Rollas Made in South Africa

[SILVABULLIT]

Hey all

No need to crucify me because I don't have a gearbox problem. I feel for you guys who do and for those who don't like me were lucky! As i stated in my post I didn't say that those who had a gearbox problem were pedantic, but more so those who were chasing a little squeak or something trivial. Believe me i know rattles and squeaks as my work van is a 1976 VW Kombi that's severly lowered and rides fairly rough. So My stivo is a dream to drive apart from the lack of torque compared to my van! Well as for going to the govt departments it was only an idea. Nobody has ever mentioned doing it or exploring that avenue. I understand some are pretty cheesed off at this problem but no need to take it out on me. I am only trying to help and offer a solution.

Good luck all and hope you find a solution.

Cheers SILVABULLIT :D

[ZEEROLLA]

Hey SILVABULLIT, i'm sure we are all cool :D Its only a car we are talking about here! :P

For those who are thinking of giving up on the Stivo due to the gearbox problem, i would recommend you hold off for a little longer and try to get the issue fixed via Toyota (which i doubt, but worth a try). Trading it in have also crossed my mine but unfortunatley 2nd hand car values have plumetted in the past couple months and my bank account is not fat enough for my desired car.

I can only suggest to get a new clutch and/or flywheel as the stock clutch sucks anyway, and i believe that "should" solve the problem (Just ask the guys who have replaced the clutch). If the problem disappears i am sure most of us will keep the car for many years to come as the car is still a lot of fun, and great for tuners.

Zee

[Ilivfor6]

Hey SILVABULLIT, i'm sure we are all cool :D  Its only a car we are talking about here! :P

For those who are thinking of giving up on the Stivo due to the gearbox problem, i would recommend you hold off for a little longer and try to get the issue fixed via Toyota (which i doubt, but worth a try).  Trading it in have also crossed my mine but unfortunatley 2nd hand car values have plumetted in the past couple months and my bank account is not fat enough for my desired car. 

I can only suggest to get a new clutch and/or flywheel as the stock clutch sucks anyway, and i believe that "should" solve the problem (Just ask the guys who have replaced the clutch).  If the problem disappears i am sure most of us will keep the car for many years to come as the car is still a lot of fun, and great for tuners.

Zee

←

Zee is right. On my car that had a terrible shift after I had done the clutch & flywheel no more problem. The shift never again borked nor did it ever again crunch. Toyota Australia would not fix the car and the dealer could do nothing about it so that is why I elected to do the Clutch & flywheel at my own cost, lucky for me the dealer came to the party and cut the installation costs by a very large amount. The performance benefit was just a bonus.

For all the issues I did have with the Stivo I still enjoyed it a lot. My deciding to get out of the car was more from my worry concerning a lack of interest from Toyota Australia. If it was not for me knowing well a dealer principle and his general manager there were a few things on that car Toyota would not have fixed and it is the same for Peekay.

After 12 months and 30,000km the Stivo was starting to feel and look a little old. It was developing a lot of rattles and squeeks and just looking older (on the inside) than it was. My Honda Civic which I payed $21,000 for and drove for 4 years and did 100,000km and which by the way was more heavily modded than my Stivo and been cained a lot more, had hardly any rattles and creaks. The interior of the civic also looked the way it did the day I picked it up.

My growing concern with Toyota had me questioning if this would be a car I wished to keep out of warranty. If you have all this trouble under warranty with them well how bad would it get outside of that. As my wife and I plan a family in the next 2 years the car I have in the next 12 months is going to have to do me for a good 10 years. I decided the Sportivo would not be that car.

I was just lucky where I was in a position where I had the funds to make a decision and choose to trade. Unfortunately few people here are in a position to be able to do this. I just hope Toyota see's this and by reading how a lifetime Toyota lover (having owned previous modeled Mr2's) has been turned off from their brand and will probably never buy one again not because of the car but because of Toyota Australia's attitude

The main thing is try to enjoy the car and the bang for the buck it gives. I still did. If you have the gearshift issue and Toyota does not fix it, and you are not in a position to trade then all I can suggest is replace the clutch when you can afford it. The cost would probably be between $400-$600 all up with labour & parts. Not cheap but if you save for it you will get there. Soory guys but for those with a the gearbox issue it may be the only fix :(

Cheers

[black455]

As my wife and I plan a family in the next 2 years the car I have in the next 12 months is going to have to do me for a good 10 years. I decided the Sportivo would not be that car.

Well I'm afraid RX8 wouldn’t be the car either. Don’t get me wrong RX8 is a wonderful car but with kids you need loads of rear seat space and the biggest boot you can get :P

[Ilivfor6]

As my wife and I plan a family in the next 2 years the car I have in the next 12 months is going to have to do me for a good 10 years. I decided the Sportivo would not be that car.

Well I'm afraid RX8 wouldn’t be the car either. Don’t get me wrong RX8 is a wonderful car but with kids you need loads of rear seat space and the biggest boot you can get :P

←

For carting kids around I have another car with loads of room. The RX8 is for my enjoyment to and from work and day drives like yesterday... Although I had a big kid (Peekay) in the back most of the drive.

The reason for keeping it over a long period is with a new family spending money on a new car for enjoyment not practicality would be out of the question. I have a feeling kids will chew up all available money. So the plan was choose car now and quickly pay it all off before then. For a while I was thinking the Sportivo was that car!

I would agree with you. I would go insane trying to cope with kids and the RX8 everyday! A recipe for insanity.

No the RX8 or whatever car I chose is my escape mechanism for getting out every now & then and enjoing a drive. And to have a little fun to and from work!

Edited November 14, 2004 by Ilivfor6

[MR22ZZ]

I would have thought the RX8 would be perfect, for a baby at least.... strap the unruiling baby in.... find some nice long sweeping bends.... and rock the baby to sleep!!!!! :D

That should be enough to satisfy the baby, your wife and more importantly, yourself, as you can still enjoy the car at the same time as putting the baby down.

I still think it will be a little wierd when the kid gets to todler age. Think of this: an RX8 with the wiggles cranking!!!!!

[qkslvr]

hahaha. I love these forum dramas.they make my work day go so much quicker.

Hey SILVABULLIT, i think we should keep the silver sportivo secret hush hush

Seriously though, I've had the sticky gear problem come up twice in the whole year i've had the car and i use life a fair amount too. I must say, if it happened to me everytime, i'd be p1ssed too! I think the guys who don't get the problem should leave this thread alone cause we're just clogging up the thread.

[ADR_rolla]

well said!

[Nish]

PLEASE GUYS ... DO US ALL A BIG FAVOUR.

Toyota SA say they have no quality probs ... but we complain all the time.

Please forward letters of complaint to this guy - Customer Services Manager for SA, Rodger Griffith - 'rgriffiths@tsb.toyota.co.za'

If we all complain for long enough ... something must come from it !!

Nish

[Takumi]

Hi guys ..

This issue is close to my heart and i have spoken to several stivo owners in South Africa - For example the issue regarding the handling - a car with that sort of power and torque should at least be lower and have a few other aids to help. The problem is that most guys never ever complain and just accept things. When i initially spoke to Roger Griffiths (customer relations manager TSA) he was shocked when i told him that the car had a handling problem, he promised he would have a technician have a look and even suggested i take a drive with the tech to show him exactly what i mean !!! That was early september 'sh but to this day i am waiting for this phantom tech to appear even after several e-mails and discussions with him. I have complained to everyone from the salesman to the head huncho at TSA but like you guys have said they just don't want to hear. Because they are the biggest selling car maufacturer they don't seem to listen or care about us small fish ? that attitude sucks - mazda will run after us aswell or any other manu becasue sales are precious to them, keeping the customer happy is important to them but to toyota we are just numbers.

To me this car epitomised the evolution of Toyota - i don't think you guys know how many things toyota fans missed out in SA through the years due to politics and fuel - SO when they brought ZZE 123 chassis here, needless to say i was ecstatic. Had to do quite a bit of jugling and sacrifices to get the car.

In the first place this car is not easy to drive compared lets say to a Golf GTi 1.8 turbo - but the car is rewarding when driven fast. So many guys have been put of by this and sold the cars to buy the competitors offerings if they were looking for something sporty - as these company's encourage you to lower the cars , don't curb you on much you rev the car. The service manager at my local dealer also told me that i should not rev the car till 8000 , i laughed in his face ?? Why make the limiter at 8200 then ???

I want to keep the car but i just wish they can sort out the problems !!! otherwise i will just have to sell it and buy the competition.

PS - Do you guys have the Civic Type R there ?

Edited December 2, 2004 by Takumi

[CAP]

No civic type R, the best we ever got was the EK VTEC (VTiR) The only type R honda we got here was the Integra.

[Buddha]

Hi all,

I've read through this post with some interest, for two reasons. Firstly, seeing as the Sportivo engine/gearbox combo is essentially straight out of the Celica, I wonder if any current Celica owners have had the same troubles? Perhaps they might be able to suggest some way of dealing with it, especially as they have been so equipped since 1998/99.

My other thought is that of the dealers you're taking your cars to? I remember having my last car (98 Starlet) serviced at a Toyota dealer here in QLD. I dropped my car off and a fella drove me to the train to get to work. On the way he was telling me about a mate of his who was thrashing his Celica pretty hard, and had managed to damage two gearboxes, the first one the dealer replaced, no questions, the second time they made him go halves on the replacement. Their attitude was, hey, its a sports car, and people who buy them are going to drive them harder than the granny in her auto Ascent hatch.

As for revs, logic would suggest that anything short of the redline is AOK!

I do have to admit, I haven't had a single complaint about our Conquest wagon, but I really hope Toyota helps sort out your cars soon.

Cheers.

[ZEEROLLA]

Hi all,

I've read through this post with some interest, for two reasons.  Firstly, seeing as the Sportivo engine/gearbox combo is essentially straight out of the Celica, I wonder if any current Celica owners have had the same troubles?  Perhaps they might be able to suggest some way of dealing with it, especially as they have been so equipped since 1998/99.

My other thought is that of the dealers you're taking your cars to?  I remember having my last car (98 Starlet) serviced at a Toyota dealer here in QLD.  I dropped my car off and a fella drove me to the train to get to work.  On the way he was telling me about a mate of his who was thrashing his Celica pretty hard, and had managed to damage two gearboxes, the first one the dealer replaced, no questions, the second time they made him go halves on the replacement.  Their attitude was, hey, its a sports car, and people who buy them are going to drive them harder than the granny in her auto Ascent hatch.

As for revs, logic would suggest that anything short of the redline is AOK!

I do have to admit, I haven't had a single complaint about our Conquest wagon, but I really hope Toyota helps sort out your cars soon.

Cheers.

←

Welcome to the forum mate. The problem also effects Celicas and people have replaced their clutch to rectify the gearbox issue. Toyota till this day still refuses to come to the party regarding this problem, but its good to hear what the mechanic said to you.

Cheers,

Zee

[Azza]

I have had my '04 Sportivo for a few months now, and other than the gear box rattle which was fixed immeadiately by my local 'friendly' Toyota dealer, I have had no issues.

I think what we have here is a situation where there are a lot of people expecting way too much of the car.

For a $30K car, I expect to have minimal issues, and that's what I got. Although the car has the ability of being able to get up and boogying when required, it sounds to me like there are too many people expecting the thing to behave like a 200+kw non-compliancable import......

My advice is this, drive the car like a Corolla with slightly more balls than a standard Levin, then you'll learn to have fun and enjoy your Sportivo, with few issues.....

[ZEEROLLA]

I have had my '04 Sportivo for a few months now, and other than the gear box rattle which was fixed immeadiately by my local 'friendly' Toyota dealer, I have had no issues.

I think what we have here is a situation where there are a lot of people expecting way too much of the car.

For a $30K car, I expect to have minimal issues, and that's what I got. Although the car has the ability of being able to get up and boogying when required, it sounds to me like there are too many people expecting the thing to behave like a 200+kw non-compliancable import......

My advice is this, drive the car like a Corolla with slightly more balls than a standard Levin, then you'll learn to have fun and enjoy your Sportivo, with few issues.....

←

Silvabullit, you want to give some advice to this chap with the "Good" Stivo before he gets shot down?

No offence afyfe but read what we have covered in other posts regarding our issues before making comments about those people with problems.

Zee

[Ilivfor6]

I have had my '04 Sportivo for a few months now, and other than the gear box rattle which was fixed immeadiately by my local 'friendly' Toyota dealer, I have had no issues.

I think what we have here is a situation where there are a lot of people expecting way too much of the car.

For a $30K car, I expect to have minimal issues, and that's what I got. Although the car has the ability of being able to get up and boogying when required, it sounds to me like there are too many people expecting the thing to behave like a 200+kw non-compliancable import......

My advice is this, drive the car like a Corolla with slightly more balls than a standard Levin, then you'll learn to have fun and enjoy your Sportivo, with few issues.....

←

Welcome mate, but I have to ask did you actually read the threads on the issues and understand them.

To put you straight my gearbox was not good from new. While breaking the car in for the 1st couple 1000km's (which I never went over 4500revs) I had sticking gear changes and crunching. That's not pushing the car and certainly not expecting too much from it. To expect to be able to shift gears under 5000revs in a car that revs at over 8000 is not too much to expect. The amount of rattles and noises the car would make while just cruising along a road at the speed limit was worse than some 15 year old Corolla's I have been in.

Have not seen too many New Accents with all these problems and as my Sportivo cost me way more than an Accent to expect it to be of at least the same quality would be reasonable.

Read international forums as many owners across many different countries are experiencing very similiar issues.

Count yourself lucky you got one of the good ones, but don't come in here making statements that it is basically just the fault of the owner or their expectations until you have sat your @rse in one for a day and experienced these problems.

I was lucky enough to be able to afford to just walk away from the problems and get myself into a better car, but some of the guys here do not have that luxury and (because of my frustrating experiences) I will help defend these guys to the end. These guys deserve better than that. They need support not accusation or criticism. If you can't see that from all these posts then I will prey to G@D your car also gets struck down with these issues and then see if you still think the same.

Now go outside and hug your car and tell it you are thankfull that it is a good one!

Edited December 7, 2004 by Ilivfor6

[Azza]

My comments were not designed to be shot from the hip and to assume that people are flogging their car. I was reading posts where people mentioned gearbox problems when they were changing at 7 & 8 thounsadn RPM. When the manufacturer advises recommended rev ranges for gear shifting, and one mentions that they are exceeding this, of course I am going to be scepticle about the 'manufacturing fault' of the product.

I am not saying that I don't take mine to it's limits, I do, and boy is it fun when I do, but I don't do it all the time.

'Budda' quoted about a guy 'thrashing' his Celica and doing 2 gearboxes. Of course thrashing the nuts from your car will do that. I know guys with all types of vehicles that flog 'em and f**k 'em. It is what happens.

My point is this. If there is an issue with the vehicle that is causing the product to not behave or perform in a manner of which it was intended, then there are avenues to take. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commision (ACCC) and the Dept of Fair Trading (or equivelent) in each state are set up and designed to be there for these type of issues. A highly detailed letter theses organisations are exctremely effective when the manufacturer's do not want to hndle the issue themselves.

If there is a sincere and genuine case, then you'll find a littel intervention will go a long way through these channels. I read posts about people wanting to shoot off letters to the papers and major auto mags about the problems. Of course Toyota won't assist. You have all but said you want to bad mouth them.

Now I am not saying that my car will always be perfect and without fault, cause chances are that it won't, but my attitude towards it will be that of what I have just mentioned.

It worked when my handbrake failed on my 2000 Corolla Levin and Toyota told me there was nothing wrong with it.

It worked when I had a rattle in the rear of my 2000 Corolla Levin and Toyota said it was the muffler mount, and it turned out to be loose nuts on the rear strut tower.

It worked when the power steering failed on my 1995 Lancer and Mitsubishi told me 'it was the way I drove it' which was ironic cause it was happening when I drove it out the showroom.

And it worked when A-Mart All Sports ripped me off with overcharging me for a pair of sports shoes and made me pay Full Price for an advertised special because the girl at the counter told me I should have come back to rectify the situation on the day of the special, not when I was reading the ad the next day.

I apologise if I offended anybody but please just read the emotions in some peoples posts and then relook at it from an unemotive point of view. This is what I have done as I have come into this group without issues, and seen the emotions of the poeple that are having them.

My suggestion now is this. Why doesn't one person arrange to create a detailed inventory of anybody reporting these faults and issues on this forum, and write on massive letter to Toyota detailing each issue with the intention of requesting that they address and correct each fault & problem. If the response in return is not a positive outcome, then contact the ACCC or Fair Trading enmass and have them intervene. If no positive outcome is achieved, then I am in full support of getting Ray Martin in on the act....

Cheers all, and safe motoring

Regards

Aaron

[xoom]

My suggestion now is this.  Why doesn't one person arrange to create a detailed inventory of anybody reporting these faults and issues on this forum, and write on massive letter to Toyota detailing each issue  with the intention of requesting that they address and correct each fault & problem.  If the response in return is not a positive outcome, then contact the ACCC or Fair Trading enmass and have them intervene.  If no positive outcome is achieved, then I am in full support of getting Ray Martin in on the act....

Cheers all, and safe motoring

Regards

Aaron

Hi Aaron,

Been there...... done that....got me no where....ACCC, Fair trading, ADR just to name a few government firms i have spoken to and confronted about these issues and hey i still got the issues.

Have been chasing this for over a year now and am sorting it myself. Wont go into more detail. If you search for posts posted by me you will get all the detail and lengths i have gone to in order to get this sorted...all to no avail.

Hence me taking things into my own hands and fixing it myself.

Cheers

Bill

[SILVABULLIT]

Hey Zeerolla

LOL :P :P Firstly welcome to the forum Aaron. First rule - Zee correct me if I"m wrong is if you're car has no problems like everyone else's then consider yourself lucky like me! i think some members get a little cut at the thought of someone owning a Stivo with no problems so I don't even offer an opinion anymore as I"ve had my head bitten off by just offering my thoughts or suggestions to help solve or rectify a problem.

So Aaron where do you live? I'm at Bracken Ridge and if you want to meet up with me and others on Thursday night at Maccas Milton. Check out the club meets and events page.

cheers SILVABULLIT :D

[ZEEROLLA]

Hey Zeerolla

LOL :P  :P Firstly welcome to the forum Aaron. First rule - Zee correct me if I"m wrong is if you're car has no problems like everyone else's then consider yourself lucky like me! i think some members get a little cut at the thought of someone owning a Stivo with no problems so I don't even offer an opinion anymore as I"ve had my head bitten off by just offering my thoughts or suggestions to help solve or rectify a problem.

So Aaron where do you live? I'm at Bracken Ridge and if you want to meet up with me and others on Thursday night at Maccas Milton. Check out the club meets and events page.

cheers SILVABULLIT :D

←

Yeh, the minority without the issues should meet up and be ashamed of yourselves :P :P

[Azza]

Hey SILVERBULLIT

I'm in Murrumba Downs, but I usually end up driving all round the place, especially between Bracken Ridge, North Lakes (Mango Hill), Virginia, Aspley/Chermside, Strathpine & Kallangur/Murrumba Downs.

You'll see me if I'm around, Bright red 'tivo with black/yellow plates 'AZZ76'

Have you always lived in Bracken Ridge? I used to live there, and went to high school there....some years ago...

Yeah, I do consider myself lucky. It doesn't mean that nothing will go wrong, touch-wood...

Hopefully will try to catch up some time @ Milton, or wherever.... I'm off work this week so will probably be out and about..

Cheers

Aaron

Edited December 8, 2004 by afyfe

[lucio_libre]

Welcome aboard Aaron enjoy your stay.