h4tch3t m4n

Thanx guys... Guess who felt like an **** yesterday, after a B&M session at the service manager...!?! :P

Lo, I was just told by the tech at toyota that the "fuel cap light"(bottom right corner on speedo) stays on permanently, so the driver knows on which side the fuel cap is...? I was under the impression that it goes on when you open the fuel cap, in order to let you know the thing is open, kind of like the open door indictaor...? Is there any truth to this, as I personaly believe it to be BS... I could swear that the thing was off before, and that it only came on when I flipped the fuel cap lever... Thanx

Lo, I'm running 205/55/16 from Dunlop. It's their SP7000 range, which apparently broke some land speed record somewhere.(not that I'm planning on doing 300+ in my Stivo) Ride is slightly softer, seeing as the profile is a bit higher, and the handling of the car is off a bit from the standard... The rolling distance/diameter changes, so expect your speedo to be lying to you at 100km/h. Also expext some delayed take offs at the lights <_< Apparently the spec for the stock vehicle allows for a maximum of 3% difference in diameter, up or down. Hope this helps. Lata

Lo, I have this high pitched noise when I get to the same kind of RPM...about 4200 or so. Thing is, I notice it only when the aircon is on, so I recon it could be something to do with that, though I didn't notice if you mentioned anything about your aircon being on or not... Could it be cause by a bit of extra stain on the engine...? Lata.

Lo, I found a couple of posts on Sportivo brake noise, but none of them actually came to some conclusion about what it could be. Some recon it could be the clutch, others recon it could be dirt on the pads, glazing, and in the end they just go for upgrades or new parts instead of discussing the issue at hand... I've had the grinding noise for more than a month now, and Toyota has no clue about what causes the noise, as the discs aren't warped, there's no glazing, and no dirt on the pads. The clutch can't be the issue, as it only grinds when I hit the bakes, not when I downshift or decelarate...? The tech at toyota actually told me that the compound could be harder in certain pads, but it sounds like metal to metal scraping taking place, eventhough there's more than about 10mm of pad left on all of them... Does anyone have an idea...? Do I need to replace pads, eventhough they have just been replaced...? It's driving me nuts, not to mention turning me into a nervous wreck, as I JUST HAVE TO INSPECT the brakes every time after I heard the noise, just to find nothing wrong...? Thanx

Lo, I found this looking for some upgrades... Some of you would probably snap this up, just click the links below the picture: http://www.stratisautosport.gr/en/products...0#OTHER%20PARTS Lata

I mean 60 000km, which is a lot, the car is almost two years old...

Lo, Have any of you had your door seals wear off within the first 60000km...? Mine have worn down, and the plastic support part is sticking out already and scraping against the back door frame when closed....!!!! Would they replace this under warranty, or would I have to fork out for it...? thanx

Yup, The 05 stivo does have a carbon fibre look to it... When I dropped mine off for service, the demo vehicle they took me with had those. I wonder what they cost, should I have to replace them from Toyota...???

Lo, I managed to scratch my dash insert quite badly :( on the open gear knob when playing inside the dash, and I was wondering if it would be available for replacement somehwere...? Seeing as I mangled it quite bad, I might as well buy something to change the look slightly. I was hoping something with a carbon fibre look or something else would be available as aftermarekt replacements but I haven't been able to find any yet. Does someone know where I can find something like this...? I'll order over the net, but I am in South Africa which makes this more than tricky. thanx

Lo, They are dunlop SP7000's, the ones that apprently broke the ladnspeed record... Dunno if you'll be able to get them over there though...??? They didn't do much for my engine output... :D :D :D Anyways, they're failry soft but last long, a mate of mine has done 42000K's, and they still have some good life in them. Lata.

Lo, Just an update... T'was the shock...New one on order from Toyota under warrantee... Lata.

I was drivging it to the dealers this morning to have it checked out properly, and on the way there another rattle appeared. (This was after my initial post) When I tapped the dash to find it, the speedo screw fell out from behind the speedo and the speedo unit tilted backwards...? The mechanic just laughed it off and said they'll fix it, but it makes me wonder about what made the screws come loose. Anyways, I'll let ya'll know what it was for in case someone else picks it up. Lata.

Lo, After my last service I noticed a loud rattle coming from the front left tyre when driving at slow speeds over small bumps on a generally good road surface. It sounds like it's something from the chassis coming loose. I had the car to two places and they checked everything except for the CV's. They even banged away at the tyre with a rubber hammer looking for the rattle but couldn't find anything. It sounds like something heavy is rattling or loose on the chassis and I can't figure it out. Does anyone have any kind of idea what this could be, or what I should do to find out...? Thanx in advance. Lata

Lo, Just managed to see this looking for some advice... I have 205/55/16 on my stock stivo rims. Grip is slightly better, road noise is less, and my speedo is out slightly. Road holding is slighlty off from the origional tyre size though, as I now have a waggy tail when braking extremely hard, and the car rolls more when I corner hard. Pull aways are also slightly slower. It depends on what you'll be using your car for I guess... For family trips and long road I would happily suggest these, but for a track day every now and then, or some "spirited" city driving I would suggest the standard size or the 205/50's. Lata.