theDefiant1

Hey guys, I bumped into the national rep for a car cleaning product, Autoglym (amongst other products that he supplies). If I recall correctly, it is an imported British product that is comparable to Meguiars. His knowledge regarding the science behind keeping a dark metallic painted car clean and streak/scratch free was very impressive (cos we were talking about my car). He would be very interested in attending the meet to show us his stuff. Nothing was mentioned about group discounts - I guess that would be dependent on numbers and orders. If you're happy for him to attend, please give me a yea or nay, and I will contact him accordingly. What say you?

*sigh* and still I go unnoticed...

Never again will I set foot, hand or other parts of my anatomy onto Murdoch University soil. Otherwise date sound okies for now, but I think I will have to meet you at some stage along the way.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I think I'm free in December...

This may sound kinda strange, but I'd like to thank youse all for your various comments regarding the installation of an amp and sub. You saved me having to pay someone to do it for me, and I got to take the car apart... again. I have just put in a Fusion Powerplant 16004 powering a Pioneer Champion 307D2. It is set very low. I am currently deaf. And loving it. I even spliced in a switch on the remote cable (thanks D-Ice - your suggestion!), and put the switch by the coin holder next to the mirror control. It is absolutely friggin sweet. Sarah is going to kill me.

I like money. But otherwise, continue, cos I is like, learnin' n' stuff.

if you're about to start a family then you don't want to keep upgrading the car coz that's just a mess you might as well get the right car now... now i don't know about the new one's but i'm just going to tell you about the starlet (considered the old echo), the old corolla's and the old camry's... parts and servicing is the cheapest for the camry then the corolla and the starlet in last place... now i'm predicting that the same is going to happen to the 2004 vehicles in 7-10 years time... so i vote getting the camry (preferably the sportivo ;)) oh and do some research on the V6, they say... "due to the efficiency of the alloy V6 you get city fuel consumption of 9.5L" i think it's just a lil more than the 2.4L version plus u get all that POWAAA Makes good sense.

Why so concerned with the safety rating? It's impossible to predict the outcome from an accident... I see it all the time where I work, no matter how safe the car is.

gronk (n). a general term of derogation for a man, especially one considered weak, stupid, or brutish. “Inside Our Jails”: Alexander was labelled a “gronk”—young, slow, and an easy target for sex. According to Steve, a 30-year-old who served four years in jail for more than 10 bank robberies, “a gronk is someone who can’t flow with the normal stretch, they’re a bit slow on it or whatever.” gronk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /gronk/ [popularized by Johnny Hart's comic strip "B.C." but the word apparently predates that] vt. 1. To clear the state of a wedged device and restart it. More severe than `to frob'. 2. [TMRC] To cut, sever, smash, or similarly disable. 3. The sound made by many 3.5-inch diskette drives. In particular, the microfloppies on a Commodore Amiga go "grink, gronk". You just gotta love google. I particularly like the Amiga and FDD reference. Brings back memories... But imagine going up to someone and saying "mate, you sound like a dying FDD, so p1ss off"! Now, I had best get back to real work!

...and 4wd. This is looking like a Matrix?!

I recently installed a front tower/strut bar, and can only say that I am very surprised it did not come standard. When turning, instead of you leaning in the seat until you almost fall out the door, it feels as though the body of the car stays straighter, and corners much more confidently. I feel as though there is much less understeer, and when there is, it is easier to correct it. Also, I found that I was sitting 'comfortably' when performing a 90 degree corner at about 30-40kmph without the strut, while with it it is easy to do it at 50-oddkmph with it. On the otherhand, others have said there is a finer line when losing traction with a strut. Haven't found that point yet. I even put a strut in my Echo and have found an unbelievable difference. Meanwhile, the rear sway is sitting at home, waiting to be put in. Just have to figure out the logistics of how (without paying for it to be done!). Long story short: if you like cornering fast and true, you will not be disappointed with these mods.

Commonly referred to as Altezza tail lights, many of those on the forum have them running on their cars. Do a search, and ye shall find.

On the "rare" occasion that I need to get a move on, double clutching is good, but I find (and this is my driving style), just don't release the accelerator pedal fully. You get a feel for how much pedal depression is required to maintain flywheel/shaft momentum. Just slow down ever so slightly when re-engaging the clutch, particularly when hitting the engagement point to prevent lurching, and then let fly. Can stay in lift as long as you like, really. Ask mother dearest...

I also heard something about them NOT going any further for fear that the US secret service would potentially gun them down!

hmmm I think I like where this is going...

hey mate ill get you a price from my mate at strathfield cannington.. might be more maybe less ill pm you.. anyways about the meet.. Muchly appreciated, and PM'd

*sniff* that's one of the sweeeeetest looking engine bays I've ever seen. *sob*

Wrong place to put this, but not caring right now My dear Perthites, I am in the market for some reasonably priced doof doof in the form of a 12" sub and matching amp. Anyone know where I can get good info and an even better deal? So far, I am most impressed with freedb in freo. Looking at a 12" Pioneer 1200W (pretty sure its the premier) and the Pioneer 5300T amp (760W), all for a little under $400, not including installation. Any ideas?

I just cleaned my rims yesterday using a mix of a degreaser and wheel cleaning spray on stuff (no name or brand). Sprayed it on, let it settle for 1 minute, then used a steam cleaner with a brush attachment on the end. End result: brand new looking rims. This comment was about as useful as t1ts on a bull if you dont have a steam cleaner!

And builds your quads and A55. Woot, must have teh booty. Little waif

The wheel rotation is the one I thought was most likely as recently I had a CV boot failure. I asked the guys over at Toyota whether they rotated the wheels and they were adamant that they did not, but they did clean the grease off the rim (what can I say - they love me). I'll get the pressure cleaner to it, wash the crud off, and see if it returns. SB: waaaaay too much grease on it to have driven through a puddle of it, but I wouldn't be too surprised if my FW neighbour poured some onto the rim! Addt: There is NO grease (or whatever it is) on the outer part of the rim (ie, the facade), only inside.

Looks like CV joint grease inside the rim, caked on pretty thick. Rear right wheel, no obvious signs of leakage from structures around wheel. Any ideas without having to post up pics?

As far as understood from your topic you claim that Caltex and Coles Express sell cheap fuel of poor quality. Maybe so. But can you clarify your figures for me please. How much litres per 100 km did you have using cheap fuel and what's happening now? And by the way, what petrol do you use now? :D Yes, I find the Albury branches of the Coles and Woolies servo stations to provide fuel of lesser quality (particularly in Albury). Stated and claimed. My echo was average 6.5L/100km initially, and then increased to about 8L/100km. The car was regularly serviced by Toyota (by my favourite and competent grease monkey) and cared for by moi. After putting up with a lot of my whinging, she finally replaced the fuel filter, which was looking like a sick, purulent, suppurative foot ulcer. She said, in her experience, that many people who bought fuel using shopper-dockets eventually had filters looking the like. The filter was subsequently replaced last week - I will give fuel consumption results in a couple of weeks and state what/which fuels were used.

Best thread i've read today. Why is my desk sticky?