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shifty the host
just crossed 12,500 miles in my Matrix...two oil changes so far, dealer wants $219 for 15K service coming up - thinking of looking into whether or not it is OK just to do the stuff myself. They only do about three things for the $219 - seems like a lot of $$. The rest is inspections.
No problems so far except the rattles and the twilight sensor design flaw (replaced under TSB).
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)
would this be fixed under warrenty?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
When in the driver's seat viewing forward, the lower windshield seal appears to come up and out of the dash as it approaches the drivers front pillar, while being invisible everywhere else around the front windshield - I've looked at other 03's and no others I've seen have this. Does anyone else have this problem?
I live in cold climate (below -25F), and the windshield has now cracked - the crack origin being being exactly where this seal is protruding. Toyota is saying it's all a chip - I have other chips in the windshield already, and none have cracked EXCEPT this one!! The crack has travelled over a foot in 8 days!! I agree that the chip may indeed have initiated the crack, but they have been advised of creaking/rattling front windshield for over a year and refuse to replace the seals, even though they already did the rear ones. Now, as soon as the weather gets above freezing, the windshield cracks from where this seal is protruding. Don't get me started on the word games they've been playing.....
Like everyone else on this board, the dash rattles like crazy, and the front/rear windshield rattles increase exponentially when it's below freezing. Toyota has already admitted the back shield seals were installed wrong - duh, what are the odds the front ones were as well.
Meeting with Canada-wide arbitrator shortly - anyone else having windshield/dash/seal problems with their 03 Corolla??
Toyota has admitted the rear seals were installed wrong - well, duh, what are the odds that the front seal is incorrectly installed as well??? Now they are saying the crack is not their problem.
Has anyone else noticed a seal out of line on the front windshield? Has anyone else experienced rattling and vibration in either windshield? (the dash rattling that plagues this model excepted). The Toyota Canadian dispute resolution guy is coming in to look at this shortly - thanks for letting me know if you've had problems as well.
When I take it to the dealer, I can't reproduce the problem. Any ideas?
2nd time was waiting for my friend at the front of his house.. transmittion @ N position... hand brake is up... it died after 2 minutes.
3rd time was doing a stop and go traffic @ Freeway... car is moving very slow (like 5 mph) died right there...
4th time was at signal light also... and it's like 2 months already
Dont' know what's wrong, went to dealer. They said i couldn't duplicate the problem so they couldn't do anything... People said the idle speed might be too low... went to machanic and requested to set it at a higher idle speed "Can't do it, coz it's control by a device called something 'Idle sensor or something'"
Any idea?
2nd time was waiting for my friend at the front of his house.. transmittion @ N position... hand brake is up... it died after 2 minutes.
3rd time was doing a stop and go traffic @ Freeway... car is moving very slow (like 5 mph) died right there...
4th time was at signal light also... and it's like 2 months already
Dont' know what's wrong, went to dealer. They said i couldn't duplicate the problem so they couldn't do anything... People said the idle speed might be too low... went to machanic and requested to set it at a higher idle speed "Can't do it, coz it's control by a device called something 'Idle sensor or something'"
Any idea?
Can anyone shed some advice about the quality of these cars?
Thanks!
A little more in drive.
by the way, the radio is GM/Delco - take a jaunt through the lot of your local Pontiac dealer - other models have exactly this same radio.
I have given more than one thought to just paying for a high-power Toyota radio. I dislike all the big silly-looking buttons on this one, and the fact that if you are using the preset equalizer it resets itself every time you change bands. Still haven't figured out how to use the TRAF button when the TRAF light comes on in the display.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
In NY/NJ area, I hit the traffic and there is one station that it goes to. INFO yields nothing.
I guess it's like HDTV, build it and they will come...one day..
I was amused to rent a $30K Trailblazer a few weeks back, and see exactly this identical radio in there. It was like sitting in my own car! LOL
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I got the 6-CD changer which was basically a rip off for $325 (sticker) as the radio should have been upgraded per the moons and toons package.
Is this double dipping?
I don't know how to make INFO work to show CD song titles, but that would be fun if it could.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Retail for the windshield on this car is $867!!!!
SO glad I have comp insurance. Watch out for your glass folks!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Did your replacement windshield still have the black-dot sun blocker around where the rear-view mirror mounts, between the sun visors? I wanted to be sure my replacement would still have that.
Beyond that, it seems clear that even in the new millenium, some Toyota retail items are still a total rip-off.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I am averaging 31 mpg in a combination of city and highway driving, which is less than advertised but about what I expected.
I also have been checking my engine oil level, since people on this board have complained about high oil consumption during break-in. Thus far, the engine does not seem to be consuming any oil.
About the only thing I do not like about the car are the tires that are on it. It came with Goodyear Integrity tires and they do not seem to grip or stop well on wet pavement. I wish Toyota would have put a better quality tire on my Corolla.
toyota seems to highball their mileage ratings. I'm only getting about 20-23 mpg on mix highway/city, which is low considering the range is 23-32.
my camry also came with the goodyear tires, which seems to have high road noise and bad traction in rain. I want to get them replaced as soon as possible, do you know how long these treads last?
also, nipponoploy, what is comp insurance and why did it cover your windshiled? i thought that you would need to pay the deductable? thanks.
And by the way, my Matrix showed 28/33 on the sticker when I bought it. I always get 32-33 mpg in this car in 'round-town driving, and in my first all-highway trip in it last week, I managed to get 36 on one tank and 37 on the other. (800 miles round trip). So you must also look to the way you drive. The EPA has to allow some latitude for little old ladies and pedal-to-the-metal types.
boilerman: while I won't disagree that Toyota has done some of its usual cost-cutting on the corolla and Matrix, I invite you to take a couple of hours out this weekend and tour the local car dealers to examine what tires they have on their sub-$20K cars. You will find mostly Bridgestones, Generals, and Goodyears, all of which are medium brands - not terrible or great. The only exceptions to this I have ever witnessed are the Korean brands, which often use really cheap Korean tires. Oh yeah, and way back when Hyundai was just re-entering the U.S. market, they put out for some Michelins on their cars to impress consumers.
One more exception: I believe Mini uses premium tires because they are run-flats - very rare on a sub-$20K car.
One last note: the tires Toyota uses vary regionally - most of the corollas I have seen on the lots out here use the Bridgestones.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
My deductible is $50, so I was out a few bucks. :-(
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Close window and make sure the knob is NOT on recirculate, so that you get the whiff from the outside...
Turn on AC or fan.
Go up a hill and floor it.
Near the top, let go of the gas pedal.
You should have the stink in your car by now.
The results are amazing. With the change of tires its handling and stopping characterisitics are significantly improved.
The good news:
1. Michelins are much quieter (less road noise) than Goodyears.
2. Handling on both dry and wet pavement is much better.
3. Improved braking and shorter stopping distance (especially on wet pavement).
The bad news:
1. Michelin X-Ones are expensive.
I live in a climate that requires me to drive in highly variable conditions, including rain, sleet, snow and ice. So I could not make do with an inferior tire for 50,000 without taking a great deal of risk.
I had no experience with Goodyear Integrity tires prior to purchasing the Corolla. So I did not know whether they would be suitable for the kind of driving I do. I found out soon after purchasing the car that they were not. It is unfortunate that when purchasing an economy car, you can end up being forced to take marginal tires as part of the deal.
The interior on the 2002 is showing a lot more wear and staining relative to its age. The factory floor mats on the 1989 actually look better at this point than the ones on the 2002. The driver's side floor mat on the 2002 is worn through to the rubber backing.
The engine and transmission on the 2002 are clearly superior to the 1989, but I'm beginning to wonder if we're going to be able to hold on to the 2002 like we have for the 1989. I'm thinking that the interior may get too shabby to keep by the time the car has 125k miles or so.
As far as Toyota's interiors, news flash to everyone in Toyotaland: the floor mats they sell now are NOTHING like the ones that used to be in their cars. You can wear a hole right through these peach fuzz ultra-thins in about six months of driving. I recently had a pre-90 Camry go through my hands with the original mats, and the difference was amazing. That was back when carpeted actually meant INCLUDING CARPET.
I am not sure if it is just Toyota being ultra-cheap (wouldn't surprise me) or if it is a weight thing - "a few ounces here, and a few ounces there, is the way to save weight"
The same trend is occurring with the regular carpets and the seat upholstery.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
what is causing this noise? should i contact the dealer? I am also parked on a very slight incline in a garage, not sure if that affects it-
any ideas???
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)