SteveAndBelle

Just listed the smoke tails here: http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30345 if anyone's interested. Steve.

Um nah, sorry Dutchie. I honestly couldn't be ****d DIYing stuff like that on a car like this. Different if I was shaving the tail of a classic Datto Ute or something but definitely not for a Corolla used as a daily. If I can't buy it off the shelf or do a mod within a day then I don't think I could be bothered personally. So, where do you get your fancy schmancy parts anyway ? C'mon, tell us :P Steve.

Attempted to fit the pre-facelift smoke LED tail lights but had a few problems. See http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30343 for more info. Will stick with the stockies for now ;) Steve.

Had the new Graphite Levin ZR for 5 days now and I'm really enjoying it stock but I decided to get up early this morning and fit the smoke tails I bought from Dutchie a few months ago (yeah, I'm a sucker for being 'prepared'). Two problems, the first is that the facelift has a slightly different bulb configuration making a quick direct swap impossible. This obviously isn't a major problem but would need a few mods here & there. Second problem makes them a 'no sale' for the facelift ZRE in my opinion. The shape of the bumper is different to the pre-facelift and when these smokes are fitted they dont follow the same contours leaving a bit of a ledge exposed. Not too bad but not good enough for me ;) Check out the before, after & 'fail' pics below (only one light replaced): Pity though, the colour is excellent and I reckon they look killer on the Graphite ! Oh well, time to start looking around for the facelift version methinks. Be careful if you're planning on doing something similar yourself OK. Make sure you get the correct version ! Dutchie did warn me of this but hey, someone had to give it a go :P Anyone interested in a pair of 'as new' smoke LED tails to suit a pre-facelift ZRE either PM me or check out the classifieds section later today. Steve.

Ha, thanks guys. I'm absolutely loving the Levin. So many cool features to play with :P So far, I've added three coats of Bowdens Own wax and it's lookin' goo-ood. I hope to add one more before a nice drive down the coast on the weekend but if not then it's fine, three's good enough I s'pose. I've also just finished modding the stock Levin Head Unit to include a rear USB port & line-outs (see http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30325) and of course installed the black hazard switch while I had the dash opened up. Apart from that I haven't done much or even driven it much since we got it but that'll obviously change :) Seeya.

Took delivery of my new 2010 Levin ZR two days ago and love it... but why oh why do they insist on only giving us a single USB port on the front panel of head units these days and why can't OEM manufacturers spend an extra dollar or two and give us at least one pair of line-outs ?!?! I'm using a 160Gb iPod so I can have my entire music collection in the car with me and the stock head unit in the Levin does a very satisfactory job of navigating through it all (even though it isn't a fancy touchscreen system) so all I do is throw the iPod in the glovebox and away I go... but I cannot stand having the USB cable hanging out the front. Urgh, it really 'grinds my gears' ;) Solution ? Install a USB port out the back. On top of this I plan to 'enhance' the stock audio system (yes, 'enhance' only) by adding two Fusion under-seat Subwoofers (please see http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28694 for more info) but I'd prefer to connect them via RCA line-outs instead of using the speaker level inputs and of course the stock head unit has no line-outs, grrrr. Solution ? Install my own :P Note: Doing the following will void the warranty covering your car audio system !! Step 1, rip the head unit out of your brand new car (carefully). Step 2, rip the brand new head unit open (carefully, making sure you remember where all the screws come from). Step 3, figure out what amplifier IC the head unit uses and look it up online (http://www.datasheetdir.com/TB2936HQ+download). Step 4, carefully solder some fine wiring up to the F&R, L&R pre-amp inputs of the above Amp IC and feed them out the back of the HU. Step 5, solder a couple of connectors on the line-outs (I used 3.5mm stereo headphone sockets as it was all I had on hand but will replace with RCAs) Step 6, unclip the front panel, find the solder pads of the USB port and solder half a USB extension lead to it. Step 7, feed the USB socket out the back and then reassemble the HU. Step 8, install the HU back into the car feeding the new USB cable through into the upper glovebox & connect iPod. Step 9, go for a drive and enjoy a neat & tidy cable-free cabin :) .. and here's the pics: The above USB mod works a treat however there's the obvious issue that if someone plugs something into the front port while the iPod is connected via the new cable out the rear there's the potential of damage to the new device, the iPod, the head unit or all three ! One solution is easy, just trace the tracks on the PCB to the front USB port, cut the two data tracks feeding the HUs USB port then solder the new USB port wires to the 'active' side of the cut. This does a few things... takes the USB port out the back instead of having to use the front one, disables the front USB port so nothing can go wrong plus as there's still power being fed to the front port you should still be able to use it as a handy way to charge a USB device like a mobile phone or whatever (warning, this is not tested, it's just a theory and should work but please be careful!!). A simple DPDT switch could also be added to the data lines to select between both ports but that requires twice the wiring (again, not tested but theoretically should emulate plugging & unplugging USB devices). I haven't yet tested the DIY line-outs. I know it's not the 'proper' thing to do and I assume I need to add a few more components so I don't overload the HUs pre-amp circuit but hey, I'm just a simple guy and will let you all know soon if it works OK. Feel free to comment on the above. If others are interested enough in doing a similar thing themselves then I'll rip it all apart again and do a blow-by-blow instructional guide with detailed pics. If not I think I'll save my time and not bother ;) Seeya, Steve.

At last !! Took ages but got it from the dealer very late this afternoon. Sorry for the blurry shot, it was very dark... Very impressed so far but really haven't driven it much yet, I'm onto my 2nd coat of wax already :P Going down the coast this weekend but will hopefully have the smoke tails and black hazard switch installed by then (the essentials of course). I'll post before & after pics of the smoke tails on the Graphite for others to see. Who knows, they might look crap and if so I'll put the stockies back on and sell the smokes. Hate the stock wheels tho, ew. Might look into 'nicer' wheels soon but then again they may grow on me. We'll see. 'til next time.

OK, open up the opinion floodgates guys, here's the latest ! The car has finally arrived at the dealer who's now been able to crunch the numbers so with the refund for the moonroof (which is now standard, see: http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29808) plus a refund because the price dropped by about $1000 since we ordered plus even a bit more as a small 'deal sweetener' to keep us keen it looks like we could potentially be saving about $3000 on the original price when we ordered the car. Nice... but I'm still not 100% sure yet. I just got the details of the 18" Kappa upgrade. Here's the deal: 18” Kappa’s + 40 series Falken ZE12 = $2250 (changeover price) OR 18” Kappa’s + 40 series Falken SK452 = $2370 (changeover price) I don't personally like the wheels that come standard on the Levin (they're not bad at all, just not as good as I think they could be) and although I'm still not completely sold on the Kappas I think it'll look OK with the 18's instead of the 17's. I'll look into getting Pedders Coilovers fitted at a later stage just to drop the extreme height off a tad (only by an inch or so) but that'll be about all I'll do I reckon. So, what do you all think about the above combo ? You think the price is OK ? Are those Falkens OK or are they bottom-end cheapies ? I'm used to paying around $200-$250 for a stockie profile tyre because I like decent quality however I'm a bit concerned that these Falkens might be inferior quality to make up for the fact that they're a lower profile. Hmmm. So, go for one of the above deals or just take the car 'as is', save the money and get nicer wheels, tyres & suspension later on ? Opinions more than welcome.

Yay, another Bowdens Own fan. I just took delivery of my new kit last week: http://www.bowdensown.com.au/the-mother-bucket Now all I need is my new car :(

Bit the bullet and bought a Bowdens Own 'Mother Bucket' plus all of their new spray products and a few extra cloths too. Ordered online on their website, paid via PayPal and the package arrived a couple of days later. Nice :) Now all I need is a car to use it on. It's still a few weeks away :(

A little bird (in the form of the Toyota Dealer who's been trying to get our new Levin ZR to us for the last 3 months) just told me that the Moonroof is now standard on the Levin model. Nice. This inclusion is part of a recent makeover of all the Corolla models but is probably the most significant change as most others are apparently very small differences. This probably explains why our car has been pushed back again making it just over 4 months from date of order to date we drive away in it. It's been a painful wait however because we originally ordered the car with a Moonroof for the extra $1800 it now means we will get some if not all of that back along with other sweeteners to keep the order alive. We can still walk away if the sweetener isn't good enough so that's nice to know. As our dealer just told us "We've got Toyota by the Balls" so I suppose that isn't a bad thing ;) Steve.

BUMP! Just saw that Jaycar have reduced their Active 12" Sub (as reviewed above) to a crazy $129... but they added that stocks are limited so if you want one go and get one today. I tried finding it on their website to put the link here but it has gone. This indicates that they're probably discontinuing it so once they're gone, they're gone ! Great little sub for $199 but incredible at $150 so for $129 they're extremely hard to beat. Refer to review above for more info. Steve.

Yeah, OK then, I see what you mean... 18" = no scrubbing at all :P

Nice... but wow I'm gunna need to drop it by at least an inch it seems. Steve.

Nah, nah, nah, Dutchie, you've got it all wrong. That's not a facelift model (kidding of course) :P Get those side indicators off my fenders and onto my mirrors dood! Thanks so much for all your help guys. I think you've talked me/us into sticking with it and waiting for the Levin next month. Irritating but if we don't do it now we'll probably have to wait another 3-4 months next year again anyway. I suppose the good news is that whatever happens we already know we'll get some kind of 'sweetener' even if it isn't enough to get the 18" Kappas... but after seeing Dutchies handywork above I think they're growing on me. They really do look different in different light and I didn't realise they were darker silver on the inside as seen in the 2nd photo of Juvenile Johns ZRE above (front corner closeup). That would look pretty nice on a Graphite Levin, hmmm :) I did really like the Impreza but hey, I've already got a pair of smoke tails, 6000k Garax HID bulbs and a Black Hazard Switch for the Levin so there's no turning back now :P Thanks again guys. How could I ever go for a non-Toyota, sheesh!!

Yeah John, I agree with you about the wait. It's not much longer but the issue is that we'll only have the car for a few weeks and then it'll be garaged until 2011 :( Do you have any pics of the Kappas on your Corolla? I don't think I've ever seen them on a Corolla before so you might be right, they may look good when fitted but I'd need to see them first (& they'd have to be the 18" type). You then say the 18" Kappas wont scrub no matter how low I go (obviously speaking from experience ;)) but 'Master.Cuong' has just said that they will scrub. I'm confused. Will they or wont they ? The only reason I mentioned Bob Jane was becasue they're less than 500m away from the Toyota Dealer I'm going with and I've had work done there before and have been very satisfied with it. Great genuine advice & friendly management/staff but I know what you mean, their range isn't exactly great and is very mass-market kinda stuff. Selling the brand new wheels & tyres would be better, you're right. Yeah, the salesperson sent through the order/build schedule to prove he wasn't taking me for a ride. The car hasn't even been built yet however the schedule has it down to be built tomorrow (15th September). He then said it'd be 3-4 weeks until the car reached Australia and then another couple of weeks on top of that until they got it, did everything they needed to do (tinting, protection pack, parking sensors, pre-delivery etc.) and it would be ready for us to drive away. All that seems fair, don't get me wrong, but after already waiting 3 months the extra few weeks just seems unfair especially as we wont even get to use it much until 2011. If we were to go for a different brand/model what would we go for? Well, it pains me to even think about getting anything but another Toyota as we've loved them so much in the past (had four over the last 20+ years and they've all been excellent) but to be honest we did test drive an Impreza RS (don't need/want the turbo in the WRX) and we were very impressed with it. It just drove sooooo nicely and even though I couldn't give a rats about engine performance etc. the AWD alone was a dream. I also think the Subarus look better than the Corollas in stock form (in my opinion) and the ride is lower to boot... but I just can't bare to part ways with Toyota which is why we signed up for the Levin ZR. Basically the same price as the Impreza RS bu the Levin ZR had a few nifty little extras like the auto-wipers & headlights and the push button start (which we thought was a bit of a toss at first but fell in love with it as soon as we got to use it). The Toyota had a slightly better quality fit & finish than the Subaru plus as we all know the resale value of the Levin will be streets ahead of the Impreza in the long run. Close call but the Corolla won for us. We also test drove a Suzuki SX4 and although it was a great little car (& much cheaper) it just didn't come close to the Corolla or Impreza. So, anyone got pics of the 18" Kappas on a ZRE and know if they'll scrub ?? Thanks guys, Steve.

Hi. Just found out that the Levin ZR we ordered back in late June is now going to be pushed back another month so we wont get it until late October. We were originally told 3 months and because our current 2001 Corolla is still OK-ish we were fine with that... but it's been a painful wait and to now find out we have to wait longer isn't good. On top of this is the fact that we wont even be in town from late November through to early January so we'll only have the car for three weeks and it'll then be stored at a family members place until we get back in 2011 all while we're paying off the loan for no reason. Again, not too impressed. Our dealer/salesperson has been excellent though. He is perfectly OK with us walking away from the whole deal and getting our deposit back even though it was a special order and required to be built from scratch (apparently Manual Transmission Graphite Levin ZRs with Moonroofs are rare for some reason). He says it's their fault and there's no way they can lock us into following through with it. We're 'on the fence' about it all and have been thinking of our alternatives including buying a different brand car (shock horror) or leaving it until approx. Feb/March next year so we get a 2011 plated model but we can't decide. I then shot an email through to the dealer this morning asking if any 'deal sweeteners' could be arranged and he said yes, but only once they get the car and do up the final invoice becasue he's not 100% sure how much room they have to move. Fair enough I suppose. I then asked that instead of a monetary sweetener if a 'parts sweetener' could be arranged in the form of four 18" Kappa rims off a Camry/Aurion and he said that they are very expensive but he'll see what he can do. Now, I'm still not what to do. I'd love 18's on the Levin and then drop it a little bit (jealous of Dutchies work you see) but I'm not a big fan of the Kappas design or worth. I'm now thinking I could take the monetary sweetener and trade the original wheels & tyres at Bob Jane while they're still brand new and get some nicer yet generic 18's. Would the Kappas even fit with 40 tyres (offset & rubbing issues) ? I don't even know. Confused. Stick with the Corolla or look elsewhere or cancel this order and buy a 2011 plated model next year or accept the sweetener (once I find out what it is) and get nicer wheels which will end up being parked in a garage for 5+ weeks in December while we're paying it off. Hmmm, dilemma. Anyone want to throw their 2c worth in ?? Steve.

Thanks Sam. Glad you also found the Fusion under-seater a good little performer. Still nothing compared to equivalent priced boxed subs but for a neat, hidden & easy-to-install add-on enhancer they're great. Unlike purchasing from a retailer returning a sub purchased on eBay for a full refund is next to impossible plus as I've just blown a heap of cash on holiday last week I'm now out of moolah for such things:( Maybe I could buy one with my Tax return, hmmm. We'll see. Keep and eye on this thread anyway, I'll see what I can do.

Please tell me/us where you've seen this for $150. All I can find is this for $336: http://www.jbhifi.com.au/car-sound-gps-navigation/sub-woofers/kicker/amp-sub-box-combo-sku-73622/ Steve.

This site never fails to amaze me. Thanks for the wealth of info guys. You've already put my mind at ease about the clay and that Meguires video was just brilliant. DAvo, I'm totally with you regarding the paint protection so much so that I refused it when we bought our current Corolla 9 years ago but this time around I got sucked in by the $1500 special offer covering the paint, fabric, electronic rust protection and window tint. The Window Tint alone would've cost us $600 from Tint-a-Car and after discovering the tint was the same stuff anyway (from Auto-One or whoever they are) I thought $1500 for the lot was reasonable. Seemed like the thing to do at the time but after reading your stories of swirls etc. on your beautiful Arion I may now regret it. The thing is that I've already made it very clear to the salesperson that I'm a perfectionist and I expressed my concern about the parking sensor, tinting & electronic rust protector needing to be installed with the utmost care & attention because apart from the tinting I could easily do it all myself and probably do a much better job (going by the way a rust protection box was installed into my cousins brand new $50,000 Hilux recently). I have visions of some 16 year old apprentice doing a 2nd rate job and me having to put up with it for the life of the car. Believe me, we've had a bad experience with a local dealer before when they totally screwed up the rear internal panels of our existing Corolla after installing the tow bar. After several visits and complaints to the service manager it eventually got fixed but the ultimate fix involved epoxy glue & large clamps because they had broken all the clips off the felt panel stuff. It was fixed sure but was never the same again. Tow bar itself was great tho. Maybe I also need to ask them to make sure the paint protection is applied perfectly too ? Back onto the original subject though, I'm still a big fan of 'Bowdens Own' products (& supporting local industry) and found this earlier: http://www.bowdensown.com.au/the-mother-bucket Looks like it contains everything I need (plus one or two things I dont) and at $275rrp it seems well priced too. Some of those cloths are friggin' expensive by themselves as I'm sure you all know but I don't really need the Jelly Beans and I think I'll eBay the exclusive Open Day invite or donate it to this forum to be given away as a prize for something. They have no Toyotas in their collection so there's no pont me going :P Anyone got any thoughts on the Bowdens Own pack above ? Are there similar Meguire packs available ?? Any reason to go with either ?

Well, a bit of very light research and look what I've found: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390222484881 Sure, it's just a cheap generic Sub thrown into a cheap generic enclosure paired up with a cheap generic amp and a standard pack of generic cables... but that's exactly what the Fusion was anyway. It was just badged 'Fusion' and packaged up nicely. The beauty of this one is that it's $30 cheaper (luckily I can go pick it up form the shop) plus the box is smaller all-round (450x360x310Bx200T) making it just that little bit more attractive for the couple of friends I'm helping out. The smaller box means it should be easier to carry & get in/out of the car plus it give just that little bit extra room in the boot which is all important especially in a hatch. Hmmm, maybe I could get this guy to give me an eval pack or at least ask for a demo in his shop. I'll ask the question anyway, can't hurt :) If anyone else knows of any other sub-$300 cheapie solutions then please share them here and give your own eval if you can too.