Toyota Corolla

vlanman25

I have Integrity tires on my CE as well. I recently drove through an ice and snow storm without problem. I'd say handling was equivalent to my old Cavalier which was pretty good. The car does get blown around in heavy winds on the highway more than the Cav did, not an issue with the tires but rather the car body I'd guess.
-V

friendly_jacek

Don't buy a smelly one. I am not sure it will "burn off". Mine acctually did not have the smell when new. Developed intermittent one after 2000 miles. And I use only one gas station.
I my experience, it is worse if I accelerate heavily up the hill and stop at the traffic light.
I wish Toyota would respond to consumer complains instead of giving BS.
I am not sure if changing gas brands helps since different brands are supplied by the same gasoline distributors with only diffrent additive packages. So the gas sulfur levels are going to be same in the entire distribution region.

vuefor2

I noticed this also when we tested a Corolla. It was not strong but the sales man said it would go in a week or two. Does it not go away?

We did not smell this in any other car we tested. I didn't really think about it until it was just mentioned here.

backy

There have been a lot of posts on this problem in the Mazda MPV board. Many owners with this problem reported the smell did lessen over time, to the point of not being noticeable when in the van. Of course, it's a different vehicle but perhaps there is hope for the Corolla owners with this problem.

jrct9454

The problem you are all describing is caused by more sulfur in the fuel than the catalytic converter can handle. You can buy all of your fuel at the same station, and it can still come and go because the amount of sulfur can vary from one truckload to the next, and from season to season.

We almost never have this problem any longer in California, because of our reformulated gasoline, which mandates a much lower sulfur level than is common and still legal in most of the rest of North America.

It is obvious from the volume of complaints on the Toyota boards that the problem is more accute for a number of reasons that I can imagine with Toyota - different mix of metals in the catalyst than some other manufacturers, for instance.

If I'm right, replacing the cat won't do much, because it is the combination of metals in the cat that is just not quite able to deal with the higher sulfur content. Our '94 MB C220 was the last car we owned that had any of these symptoms, but that was before RFG became the state standard.

Going uphill, or putting the engine under heavy load, will indeed exacerbate the problem, since more unburned elements are in the exhaust under those circumstances. Beyond reporting this to the EPA, I don't know what to recommend. You can try switching fuel brands, but that doesn't work in markets where only one or two refiners are supplying everybody's gasoline [and yes, that is more common than you think].

behhpp

If the problem is the gas, why does my Mercury Sable not have the same problem with same gas?

Don't listen to the BS about the smell going away after you buy the car.

johnclineii

Read the post again. The problem is more sulphur than THE CAR's catalytic converter can handle. Obviously, your Sable's converter can handle the extra sulphur whereas the Corolla's apparently can't. Not a defect as such, but an annoyance, yes.

corollarocks

I wonder if they are ever going to have an official Edmund's review of the 2003 Corolla ? :-)
It's only been out for like 11 months.

bloodclot

Thank you jrct9454 for that great post!

Damn-it-all! The Carolla was the perfect car for me and my family but I just can't buy a brand new car with this problem. I'm not willing to take the chance of buying one that is fine in the test drive but later develops this problem because of too much sulfur. Is there a particular manufacturing facility that makes Carolla's with this problem? If so, maybe I can avoid buying one made from there.

jrct9454

...across the Toyota boards...Camry, Corolla, etc. It's pretty clear that Toyota's sourcing of the catalytic converter is the heart of the matter, and that won't matter where the car is produced.

Our '03 Corolla built at NUMMI, and fueled exclusively on the West Coast, has never had this problem...but it also never traveled beyond the range of stations [California, Reno NV, Ashland Oregon] that are supplied by California refiners, and thus with lower sulfur levels.

Understand, the cars meet all emissions requirements and are doing nothing that is "warrantable" - but the volume of complaints suggests that Toyota needs to rethink the mix of metals it is specifying, at least until the rest of the country starts reducing sulfur levels [unfortunately, our do-nothing, oil-company-dominated national "leadership" has allowed the refiners until '06 to get on with it].

And no, this will not "get better" with mileage; I think some dealers and owners are deceived by the intermittent nature of the problem...it can come and go depending on where the fuel was sourced and what time of year it is [many locations get a different blend during summer and winter]. If you are in a locale where ALL of the fuel comes from a couple of refiners, and their crude in turn comes from high-sulfur sources [most North American crude fits this description], then you're going to get higher sulfur content in your fuel pretty much all the time. It doesn't help that the refining business in this country gets more concentrated every year, mostly due to mergers and buyouts. You may think you're getting different fuel by buying from Shell vs Chevron vs Brand X, but in many markets the actual juice is coming from the same spigot - only the additive mix gets tuned to make the different brands. Even that is regulated here in Calif, so our motor fuel is about as generic as it can get.

behhpp

Could a Toyota dealer replace the converter on my car with a converter of a different mix of metals?
I would be willing to pay for it... just want it fixed if a replacement converter could be put on my car and solve the problem.

jrct9454

Toyota has to certify the car with the EPA and CARB every time something like this changes. It will take a change at the OEM level, a new "original, certified" part, before there is a solution.

This is why dealers tend to fight you on this - they have no real solution until the parent company hears enough complaints to act on what they hear. All they can do is pull another part off the shelf which is identical to what you already have.

And I repeat: in those states served by low sulfur refiners, there is no problem. This complicates the message that Toyota gets from the NA market as a whole.

behhpp

is then to contact Toyota. I have done this. They told me to work with my dealer. Hopefully enough other people will contact Toyota about this if they see the same problem.
My dealer wants to drive the car for a day on Monday to see what they find.
Thanks for helping me understand that Toyota has to go through the EPA before they can make a change.

sdjosh

Hi all- I and am planning to buy a 2006 LE when they come out, and have a few ridiculous questions I've been obsessing over. Any insights would be appreciated...

1. Wife wants a sunroof. We rented one for a weekend w/o a sunroof, and I found it to be quite peppy, even on San Luis Obispo freeway grades. We got 37 MPG highway without the car having been broken in. Would a decrease in performance/MPG be significant (noticeable) due to the weight increase with a sunroof?

2. Vehicle Stability Control: For those who have it- Can you feel any difference? Do you feel it was worth the price?

3. JBL Audio: What's different from the Audio Value Package? The LE we rented had just the single disc player, which was adequate, but I wonder if the JBL system sounds better in terms of sound quality.

Thanks for any input whatsoever!

mallickai

Posted this info in another Corolla discussion but thought this could apply here as well. It looks like the '03 Corollas have improved crashworthiness over the past model, according to IIHS. They gave it the "best pick" classification but only after a Toyota modification to the carpet's padding, available on '03 Corollas to be manufactured after 12/03. I hope Toyota does right to their current '03 Corolla customers who may want this modification for improved crashworthiness by making it available either thru a recall or tsb. Here's the link to the IIHS report for those interested:

 http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0223.htm#3

johnclineii

Lord I am getting old.

Let me get this straight. They got additional crash worthiness by modifying the CARPET PADDING?

If that were suggested in most engineering schools, the students would be drug tested!

alpha01

the modifications showed Toyota's committment to safety- the car tested prior to the modified padding still earned the top Overall rating of Good- the modifications just added the "Best Pick" designation.

"I hope Toyota does right to their current '03 Corolla customers who may want this modification for improved crashworthiness by making it available either thru a recall or tsb"

I dont think this minor modification warrants a second thought, or your time- if Toyota didnt make it, you'd still be happy that the car got an overall rating of Good. Additionally, its not like you waited for the crash test results to come out before purchasing the car- and thats your issue, accordingly Toyota has no obligation. Certainly, it would be different if a major design flaw was exposed or a recall issued. Clearly, this is not the case.

~alpha

behhpp

I am happy about the great results of the crash tests. I too though wonder how carpet padding could possibly improve the safety of a car. Padding helps you knees while you are weeding your garden, but in a car crash it would help??

toyotaken

A big part of why it makes a difference is that the IIHS tests stress levels to the feet of the crash test dummies to measure probabilities of injuries to the driver's legs and/or ankles. From being an EMT, while I don't discount the importance of reducing the likelihood of ANY injury, I think that they place too much emphasis on that particular issue. If you're in an accident where only 40% of the front end of the vehicle hits a fixed barrier at 40mph, getting out alive is a great statement for the safety of that vehicle. Remember, that is the equivilant of your car running into another parked car of the same mass (weight) at 80mph. So in that particular area of the IIHS testing, a bit more padding can make a significant difference in the stresses measured. Hope this helps.

Ken

johnclineii

The question is whether the results to the dummies in the tests are repeatable by real live humans in the unfortunate events of crashes...

grandtotal

If you're in an accident where only 40% of the front end of the vehicle hits a fixed barrier at 40mph, getting out alive is a great statement for the safety of that vehicle. Remember, that is the equivilant of your car running into another parked car of the same mass (weight) at 80mph.

I don't want it to seem like I'm picking on you this morning, because honestly I am not. But I have to correct you on the above statement, it's not true. For one thing the Kinetic Energy that a vehicle travelling at 80MPH has is 4 times the Kinetic Energy that the same vehicle has travelling at 40 MPH and not double. Secondly hitting a fixed deformable barrier is very different from hitting an unfixed (that is free to move, even with the parking brake on and in Park) deformable car. While these two factors will tend to cancel each other out to some extent, it is not correct to compare the two situations.

vuefor2

This egg smell thing is scaring me. We may decide not to go Corolla unless I can get assurance it's not going to be a problem. My wife drives too far daily to have to live with it for months.

badgerfan

It is hard for me to believe Toyotas have a rotten egg smell in this day and age.

Rotten egg smell was very common in the mid 1970's when catalytic converters and unleaded gas just began to be introduced on the marketplace.

I haven't had a car with that condition since then, and I live in an area that has been forced, in recent years, to use RFG with different winter and summer blends to boot, so I likely have seen just about every combination of fuels over the last 20 years.

Any experts out there who know about what Toyota is doing different from the others?

friendly_jacek

Badger,

I am not an expert but Toyotas engines are ULEV. One way they accomplished it by having exhaust manifold in the rear side of engine and close to catalist, so the catalist is hotter for cleaner burning. Another thing is that gas in Japan is virtally sulfur-free. Perheps the design of converter assumed low-sulfur fuel. And thirdly, it is possible that the catalist in new Toyotas is diffrent nowadays for lower emissions or lower cost or some other reason.

Go to

http://www.matrixvibe.net/docs/MMC_engine_info.pdf

and see fig 15 on the amount of sulfur in various fuels. A real eye opener.

fgf001

I wouldn't (and didn't) let it scare me away from buying two '03 LE's. Both have 3K+ miles on them now. One had an intermittant smell that went away, the other has no malodorous problems at all. The vast majority of the "nose" problems I have read about were not overwhelming just occassional.

somedude

I had a paint chip on the edge of the hood (just above the left front lights) on my 2003 Corolla for about 4 months now. The chip (which is 1/4 inch long and about 3 millimeters wide)was deep enough to expose the bare metal, but I was lazy touching it up since it was the 4th or 5th stone chip the car has had in the space of 2 months! I got a scare yesterday when I found the metal exposed by the chip rusting already! Now I have the following questions:

1- What do I do to get rid of the rust? It appears to be only on the surface (or at least I hope so!)

2- Has anybody else experienced this kind of problem? Do you think that the 2003 Corolla's paint job is particularly easy to chip? I had a 2001 Corolla before, which I used on the same roads, but I've never noticed such proliferation of stone chips and certainly no rust in the stone chips it had!

I'd appreciate any feedback for this nagging and potentially serious problem. Thanks!

fgf001

That's only the surface that has changed color. Were it me I would simply put several coats of touch up paint on the boo boo and not sweat it. Of course you can have it professionally done and you'll never know it was there ($$$) until the next rock hits and starts the process anew.

vuefor2

You have 2 Corollas?

If I smell this egg smell in the actual car we end up possibly buying, I will leave. I don't want to take a chance on having this smell continue. I did smell it in the car we tested but like I said, I didn't think anything of it until I read about other people's problems.

coolguyky7

Check with the dealer on that rust spot. They should be under obligation to repair that since its covered under the warranty.

johnclineii

But it ISN'T. Perforation is covered under warranty. You will find that surface rust, especially when caused by road hazards, is most definitely NOT covered under the warranty.

coolguyky7

vuefor2

Car sales men could not care less about anything other than the sale for the most part.

toyotaken

First, sorry I've been off the boards for a couple of days, but I've been recovering from a bad bout of the flu. But in response...

For one thing the Kinetic Energy that a vehicle travelling at 80MPH has is 4 times the Kinetic Energy that the same vehicle has travelling at 40 MPH and not double.

Answer - That is correct, however, a 40mph impact into a FIXED or a barrier that is immovable is the equivilant and has the same energy applied to the vehicle that would occur from two vehicles EACH going 40mph impacting or ONE vehicle at 80mph and the other stopped.

Secondly hitting a fixed deformable barrier is very different from hitting an unfixed (that is free to move, even with the parking brake on and in Park) deformable car.

Answer: Very different, true, but similar. Hitting a parked car would not be the same as hitting a brick wall, so I agree that a deformable barrier is more realistic. However, the barrier itself is not movable. To get the same result, you would have to have a vehcile of the same size parked up against a building (for example) and then run into it at 40mph. If the vehicle was parked or stopped, free-standing and therefore able to be moved, then you would have to run into it at 80mph to get the same level of forces.

While these two factors will tend to cancel each other out to some extent, it is not correct to compare the two situations.

Answer: One vehicle going into a fixed barrier at 40mph is the equivilant of two identical weight vehicles impacting eachother at 40mph each. Or, one of the vehicles can be stopped, but the other moving at the combined speed of travel or in this example, 80mph.

Hope this helps explain where the figures came from.

Ken

terceltom1

I really doubt that the Toyota engineer thought all Toyotas were staying in or going to Japan to use sulphur-free fuel when he designed the catalytic converter !!!

backy

These were the same Toyota engineers who thought all Corolla buyers would be less than 5' 6". ;-)

terceltom1

LOL, your right I should have known !!!!

bja4

Gas mileage for my 98 Corolla with the 5-spd has stayed the same since day one (37-38 mpg). Even with a new motor at 40K miles the mileage never changed. Mileage used to drop down to 35-36 mpg in the winter (Colorado winter gas). I haven't noticed a drop in mileage this wither though. Switching to a much better tire might have something to do with it.
I have never experience a rotten egg smell. When the car is cold and running rich, the exhaust smells a little like fresh gas. My 2000 Dodge Dakota (4.7L) tends to smell like rotten eggs when it is first started, but disappears when warmed up. It doesn't bother be at all.

stgutierr

Need some opinions on this ebay auction

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1875102015&category=6445

I thought all Corolla S had black interiors. I know the wheels are wrong. What do you think the real value of this car should be? Any other things I can point out to prove to the seller that he's lying. I may by the car anyway if I can get a good deal out of it.

jbollt

Unless I'm missing something, the listing does say that the interior is black, although the pictures seem to show light color front seats. hmmm A bigger concern are the words "salvage title." This means that the vehicle was probably damaged seriously and considered "totaled" by an insurance comapny.. Caution caution.

bravedave

This Corolla may be from a flood aftermath. That may explain why the interior colour is different. It may be best to avoid this one...

alpha01

Purchasing a vehicle with a salvage title is about as sound an investment as buying shares of UAL stock (low price may be tempting, but with nothing but trouble ahead, you're going to lose).

That Corolla epitomizes why Ebay buying is potentially very risky.

~alpha

terceltom1

Boy I'll second that thought for sure. I only ever tried to buy something on E-Bay two times and both times I got ripped off !!!

superman5

anyone familiar with old school corollas? I believe 1985-1987? rwd coupe/hb? are they easily found? how about reliability? what do you think about buying one of these and making it a decent car? supposedly fun to drive...

jrct9454

...if you can find one that hasn't been worn out mechanically, or is not a rolling rust bucket.

Personally, I'm a fan of the new '03 Corolla, while acknowledging the problem with the seating position. At 6' even and 175 lbs, I managed to find a good position behind the wheel, [I have a 32 inch inseam], but if your legs are much longer than mine, it's not possible.

In every other respect, I regard the car as a significant improvement over its predecessor, of which there is an example still in the family [a '98 LE automatic that currently still has less than 18k on the odo].

alpha01

Because I love Toyotas and am an insomniac, I was thinking last night- does anyone else think there would be a market for a Corolla XLE, perhaps with a base price around 17,300, and with similar standard features to the Camry XLE?

~alpha

94_octane

That sounds like the current LE with the wood grain trim and leather interior. Speaking of which, can you actually get a leather interior in the LE? I see it on the edmunds.com site, but not on the 'official' build-a-Toyota site. The problem with an XLE Corolla is, most people would rather just get a Camry for the same money.

fgf001

There is no such thing as an XLE Corolla. The LE model is as high as it goes. When I bought mine about 4 months ago leather was offered on the LE.

fgf001

In order to get accurate readings you must calculate your miles per gallon at every fillup. I believe the gauge is fine but you are not figuring your MPG correctly. I keep a cheapo calculator in the door pocket on the driver's side and figure mileage every time I go to the pump.It can vary from 25 to 32 in town depending on conditions. Normally it's in the high 20's to low 30's. Highway will vary from upper 30's to low 40's. There are way too many variables to judge by where the guage is vs miles driven.

coolguyky7

I have a question about the fuel gauge on the dash without the tachometer. The way the fuel gauge is divided, it has 4 unequal sections. Does each section represent a quarter of a tank, forcing the needle to move faster or slower in certain sections due to section size? I've wondered this and it seems like a bone headed way to make a fuel gauge anyway.

alpha01

Yea, thanks, Im well aware that the LE is as high up as the line goes. I was just wondering if there would be a market for an XLE. I dont know- would it really hurt Toyota that much to offer a Corolla with standard auto climate control, 6 disc in dash CD changer, ABS, alloys, multiadjustable power seats and optional navigation?

If they could keep the car under 20,500 with nav, leather, sunroof, alloys, side SRS, ABS, pwr seats, etc., I'd bet there'd be people buying it.

~alpha