Was it worth it? long term review of our MDC Forbes 13 and Prado 150 VX
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- So, it's been 2 and a bit years of owning a Toyota Prado VX 150 and an MDC Forbes 13 Chinese built hybrid camper.
how have they held up?
what comes next?
would we upgrade?
thoughts on the new automatic Land Cruiser 79 series
would we buy again?
watch through to the end, exciting news for 2024!
#4wdadventure #toyota #landcruiser150 #prado #landcruiser4wd #mdc #forbes13 #marketdirect #MDCCampers #ocam #kaon #transmissioncooler #molle #caravan #upgrade #camping #australianoutback #aussieadventures #4x4accessories #4x4mods #toyotamods #prado150 #landcruiser70 #pradomods
Agree 100% with the service from MDC. Just sold my cruiser highside camper trailer and purchased a 13 foot hybrid Wander Series caravan. At the start i will say I'm happy with the new van, but not Wander Series customer service.
Had a bad start, picked it up and got home to Exmouth to find the back wheel bearing and hub had completely destroyed itself, they left the split pin out and it self-tighten until it destroyed itself. OK, they did a good job in sending up from Perth to Exmouth their service guy, all fixed, great service there.
But, that's where it ended, on my second camping trip, a few small issues. Broke 2 cupboard door hinges, another door latch fell off, hose to outdoor kitchen burst, fridge slide fell off, all easy fixes, but on the second last day, the water tank sprung a leak, no water for day and half.
Even after photos and videos, easy to see leaking from seam, still didn't believe me, said I need to tow VAN back to Perth, 2600k round trip, plus accommodation for them for them look at it, will not even agree to send 2 door hinges, will not even agree to just send water back, no, want the hold van, they refuse to do anything.
Have rewelded the tank myself, brough pack of 10 hinges for $25, will fix that. Moral of this story, DON'T BUY A WANDER SERIES CARAVAN.
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
Came back to this one for a rewatch, as are considering an MDC van.
After we have done a few trips with out Prado 2023 VX and being rained out we are considering getting a small van. Something I thought I would never do.
The model we are looking at is the Forte 9+ as are just looking to get of the ground with a little more room than say the Jaycar JPod.
If you are still watching this thread, I have a few questions regarding the MDC
The Forte 9+ is just wider than the model you have/had.
-Did you use the Toyota factory mirrors for towing? Looks like you still have them on the car, but I suppose you could be using extensions.
-With the rear door, can you still open it with a van hitched?
I notice on the Facebook groups MDC problems with the Diesel heater and water system are common. Water systems always seem to be a problem in general among the people we know who tow.
I notice KAON are making some new items for the Prado at this time, we are keeping a watch on them, but things like the side step water tanks may be a bit heavy for our standard suspension.
My main problem with our Prado is dust getting in, especially on the rear door
If you ever find an extinguisher bracket that works please add it to one of your videos. We have been looking but no solution so far.
We may have to look into a transmission cooler as well, not sure for the van size we are getting.
I notice you have your new van, a lot bigger than the MDC, I cant imagine trying to tow one that big. We have not towed before so a big learning curve if we get the van
But we have to do a driveway upgrade to store the van as well and that will cost a small fortune. But I look forward to getting a small pod type van if we can.
G'day Mark, a lot to unpack here, but here goes (feel free to hit me up on our FB page (link in bio), I can probably get a bit more in depth there):
Currently, I'm using clip on extension mirrors (can't remember the brand), but am talking to MSA as they are doing replacement mirrors that allow for the 3d cameras in the mirrors on the VX and Kakadu models... hopefully a review on the cards in the not too distant future if they do release them
with the rear door, no, not on the MDC, yes with the new van
Our diesel heater died, but was replaced under warranty, although I think a lot of the issues people are seeing is due to old fuel (diesel turns to jelly after a while apparently, and gums up the pump)
still not sure if we are going any Kaon gear at the moment, but I'd agree with you on the sidestep tanks, even with a GVM upgrade, you'd blow out your weights towing with them full (if you haven't watched my "this mistake cost me my car" video, please do, as it will help you with understanding weights as a standard GVM Prado and Fortuna are not worlds apart when putting accessories like bullbars etc. on)
haven't had any dust issues to date, gets in the gap, but not into the cabin, the door seals are top notch in mine
thus far, if towing in 4th per the owners manual, trans cooler seems to be unnecessary, the 3 week full time towing trip had no issue at all
Van size... yes, the new van is a bit bigger (16 foot instead of 13, but it is lighter, and tows better than the MDC, and is much easier to live with day to day. The fold out bed and setup time with the MDC just got too painful for short stays, after our 3 week trip with the new Van, Karla and I both had the same conclusion... we would have gone nuts packing up and setting up the MDC every 1 to 2 days (oh, and the electric awning, it's a selling gimmick in hind sight, the full manual awning on the new van sets up as quickly as it takes for the motor to wind out the MDC awning, and drop the legs)
as for the driveway, I really need to do a follow up video, we moved house to fit the new van (we were planning on moving anyway, but a "this mistake cost me my house" video could be a giggle)
I hope that helps!
Cheers,
Chris
@@10tenadventures
Thanks for the very in depth reply. If the manual says "towing in 4th gear" I had better read the manual :) So that scan gauge purchase will be a must. I have been holding off purchasing too much till we had done a few trips.
I will talk with the other half to get in contact with you on facebook as I dont have an account.
Interesting about the MSA mirrors as I was in ARB Moorebank today asking about mirrors and they indicated only Clearview had fully compatable mirrors for the VX that included the heating option. [dont even know how to turn that on yet, possibly with rear window heating]
Thanks again and hopefully get a facegroup post to you in a few days
Regards Mark
@marklaurendet1861 easy as, yeah, MSA mirrors are still in development, and when you turn on the front demister, that does your mirrors too 😀
@@10tenadventures
I made a reply via your face book page, via message. Hope that is correct as it was my first time using Face Book.
Took me two goes. First go I tried to make a paragraph line break be pressing enter and it just sent the first two words.
So I dont know how to break up the body of text. If there is a better way to add test for a message or something please let me know.
Fantastic vid. Great to hear your thoughts on how you rate your products. I agree, how companies deal with their customers after sales is most important.
Thanks Matt! Unfortunately, I've had a mixed bag along the way, the Toyota dealership I bought my Fortuner through were... not great..
Great review mate! We own a 2012 150 Prado and doesn’t skip a beat. Keeping the car setup simple and practical is our key focus and also helps keep the weight down. Kaon gear is great quality and locally (to me) made.
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!
Just found you looking trough the RUclips. In my surprise you’re not the one who needs the top overkill stuff. I recon you’re absolutely right. Nowadays any 4WD whether it’s yours or any other brand can successfully go off road. I’ve been driving 12 years old Amarok and I go to the beach and dunes no worries. All extra i have is a bit better tyres, having ready compressor and a shovel. Heavy vehicles have more issues off road usually. Good luck in your adventures.
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 😀
You've had a lot of fun in your Prado no surprise it's staying! Great hearing your insights for buyers looking at it long term.
Be honest, do you ever turn off sports mode now?
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).
I would be interested what you think of it in a couple of years
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 🤔
Love the review mate - is there a lift in the Prado?
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
Good to hear your happy with the VX.
How do you tell what gear your in? We also have a prado VX but cant see a way to see what gear your in. We just drive in "D"
With the leather seats how are yours wearing? I was thinking of seat covers for mine but in the past we have had problems with the seams on seat covers causing more wear than non covered seats.
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
Have the same VX and yep, can’t fault it. Actually enjoy driving it.
Not planning to get rid of it.
That said, not at all happy with my local Toyota dealer who I’ve taken family in who have bought multiples of vehicles from over the last 30 years.
Won’t be taking the vehicle back to them ever.
I’ll find somewhere else.
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.
Sounds like you’ve been through the wringer with that particular Toyota dealership.
For what it’s worth (and if not too late now - I only just read your comment now), taking the dealership through the QCAT (each state have their own office) system may be an option. It’s designed to make court action affordable to the average Joe and therefore costs little and you can represent yourself rather than engage with a lawyer.
I utilised the service many years ago (I took the Secretary of Defence (ADF) to court) and won my case so it’s definitely do’able … that is, a bit stressful but do’able.
In any case, Toyota can ill-afford to damage the reputation with any actual corruption or stealing so it sounds like there’s more to the story on their part that you may not be aware of. If it were me, I would’ve had a personal chat with the dealership principal and demanded some answers (which you may have already done) then escalated it from there.
Just my thoughts …
You big tease. Now I HAVE to watch the next episode and see what van you are getting 😂😂😂
Absolutely! That was the plan 😉
This Prado has 3T towing capacity, there should be no need to upgrade trans cooler as it would be suitably rated, doing so would certainly void warranty for any auto trans issues
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
70 series farm truck.
Yep, and I'd happily own one 😀... wife... not so much 😞