Was it worth it? long term review of our MDC Forbes 13 and Prado 150 VX 

Sorry to hear you've had that experience, MDC were great with us, and Nova (our new van) have also been great, would absolutely consider both brands in the future, but I'll admit I'm very wary af a lot of brands out there

Thanks Matt! Unfortunately, I've had a mixed bag along the way, the Toyota dealership I bought my Fortuner through were... not great..

Thanks Matt! These kind of long term reviews can be hit or miss sometimes, glad you liked it! Totally agree on the Kaon, I've seen a company recently advertising direct copies of their stuff, looks to be being shipped in from overseas and the quality isn't there (from comments I've seen on some Prado groups). Can't wait to start filming some of the install videos for the gear, unfortunately the OCAM stuff is delayed to February, and the Kaon transmission cooler is currently out of stock... story of my life! At least the van build is underway!

Totally agree with you there, we have put a few extras on that do have a bit of weight, bullbar and winch being the big ones, having now used the winch in a recovery, I'm glad we optioned it in, but there is (in my opinion) no need for running 35 inch tyres and putting everything including the kitchen sink into a vehicle. There are arguments for it, of course, but most people don't and won't use half the accessories they have. Main reason I put the roof rack on was for the awning, and so I don't have to put dirty maxtrax and shovels into the car 😀

It is, as I said in the video, the best car/vehicle I've ever owned! Surprisingly, as much as I love the sport mode, It's definitely off more than on (partly for the fuel economy, partly cos the punch when firing it up for the first time in a while is awesome).

Absolutely! That was the plan 😉

Thanks Mate! There is, we put in a Lovels GVM upgrade which added the equivalent of a 2 inch lift, Increased payload to 3500kgs, and increased GCM to 6500kgs, the latter of which I was very surprised about, but we've never come close to that weight anyway

Assuming you mean the Prado? If so, I can say it still drives like new (only 60000kms on it, so barely broken in for a toyota) I would be telling porkies if I said I wasn't keen on the new 250... might have to do a test drive video 🤔

Such a good car! I had the same issue with my previous dealership, will travel 45mins out of my way to go to Heidleberg, rather than 15 mins up the road

@@10tenadventures Yes it’s a long story. I’m not naming the dealer. I do very few kms per year. It’s a Oct 2020 model 150, the update 150 killer wasps 500 Neutron bombs engine like yours and it’s a VX Bought it from memory August 2021 with 5000kms as a demonstrator. 2 years later & I’ve only just had the 20,000 km service. So I do maybe 7500 kms a year. Sold to me with 6 capped price services - one each 10,000 kms or every 6 months whichever comes sooner. So took it in for its 10,000 km service and got charged the capped price service. Only issue was the invoice specified they used a petrol engine oil in it, not the diesel oil - which has a fair bit more detergent in the add pack to keep diesel soot in suspension to be drained away rather than depositing as carbon on engine components. Asked about it & told it was a clerical error and they actually did use oil out of the other diesel engine oil bulk drum - said it was how Toyotas capped price servicing is set up - the invoices are auto generated and just specified the incorrect oil on the invoice. Fair enough so I let it ride. About 13 months later I go back after doing the next 10,000 kms for my 20,000 kms service. Get told that I’m here for my 70,000 km service by the technician with his tablet - who’s looking at my Prado computer record based on the rego & vin number. I correct him - no it’s the 20,000 km service. So then I’m told my “second” capped price service has “expired coz I didn’t bring it in at 6 months, instead I waited till the 10,000 kms - so the log book service slips would match the KMs marked on them - for simplicity when I sell it on to a new owner. So for my second only $260 capped price service - using the exact same oil filter oil and labor that they make a profit on at the $260 - I will now be paying $524 odd dollars - thank you very much. Wasn’t at all happy & made it known so, to zero satisfaction. Complained to Toyota feed back line and when my computer record was pulled up - instead of the 3 services it had at 5000kms the day I picked it up, 10,000 kms next at local dealer, then the 20,000 that I just got charged double for first week December 2023 - he informs me there’s 5 services on my record, saying the 20,000 km was a year before and there’s been another since then (presumably the 30,000 km)🤷‍♂️ So after seeing that this made no sense I went through my VIN number in the owners manual & confirmed it off the door placard & the Melbourne Toyota based complaints guy explains that these two services that o haven’t had are for a vehicle with a different vin number to mine. So apparently what’s been happening is, the service centre staff have thought I wasn’t coming back (maybe I died or moved some where else or sold the vehicle on) have been giving away my $260 capped price services away to friends or family or themselves maybe? Toyota refuse to tell me who’s name /s are on those two invoices - and what if any relation they are to the service centre staff (privacy laws used as the excuse, but really it’s covering up for their staff corruption stealing my capped price services of which to this day I’ve only had one out of the 6 shown owing in front of my log book! Apparently they are “expired”, and I’m now paying double for the exact same oil & filter & labour. Essentially I’m paying for someone else’s service is what it adds up to. I refuse to do business with company’s who steal from me & are patently corrupt. Toyota Australia refuse to refund me the over charge & so does the dealer principal who I’ve spoken with. They are all ducking for cover and covering up for the theft / corruption that’s gone on. I’m not allowed to see my computerised service record with these other two vehicles and owners invoices details etc. This is bad for Toyotas brand in Australia. I will never again have any servicing done at a Toyota dealership & I nor my extended family will ever buy another Toyota vehicle. Toyota are dead to me. It’s not the $ it’s the principle - that they think it’s OK to steal, cover up & be so corrupt & that as an organisation they can get away with it & there’s nothing anyone can do about it. I just vote with my feet when I come across company’s like this. And they wonder why folks refer to them as “stealerships”. 🙄👎 Sadly now I get angry in my guts every time I get into my Prado because of the way I’ve been treated. Prior to this I’ve always enjoyed any opportunity to drive this vehicle but now it just brings back bitter memories that I can’t trust the people who make, sell & service them any longer.

Same, I went for 1 servive at local dealership and customer service atrocious. So take it 1hr to another dealership who have been great. 2020 Kakadu now heading fast to her 60k km service.

This will sound... odd... but I count the gears. It's almost a subconscious thing now, long story short; I rode motorcycles for 10 years before getting a car license, I had a habit of counting gears as I changed as sequential gearboxes are awful to shift when not moving... I just do it in the car out of habit. As for the leather, no wear issues so far (and it's a daily driver for me). I have a removable cover on the back seat for the dogs, and it hasn't caused any damage. That said, the Toyota leather is kinda crap... when I bought my Hilux SR back in 2012, I optioned in leather seats, the dealership told me they'd last longer than the OEM ones in the SR5 as they were 3rd party, and significantly higher quality leather... he was right, still looked new when I sold it 7 years later

I’ve got a ScanGauge ll installed. Love that I can monitor transmission temps and also what gear it’s in

I have a Bluetooth OBDII adapter I can run, but haven't tried it on the Prado yet... new video idea??? Wonder if I can link it through android auto to show on the head unit?!??! That might just be worth checking out! Thanks for the inspo!! Will credit you in the vid if/when I do it 😀

@@ssteve2542 Thanks for the reply Looks like I may have to get a scan gauge. To tell what gear it is in, is it a standard gauge or one of their downloadable ones ?

@@10tenadventures Looking forward to hearing if it can run in a Prado via bluetooth. That would be a good solution as the socket for the scan gauge is not in a good spot to run a permanent wire from to the gauge

Personally, I agree, but a lot of Prado owners are reporting increased transmission temps when towing. As for voiding the warranty, Toyota would have to prove the modification caused or contributed to the failure... I know, that's not a legal fight I would want to risk either... all in all may be a moot point, as I can't seem to be able to get one at the moment, all on back order

@@10tenadventures The only thing Toyota need to prove is that you’re running an aftermarket cooler, good luck

As I say, not a legal battle I want to get into... and with some dealerships actively trying to void legitimate warranty claims on stock vehicles, I agree, good luck won't be enough

I tend to agree. Ideally, the auto should be running at the same temp as the water ~85c. Running an auto with cold temps is also not good for it

I agree too. Will be interesting to see what a scanning tool reveals

Yep, and I'd happily own one 😀... wife... not so much 😞