Hiro

Was that on standard-height suspension though? As I said though, it depends mainly on your offset and the load you place on the car (a full car adds 30% more weight to the car for instance). Getting the speedo recalibrated may correct the difference, but it will cost you money and getting the right tyres is a better idea, considering those 205/45/17s will be reading under by more than 5% (ie really doing 105 when the speedo says 100), as opposed to 205/40/17s which are only 2.2% over. Golden rule of working on cars is to never compromise simply because you have something laying around or are getting it for free - I'm having that issue with the Celica now with the tyres being too big. Actually its the other way around - the series 1 ('94 to '96 I think) has no centre garnish on the rear of the hatch (sedans have the grey panel) whilst the series 2 has the centre garnish (and series 2 sedans have the red and orange panel). The panel is removable in the sense that you can take it off and replace it (should be some bolts/clips on the inside of the hatch behind a trim panel), but if you take it off and leave it bare then it won't look right (holes etc)

Guy down the road from me had a Lamborghini badge on his Astra wagon (on Ps too), that didn't last long though.

Problem is the kids getting their licences who think the tuning world is like F&F are drawn to them because they style themselves to be the 'Westcoast Customs' of Australia. For some reason ugly over sized wheels in the their gallery appeal to 16 year olds. Case in point That actually looks better than 90% of the stuff that comes out of Tempe...

205/45/R16 and 205/40/R17 would be the sizes you're after, they are the closest you can get in 16" and 17" to the original rolling diameter (which is important for keeping the speedo accurate). Fitment-wise you wouldn't want to go larger than 17s, and depending on your offset and suspension you may need to get the guards rolled for 17s (16s are fine). As for the lights, personally I'd leave them standard. The centre garnish on the hatch tends to fade noticeably, so if that has gone yellow then swap it for a non-faded one but apart from that there is basically nothing out there. And in my opinion all the aftermarket lights for the sedan look like *****, so you're not missing out.

Pretty sure I caught a glimpse of my car once or twice today when I went to put the washing out on the line...

There's no point importing an IS350 because Lexus Australia are putting them on sale here later in the year... But if you had the money to blow, how cool would it be to have one FIRST! And have all the problems that will occur because you bought a grey import? Anyone who bought a grey Prius before they were officially sold here can attest to the headache it can create, especially with things like repairs and warranty (basically, you're up a particular brown creek without a oar-like device)

There's no point importing an IS350 because Lexus Australia are putting them on sale here later in the year...

Might as well make an appearance for this :P Missed the last time the annual meet was in Sydney and haven't been on a TOCAU cruise since the Killcare cruise a few years ago (back when the 102 was painfully stock), will need to make sure that I haven't double-booked though (I tend to do other things on long-weekends). May or may not stay down in Sydney for the nights, depends on whether the missus wants to come too (and whether we take both cars or only one)

No it doesn't have a Lexus engine, it has a Toyota engine. A Lexus is a Toyota. You could argue that it has a Hilux engine too, or a Kluger or a Rav4 engine. Anyway, badges on a car which don't actually represent the car underneath are a total ****. Chevy bow-ties look like **** on a Commodore, and Lexus badges on a Camry/Aurion will just make you look like a *****. The only time that it might be applicable is if you have a Soarer/Aristo etc (ie a Toyota vehicle that was also badged as a Lexus in certain markets).

AusGP Team: Ferrari Drivers: Vettel, Alonso Pole: Alonso Fastest: Webber

Kid across the road from my parent's place bought one for a first car - it arrived under its own power, but I don't think I saw it move more than twice over the next 6 months. Amazing too how much petrol a 1.2L or 1.3L non-turbo can use, although if you change consumption to L/week instead of L/100km it comes out a lot better (because it'll be off the road half the time getting fixed) :P

Considering the fine was issued to him personally, rather than a red-light camera/parking ticket (which would get sent to the registered owner of the car), any fines/notices etc in the mail would be directly addressed to him, so unless the parentals are the sort that go through your mail, they'll never know.

Our '88 ST162 has a factory sunroof with 2 rocker-switches, one for tilt (open and close) and one for slide (open and close). If the sunroof isn't seated in the exact neutral position, the other switch won't work (ie if it is tilted up then the slide switch won't do anything, and vice versa).

It's just a legacy name, I know people who still call them fan belts even though 99% of cars have had thermofans or hydraulic fans for the last 20 years. And Commodore owners referring to even the shortest alternator belt as the "serpentine belt" because they're used to one long belt that goes halfway around the world and drives every single accesory pulley with 6 tensioners and idlers (like the 2GR actually, come to think of it)

That's what I thought CTP insurance was for. Or am I thinking of the wrong thing. Also I thought that your standard comprehensive insurance also covers third party property damage as well up to a rather large amount. CTP = Compulsory Third Party, and is designed to cover injury and damage caused to people you hit. It is compulsory (as part of rego) so in the case of an accident, at least things which can't be replaced by money (ie people) are still covered even if the drivers involved don't have any other insurance on third-party property (ie damage to the other car) or comprehensive (covers ~everything).

I haven't got a letter in the mail from the two fines I have got over the years, both were paid up-front and as soon as possible afterwards at the post office, and then that was the end of it. Unpaid fines, however, will end up chasing you through the mail, first from RTA/Cops and then from SDRO (State Debt Recovery Office).

Those wheels are by far and away the BEST thing you have done for this car. Hopefully the brakes won't look too pathetic behind them though, you have to be careful with thin-spoked wheels.

As good as the Prius looks in red (and would look a lot better lowered and with bigger wheels), I'd still want the Ritmo :P

You seemed to be stating that the fact that your belt was made in Japan maked it better than the Chinese or Taiwanese-made belts

And why always the assumption that just because it is made in Japan it is automatically good quality?

What about the fuel used between the last re-fill and Bathurst? Bathurst is a good 200km from any point on the Hume.

3MZ is a bored 1MZ (stroke is the same), so there'd be no real point boring out a 1MZ since Toyota has already done all the work for you.

You won't damage the gearbox, the recommended shift points are more for keeping the engine in it's most efficient zone. You can run the car down to 40-50km/h in 6th and just burble along but if you put any sort of load on it then downshifting would be essential so the engine doesn't lug.

Bahrain Team: Red Bull Drivers: Hamilton, Vettel Pole: Hamilton Fastest: Button

1MZ and 2GR are completely different engines, I doubt much will able to be swapped over.