330 underneath). The 3.3 litre V6 engine is very smooth and powerful and my car has not had any of the transmission woes that other owners have reported on.

The seven seats make it practical and can be folded down into the rear boot for a large cargo area with privacy blind.

Although I haven't ventured off road in this car, my previous CVX did a good job on dirt roads and it felt sturdy and secure when travelling over ruts at decent speed.

I'd recommend this as a second hand car for those who live an outdoor lifestyle and want extra space in their car to carry bikes, surfboards or hiking gear. I also recommend it for families with one or two kids -- if you're considering a larger 4x4 (such as prado) then I would definitely recommend you have a look at the Kluger first. Link

I bought this car brand new in 2009 as a city run about. For the first 6 months, the car felt okay, albeit very slow.

However the car developed a very bad vibration upon cold start up and for the first 30-60 minutes of driving. It never felt refined. I took it to the dealer numerous times however there were three cars I test drove which all had very bad vibration. This made it feel really cheap and poorly built, even though it probably is better than average build quality for the price you pay.

The other major issue (and ultimately why I sold it) was the hesitation to down shift when I urgently needed to pick up speed. Numerous times I was almost t-boned when I accelerated out of a corner or trying to overtake. The pedal would be pushed fully in however the car wouldn't register anything for 2-3 seconds. I also found that whenever I had the aircon on in summer, I'd have to turn it off in order to pick up speed or to keep up with the traffic.

I probably picked a bad combo -- 1.3 litre auto -- however I still expected this car to be able to shift down when needed. It's a major safety risk especially given most of these cars are bought by p platers.

I thought the styling was great -- really cute small car and looked good in black. The cabin materials are crap -- really hard plstic on the dash and the seats seem to stretch causing a lift in the middle of the cushion.

Small boot, but okay when the seats are folded flat and stored upright.

Overall, I don't recommend this car. I'd look at a Yaris or Suzuki before buying one of these. Link

Out of all the dealers I've gone to, I must admit that Canberra Toyota in Phillip have impressed me. Their customer service is good, especially how they take your car from you straight away when you drop it off in the morning -- it's like a valet style model that works really well.

They always call you after a service has been completed to see how you feel about the quality and to gather any feedback from you. They also leave a handy customer service form in the car after the service, detailing the service managers name and the person who completed the service on your car.

The only downside (more for Toyota than me) is that they ordered in the wrong nudge bar for my Kluger. This meant that I had to wait another week or so in which time I browsed eBay and found one for $600 cheaper second hand. I subsequently cancelled the order on the brand new one, so Toyota lost out.

One other negative is the pricing -- typical Toyota fashion -- they charge more for what you could get cheaper elsewhere.

However, the car definitely felt better after it got serviced at Canberra Toyota Phillip and they genuinely appear to want to help and provide a good level of service, both to you and to your car.

I would recommend this dealer out of any other dealer in Canberra (under the Canberra Toyota name). Link

Not the best Canberra Toyota dealership in Canberra, but okay none the less. I've taken my car here a few times for a service and to get things fitted. The Canberra Toyota Mitchell dealer is the only one in Canberra that fits accessories (like nudge bars, driving lights etc).

The customer service is generally good -- I had an issue with my previous car and the service manager joined me for a drive in the morning, however they diagnosed the wrong thing and never could find out what the problem was, which cost me a fair bit of money in labour and time.

I was also missing a plastic engine cover -- i got a quote from them -- $500 to replace. Are you joking? I thought it was crazy that they would even suggest that price with a straight face -- I would have rather them said "look forget it, we won't even bother telling you how much it is".

I got driven to and from work by one of the apprentices/junior mechanics. Although very friendly and a good laugh, I was a little concerned with the general attitude -- made me wonder how good a job they were doing. Some things shouldn't be discussed with customers...

I also got a nudge bar fitted there -- the nudge bar was fitted with a gap between the plastic moulding and bumper that can fit a finger. Not good considering the nudge bar is genuine and the price I paid to get it fitted.

Other than that, it is an overall good place and nothing compared to some of the horrid dealerships out there. Link

I have serviced three vehicles here over the past 10 years -- a Mitsubishi Magna TF, a Nissan Xtrail T30, and a Hyundai Getz TB.

Back when I had the Magna (in 2001) they were okay -- average pricing, but good customer service. However when I bought the Nissan, and subsequently the Hyundai, the customer service diminished over time to the point where I actually wrote a letter to Hyundai informing them of the poor practices and customer service at this dealer.

Firstly, in 2009/10, they were extremely rude when you pointed out an issue with the car that would normally be under warranty. For example, I had an issue with the drivers seat on the Hyundai, and their response was that any checking would be counted as labour, regardless if it was under warranty. This might be so, but it was the manner in which they told me that fact.

Secondly, I began doubting whether they were actually carrying out the services -- on my Xtrail, the oil filter was unchanged (due to me marking a dot with highlighter which just happened to be there after I forked out a sum of money) and the wheel rotation and balance was never carried out on my Hyundai (due to the tread being bad on the front two tyres as well as excessive brake dust visiable on the front wheels). The latter issue was brought up immediately and they agreed that the wheel rotation and balance wasn't done, even though I had requested and paid for it. They then asked for the vehicle for another day (a week later mind you) and when I dropped it off the attitude I got from the receptionist was that I was 'the complainer'.

Lastly, and this is one issue I made clear in the letter to Hyundai in 2010, was that the owner/service manager must have children as they were roller blading -- yes roller blading -- in the service area where cars were being serviced.

I ended up selling the Hyundai, and never took it back to National Capital Motors again (and any future car I buy will never get serviced their either).

I highly recommend you look around for another service provider, or see if you can take it to another Nat Cap dealer (such as Civic or Tuggeranong). I would steer clear of Belconnen due to the poor customer service, the lack of things being done at services and the unprofessionalism in terms of children and who knows who else playing in the service area.

National Capital Motors -- use at your own risk. Link