There is an octane lower than 87 sold in the US. Here in Ohio and bordering states, Sunoco sells 86 as "Economy" grade. The tricky part is, their stations are set up so they charge 87 price for the 86 grade and then their 87 is priced like 89, 89 is priced like 92.
Most common cause for engine knocking is the gasoline grade. If an engine knocks, it probably means you have to switch to a higher grade gasoline.
Echo suppose to be ok with everying 87 octane and up. But not all 87 octane are created equal. So you might want to try a different brand or a 89 octane to see if the knocking goes away. It most likely will. Engine knocking over long term can do harm to the engine, so don't sit around for too long. Good luck.
My mom got me a remote starter that also allows me to press a button to open my door locks and truck without the key..I dont have power door locks so Im really excited to have this feature..Im not sure which brand it is off the top of my head but my mom called the toyota dealership that I bought my echo from and they recommended a place that my mom could buy this from, I find it really odd that toyota didnt have anything...you would think there would be more accessories on the market for echos and that toyota would carry them?? Im interested in getting tinted windows in the spring, does anyone have them? and did you get them done at toyota??? I dont want any cheap tint that is going to peel and/or bubble, my mom had her Camry tinted at the toyota dealership and so far no peeling/bubbling and its been almost 6 years..
I believe the "speed control" option is for use on those vehicles equiped with air conditioning. When you turn on the air, the engine speed drops by the ammount needed to run the ac. Speed control adjusts the engine output to keep mph steady.
Any experiences out there with after market cruise controls installed on the ECHO? Brand, pricing, installation-asp. if by a Toyota dealer? Also any problems you have had with your car since installation? Thanks!!
The Echo lacks "felt" where the window comes out of the door so you will need to have the doors taken off and "felt" installed if you plan on tinting your Echo. Otherwise, the tint will get scratched up when you roll the windows up and down. I believe the Echo is already tinted a little so be careful that you do not tint the windows more than what the law allows.
I have found an Echo that is in my first color choice and equipped EXACTLY the way I want except for the side impact air bags and ABS. I am exchanging e-mail with the dealership right now and will probably see what kind of deal I can work out with them. Will keep you posted.
Santa brought me an offical service manual for Christmas. I will be posting technical article about the ECHO for those who are interested (when the server works!)
Right below the alternator is a black disc that looks like a belt tensioner. It isn't it's the "Pulley" for the water pump. The WP is pretty easy to change. Just drain the coolant (block drain front center of the engine. radiator drain lower left of same) Loosen the thre bolts that hold the pulley to the WP, then loosen the belt and remove. (two bolts one above the other holding the alternator on) Remove the three bolts holding the pulley to the WP, then remove the three bolts and two nuts holding the WP to the block. Install the new WP with a new gasket. To make it easier to put the pulley back on once the pump is bolted to the block, go the the hardware store and get TWO bolts just like the three that hold the pulley to the pump, but am inch or so longer. Cut the heads off so you have two studs. Thread the studs into two of the three holes in the pump, then install the pully on the studs. The thrid hole will now be lined up so you can get one of the origional bolts in. Install a real bolt, and take out one of the studs and install another real boltsin its place. Likewise for the remaining stud. It's pretty easy to change the WP on the ECHO compared to cars that have the WP driven by the camshaft belt. (but wait till you hear how the valves are adjusted!)
I'm on holidays at the beach at the moment, but I'll put the insulation on the ac pipes when I get home again. Of course it is a bit different in a right hand drive car as the pipes go under the battery tray, but over the transmission. I'm about to go on a 2000km trip in the Echo up to Brisbane from Sydney and back. It has been running great, although 'running-in' is a pain at times, always changing speeds etc.
I saw a red two door Echo in the St Augustine, Fl outlet mall parking lot and left a note on the windshield saying congratulations on being a fellow Echo owner. Yes, I did. It made me feel good. Hope others will do the same for me.
BTW I had to go to "SEDANS - TOYOTA ECHO 7" via the LOGIN button as well to erase the "you must first log in" message and get the posting boxes. Thanks to the person that posted this work around !
Gee, all the other Echo owners I've encountered around central Ohio have been most unfriendly. The first couple of weeks I had my Echo I ended up waving to myself. Now I just forget it and keep going.
I think Edmunds finally fixed the "need to login" bug. I tried autologin and came straight here from my "subscription" address, saved as my "home" address, and it worked properly. Wow !
Hey everyone...I just checked out Toyota, France, to read up on the Yaris-Echo's cousin. It won Europe Car of the Year!!! I like the two door hatchback the best and have seen them up close in Spain but the real reason ours have trunks is that the euro versions would never pass crash tests with little or no crumple zones Of course, Americans don't like hatches but it the demand were there there'd be one. I really love the euro steering wheel...it's a bit thicker with thumb-rests on the rim at 10 and 2 o'clock. So take heart Echo fans!!! Europe Car of the Year!!!
Thanks for the info in post #94 but actually I had read that one already. It seems that the few aftermarket dealers around here do not have specific info on where to connect their units as far as wiring,etc. and thus are hesitant to do the job. Does anyone know if some Toyota dealers will do this even if it is a aftermarket brand such as purchased thru the J.C. Whitney catalog? Also, has anyone installed AC via the dealer in the last few months on a base model to know the total price for this including labor? Thanks in advance for your help!!!
"Echo is the way of small cars, witness new Suzuki Ignis, Honda Civic 5 door hatch, new Japanese model Corolla. I see also that you cross over a lot of different forums with your negative messages."
Yes, I do post on other forums. Not as much as I used to, though. I don't know why you call my messages negative. I suspect you came across the Focus Hatchback forum. Because that was the only place where you could find my truly negative posts. And yes, I'm a Focus hatch owner. Why am I here? Well, in the near future I'll be in the market for a safe, reliable, ECHOnomical used car for my parents. And the Echo so far is one of the strongest contenders. How's the things in Australia? BTW the Edmunds forums is a great place to practice my broken English. God bless America.
Your solution to the "first you must login" problem seems to work consistently. In fact, simply entering this topic via the sedans page works either using the long 2 page list of topics, or a "subscription button".
I have created a threaded discussion style forum for the Toyota Echo and I welcome everyone to come and post questions, issues and comments there. You can get to it through my website:
Glad it works for you! I'm having a blast driving to work and such...glad my break-in period is over! I still have an occassional squeal from the rear brakes but it's always as the car comes to a halt and only when there is light pressure on the brake. Does anyone else have this happen? I am waiting till my 5k checkup to have it looked at.
When we picked up my new Echo with 26 miles on the odometer, my son said it did not have the new car smell of vinyl. He was right since the floor mats are not vinyl and I can't think of anything else made of vinyl.
I filled the gas tank for the first time and figured around 40 miles per gallon. This should be around the maximum since it was steady driving, not loaded with people or stuff, minimum use of ac, and not going over 60 mph.
I think I have a minor rattle in the driver's door panel, probably wiring vibrating. Since I had power doors and windows and cruise installed, most likely the wires were not taped down away from the door. I expected something to show up but figured it would first be a paint chip or dent.
I read in the newspaper that activists in California are placing homemade bumper stickers on SUVs that reads something like "I'm changing the climate. Ask me how!" It refers to the gas guzzling habit of SUVs so the stickers are not making those SUV owners happy. Anyway, I am so glad that the Echo is a "green" car so I have no guilt feelings.
I have no problems posting now. Glad Edmunds acknowledged and fixed it.
I have no squeals or rattles. I expect the brake squeal could be a rusty drum if your echo sat in a humid environment for a while. If so, it will go away with use.
The rattle in the door is probably the wiring added here in NA as you suspect because the Japanese are usually fanatical about tying everything down.
I am really amazed at how well my Echo performs in cold weather. Even though it's an auto. I just get in and go, even at -30C. everyone else leaves their cars idling for 5 ins. or more, burning gas and polluting the air, either because the engine will stall if cold, or the windows are fogged.
I don't know what Toyota did to give this automatic such good drive-away performance, because the idle speed seems normal, and the trans doesn't jerk or anything, but it behaves just like in the summer.
This is another feature that the reviewers are not aware of. Because it makes the Echo much more efficient and environmentally friendly in the cold, it should be emphasized in any "ECO" vehicle test. The electric heater in the cabin/defroster also means that the windows don't fog up from my breath even though the glass is cold. I just leave the windows open a crack when parked and they stay clear all the time.
I think it's due to being in a humid environment too...I bought the car from a dealer in Santa Monica (frequent fog and drastic temp changes). I will be getting some allow wheels put on soon. I was thinking of putting on 15" wheels but don't want the ride and gearing to change. Glad to know the Echo does well in sub-zero just in case I have to leave sunny California!
Tomorrow, I am taking the plunge and buying my Echo (finally!). He is a black sand pearl four door manual with upgrade packages 1, 2, the all weather guard package, rear spoiler, floor mats, and cargo net. Yes, I called my Echo a he and this is somewhat strange because most all my prior cars, I have thought of as female. When I buy the vanity plate (or find out the plate name is taken), I will reveal his name.
Congratulations! It sounds like mine except only pkg. 1 and no cargo net. I think the spoiler in back really changes the profile and am happy I have it. Let me know how you like the cargo net! I will be getting alloy wheels (14x6) soon...
After what seemed like a couple of hours doing paper work at the dealership, I held the keys to my new car in my trembling hands. Trembling because this is the largest single purchase I have made by myself.
I got the car at the Jay Wolfe dealership. Sorry, Moses, no referral bonus for you. I did go to Molle the first time I tried buying an Echo, but we just could not come to a crossing of the Ts and a dotting of the Is.
While my salesman and I got in my new Echo so he could show me a few things, my roommate went to get in my old car to take it home. She came back and reported that it would not start and did not even turn over. Personally, I think she forgot the car was a manual and just did not press in on the clutch. She climbed in the back of the Echo and I took her around to my Escort after the salesman and I were done. I parked, locked the Echo, and jumped into the Escort. It started right up. I turned it around for her, hopped out, and went back to the Echo.
The car had 55 miles on it when I took possession and now has about 110. First we took a quick trip to pick up her paycheck and then to the bank to deposit it. Everything was just great on this leg of our trip until we pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store where the bank was.
I started feeling like my car had a big bulls eye on it with the words "new car" in the center. A guy in a pick up tried to back into me and then a guy in a car tried doing the same. We found a spot without further incident and went inside.
We planned on going to a movie, but the parking lot was full and we could not find a parking spot so we decided to go to a later showing.
She needed to call her son and so we went to a Wal-Mart so she could use a phone. Again, the bulls eye must have been on my Echo because about three people came close to running into me.
Fortunately, close was all they came and my baby remains new and undamaged. Now some impressions.
I never really realized that you cannot (or at least I cannot) see the end of the car. In fact, I cannot see any part of the hood. I have already gotten used to it though.
I have also gotten used to the instrument cluster being center mounted. Much better than my roommate's Galant where I have to fight the steering wheel for a view of how fast I am going.
I am just amazed at how whisper quiet the car is. I commented to my roommate that I thought I was in an electric car.
I did feel the wind pushing me around a little, but no more than what I felt when I drove my Escort.
I am long legged and I wish the seat bottom was a little longer. The seats are very comfortable though.
I have the 3-in-1 radio and the sound is just incredible and the acoustics of the car were amazing. I had Back To Titanic in the CD player and when the Irish band was playing, I felt like the band was in the car.
My roommate and I are going to go eat and then catch that later showing of the movie. We are going to go see The Grinch using the free tickets one of my supervisors at work gave me for Christmas.
Purchased one length of foam insulation pipe for under $2 at a plumbing supply store. Purchased NAP #209491 box of tape (black, sticky, tar based, peel paper off) for $19.49. I spent what seemed like a couple of hours contorting my arms and hands around the air con pipes (some very hard to reach places) of my Echo. Glad I did it but don't think I want to do any of my other vehicles until warmer weather, if then. I used all the foam pipe insulation but not all of the tape. I wrapped both pipes almost entirely. I layered the sticky stuff almost too much in some places to make sure I had it covering the piping. Glad I did it.
My wife suggested we consider getting another Echo for our son in college (finishing up sophomore year) to replace a 86 Buck Century. Told her we need to wait to see where he and his brother will be going to school (alder son applying to law schools) since money is a concern. Anyway, her suggestion made me feel good about the Echo.
Hey congratulations! A lot of your feedback is the same for me...especially the seat cushion. I had a cramp in my leg until I readjusted my thinking to the tall profile and moved my seat closer. The one thing I am concerned with is the huge expanse of naked metal on the sides...my ZX-2 had the perfect height bodyside moulding which gave me piece of mind in crowded parking spots. The narrowness is an advantage though. Good luck with it!
Nice to read your comments, echoluvrst. I bet all those other drivers almost running into your car comes from you being so attuned to it now that it is brand new and yours. My problem is the opposite, I have been playing a lot of Need for Speed on my computer, and it is hard to get into the car and drive at a easy pace. I passed 18000 miles a short while ago, and just yesterday I gave the Echo another oil change and I rotated the tires. When I jack up the front wheel I find the rear wheel also goes up, on the same side. So it was easy to rotate tires. No noises, no problems, our family loves the car. I got caught in a traffic jam in Kona, and was thinking that the car was not so silent anymore, cause I could hear the sound easily with my window down. But a little rev to the engine didnt change a thing. I was hearing the cars ahead and behind. Nice surprise.
I guess you need to get a couple of dings in it so you can relax again.
About the large blank sides: I put a 1" plain black body side molding on each side of mine that I got at the local auto supply store "Canadian Tire". They tell you to run a strip of masking tape down the side first to establish a straight line. This was really tricky because if you look down the line from the front or back you can see the slightest deviation from straight.
Anyway, after a few tries I got the tape on straight. Then I put the molding on along the tape. Once you put this stuff on, it's on for good, so don't try it if you're not sure of yourself.
We went to a new years eve party last night out in the country. We left the Echo outside, on the bald windy prairie at -30C for about 7 hours. Everybody else plugged in their block heaters , but I decided to chance it with no heater based on my experience to date.
At 1:30 AM this morning we jumped into the Echo, and I turned the key. It started in less than 1 second ! I put it in gear turned around and headed for home. The windows were a little frosty to start with, but not enough to block our vision. What frost was there completely cleared before the "cold engine" blue lamp went out.
I just registered for this discussion and will check it frequently for advice and other people's experiences. On 12/29/00 I purchased an Absolutely Red 2001 Echo with upgrade packages 1 & 2, automatic 4 speed, and the 3 in 1 stereo. The sticker price was $15,127.00. I traded in a 1991 Ply mouth mini-van that was on its last legs and they gave me $1,000.00!! They then discounted approx. $1,000. I walked out with the car for $14,000.65. That included tax, title, license, and added dark window tinting. I feel I got a great deal.
This was a surprise for my 18 year old daughter and it was big hit. Lots of jumping up and down going "Oh, my god." I have had lots of kisses and undying devotion. We will see how long that lasts! LOB
A little background: in Set, '99, I bought my then 17 year old daughter a 1997 Ford Taurus L. I thought that I was getting her a good car for her last year of high school and college. Idiot me paid $10,000 for that car with no warranty. It lasted five months until the transmission blew on a road trip. Three months later (and over $1,500), the car was running again. Eighty-five days into the 90 day warranty, the transmission went out again. I spent two months arguing that they were going to honor the warranty. Now they have had it for eleven weeks and claim they can't get the appropriate parts. I am still fighting that battle. So after sixteen months of payments and insurance, she got to drive the car for not quite eight months. If it ever comes out of the shop, it will now be my car for the next year and a half. Then Mummy gets a new car, hopefully a REV 4.
Has anyone else noticed that their back window does not clear off that fast? I am having that problem and I am thinking maybe it has something to do with the way I have the controls set. I am still getting used to this car. This will be my first day at work with the new car and I cannot wait to show off my baby.
The Echo is going to be your daughter's car, she is 18, and you got it for her in red? I hope she does not have a lead foot because cops seem to stop speeders in red cars more often. : (
Now that I am an official member of this little club and have my own little Black Echo, when are we getting together and when are you coming down, Danny?
Ever since I had my Escort Wagon, I thought of a car as a tool to get me from point a to point b. The Echo has made driving fun again. Extremely fun. I cannot wait until this weekend and I get to go home and show my mother.
Well, I am at about the half way point on my first tank of gas and I have about 240 miles on my Echo. Given that the tank is 11.9 gallons, this means that I am getting over 40 miles to the gallon. WOW!
I was thinking that my engine was noiser than when I first got it, but I think I am just used to the sound it makes now and so it seems louder. It sure is nice to be able to talk in a normal voice and not have to talk over the engine like I do with my Escort.
I have yet to sit in the back seat, but my roommate and I took her son and his fiancee out to a late lunch and they rode in the back seat. They found it very comfortable. He is about as tall as I am, but she is a tiny little thing.
Someone posted that they found the headrests to be uncomfortable due to the forward slant, but I have not found this to be true. Also, even with the headrests in the Echo all the way down it still offers more whiplash protection than the headrests in my Escort do all the way up.
Sorry for so many short posts, but I thought that people would find it easier to gleam what information they wanted without having to read about a lot of stuff they didn't want to read.
Okay, who am I kidding? I just wanted to be the one to post the 700th post in the 7th Echo board. And I did it. This is number 700.
Steve: I'm really happy for you. After waiting so long, the echo experience must be all the sweeter. My rear window defroster seems to take a normal amount of time to clear. If only fogged it clears in a minute or two. If iced it takes quite a bit longer. The manual says it's not designed to melt ice or clear rain, but it does both after a long enough wait.
How do you like the way the windshield defrosts, even before the engine warms up ?
Comments
Echo suppose to be ok with everying 87 octane and up. But not all 87 octane are created equal. So you might want to try a different brand or a 89 octane to see if the knocking goes away. It most likely will. Engine knocking over long term can do harm to the engine, so don't sit around for too long. Good luck.
I think Toyota was planning 50,000 for the US for 2000.
For last year I could not find the exact number, I think it was between 10,000 and 11,000 - something like that.
So I would guess about 56,000 US Echo sales, total to date.
There is a market report on "Auto site":
http://www.autosite.com/editorial/asmr/svolfc.asp
I have found an Echo that is in my first color choice and equipped EXACTLY the way I want except for the side impact air bags and ABS. I am exchanging e-mail with the dealership right now and will probably see what kind of deal I can work out with them. Will keep you posted.
I'm about to go on a 2000km trip in the Echo up to Brisbane from Sydney and back. It has been running great, although 'running-in' is a pain at times, always changing speeds etc.
outlet mall parking lot and left a note on the
windshield saying congratulations on being
a fellow Echo owner. Yes, I did. It made
me feel good. Hope others will do the same
for me.
see post #94
BTW
I had to go to "SEDANS - TOYOTA ECHO 7" via the LOGIN button as well to erase the "you must first log in" message and get the posting boxes. Thanks to the person that posted this work around !
Of course, Americans don't like hatches but it the demand were there there'd be one.
I really love the euro steering wheel...it's a bit thicker with thumb-rests on the rim at 10 and 2 o'clock.
So take heart Echo fans!!! Europe Car of the Year!!!
Thanks in advance for your help!!!
negative messages."
Yes, I do post on other forums. Not as much as I used to, though.
I don't know why you call my messages negative. I suspect you came across the Focus Hatchback forum. Because that was the only place where you could find my truly negative posts.
And yes, I'm a Focus hatch owner. Why am I here? Well, in the near future I'll be in the market for a safe, reliable, ECHOnomical used car for my parents. And the Echo so far is one of the strongest contenders.
How's the things in Australia?
BTW the Edmunds forums is a great place to practice my broken English.
God bless America.
http://members.nbci.com/sonatafan
on the odometer, my son said it did not have the
new car smell of vinyl. He was right
since the floor mats are not vinyl and I can't
think of anything else made of vinyl.
I filled the gas tank for the first time and figured around 40
miles per gallon. This should be around the
maximum since it was steady driving, not loaded with
people or stuff, minimum use of ac, and not going over 60 mph.
I think I have a minor rattle in the driver's door
panel, probably wiring vibrating. Since I had
power doors and windows and cruise installed, most likely
the wires were not taped down away from the door.
I expected something to show up but figured it would
first be a paint chip or dent.
I read in the newspaper that activists in California are placing homemade
bumper stickers on SUVs that reads something like "I'm
changing the climate. Ask me how!" It refers to the gas guzzling habit of
SUVs so the stickers are not making those SUV owners happy. Anyway,
I am so glad that the Echo is a "green" car so I have no guilt feelings.
I have no problems posting now. Glad Edmunds acknowledged and fixed it.
The rattle in the door is probably the wiring added here in NA as you suspect because the Japanese are usually fanatical about tying everything down.
I don't know what Toyota did to give this automatic such good drive-away performance, because the idle speed seems normal, and the trans doesn't jerk or anything, but it behaves just like in the summer.
This is another feature that the reviewers are not aware of. Because it makes the Echo much more efficient and environmentally friendly in the cold, it should be emphasized in any "ECO" vehicle test.
The electric heater in the cabin/defroster also means that the windows don't fog up from my breath even though the glass is cold. I just leave the windows open a crack when parked and they stay clear all the time.
Glad to know the Echo does well in sub-zero just in case I have to leave sunny California!
Let me know how you like the cargo net! I will be getting alloy wheels (14x6) soon...
I got the car at the Jay Wolfe dealership. Sorry, Moses, no referral bonus for you. I did go to Molle the first time I tried buying an Echo, but we just could not come to a crossing of the Ts and a dotting of the Is.
While my salesman and I got in my new Echo so he could show me a few things, my roommate went to get in my old car to take it home. She came back and reported that it would not start and did not even turn over. Personally, I think she forgot the car was a manual and just did not press in on the clutch. She climbed in the back of the Echo and I took her around to my Escort after the salesman and I were done. I parked, locked the Echo, and jumped into the Escort. It started right up. I turned it around for her, hopped out, and went back to the Echo.
The car had 55 miles on it when I took possession and now has about 110. First we took a quick trip to pick up her paycheck and then to the bank to deposit it. Everything was just great on this leg of our trip until we pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store where the bank was.
I started feeling like my car had a big bulls eye on it with the words "new car" in the center. A guy in a pick up tried to back into me and then a guy in a car tried doing the same. We found a spot without further incident and went inside.
We planned on going to a movie, but the parking lot was full and we could not find a parking spot so we decided to go to a later showing.
She needed to call her son and so we went to a Wal-Mart so she could use a phone. Again, the bulls eye must have been on my Echo because about three people came close to running into me.
Fortunately, close was all they came and my baby remains new and undamaged. Now some impressions.
I never really realized that you cannot (or at least I cannot) see the end of the car. In fact, I cannot see any part of the hood. I have already gotten used to it though.
I have also gotten used to the instrument cluster being center mounted. Much better than my roommate's Galant where I have to fight the steering wheel for a view of how fast I am going.
I am just amazed at how whisper quiet the car is. I commented to my roommate that I thought I was in an electric car.
I did feel the wind pushing me around a little, but no more than what I felt when I drove my Escort.
I am long legged and I wish the seat bottom was a little longer. The seats are very comfortable though.
I have the 3-in-1 radio and the sound is just incredible and the acoustics of the car were amazing. I had Back To Titanic in the CD player and when the Irish band was playing, I felt like the band was in the car.
My roommate and I are going to go eat and then catch that later showing of the movie. We are going to go see The Grinch using the free tickets one of my supervisors at work gave me for Christmas.
Talk to you later.
for under $2 at a plumbing supply store.
Purchased NAP #209491 box of tape (black, sticky,
tar based, peel paper off) for $19.49.
I spent what seemed like a couple of hours contorting my arms
and hands around the air con pipes (some very hard to reach
places) of my Echo. Glad I did it but don't think I want to
do any of my other vehicles until warmer weather, if then.
I used all the foam pipe insulation but not all of the tape.
I wrapped both pipes almost entirely. I layered the sticky
stuff almost too much in some places to make sure I had
it covering the piping. Glad I did it.
My wife suggested we consider getting another Echo for
our son in college (finishing up sophomore year) to replace
a 86 Buck Century. Told her we need to wait to see where
he and his brother will be going to school (alder son applying
to law schools) since money is a concern. Anyway, her suggestion
made me feel good about the Echo.
The one thing I am concerned with is the huge expanse of naked metal on the sides...my ZX-2 had the perfect height bodyside moulding which gave me piece of mind in crowded parking spots. The narrowness is an advantage though.
Good luck with it!
your car comes from you being so attuned to it now that it is brand new and yours. My
problem is the opposite, I have been playing a lot of Need for Speed on my computer,
and it is hard to get into the car and drive at a easy pace.
I passed 18000 miles a short while ago, and just yesterday I gave the Echo another oil
change and I rotated the tires. When I jack up the front wheel I find the rear wheel also
goes up, on the same side. So it was easy to rotate tires.
No noises, no problems, our family loves the car. I got caught in a traffic jam in Kona,
and was thinking that the car was not so silent anymore, cause I could hear the sound
easily with my window down. But a little rev to the engine didnt change a thing. I was
hearing the cars ahead and behind. Nice surprise.
I guess you need to get a couple of dings in it so you can relax again.
About the large blank sides:
I put a 1" plain black body side molding on each side of mine that I got at the local auto supply store "Canadian Tire". They tell you to run a strip of masking tape down the side first to establish a straight line. This was really tricky because if you look down the line from the front or back you can see the slightest deviation from straight.
Anyway, after a few tries I got the tape on straight. Then I put the molding on along the tape. Once you put this stuff on, it's on for good, so don't try it if you're not sure of yourself.
Passed 200 miles today.
At 1:30 AM this morning we jumped into the Echo, and I turned the key. It started in less than 1 second ! I put it in gear turned around and headed for home. The windows were a little frosty to start with, but not enough to block our vision. What frost was there completely cleared before the "cold engine" blue lamp went out.
This was a surprise for my 18 year old daughter and it was big hit. Lots of jumping up and down going "Oh, my god." I have had lots of kisses and undying devotion. We will see how long that lasts! LOB
A little background: in Set, '99, I bought my then 17 year old daughter a 1997 Ford Taurus L. I thought that I was getting her a good car for her last year of high school and college. Idiot me paid $10,000 for that car with no warranty. It lasted five months until the transmission blew on a road trip. Three months later (and over $1,500), the car was running again. Eighty-five days into the 90 day warranty, the transmission went out again. I spent two months arguing that they were going to honor the warranty. Now they have had it for eleven weeks and claim they can't get the appropriate parts. I am still fighting that battle. So after sixteen months of payments and insurance, she got to drive the car for not quite eight months. If it ever comes out of the shop, it will now be my car for the next year and a half. Then Mummy gets a new car, hopefully a REV 4.
Sorry for so many short posts, but I thought that people would find it easier to gleam what information they wanted without having to read about a lot of stuff they didn't want to read.
Okay, who am I kidding? I just wanted to be the one to post the 700th post in the 7th Echo board. And I did it. This is number 700.
I'm really happy for you. After waiting so long, the echo experience must be all the sweeter. My rear window defroster seems to take a normal amount of time to clear. If only fogged it clears in a minute or two. If iced it takes quite a bit longer. The manual says it's not designed to melt ice or clear rain, but it does both after a long enough wait.
How do you like the way the windshield defrosts, even before the engine warms up ?