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aaronng

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Everything posted by aaronng

  1. Wow! Which dealer did you buy your car from? I'm interested in the ATX too.
  2. At which service is the valve clearance check carried out on the 2ZZ?
  3. Still the same 2.4L from the previous Camry.... I guess the variable backpressure exhaust is a nice touch. I hope that they improve the handling with better dampers.
  4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ6uSuIZhCU ?
  5. Where do you buy platinums for $15? Most places I've checked want $20 each.
  6. Over at the Honda forums, someone got a written reply from Honda Australia that warranty is not void if you use oil of any other brands as long as it meets or exceeds the recommended specs. They stated that warranty is void only if the investigation shows that the oil was the cause of engine failure. Since good synthetic oil exceeds the specification of the OEM Honda oil, the only way failure can happen is that the oil was not changed in the 6 month intervals, or if the oil level was allowed to run low. So most of us there use our own oil. In fact, the 10w-30 Honda oil that is sold is mineral based. Heck, my dealer was putting in 10w-40 Magnetec since the first service too. How is Toyota's opinion on engine oils of other brands? Someone write to Toyota. Oh yeah, I'm using Castrol Formula R 0-w40 now. It's good and protects nicely. BTW, for those scared of 0W, it's the same viscosity as 5w, just that it maintains that 5w viscosity for an additional 10 degrees C lower than 5w. :)
  7. If the synchros are worn, it will crunch only on particular ge****ts. Not all gears. If the gear itself is worn, you can put it into gear, but it won't accelerate as if it was in neutral. If the clutch release force is not enough, you usually crunch gears of a lower ratio. (such as lower gears and R). I suspect your clutch pressure plate.
  8. Looks like a bolt on supercharger without lowering the compression. Weird! With a turbo I'd understand because you want some torque before the turbo spools up but with an SC, it would work from idle. So they should have lowered the CR a bit and be able to get more torque out of the setup. Even 230-240Nm would still be good without lighting the front tyres. BTW, VXR is nice on paper, but handling-wise....... ugh.... Megane 225 Cup is better.
  9. I'd just use very fine grit sand paper (1000-2000) and sand down the rough edges. Wash it and allow to dry. Then apply a layer of touch up paint to prevent the remaining paint from fraying off.
  10. For the dash, trim and rubber seals, I use 303 protectant. It's water-based, and it is not as shiny as armorall. Also, if you want it less shiny, all you do is wipe over it with a soft cotton cloth (I use MF)! Plus, it has UV absorbers in it to reduce sun damage. You have to apply it every month or so though, to renew the UV protectant. The good news is that it doesn't turn the dash brown over long term use.
  11. I had a Terios. The auto did 4000rpm at 100km/h. Gave me 12L/100km. In the city, with lots of full throttle flooring (no torque), also 12-13L/100km! It's a bad combination, Auto, 1.3L, 4WD. My Euro on the other hand does 2400rpm @ 100km/h, and the amount of pull in 6th gear is the same as the Terios' 2nd gear. I also get 9.5L/100km fuel consumption.
  12. Nice. But why does the badge remind me of a Mazda?
  13. This is not a Sportivo record, but a Daihatsu Mira. We squeezed 7 people into the car, to get back from school. The poor 3-cyl 660cc engine was puffing away and the suspension might have aged by 7 years during that 20 minute trip! Edit: Oh shi*. Just saw it was a Corolla record thread... Guess I'll rename the Mira to a Corolla.... NOT! :)
  14. They use strong detergents so that the dirt is removed without physical agitation. I don't like them, but I think if you replenish the paint oils (Meg's Deep Crystal Polish) and then wax after using this touchless carwash, it should be ok.
  15. No matter how you wash it, swirl marks (they call these halo-marks) will form even from a super-soft cotton cloth. Check out www.autopia.org, the holy grail of car detailing is avoiding swirl marks when washing. They have even taken to using distilled water for a final rinse and leaf blowers to get every last drop off the car. For your existing swirls, please DON'T use a cut and polish. The swirls are very light, so you don't need something that was designed for single-stage paints where you need to cut off a layer to expose new unoxidised paint. I recommend something mild first, the easiest to find being Meguiar's Scratch X. Apply by hand, work it in evenly without excessive pressure, and when it has turned clear, wipe it off with a clean MF cloth and repeat 2 or 3 times. This will get rid of your swirls. Then follow up with a wax of your choice (I like Meg's NXT Tech Wax). Scratch X is quite safe, and you don't need a rotary to work it. If you want a more hardcore procedure, let me know.
  16. Yup! I have GT4 too. The caldina feels loose in GT4. But I was thinking of the Caldina based on the interior space. The Accord Euro's boot is tiny. Will only fit 2 small suitcases. And interior-wise, it is similar to a Corolla Sportivo (I kid you not!), except for the distance from the front windscreen.
  17. Yes, if Aus had brought the Caldina GT4 in, I would have bought it instead of the Accord Euro. Hehe. Read this Toyota Australia!
  18. For now, I think it is just a concept to produce a current hot, road-going version of the old AE112 WRC car. I hope this car does make it into production, since Mazda has already joined the trend of turning family cars into cars that have more power than we can use with our speed limits (Mazda6 MPS). Toyota sadly doesn't have any sporty car other than the Corolla Sportivo and the Celica (more of a cruiser) and the MR2 (with the wrong ZZ engine in it!)
  19. I remember this video was just released last week by Best Motoring International. Is it in the shelves in Australia yet? I want to get a copy.
  20. Just picked up a secondhand Japanese magazine called Best Car (April 26th 2005 issue). In it is a short article on a so-called Super Runx. If you don't know, the Runx is the Corolla hatch that Australia has been getting. The UK version (and possible SA) is called the Allex and has the sharp headlights on the 2003 models. From pics of the 2005 models, I can't tell the difference between the two. Anyway... I've included scans of the 3 page article as well as a front 3/4, rear 3/4 and specifications pictures. For those who cannot read, I'll try with my minimal knowledge of japanese. On the first page, where there is the pic of the 16V Turbo engine. I think it says "There exist a Toyota turbo engine, the one used in the Caldina, a 3S-GTE 2L, 260ps (256.4hp/191.2kW in our local units), but......." The next page shows the car with an aggressive bodykit (reminds me of a mini Porsche Cayenne. Forgive me for saying that! Haha) and a front mounted intercooler. You might be wondering since the 3S-GTE comes stock with a top mount intercooler. Well, the specs says 3AZ-GTE, 2498cc, 300ps (295.9hp/220.6kW) at 6500rpm, 38.0kg/m (372.8Nm) at 2500rpm and cost 3,500,000 yen (AU$41,707). Length is 4300mm, width 1800mm, height 1450mm, wheelbase length 2650 and weight 1300kg. True or false? Up to you to decide. Here are the pics and links to the scans! Page 1 Page 2 Page 3
  21. Based on this statement from the manual, 5w30 for temperature up to 10 degrees C 10w30 for temperatures above 38 degrees C Could it be that 10W30 is just too thick for temperatures 10 degrees C and below? This is opposite to the statement of 5W30 being too thin for above 38 degrees C (which in my opnion can't be right, because the viscosity difference is small above 38 degrees C)
  22. Actually, most fuels have additives. They put in octane boosters, detergents, heaps of other stuff! Some additives are cheaper, others more expensive. And some burn better, while others tend to gum up if left to dry on a surface. In the end, it's a balancing act between price, performance and cleaning ability. As with most cars (where cleaning is replaced with reliability), you can only have 2 of the above. So same with petrol.
  23. Actually, SAE 5W30 is a multigrade oil, and the rating is based on old monograde oils. So a 5W30 means at 0 degrees Celsius, the multigrade oil has the same viscosity as a SAE 5 monograde oil. At 100 degrees, the 5W30 has the same viscosity as a SAE 30 monograde oil. So comparing 5W30 and 10W30, the 5W30 is less viscous than the 10W30 at 0 degrees C, but at 100degrees C, they are the same viscosity. So, what you can do is use the lower number to gauge cold starting protection, and the higher number for operating protection, UP TO A LIMIT, where the oil gets too viscous for your engine type. Of course, if you are in cold winter climates, make sure your oil has "W" in it. W denotes that it is suitable for winter use. Example, Mobil 0W50 might be too viscous for a 2ZZ-GE at operating temperature, since 30 is recommended instead. But for ambient temperature of say 20 degrees, the difference between 5W30 and 10W30 is small because the "5" and "10" denotes 0 degrees.
  24. Haha, just read a writeup on Merc's CLS in the Carsguide. The writer used this phrase: "The four-door coupe, with a sloping roof-line, was even dubbed "Jag Fighter" throughout its development." WHAT THE HELL IS A FOUR-DOOR COUPE!??!?!?!!? Edit: the RX-8 is a 2+2 door, you still need to open the front door to access the rear door.
  25. The 2ZZ-GE in the Corolla XRS is tuned differently though. I think it has different cams. It makes only 170hp, but with no torque hole at 5000-6000 rpm
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