Squalled

The exhaust shouldn't really be an issue, you should be able to get any muffler and simply do an axle back system. Magnaflow are one of the best muffler brands around yes while they do cost a lot, I've heard nothing but great feedback in terms of quality and sound. If you don't want something too loud an axle back will give some noise but it depends on what style muffler you get. If you get something like a cannon style muffler without the silencer it will be much louder. Depending on what your end goal is, a good set of 16" wheels fit nicely on our cars. You can go as wide as 7" without the need to roll/lip the rear guards and 8" will fit all round but requires the guards to be rolled/lipped in the rear to avoid serious scrubbing.

Yeah it's probably one of the most satisfying things I've been able to get done with the house, just organising everything, storing it and getting the car in the garage. Coming along great thanks Tony. We completed a lot last year and have put the remaining things on hold for the year given they're not urgent and I'm also getting hitched later this year so we're saving for the big day and honeymoon too. But I honestly feel everything people say about home ownership, is so true. It really is always a work in progress and the to do list is honestly never ending 😅

Have had quite a few productive weekends to start off the New Year. The first 2 weeks of the year consisted of organising storage in our shed along with clearing out the garage to move everything we needed into the shed. In doing so, I am proud to say that my car now proudly lives in the garage when not driven! The first time during my ownership that it's got the post driving love of being in the garage. It was a long time coming, 11 months or so but who's counting and I'm honestly chuffed. Last weekend I finally got the chance to do an oil change which was basically on time for when I'd like to do them. Everything went as expected however, I did find that one of the power steering hoses appears to be leaking fairly badly along with the coolant overflow bottle having a hair line crack which tends to leak only when the bottle is full. Hopefully I'll have a day off soon so I can take the car to the mechanic to have the issues sorted. Went for a drive on the Saturday night and in doing saw caught up with Adam who was able to look into the unusual issues I've been having lately while driving. While cruising along at partial throttle, my throttle would randomly close and re-open, usually violently while I had the accelerator pedal pressed. Long story short, Adam was certain it was the transient throttle settings causing the issue. He did some logging and found also that the car was running fairly too lean for his liking and was able to adjust not only the transient throttle but also adjust the tune as well. He took it for a quick spin and he was happy with the results so I'll be keeping an eye on the partial throttle issue. Since the changes, it hasn't happened again! The following day I gave the car a wash since I had done all the usual house work and had a heap of time spare. I got towards the drying stage and noticed a storm heading our way ever so slowly but I didn't have to worry and just moved it back in the garage. Stay tuned.

Yeah I'm pretty chuffed after looking on and off over the last 6 years or so, it's nice to finally find one. As far as I know they seem to be digital copies these days, can't re-call seeing any not that I looked for them when I was at a Toyota dealership back in 2018.

After many years of searching I finally found a Corolla Sportivo sales/spec brochure available online, albeit it isn't a 2005 model one which I'm still after but this 2004 model one will do for now 🙂

Hey mate, there 2 ways to go about changing the colour/s: - Replacing the bulbs with new LEDs of the colour you want - Getting bulb covers for the existing bulbs I went with the latter many years ago when I did it as I didn't have a soldering iron let alone the skills to use one to replace the old bulbs with LEDs. The job generally takes around 30 minutes taking your time and it's fairly easy to do. Firstly, get some covers like these - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/334447143640?hash=item4dde9a6ad8:g:AgAAAOSwvEBbUq7f&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4IQEDltWZ4cA%2BUpeq5OtrxKWlBe4euuIJJE1GZzfYX%2FpZ5VoVIKX89Wqydrowxo8v%2BgAwmaqrM6Hl2iB2MykiEk5QDgFHG7pcpVNlTo5iL2snnvIHMalVjFWdEhgWc0sNg40aov7WepkMkgYzYUHM7izk5pPyrSRaM5%2B4V1LtkvHikydkU28oZfH55abduRefa6xwZlGaqjMsnoULZ8RRonhzQFwsyPgyvxPwIlnZiBB%2BB%2FQnrlPo7EMV7uxAUCcKhDxQZs2vsDCZiqVEjv02YTKba1cMp46cdrPiqEPx4Yf|tkp%3ABFBM9quz8rNh. It is annoying that they come in packs of 100 as you'll only need 11 to do the entire centre console area (climate control unit and cigarette lighter). You can follow this guide Kenshin X created some time ago that I used and this will get you out of trouble:

Wax IT car care's current BOGO's - https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/bogo-buy-one-get-one?_kx=Va35ZHq-KaOtemNhGDd_iCf5zgIMa6O1TUPwdY0IvAs%3D.MeSg3g

Thanks a lot for the tips Tony! As far as I know, it's somewhere behind my dash which I think I should be able to remove at least my climate control unit to access. I think that will give me a good idea of what's going on. I was hoping it wasn't something in the dash area but I guess it looks like it at this point.

So I fall into the category of not using my aircon all that often, I mean in the last few years I have but for the first few years I didn't use it a lot. So when I turn the aircon on, I can hear what I'd think is the compressor click over and my idle usually drops slightly as it usually does but I also find there is a noticeable "hissing" type sound while it's running. So far I can't see any dye from the connections in the engine bay and front bumper area after having a good look with a torch on. Cheers for the tips Tony! Hopefully I can get it sorted seeing as it's probably the most major issue I have at the moment sadly.

25% selected car care at Repco for their stocktake sale, ends January 17th - https://www.repco.com.au/en/shop-catalogue?q=on_sale_shop_catalogue%3Arelevance%3Alevel1Category%3A1862917923&text=on_sale_shop_catalogue Current catalog specials at Supercheap, ends January 8th - https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/catalogue-out-now?prefn1=activePromos&prefv1=Car Care&sz=60 Current car care specials at Autobarn, ends January 17th - https://autobarn.com.au/ab/catalogue#view=catalogue2&saleId=48215&page=13 & 25% off Bowden's Own products - https://autobarn.com.au/ab/Autobarn-Category/Shop-our-Full-Ranges-by-Brand-|-Autobarn/Bowdens-Own/c/BOWDENSOWN

Update time. Sadly not long after my last update, my airconditioning has seemingly begun running hot again. I suspect there must be a leak somewhere I can't see or another component has failed. At this stage I just keep my windows down while I drive which is a little annoying especially at this time of the year but, oh well not the worst thing to happen with a car really given its age. The end of 2022 got quite busy so I really didn't have much time to give the car some love. We had some great weather too which made it harder to not be able to give the car a wash but I finally had the chance to give it a good clean, The front wheels had a decent amount of iron build up which I generally save the wheel cleaner for these days. Pre snow foam and wash. Got the bug remover sprayed on all the annoying spots to help loosen it prior to snow foam. Nice thick foam doing its job. Post wash. After a little assessment, the coating I applied in late September and early October appears to be holding up well albeit, it's not as slick as it once was but I don't seem to have many issues with removing heavily bonded contaminents from the paint and it still does have hydrophobic properties which at least gives me an idea that it's still hanging in there protecting the paint. The car is kept outside after all and will hopefully get the garage some time this year once it's all cleaned up and space is made. Stay tuned.

Current car car specials at Autobarn, valid till December 24 - https://autobarn.com.au/ab/catalogue#view=catalogue2&saleId=47953&page=13 Specials at Repco, valid till December 13 - https://www.repco.com.au/en/shop-catalogue?q=on_sale_shop_catalogue%3Arelevance%3Alevel1Category%3A1862917923&text=on_sale_shop_catalogue Specials at Supercheap Auto, valid till December 11 - https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/catalogue-out-now?prefn1=activePromos&prefv1=Car Care&sz=60 New Wax It Car Care "BOGO" specials - https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/bogo-buy-one-get-one

Current car care specials at Supercheap Auto, this weekend only - https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/on-sale/on-sale-now?prefn1=activePromos&prefv1=Car Care&sz=60 20% off almost all car care at Repco today and tomorrow only - https://www.repco.com.au/c/1862917930?icid=nov22-blackfriday-care 20% off storewide at Autobarn today and tomorrow only - https://autobarn.com.au/ab/car-care--and--accessories/c/184

All identical mate.

20% OFF STOREWIDE! Black Friday at Waxit has started! For a limited time enjoy 20% OFF STOREWIDE on all products, brands and kits here at Waxit! Use code 'BF20' at the checkout to apply the discount!

For the last few weeks, I noticed that when I turned on my aircon that the air wasn't cold and if anything, quite warm. I had a feeling that my aircon needed a re-gas as it was either low on gas or had none at all. After dealing with it for a few weeks, my Dad got me in contact with a local air-conditioning and electrical specialist who was able to have a look at the issue for me after work this week. He connected all the equipment and we turned the car on and he confirmed that it was likely low or no gas. He was able to scavenge a very small amount which he said would've likely caused the warm air. Prior to a re-gas, he checked for any leaks which he couldn't see and also added a fluro dye of some sort into the lines so if there are any leaks in future they will be easily noticeable. Once the dye had gone through the lines for some time, the re-gas started and within 5 minutes or so it was topped up and ready. Turned the car on and within 10 seconds of turning the aircon on, the air was once again icy cold like I remember. I'd say this was likely the cars first re-gas given that I've had it for over 7 years and it's a 17 year old car so I wasn't entirely surprised that it would run out. I was glad I got the job done before summer comes around as I wasn't dealing with the afternoon drives home, particularly if I needed to make a phone call. That's all sorted now so hopefully in the new year I can move onto some other maintenance tasks that I'd like to get done and dusted.

Announcement from Wax It Car Care "Black Friday has almost arrived here at Waxit! Starting Monday the 21st of November, we will be having a 20% OFF STOREWIDE sale! All of our products and brands will be included. Stay tuned for the discount code & get excited!"

Car looks very tidy bud. Looking forward to your progress and findings.

Repco has 20% almost everything, excludes RUPES, Bigboi and gift packs. Valid till Monday November 14 - https://www.repco.com.au/en/shop-catalogue?q=on_sale_shop_catalogue%3Arelevance%3Alevel1Category%3A1862917923

Not a whole lot to update with the beast, have been quite busy lately with the house and family 🙂 Got a chance with the great weather over the weekend, and some spare time to give the car a good clean. Had been at least 3 weeks since the last wash so was curious to see how easy it would be to clean. The front wheels especially but a nice show or purple once again. If you look closely, you can see along the lower section the door and side skirt how filthy the car was. Foaming time and all of the loose dirt and some stuck on grime that I used Bowden's Own Bugger Off on came off with ease once the foam was applied, dwelled and rinsed off. The actual wash process was quite fast and due to some perfectly timed cloud cover I was able to rinse off the car in much larger sections instead of doing it fairly regularly. I also recently got a workshop blower with some vouchers I got as gifts to use with the drying process and was not disappointed. I'd been using my larger leaf blower up until this point to get water out of the annoying tight spots whether it be the grilles, wheels, mirrors and other annoying trims but this smaller unit is so much easier to go around with and it worked and absolute treat. Now that the car was dry, over the weekend I collected an order from Supercheap Auto since I had a decent amount of credit and I did need a new wheels mit which left me with a huge chunk spare. I purchased Autoglym bumper & trim restored, primarily for my black trim since I heard some great feedback from mates and wanted to get some expereince with Autoglym products as I've never used them before. Was very happy with the first application, was super simple and easy and made a huge difference. The rear door treated compared to the untreated front door, made a great difference with the lower trim along the window section especially! Some more comparisons, this time with the roof trim. I ended up doing all the door trims, mirror trim and the front windscreen trim. The end result. Panels are still feeling super slick and the water beeding is still strong all round too. Stay tuned.

Welcome mate. Given that this particular generation of Corolla isn't overally power focused, you can make up for that in the handling department. Firstly get your brakes sorted with a good set of pads, discs and fresh brake fluid. Now you should look into either suspension upgrades (whether it be coilovers or a shock and spring combination, sway bars and strut bars) or tyres (upgrade the tyres on your current rims or go for a different set of rims and do tyres while you're at it). After this you should have a pretty good combination to have some fun. What your car lacks in straight line performance will be more than made up for in corners for sure and you'll surprise a lot of people. Now that the handling department if sorted, you can always look into cold air intake systems and exhausts as well to liven up the car a little. After you can always look into interior and exterior changes which I'm not too sure where to begin with that unfortunately. This is just my personal thoughts, you could do these mods in any order you want to whatever suits your end goal and budget.

November BOGO specials from Wax It Car Care - https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/bogo-buy-one-get-one?_kx=Va35ZHq-KaOtemNhGDd_iCf5zgIMa6O1TUPwdY0IvAs%3D.MeSg3g Current specials at Autobarn, valid till November 13th - https://autobarn.com.au/ab/catalogue#view=catalogue2&saleId=47308&page=3

Supercheap Auto's latested car care specials, valid till October 30th - https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/catalogue-out-now?prefn1=activePromos&prefv1=Car Care&sz=60

Current car care specials at Repco, valid till November 1 - https://www.repco.com.au/en/shop-catalogue?q=on_sale_shop_catalogue%3Arelevance%3Alevel1Category%3A1862917923&text=on_sale_shop_catalogue

Not a whole lot to update post Toyotafest. Haven't made any significant changes or anything since but I have been able to go out for some drives since and enjoy the car through some twisty roads but yesterday with a perfect weekend of weather I decided to give the car it's first wash after all the detailing undertaken. First up I cleaned the wheels as normal but found I got quite a nice reaction this time compared to other times I have the wheel cleaner so thought it was worth getting some shots of given I'd only cleaned the car around 2 weeks or so ago. Standard snow foam shot. One thing I did find with the wax was most of the road grim and dirt quite literally feel off the car with the snow foam or came off when I pressure washed the remaining foam prior to my wash. There was some section particularly the lower sections where there was some minor dirt and grime that didn't come off with the foam but it was effortless to remove. I did find during the wash the panels weren't beading as well as they were when I initially applied the wax but I did find the panels were still smooth and water wasn't sticking around on the panels so I know the product is still working. The end result. I decided that I would apply another layer of protection using the CarPro HydrO2 finishing foam which is what I wanted to do ahead of Toyotafest but didn't have the time or weather working with me. I applied it and the panels are now glossier and slicker than ever and now they don't have contamination trapped in as it did before when I regularly applied it. Hopefully this time around it should last a little longer but given my car isn't garaged at the moment, I'm not holding my breathe on it. While the weather was nice, I decided to immediately go for a drive to get some shots. Back to the old spot I went to around the same time last year after a good clean with the car looking more or less the same since then. Stay tuned.