Nafis Malik

New to this topic here. I too have a Toyota Echo, mine is a 2004 manual sedan variant. Learnt to drive in my Echo, and have had it for a bit more than a year now. I can indeed agree with you on the car being light and the 1NZ-FE being a pretty nippy engine. I find more enjoyment in nailing the heel-and-toe downshifts in the Echo than actually revving the car out. May just be me though. I recently replaced my tyres with Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 ($119 for a tyre) which was on a buy 3 get 1 free deal. They make great difference compared to the tyres the previous owner had on the car. The Bridgestone tyres are an everyday tyre and are good in the rain. Road noise is significantly reduced and I have had a noticable improvement in my fuel economy (from around 5.7L per 100km to around 5.5L per 100km for combined highway and city driving). As for engine oil, I have been using 20W-50 as my engine does tend to burn oil and has done roughly 265,000km. I am in the process of getting parts from the wreckers for my Echo to keep it in good running order. Along with getting driving lights, as the headlights do not really provide enough visibility at night. Keep us posted on your quest for more driving enjoyment from the Echo!

The Echo is a great car to learn in, It has taught me quite a lot. It is old enough to be simple, yet new enough to still be reliable.

Oh dear! That's really got to be a pain. Electrical issues are always the most annoying. I hope it all works out for you Glen!

Thank you for the advice Glen, I will have a look at the passenger side door actuator. I am planning on going to the wreckers in a few weeks time as some of the other plastic and rubber parts on my Echo are quite worn or broken. I will try and get the actuators at the wreckers if I can as well. I will ptobably end up opening the driver side door too, as it sometimes doesn't work either. Thank you once again Glen for the wiring diagram! I am planning on wiring in a light bar or a pair of spotlights on my Echo soon, hopefully after I have had a visit from the wreckers for some of the plastic and rubber parts. Your wiring diagram will be a great help!

Yeah I have been able to find cheaper light bars and spot lights than the Narvas, though I wasn't quite sure if I needed the power of a light bar or if I could make a quality wiring setup either. I am more than happy to do the work myself, just don't have any experience. It would be really good if I could get it done in under $75, as the Narvas are quite expensive for me. I've been having issues with my door locks, where if I lock or unlock the Echo with the key from the driver's door, all doors except the front passenger door will lock or unlock. Whereas if I lock or unlock the Echo with the key from the front passenger's door, all doors will lock or unlock. I am not sure what the problem is, though I think it may be the driver's door as sometimes it doesn't lock or unlock properly. I have found a few wreckers that have Toyota Echo sedans, and am planning on going as there are a few other bits and pieces the Echo needs replacing. You are very right on good brakes and lighting, though I would add tires to that list as well. It would be really great if you could provide some tips, I found a video where ChrisFix did a light bar install a while back (www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GY69Ci7l4). I will probably end up installing a pair of spot lights rather than a light bar, to give the Echo a more rally look! As for towing, I don't plan on any with the Echo, though a set of roof racks is probably something I'd look into in the future. Hope you stay well and safe in these odd times!

That would be really helpful if you could do a wiring diagram. I found these Narva Compac 100 driving lights at Repco (www.repco.com.au/en/globes-batteries-electrical/globes-lighting/driving-lights-accessories/narva-halogen-driving-light-round-12v-combo-beam-kit/p/A8760739). They come with a wiring harness and diagram, which I thought were quite good, though it would be good to hear your thoughts on them too. Those blue lights are looking really good in the center console! Yeah the early 2000’s Toyota paint didn’t fare too well against the Australian climate. The bumpers and door handles on my Echo are all faded, though in certain angles and lighting you can’t tell they are. The rest of the body, however, is in decent condition, apart from some of the panels, which have some deep scratches that are the result of automatic car washes. This video on YouTube seemed like a good method to touch up some of the panels (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f9zqVbcZDQ&list=WL&index=47&t=0s), though the bumpers and door handles are definitely going to need a respray. Never thought that the Echo could cope with towing! Is your Echo an automatic?

That light bar is looking good! I have never wired in any auxiliaries on a car before. I try and replace the stock part with an upgraded one, and make do with the stock wiring layout. I am planning on fitting some auxiliary lights on my Echo, though I am not sure how as I haven't done it before. Post a photo of the interior lights please! Would like to see how you setup looks like, is it the same blue as the instrument panel? I was going to replace the blue lights in the instrument panel with some green ones to make the center console and instrument panel match. Your Echo is also the same blue as mine! 761 is the paint code I think. My car came with the original Toyota spare paint can that has never been opened, and it sounds like paint has also dried in there! I plan on giving the faded bumpers and plactic trim a proper spray can paint job later on. Though right now, I am going to have to find some headlights, that aren't yellowed like mine.

Very true about the lighting of the Echo, they really are quite dim. It also doesn't help as most of them have yellowed headlight lenses. It definitely a very worthy upgrade fitting a light bar.

Hi There, Topped up the engine oil in the Echo today as it had been going down little by little. I used 15W - 40 Castrol GTX ,and I could definitely feel the difference! It felt a little more responsive and smoother. So far since the last fill up I have been able to get aroung 550km, and I still have about 2 lights left on the instrument panel. I am definitely convinced 15W - 40 is the oil I am going to service with when it is due. Thanks Glen for the recommendation!

I haven't got any problems with PCV valve or any of the above, as I haven't smelt any unburnt fuel or oil smell or had any of residue. I do think it is the weight of the oil that might make a difference as I have 5w - 40 engine oil in at the moment, standard manufacturer's recomendation. I've still got about 4,000 km before the next service is due to figure out if there's any issues or if a heavier weight oil will do the trick in a high kilometer car. Though it is good to know what to look for. Thanks guys!

Hello There, I have acquired a 2004 Toyota Echo Sedan with manual transmission from my neighbour with 250 000 + km, and it's actually a lot of fun to drive! Really easy to park as well. I too have the oil burning issue. Do you think it'd be good to service it with 15W - 40 engine oil? Please keep us updated on your ventures with your Echo!