sporthatch141

Had the drivers side window down tonight - about and inch. I closed the door and heard a rattle. Tried it a couple of times and yep it did it each time!

Did the same to the passenger side window and nope no rattle. Anyone else had this problem? And no I in no way slammed the window !

The motor was running at the time and the lights were on. As I put the window up I the lights noticeably dimmed... Now I've noticed the lights dimming before... when I am entering my drive way (revs aren't to low) put my foot on the break and the lights go noticeably dim.... Anyone noticed this before???

Could people help me out and test closing the door with the windows part way down please? I think its time for another trip to South Side Toyota....

my oil was changed at 1000KM - Free of charge.... I've heard that some people have been getting charged for the oil change !

O.K so I see the occasional Stivo driving down Coronation Drive when I return from work (red one - stock). If I'm luck I might see the occasional stivo going down the SE freeway (outbound).

So how many Brisbane stivo owners have we really got that frequent this forum? Northside, Southside etc ????

Just interested....

My stivo's blue.... doesn't seem to be a popular colour>>>> How many people with the cascade blue ????

Thanks for the reply guys. I took the car for an early morning drive today and I was impressed by the overall changes to the car made by the new ECU etc. My stivo is leased and the lease company won't let me add a unichip or CAI (which sucks) so I guess I'll just have to wait.......

O.K so my car went in for the recall mods today. Yep the accelleration is smoother and I'd agree with the comment RE: Perceptible torque increase between 4-6000 revs.

The engine is significantly quieter but I gotta ask - what has happened to LIFT??

Pre recall when you got lift it was very evident - noticeable engine pitch change and of course the characteristic surge. Post recall mods hitting lift is nowhere near as noticeable. It's a stocka stivo -- anyone else with a stock stivo of the same opinion??

Is this the expected behaviour and am I just being overly sensitive???

I have to say (rightly or wrongly) that I used the feedback from lift to change gears -- with it nowhere near as evident I feel like a fish out of water.

I really would appreciate peoples comments/feedback.

On a side note I had been complaining about the car 'floating' around over the road. On investigation by the service guys it would appear that my steering arm was 'quite loose'. What 'quite loose' means I am uncertain as the Toyota mechanic was vague to say the least. The knocking noise (on cornering) that was evident has also disappeared and the car seems more stable on the road.

Yep spoke to my service centre and they booked the car in for next week. Called TCC on another issue with the car and mentioned that it was going in for the recall mods and they were surprised (initially they weren't aware of the recall) because after some checking it would appear that the majority of dealers would NOT have the parts.

sporthatch141 lucky u, your servicing guys are moving fast, i just rang up to schedule my 12 month service, wanting to get the recall done at the same time (save me a trip down there) and they said that they cant do it, until the letters get sent out, so i'm going to put off my service until that happens.

also, do u guys bring your own oil to them? i'm not sure exactly wot vvtli oil is, thats wot they put in last time, wot do u recommend i do? and wot oil should i buy/request. thanks in advanced!

Well things just got a little more interesting. While the car has been booked in for Monday next week, TCC were surprised because they indicated they doubted the dealer had the parts ! I am awaiting a call back from the dealer...

RE: Oil

According to my service report for 1000K service they put in the Castrol GTX2 full synthetic oil.

Sportshatch141 check with your dealer about the oil change as they could have put in some crappy stuff or skipped the change altogether. With the suspension, its the "Characteristic" shock absorber problem that some guys here have already experienced. Get Toyota to do a warranty job on that. And with the gear shifting i strongly believe its due to something with the clutch assembly. The clutch felt wierd to me from day 1 with a little more vibration through the pedal than other cars i have owned. I am also going to see if i can get this done under warranty. I have written numerous emails to TMCA and so far the customer relations manager have offered me to get my car tested by a regional representative. I have been quite blunt and demanding with them because my patience is running thin and i will see how they respond.

Get these probelms fixed under warranty mate, that's why we bought a NEW car.

Today I have been officially notified by my Toyota Service mob that

a) They suggest I contact Toyota Customer Care and discuss my issues; allowing for a faster resolution.

B) My car goes in for the recall mods today week.

c) They don't have the number for Toyota Customer Care and I should refer to my owners manual (what the !).

Good to see that with the focus currently being levelled at the sportivo that they are bending over backwards to be of assistance. :(

You sure you have not just gotten used to the "LIFT" experience? :P So what symptoms are you getting regarding the engine, suspension and gearshift? I do have a "locking up" shifter at around 8000rpm, not sure if that is the characteristic you are mentioning?

Nope.... I don't think the problem is caused by "Getting used to lift".... I remember how the car first drove when I got her and now she seems to rev but go nowhere :( and sometimes your in a low gear like 1st/second (nowhere near the rev limiter) power drops out.

RE: The suspension -- she seems to float around (can't explain it better than that I am afraid) and I definitely get the knocking noise when left cornering.

When changing from 1-2,2-3 the gears don't seem to engage smoothly even when I am changing at 4-5K. I am going to have a serious talk to the services boys and get a senior toyota mechanic in the car with me. Hopefully he/she then understand what I am talking about.

O.K... The stivos done just under 4,500KM and I have to say that a) Handlings getting worse B) Stivo seems to have lost some zip over the last month or so.

I don't thrash her.... Has anyone else had issues with power/ performance/suspension in their stivo? (after purchase).

I have spoken to the boys at Toyota (QLD) and they tell me "The cars operating within normal limits" I have also raised the issue about gear selection getting steadily more difficult and I get "Its a particular characteristic of the car as it beds in"

I am beginning to think that I may need to get a second opinion.... and perhaps start making some noise to Toyota Customer Care?

The cars due for the 5000KM service so maybe I'll wait and see. It will also be interesting to see whether they perform the recall mods as part of the service -- though to date the dealerships I have spoken to have been extremely vague.

Suggestions/Comments greatly appreciated.

G'dday to all the Bris Sportivo owners ! I am happy to be part of a growing community !

Thanks to all for their greetings. I am surprised that most people are not indicating a problem with their seats -- especially since South Side indicated that the problem was a known characteristic of the car! I guess I will have to monitor the situation and take it from there !

I should take this opportunity to say that the guys at SST have always been helpful and in general their customer service is excellent....

Greetz to all.

I have a Feb 2004 build sportivo. I've always owned Toyotas but this is my first new car and I'm happy with buy I must say.

Not too many dramas with the car - classic problem with the "Gear Cable" rattle (still no field fix apparently). It goes pretty well. I would say its way low on torque but get the thing eating up the revs and she holds her own !

My biggest irritation with the car is the leather on the front seats. After 500KM the seat leather was rippling i.e it is no longer tight.... South Side Toyota in QLD advised me that it is a characteristic of the car (but they replaced it anyway). Of course the leather is already rippling again ... and no I am not a heavy guy (69KG) and I don't drive with my wallet in my back pocket.

Anyone else got the problem? I am more annoyed by the fact that it is the first thing that people notice when they are looking at the car for the first time. Of course I could put in seat covers... but heh that won't help when I come to sell it.

All in all the sportivo is a great little car that really surprises when she gets into the high rev range. She certainly annoys the new XR6 (non turbo) and the renault cleo sports and RX Subarus don't like her much either. Even more surpising is how she stands up against the Nissan 200SX's, Holden Astra Turbos and the like.

The little bitch rocks !