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We acquired our 2006 Charcoal Grey D4D GXL Auto in September 2009. It was a very well kept, largely stock standard unit with 66,000 km on the odometer. The only extras were a genuine Toyota tow bar, Eco-Pro electronic rust prevention and window tint.
Well, like many here on Pradopoint I immediately had some modifications in mind to customise our (new to us) Prado for our intended use. This will primarily be the daily use vehicle for my Wife & I who are "empty nesters" but also regularly take our daughter & three little grandsons (all under 5!) on day trips. We also have a Customline off-road camper trailer which we intend to use as it's manufacture intended, though the reality is this would likely be only once or twice a year (for now). I also have a few "blokey" trips with my son & a few mates in mind (a bit more adventurous in nature).
So, the vehicle had to remain comfortable (my Wife has a bad back & suffers from other medical conditions which mean travelling has to be undertaken with comfort and low-impact pain minimisation in mind). But it also had to be able to handle being loaded up with tarmac, unsealed and some off-road excursions in mind, sometimes towing a reasonably well-loaded camper trailer. Oh, and for most of the time, the third row seats had to remain in-situ for those off-the-cuff trips with the Grandkids. This would limit drawer system options somewhat (I'm still thinking about this aspect of the build).
Between purchase date & now I've been doing a lot of researching of various build threads & others here on Pradopoint, submitting the odd post to clarify others experiences, working through & contributing ideas of my own & generally working out what I needed to do to get our vehicle "built up". My immediate requirements were identified as follows:
:arrow: Seat covers
:arrow: Electronic brake controller
:arrow: Bull bar
:arrow: Spot lights
:arrow: Dual battery installation
:arrow: Suspension
I have further mods in mind but more on that later.
So here now is progress to date. I haven't posted much in recent weeks as I've been away a lot on work duties, so this initial build-up post is a bit of a catch up.
First up, here's our pride & joy as we acquired it:
Then we added the seat covers (Platinum Cloud Slate sheepskins). They're from Supercheap Auto, are very comfortable with a nice deep pile:
Next up was the brake controller. I opted for the Tekonsha Prodigy unit which many here have determined to be an effective, trouble-free unit. I had it fitted low down on the left of the steering column as shown. Here it's easily accessible for adjustment yet doesn't get in the way. I've included shots from a couple of angles:
With regards to a bull bar, I determined the ARB Deluxe would be the ideal pick for me. This decision was made factoring in the strength of a steel bar (as opposed to the Sovereign alloy bar), off-road capability (approach angle) & versatility (potential fittings). Of course the good looks (to me) of the ARB was a factor as well. I went with the winch bar (leaving the option open for a future winch fitting), with fitted fog lights in the standard dark grey colour which matches the Charcoal Grey vehicle colour very well. For spotties, I went with the IPF 900XS spot & spread combo.
Over coming days, I'll post again with a bit more of the story to tell....
Sunday
The next item on the Mods list was a dual battery set-up. I did a lot of reading on options, trying to guage everyone's experiences of battery locations, separator / smart-charger set ups, wiring methods etc. I was particularly alarmed by many of the threads outlining the need to overcome the D4D's ECU-controlled alternator output, supposedly greatly compromising the alternator's capacity to keep a second battery fully charged during normal driving conditions & trip lengths (presumably unless regularly tackling the Nullabor!).
Not being a sparky myself, I got more and more confused but decided I was reluctant to fit a Ranox (or similar) system in the vehicle's interior (just don't want it in the way or liable to "Grandchild abuse"). I also sought advice from a couple of very experienced auto electricians, including one who has fitted literally thousands of Redarc & similar smart-charge systems to D4Ds and other late model diesel & fuel injected vehicles with modern alternator systems. He was adamant it simply wasn't a significant issue. ARB similarly advised they have fitted thousands of their SurePower smart solenoid separator systems to D4Ds and similar without any issues. Well, my overall conclusion is that whilst auxiliary battery life may indeed be compromised on a D4D by less than 100% optimal charging: just how many years do you get out of a modern battery anyway (not many!). And the expense and extra complications associated with a solution to the issue just maybe isn't warranted... To be truthful I just may be proven wrong on this over time but I ended up going with ARB's SurePower unit (model 1314).
Curiously, despite other poster's experiences of ARB, my local ARB store was adamant that installing the second battery in the driver's side front location was a sound & secure installation provided it was done properly (good quality tray etc.). Again, this particular store has done many of these on Prados with NO tray or guard cracking issues. Indeed, they've heard of very few such cracking issues throughout the industry & the overall impression is that most instances have been caused by poor installations, EXTREME (as in ridiculously so) vehicle use or both. Again, I took a leap of faith & went with their advice. I do have to say this ARB store has a very good reputation over many years with the Central Qld off-road fraternity.
ARB did a very neat installation, with a manual auxiliary start function (basically bridging the 2 batteries) should circumstances warrant it. Aux. Battery choice was a Century N70ZZH. I also got them to put heavy duty wiring through to the rear luggage area, both to the existing aux. power outlet as well as a new Engel fridge outlet.
Some pics below:
Still more mods to come...
Sunday
Well, like many here on Pradopoint I immediately had some modifications in mind to customise our (new to us) Prado for our intended use. This will primarily be the daily use vehicle for my Wife & I who are "empty nesters" but also regularly take our daughter & three little grandsons (all under 5!) on day trips. We also have a Customline off-road camper trailer which we intend to use as it's manufacture intended, though the reality is this would likely be only once or twice a year (for now). I also have a few "blokey" trips with my son & a few mates in mind (a bit more adventurous in nature).
So, the vehicle had to remain comfortable (my Wife has a bad back & suffers from other medical conditions which mean travelling has to be undertaken with comfort and low-impact pain minimisation in mind). But it also had to be able to handle being loaded up with tarmac, unsealed and some off-road excursions in mind, sometimes towing a reasonably well-loaded camper trailer. Oh, and for most of the time, the third row seats had to remain in-situ for those off-the-cuff trips with the Grandkids. This would limit drawer system options somewhat (I'm still thinking about this aspect of the build).
Between purchase date & now I've been doing a lot of researching of various build threads & others here on Pradopoint, submitting the odd post to clarify others experiences, working through & contributing ideas of my own & generally working out what I needed to do to get our vehicle "built up". My immediate requirements were identified as follows:
:arrow: Seat covers
:arrow: Electronic brake controller
:arrow: Bull bar
:arrow: Spot lights
:arrow: Dual battery installation
:arrow: Suspension
I have further mods in mind but more on that later.
So here now is progress to date. I haven't posted much in recent weeks as I've been away a lot on work duties, so this initial build-up post is a bit of a catch up.
First up, here's our pride & joy as we acquired it:
Then we added the seat covers (Platinum Cloud Slate sheepskins). They're from Supercheap Auto, are very comfortable with a nice deep pile:
Next up was the brake controller. I opted for the Tekonsha Prodigy unit which many here have determined to be an effective, trouble-free unit. I had it fitted low down on the left of the steering column as shown. Here it's easily accessible for adjustment yet doesn't get in the way. I've included shots from a couple of angles:
With regards to a bull bar, I determined the ARB Deluxe would be the ideal pick for me. This decision was made factoring in the strength of a steel bar (as opposed to the Sovereign alloy bar), off-road capability (approach angle) & versatility (potential fittings). Of course the good looks (to me) of the ARB was a factor as well. I went with the winch bar (leaving the option open for a future winch fitting), with fitted fog lights in the standard dark grey colour which matches the Charcoal Grey vehicle colour very well. For spotties, I went with the IPF 900XS spot & spread combo.
Over coming days, I'll post again with a bit more of the story to tell....
Sunday
The next item on the Mods list was a dual battery set-up. I did a lot of reading on options, trying to guage everyone's experiences of battery locations, separator / smart-charger set ups, wiring methods etc. I was particularly alarmed by many of the threads outlining the need to overcome the D4D's ECU-controlled alternator output, supposedly greatly compromising the alternator's capacity to keep a second battery fully charged during normal driving conditions & trip lengths (presumably unless regularly tackling the Nullabor!).
Not being a sparky myself, I got more and more confused but decided I was reluctant to fit a Ranox (or similar) system in the vehicle's interior (just don't want it in the way or liable to "Grandchild abuse"). I also sought advice from a couple of very experienced auto electricians, including one who has fitted literally thousands of Redarc & similar smart-charge systems to D4Ds and other late model diesel & fuel injected vehicles with modern alternator systems. He was adamant it simply wasn't a significant issue. ARB similarly advised they have fitted thousands of their SurePower smart solenoid separator systems to D4Ds and similar without any issues. Well, my overall conclusion is that whilst auxiliary battery life may indeed be compromised on a D4D by less than 100% optimal charging: just how many years do you get out of a modern battery anyway (not many!). And the expense and extra complications associated with a solution to the issue just maybe isn't warranted... To be truthful I just may be proven wrong on this over time but I ended up going with ARB's SurePower unit (model 1314).
Curiously, despite other poster's experiences of ARB, my local ARB store was adamant that installing the second battery in the driver's side front location was a sound & secure installation provided it was done properly (good quality tray etc.). Again, this particular store has done many of these on Prados with NO tray or guard cracking issues. Indeed, they've heard of very few such cracking issues throughout the industry & the overall impression is that most instances have been caused by poor installations, EXTREME (as in ridiculously so) vehicle use or both. Again, I took a leap of faith & went with their advice. I do have to say this ARB store has a very good reputation over many years with the Central Qld off-road fraternity.
ARB did a very neat installation, with a manual auxiliary start function (basically bridging the 2 batteries) should circumstances warrant it. Aux. Battery choice was a Century N70ZZH. I also got them to put heavy duty wiring through to the rear luggage area, both to the existing aux. power outlet as well as a new Engel fridge outlet.
Some pics below:
Still more mods to come...
Sunday
. On a trip when the car is loaded up the rear rides just like the front without any real noticable drop. I'm glad i went 884s and 896s because travelling is beautiful.
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