Toohey

Sorry, you didn't quote me wrong, I wasn't 100% sure of the price, but still getting pretty damn close to $2k with tuning. I have just been doing some looking around and have found a few second hand chips for about $500, but none suitable for the Stivo. Most are for WRX, Skylines and V8's. But it is good to know that they are out there second hand.

The second race was great, watching the Rolla fight it out till the end. I would love to get the car chipped, but with planned travels and still paying the car off it is hard to justify the +2K for the chip and tuning. I probably sound like a tight a#@* but has anyone ever heard of the chips being sold second hand? No one on here wants to offload theirs do they? :P

Spot on, the squeek is quite loud now, I can hear it as I slow down for lights until I depress the clutch. It would be great to get a new clutch out of it after thrashing around the track on Friday. I am booked in for Tuesday, I will lube it this afternoon so I can tell Toyota on Tuesday that I have already tried it so they don't take the easy option.

That did help Shaohaok, I just assumed it was a thrust bearing as I have heard this is a pretty common problem with older corolla's. I asked the mechanic for his opinion and he agreed but did not really investigate, only listened to the noise. I am going to take it back to Toyota and if I can get a new clutch out of it that would be great. No problems with sticky gearbox though.

Picked up my car last night after my 10K service at Neal Bates Automotive. They have a wicked big workshop with about 10 different rally and track cars scattered throughout the shop. Both Rick and Neal were there and when I walked in Rick was talking to the mechanic who was looking after my car and they were discussing the Sportivo. Rick said he prepared Leanne Ferriers Sportivo for the GTP championship which she is now winning on points and he said that all you really need to do to the car to get some serious performance was to Unichip it. I told him a bit about this forum and other successes that people had had with the chip and he thought that the combination of the headers and chip would be "bloody fantastic". Rick had originally put a MoTec chip in Leanne's car with very average results but they are more than happy with the Unichip. But I guess everyone here already knows all this anyway. Neal Bates Automotive will soon be carrying TTE parts, I asked when and the answer i was given is "we are just waiting". They could'nt give me a date. BTW, the service cost me $124 and I have now to take the car to Toyota as a thrust bearing has gone in my clutch. It makes and aweful squeek.

I am not sure if they have a shop open. I am taking it just for a service. I will suss what bits n pieces they have when I drop it off tomorrow.

I am getting the Low Kings which I think are a 35mm drop. I have been quoted $242 for the set from Autobarn. I am in Canberra though, isn't there autobarn dealers in Sydney? If so they should sell them for the same price, they are currently offering 10% off the Kings and take about three days to order in. I am taking the car to Neal Bates Auto next week for a 10K service and they quoted me $131 for fitting them the same day.

Top work mate. Cheers.

He wouldn't quote me cause he doesn't think that they can get them. But if I know the code then they should just be able to order them in. Autobarn are offering 10% off the Kings at the mo. I think the drop is 35mm.

Is someone able to tell me what the product code is for the low King Springs for the Stivo. I just called Autobarn for a price and the guy said that they do not manufacture a spring suitable. I know people have them so I would appreciate the code if anyone knows it.

If I had unlimited funds and a lot of time on my hands. I would try the 2zz to 3sgte Celica GT-4 engine conversion, with an all wheel drive configuration. It has been done before with awesome low 1/4 mile results in the low 11sec range. Not cheap though. Check it outFensport Rolla

Thanks for the tips T-Sport. I am going to get lowered Kings put on this weekend so hopefully that will help a little with the body roll. I will let you know what times I could muster.

T-Sport, I am heading to Wakefield for a race day on Friday week, any tips mate? I am going to take the digi along and take a few snaps to post. Going to be a few Rexies, an Evo V, a bunch of older Porsche's and a few Rolla Accents etc. I posted way back in December trying to get some interest in a day at Wakefield, but no one was really interested, may have been cause so many of the Stivo's only had low Km's on them. Were you able to keep it on the track all day? Any spin outs?

The Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) is currently trying to implement legislative changes that will STOP the importation of vehicles into Australia that are less than 15 years old. The changes are being implemented to have the effect of protecting the large car manufacturers in Australia. But the result is going to be increased costs of parts, not only for imported Supra's, Skylines, Etc. But it may also have an effect on the cost of parts that would be adaptable for our own Corolla. Japanese manufacturers will no longer have dealers in Australia which allow us to purchase parts at prices more reasonable than if we had to purchase direct from Japan. For further details check out: Submissions DOTARS 'failed' to let the Aust. consumer know about the proposed changes through media releases or such, as they must have known what the response would be if it was released. The more that know and the more that speak up the more likeliness of the changes not going through.

03' Red Sportivo - Canberra

Nah not a lawyer

xoom, I disagree with you that the law is set up to protect large car manufacturers. Sure the Department of Fair Trading might not have been able to help you, but they are not an enforcement body. Try sending your dealer a letter of demand stating that if the problem is not resolved within a reasonable period of time then you will pursue the matter further via a Small Claims Tribunal. State and Federal legislation in Aust. is set up to protect the consumer. Both the Trade Practices Act, and the Fair Trading Act's in each state, state that "goods must be of a merchantable quality". Merchantable quality refers to goods meeting a basic level of quality and performance that would be reasonable to expect bearing in mind the price and the way the goods were described. If it can be established that your car is not of a merchantable quality then as a consumer you are entitled to refund, repair or replacement at your discretion. Sure Toyota being a company of their size is not going to remedy the problem unless it is absolutely necessary, but your contract of sale is not with Toyota Australia, it is with the dealer you purchased the vehicle from, and they have a specific obligation to provide you with a product that meets a level of quality that you were lead to believe you were going to receive. If they are unwilling to provide a product in line with statutory requirements placed on them by State and Federal legislation then enforce that legislation via the courts. As long as your claim is less than about $10000 you can take actions via a Tribunal for minimal costs without legal representation. If every person enforced their rights to such a point then the dealers would be on the back of Toyota bloody quick to have the matters resolved. M2C.

Yeah I have seen them. I have not seen them being used but have had a close look at packaging etc. The only problem I can see is that everytime your phone rings you have to manually change the station on your radio to the phone frequency. You would have it pre-set but you still have to change it, then answer your phone as normal. I don't think that they come with any microphone enhancements either so it would depend on how strong the pick-up on your phone mic was.

I live too close to work to justify the drive so everytime I do drive my car which is not every day I hit lift at least once. It is such a fun car to play around with. After almost six months the smile is still there everytime.

I posted earlier in the year about comments that an exhaust fabricator made to me about the Stivo system.

I have been in contact with the NZ rep a few times about the TRD CAI, although I didn't buy the unit, I didn't seem to have any probs getting information off him about prices and shipping etc.

Cool vid Steve, but those tunes are painful!!

You wanna cut weight and your 1/4 mile times??? Read this thread.....http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=776885 Funny stuff :)

Good point Ilivefor6, what is $10 a year more. Nikich, no exhaust mate GIO will not allow it as it enhances the performance. I was told that they do allow you to lower it and put whatever wheels you want on as long as they are RTA approved.

Well, after all the trouble I have gone to researching all the different intakes and getting the best price, I just contacted my insurer - GIO - who have advised me that they will not accept any performance enhancing modifications to the vehicle I am getting a really good deal on my insurance and have been looking around for another option that will allow such changes, but now I have to justify paying the extra $350 or so a year for insurance that allows the mods. GIO's justification for not allowing the mod was terrible, they said that if I was to write the car off then they would not be able to calculate its value correctly with the new modification. They used the analogy of a turbo. It's not a bloody turbo it it's a cold air intake. I did try and convince them that it was to increase fuel efficiancy - cold air combusts more efficiantly than warm etc... That didn't work.