Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
When you get this engine above 3000 rpm it sounds raspy like an engine that has been driven 150K already.
OTOH your gas mileage is very low - too low - unless you are driving the car like two miles at a stretch, then shutting it down. Don't forget, Daly City is hilly, so gas mileage will not be like that of someone in San Jose or L.A. or something. But if you can't get it into the 30s I would be surprised. Make sure you are letting the gas level drop before re-gassing. If you are only putting in 8 gallons at a pop, then you are getting about 31 mpg, which would be within a normal range.
Keep an eye on the oil level and check it at a standard place each time, so that you get a true reading. Always give the oil a few minutes to settle back into the pan before checking the level.
Your friend's car just sounds weird - haven't heard of anyone having any of those problems, perhaps it is a lemon, or perhaps he/she broke something? Maybe someone ought to check the fuses. Is there an aftermarket stereo or other electronic stuff?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I did not have the problem again until last night on the way home from work. This time it was at a street signal and I was going slow but put one foot on the clutch and the other on the brake to stop. The engine RPM's just dropeed to ZERO with no other noise or warning. I must have flooded it because I could not get it to start for about 30 seconds and had to use the emergency flashers.
I am afraid this is going to get me killed and has really made driving my new Matrix a scary event. Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks a bunch, Perry
i have a 03' corolla 5 speed and for the first 1-2 weeks, i had a hard time adjusting to driving the corolla 5 speed. i find the clutch and gas real sensitive compared to other 5 speed vehicles i drove. for the first 2 weeks, i was like you... scared and so careful when i drive my corolla. from the time i bought the car in august until now, car stalled 3 times. the first time was i forgot i was driving a 5 speed and i just let go of the clutch when i was parked!
no idea why your matirx would just die suddenly. only thing i could think of is that maybe you didnt step on the clutch all the way.
anyone else notice this?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The car now has 57K miles on it. The clutch is a hell of a lot better than it ever was. I am convinced there was problem with the clutch sine day one. This might have been why the transmission went into second gear so eaisally at 65 mph. in the first place.
Good idea paying to put the new clutch in at the same time!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
i did practice in a big empty colege parking lot on thanksgiving day and so far i have not had any more problems with the engine just shutting off.
Perhaps I need non-polarized glasses?
thanks
Regardless, it is what BMW uses in all of their cars now, going up to 15k miles if conditions are right. I've been using it in all of our cars for the past 8 years, because the 5w50 viscosity does a good job of handling both our relatively mild winters [30F is a good average min] and blistering summers [105F is not unusual] in the CA Central Valley.
But don't expect to get any respect from the synoil "community" - for them, there are only the one or two "pure" concoctions. I only care that the engine is well taken care of, and I don't have to worry about dumping the crankcase every time the seasons change. BMW's endorsement came many years after I started using Syntec, so that wasn't much of a factor.
We currently drive a W203 Mercedes C Class ['02 C240 sedan] - both Mobil and Castrol are on the approved list for oils to use in a car that is "synthetic only". Apparently MB also believes that Syntec is adequate to the task, notwithstanding its lack of approval from the synoil folk.
What is your agenda?
If you had any diligence in your research you would find that acctually Mobil 1 is one of few fully synthetic (in the strict meaning of the world) products on the US market. IT IS SYNTHETISED from basic molecules by polymerization (group IV).
Your Castrol and many other "synthetic" oils on the market (group III) are chemically modified mineral oils so there are "synthetic" in loose meaning of the word. This is what marketing people in oil companies use to hype them as "Synthetic". They do a good job since they confused you and many others.
Just do some more reading. Try http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/
or something similar and then come back with some educated statements.
jrct9454, don't get me wrong, your oil is good for your car, but is has group III base oil while Mobil 1 is group IV. And this is what started the discussion.
Acctually, every SH-SL oil on the market does a good job protecting the engine while changed frequently. The adventage of good synthetic oils comes when you want to have long drain intervals like the maximum 7500 miles still touted by Toyota.
Actually, the most vivid description of the differences between group III and IV synthetic oils I found was on http://www.dirtroad.com/oil2.htm
"Hydroprocessed Mineral Oil [group III] is a more recent fluid used for synthetic engine oil. This fluid is actually just conventional oil, which has been processed to remove more of the small and large molecules. In the end, the fluid is much more stable at high temperatures and provides good service for high temperature engine operation. Unfortunately, it provides little or no improvement for low temperature operation since it still contains wax. Since this fluid provides good performance at a lower cost than PAO/Ester formulations [group IV], it has found its way into the marketplace as synthetic oil. It is somewhat questionable how synthetic this fluid is."
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I bought my Corolla in early November and already put 2.9k on it. It's an S w/ man trx. I currently get about 32 MPG and do mostly highway driving (~90-95%).
I've not had any troubles w/ the car currently. I've only performed 2 minor adjustments:
A) A rubber pad added onto the clutch pedal where the start sensor touch in order to fix the problem of having to smash the clutch pedal into the floor before being able to start the car. It subtracted about 1/4 - 1/2" of distance needed from where it was before, which is much more comfortable for me.
Backed out the brake light sensor on the brake pedal so I didn't have to depress the pedal so far that the car actually started braking before the brake lights would come on (or disengage the cruise). I'm use to cars that'll have the brake lights come on when you just touched the brake pedal. I went from needing to depress the pedal about 3/4 - 1" of travel to about 1/16" travel before the brake lights come on now. Consequently, this also applies for when the cruise disengaged via brake pedal.
I really like this car, particularly the fuel economy -I came from a large domestic SUV. Now, everytime I'm at the gas station, I squeeze out a "Yoohoo!!!" when I see the $$ on the pump after fill. Okay, I can't tow a boat with the Corolla but going from $35/fill to $13/fill over the same miles for everyday driving is an inspirational experience, every time.
I'm also looking forward to experiencing Toyota's famed reliability. Thanks in advance for any responses.
It is not exteremely loud but stil it is a lot more than the first two weeks.
In the first two weeks millage was around 37 (highway) now it is around 30.
What may be the problem? Did anybody else have similar problem?
But, if I'm running errands and need to stop at several places, restarting it while warm makes this "long start" behavior become more apparent. It takes at least 5-7 turns to start. At times, when it turns over, it's not all that smooth, if you know what I mean. Not sure how to exactly describe this but it kinda skips a beat (?) before or while turning over.
I've observed that the behavior seems to disappear as I wait longer between stop & starts. So, 5 minute stops will get this every time but > 30 min stops, probably not.
I don't know why the engine does this. I thought this was just how the car behaves.
Ken
http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0223.htm#3
the little rectangle door that hides the cd's just fell apart last night in my 03 corolla. the little door just popped out when i opened the bigger door just above the ashtray! the car is only 4 months old too, i wonder if this problem would be covered by warranty.
anyone else have this problem?
The question is how to lobby Toyota to make this retrofit.
Has anybody talked to dealership yet?
Do you think that Toyota will do a recall since so many owners are complaining about it?
I love my car, but the rattling is driving me crazy, even though it doesn't do it all the time.
I just don't think that a brand new car should do this. Other than that, I have not had no rotten egg smell, no problems with the red lighting, or anything else.
Apart from the stupid twilight sensor, which according to Toyota is functioning properly (I hope they fix this faulty design soon, then whatever next year's model gets to fix it, I am going to have done to mine too), the only thing mine has been in to the dealership for is the rattles, and believe me, they will get most of them if you give them a couple of tries.
And I still believe that this is the only thing it WILL be back to the shop for in the first 100K miles, except for maintenance. Crossing my fingers!... :-)
So hang in there, and give your friendly neighborhood dealership a visit!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
It is very precise. I don't think you should be hauling it around like some '49 Chevy pick-up though - if it is that heavy, then something is wrong.
Mine doesn't wander, but if you are talking about freeway squirm, that is probably just the tires that are on it, and if you change them for a different kind it will go away.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
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!
If anyone could provide me with some input, I would appreciate it.
In July '00 I had a rattling noise in the car (at the time I thought it was the engine) I took it to my dealer where I was told it was the belt and tensioner and also the power steering pump was leaking fluid and they stated that they put a new power steering pump assembly in. At that time, my car had approximately 35,300 miles and was under warranty. Now, I am having the same exact noise again (car has 42,700 miles)- its the same exact noise and i can't understand why its happening again. I took it to a mechanic and was advised that it was the power steering pump (actually he showed me exactly where it is located) has this happened to anyone? Now the service manager told me this may not be under warranty?? Any feedback would be appreciated.
Ken
Here are the 2 web sites shown on the package: www.lurenet.com & www.guidesnet.com.
Happy Holidays
Dealer confirmed that CE doesn't have the delay feature.
Have had only a few trim issues with the CE in its first 5K miles. So far am very pleased with it.
Only gripe is that I wish the auto headlight feature was an option. Don't like it at all.
Found the Weathertech trunk liner is much better than Toyota's offering since the Weathertech's made from rubber, not carpet.
My CE 5 speed idles 2,000 on cold days until warm. Dealer confirms it's normal as stated in this board. No bang into gear, so guess it's performing as intended.
You should go to your dealer immediately and either get the problem fixed or the car swapped.
All gasoline contains sulphur. In Canada they are now running tighter standards than here in the U.S.
In any event, any sulphur ( hi or lo levels ) should be coming out of the exhaust pipe and into the air. I DON'T THINK THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SMELL IT INSIDE YOUR COROLLA!
Have you seen a Toyota ad that says "Hey, Toyotaton Sulphur Time. Some new Corolla owners get to breathe the sulfur from their exhaust gas".
Gasoline goes into the engine. You can't smell it when it is going in, unless your fuel system is leaking.
Burned gasoline (including sulphur) comes out the exhaust. You can't smell it inside the car unless it's leaking somewhere.
I think sulphur leaks are coming from either:
1) The exhaust (this would be very troubling since the carbon monoxide which is very dangerours would be in there too! And it's ODORLESS!)
2) The EGR system (often accompanied by rough idle).
3) The EVAP system. ( This is a good suspect for a new car. ) I think yo can have a certified Toyota mechanic (non-Toyota dealership) check the OBD-II computer for this. It won't tell you where the leak is but that there's one.
I got most of this informatin from:
http://www.thesmokemachine.com/TechTips.html
Good luck
And I repeat, for the fourth time: NOT all fuel contains as much sulfur as is common in certain parts of the USA and Canada. Here in California, our RFG standard calls for something on the order of 15-30 ppm of sulfur, whereas it is not uncommon for there to be 300 or more ppm in fuel in other parts of North America.
The problem has nothing to do with where the car was assembled, and nothing to do with smog regulations. Toyota DOES have some work to do here, and they need to hear from owners who are unhappy - clearly they need a new mix of metals in the cat to deal with the high-sulfur fuel which is so common [BUT NOT UNIVERSAL] in North America. But there is nothing that is malfunctioning in the EGR, the evap system, or anywhere, for that matter...the cat just can't cope with the level of sulfur in a lot of our gasoline. Does that need to change? Obviously, a lot of folks think so, and they need to contact their dealers and Toyota to let the corporation know how you feel. But I wouldn't take the stance that the cars are not meeting regs or are hazardous to drive or be around - that is simply not true, and won't get you far with either the EPA or Toyota.