Toyota Echo

lynnann1

That's the sound the back brakes on my ECHO make occasionall-- most of the time when parking on an incline and drifting slightly after the parking brake is applied and it's damp out. But it happens at other times too (not very often). It's not very loud, in any case anyone else notice this.

jjaykkay

Hi
I drive a 4dr/2000/Echo/sedan..
It is great in :Fuel economy, Pick up
I even drove in snow..Snow storm 2000..on New year eve in New york..No major problem..but it was slightly skiddy (at 30mph, 18 inces snow).But it was never out of control..
Problem:I am hearing shrieky whisling noise some times..it is annoying at times..any of you guys faced it?If yes..what could be the reason?where is it coming from..Is it serious?

jjaykkay

Can anybody tell me how to measure the exact fuel consumption?
Is it that you have to measure from the time the gaspump signal starts flashing and to the same signal after flling up the tank..if the question is too kiddish, curse me as moron and still answer me..this is my first car and I am from India..
I drive an automatic 2000 Echo..it is making shrieking noise at times..dont know where it is coming from..
can somebody guess why?
Thanks

kaz6

lynnmann1: I too had some squealing from the rear brake when coming to a stop applying light pressure. It was not constant and did not happen with full pressure on the brakes. It has pretty much gone away for now but I've noticed that it is something that was more noticable when it was warm out.
jjaykkay: I've cruised as high as 90mph but have not noticed any wind shrieks. It is pretty quiet and am always amazed that the wipers work at that speed!~

kneisl1

Best to take the car to the dealer and find out what is going on. You don't give enough details to make a diagnosis by email. To check mileage: fill the tank until you can see gas in the filler port. Drive more than 100 miles. Fill the tanks again so the gas comes up to the level it did before.

lynnann1

the next time you fill your tank write down your mileage or turn your trip odometer to zero. Drive your wonderful ECHO.

Then when you fill 'er up again, subtract the odometer mileage of the first fill from the mileage for the second fill-up or look at the number of miles driven from your trip odometer. Also, write down number of gallons it took to fill up the tank the second time and divide the miles driven by the number of gallons.

If I've given you the correct instructions this should give you the miles per gallon for one tank of gas.

vocus

That sound is normal. It's just the parking brake gripping the car from moving when you apply it. Both my 1999 Mazda Protege and my 1993 Pontiac Bonneville make the same sound like yours does. Don't worry about it and enjoy driving your Echo!

jjaykkay

Hey
I am really glad that I got replies lightning fast(i honestly was not hoping for it for another day)Thanks guys
kneisl1:The noise is not regular.It has come 4-6 times for the past 1 year(14K miles - total).It comes while accelerating(merging with highway) or while deccelerating(immediately after taking exits)..not while braking..lasts for a couple of min(shriekingly disconcerting..)before I find out where it is coming from , it is gone..
Even if i take it to the dealer,infact i did it once, but could not reproduce the noise..and could not explain where it is coming from..bit frustrating..
But for that, my Echo is real cool..no other problem what so ever..only i have to bear my friends' banter when i roll up and down my windows by hand!??
lynnann1 :Thanks .will follow your instruction to find out fuel consumption..

jjaykkay

vocus :Thanks..So parking brakes are the culprits huh..if it is not anything serious..i shall pass it..
Thanks..

lynnann1

That's what I thought it was. Although it does do it sometimes when I come to a slow brake such as in a parking lot when I'm slowing down to park.

deadbeatle

My 96 Corolla is also a handful to drive in snow and/or ice - unless I add some weight in the trunk (over the rear wheels);in my case 2,40 pound bags of water softner salt - makes the car handle much better. I believe the key is having extra weight positioned in the trunk over the rear wheels to keep the rear of the car from going "astray"

vocus

The Cavalier (hunk of junk) that I replaced with the Protege used to do that all the time from the back brakes, and my roommate's current 2000 Neon (23.2K) does it too when stopping. It's normal, from what the people at Goodyear told me.

kneisl1

Just for the hell of it, see if anything is caught in the fan that cools the radiator. (or, when the noise comes on, see if it goes off when the fan stops) The fan is right behind the rear of the radiator, make sure the engine is COLD before you do this.

lynnann1

I've had cars where the brakes squeal, grind, etc but I have to tell you this sound that the ECHO's brakes make is acually quite funny.

Re other sounds - jjaykkay's shreak - come to think of it, my sometimes does it on startup or if I haven't run the AC in a while and it's damp out and I turn it on. Sort of sounds like the belts are slipping for a few seconds until they catch. This has never happened while I've been driving though.

re: driving in snow -- I never thought putting weight in the trunk of a front wheel drive car would do much good. We used to do it for rear wheel drive vehicles to put weight over the drive wheels, but for fwd they have the engine for weight. IMHO

babyboomer

Pollen is everywhere, including in my nose and on my Echo.
It will get worst before it gets better. Spring has sprung.

lynnann1

I'm curious too, since I have a few scratches I also want to try to get out. If nobody knows about this product are there any ideas short of taking the car to the body shop?

bigdaddy18

Ibought a 2000 echo coupe, 5 speed 6 months ago. I drive alot of miles to work on the highway. At 7,500 miles the clutch was burned out. At first Toyota said it was my fault(owning many 4 bangers in the past I can assure you it was not!) but then Toyota America agreed to repair. If you own a 5 speed Echo-please drive like an old lady! These cars are not made with the same strength as other Toyota's(so the Toyota Rep. tells me). Also clutches were on back order from the factory-could be a defect? New consumers----BUY AUTOMATIC! I will update info when I have driven another 7ooo miles.

sonatafan

Your'e warning Echo owners and new car shoppers about a problem that does not seem widespread. Obviously you had an experience that was a defect in your particular car.

My 5 speed has 25,200 miles on it and I definitely do not drive like an "old lady"!
I drive 800 - 1000 mile a week and I'm not shy about putting my car to work on the highway.

I think it is absurd for someone to have an isolated problem and then come here and post that people should avoid that particular car or feature!

Any other folks who own the 5 speed may want to provide input on this subject.

kaz6

I definitely agree that 'warning all potential owners' is a bit extreme. I checked the NHTSA site for any new service bulletins or recalls; none are posted regarding the clutch.
I too drive fairly aggressively but I don't abuse my clutch. The tranny has actually improved with use as it is less notchy than when new. I don't like auto's on ANY vehicle as it makes me feel like I'm in an appliance. It's just MHO.
Sorry to hear that you have had your clutch burn out but have yet to hear about the same problem from any other owners.
Good luck with the new one!

dsgecho

I only have 1100 miles on my echo but no problems with the clutch or anything else exc. the driver's side window seems loose in the track and will get it checked at the 6 mo. servicing. A ba dclutch should be covered under warrantyw/o a problem I would think.

kneisl1

Strange that a clutch would wear out in 7000 miles, but perhaps it was bad. If you need another one in 7000 miles I would think it is something in the way you are using it. Shift into neutral at lights, keeping your foot away from the clutch. Remove your foot from the clutch after shifting. Stay within the recommended range of speed for each gear. Don't use the clutch to hold the car on a hill. Driving like an old lady is not a bad idea either for everyone, people are entirely too aggressive driving these days. I drive slowly to work so I can listen longer to that nice cd player.

rvdmerwe

My Echo only came with an in-dash AM/FM radio, but no CD or TAPE unit. Does anyone know how much it will cost to add the CD unit as an aftermarket purchase?

R.

jbear87

Go to www.crutchfield.com

They are not the cheapest place on line, but they will send you instructions on how to install the ad player for your particular car model and all of the accessories

levine90

Hi, guys! Here's the run-down on my situation: I'm a High School senior guy seeking a car for either a 2 hour or a 4-5 hour drive to school come the fall. My mom's experience with Toyota, as well as our budget, limits me to the ECHO. Fine by me; although I didn't initially like the styling it's growing on me and the interior's nice. So we've decided.

I'm looking at hopefully grabbing a 2 door 5 speed Black Sand Pearl (Yes! Those things are sharp looking) with only a few options: A/C (a must!) and at least a casette player being the minimums. My mom, the purchaser and ultimately the one who has the final say in the matter, also insists on the Extended Warranty. I know, it's a ripoff, but I'm not paying so I'm not going to raise too much of a fuss

Here's my question: with those base options, I expect someone around here (North Carolina) will be able to provide me with something similar or at least pull one from another lot. I've done my price checking, and I would like to be able to get the thing for around $11,000 or $11,500 not including the warranty. Is this possible/plausible? Also, since the warranty is (from my understanding - correct me if I'm wrong) almost entirely dealer profit, I'm hoping that once they learn we're going to be picking that up, they will be more generous with options and extras. Not that I _need_ power steering or a CD player or an auto tranny, but is it likely that I could haggle these with that Extended Warranty? I suppose it all depends on their stock, but I'm always curious

Also, I'd love to hear from kids in my situation (college, high school students) with the ECHO and their takes on it.

Thanks a bunch!
Peter

medard

Peter,

Just some advice I gathered regarding vehicle extended warranty.

It is much much better to purchase extended warranty from the manufacturer (NOT the dealer) or from your auto insurance company. A lot of times, when the dealership is sold, the new owner do not honor the warranty.
Good luck.

levine90

That's interesting - I assumed that an Extended Warranty was good at all Toyota dealerships coast to coast? Hmmm... I wonder if the salesman will tell me about that little nugget if I ask him

Oh, and also: If I install an aftermarket in-dash CD player for example, what will that do to my warranty? I assume void it, but only on the radio, or the whole dash, or the whole blasted car?

Thanks,
Peter

kneisl1

Base ECHOs are extremely hard to find. The cheapest ECHO I could get was $12,200 with ps, 3in1 radio (cassette and cd), mats, heavy duty winter package, and I forget what else. The $275 I paid for the stero was worth the money, IMHO.

medard

Literally everyone or any company can offer extended warranty. If you purchase extended warranty from a dealership, it is only good at that particular dealership. By contrast, the basic warranty is offered by the manufacturer and is therefore good at all dealerships, coast to coast.

I can't answer your question regarding aftermarket installation. However, I'm sure you'll get input from other participants in this or other forums.

jbear87

Peter, it is always nice to get things from factory, but if you don't the installation will not void the warranty of the entire car! Of course, the CD player won't be covered by the car warranty, but if you buy a good CD player it will be covered for a year or so by the manufacturer
Installation is a snap. It entails pulling off part of the dash, pulling out the factory radio, unsnapping the connection, and reversing the above said on the new stereo.
Hope this helps!!

echolalia

I took me ECHO to the local dealer last month to replace the noisy windshield wipers and the popped out right rear wheel lip. They were both working alright until a couple of days ago, the wipers start making noise again after being replaced. Yesterday, I noticed that the left rear plastic wheel lip on the other side of the car is also popped out.
So many rattles is heard from the plasticky dashboard. The service consultant who serviced my car provided such crappy service...I am glad he was fired when Toyota of Garden Grove contacted me and asked how I was treated and was I satisfied with their service? They received all the negatives. They asked me to be nice with their evaluation when Toyota send me a service satisfaction survey. I bet they will not get what they want to hear even with a free oil change bribery.

echolalia

I have lots of problem detecting another car coming from behind on the right side of the ECHO due to the large blind spot created between the rear passenger window and the back window. I used to be able to change lane with ease on my 91' Corolla but with the ECHO I have to be very careful and the additional time spent looking in the back reduces the car's quickness in traffic. I thought the ECHO's design prefers function over form and look but in this case I think looks dominate function. Please correct me if I am wrong. I have noticed that the new Camry & Celica
have large blind spot in the back also. My mom complaint that it used to be easier with lane change on her 87 Camry than on her 99 Camry.
I am used to the engine knocking noise by now. It does not bother as much when I started hearing it for the 1st time...my local service dealer said there is nothing wrong with the engine, they said I just have to use higher grade octane.

autonuts

Does anyone know if Toyota will be making a station wagon version of the Echo? If so, do you know when? I know they have plans for the Matrix but was wondering about the Echo. Any info appreciated.- Thanks!!

kaz6

I don't have a problem with blind spots with my Echo or any other car I've owned. I always install blind-spot mirrors (those small convex lense mirrors that stick on to the oem mirror) and they are great. I never have to look over my shoulder and merging is a piece of cake as well.
As far as the dash rattling...the only rattling I've had is from my cd's and cassettes in their nooks.
My engine is silky smooth and strong...don't have a knock problem with mine no matter what octane I use. Sorry to hear your's has so many problems!
Maybe you should go to another dealership if that one is so unpleasant?
Good luck to you!

koyoteee

Yesterday, it was extremely windy here in southern Ontario, as I went for a long Sunday afternoon drive. Actually, it was more like "flying" the Echo, as it seemed at times like (I imagine) trying to control a small plane in turbulence If you think of it like that, it makes it kind of a fun challenge

echohead

Hi! I have been following this group for some time now. I think you all are a group of great people. I have a question about something, though. In numerous posts I see different people ordering ECHO from the factory. I was wondering how are you doing this? I have talked to our different Toyota dealers around here and they say that they have to take whatever the factory gives them, but they can go to other dealerships to see if they have what you want. I also called 1-800- gotoyota and they told me the same thing. am waiting for the 2002 ECHO to come out before I purchase, but I want to make sure they will have what I want. I want a Satin Gold 4 Dr 5 sp, with option packages 1 and 2, all weather package, spoiler and alloy wheels. I know all the options probably won't be the same on the 2002 as on the 2001, but like I said, I am only in the planning stage right now. Any help would be really, really appreciated. BTW I am in the Dayton-Cincinnati thanks in advance!!!!!! Keep on ECHO-ing :-)

vitaminj

Well, I did it! I've been researching and reading this site for 2 months and I finally bought a 2door automatic ECHO this past Saturday! Thanks for all the info. you guys! You all sound like happy happy customers for the most part. I Can't wait!! Everytime I see an Echo on the road I get envious. But soon, so soon, I will be driving my own. One crappy thing I have to do first though, is trade my Tercel in.....sadness. I'm really gonna feel bad about that. She was good to me....can we all have a moment of silence for my old Tercel? I'm cleaning her and shining her up so she can make a graceful exit. Anyone have separation anxiety with their old cars?

kneisl1

In my experience you have to buy one that is already made. The dealer did not say absolutely that you COULD NOT custom order your own ECHO, but I believe that the DEALER looks on that as a major hassle. That's my experience YEMV.

sonatafan

I had similar thoughts while piloting my Echo through strong winds. I felt that it was like wind surfing and when you understand and get used to it, it can be fun!

cats_echo

I am a sophmore in high school and have a black sand pearl echo. its a great car. Everyone is always asking me what it is. There aren't very many of them around. I like because i'm the one paying for the gas and i've filled it up twice in 800 miles.

kaz6

I had a hard time even finding Echo's on the lots of the dealerships I visted before finding mine.
A lot of the dealers don't seem open to ordering one as they are only concerned with moving what they have to 'up' their allocations.
Mine was close to everything I wanted and had the dealer take cost off for the things I didn't want.
cats_echo: I'm jealous!!! I love the Echo in black! Mine is the Electric Green which is nice but not as rare as yours!
It's funny how everyone thinks mine is longer than others due to the rear spoiler and pinstriping...

kneisl1

Good luck with your new ECHO! I think you will find it a major improvment on the Tercel, its much roomier and a little snappier to drive. I've driven my friends TERCELS and liked them a lot in fact that's what I was going to Toyota to look at when shopping for a new car...but instead of Tercel there was ECHO....

seafoamden

I'm just about to buy an echo. I've always been a 5 speed man but the local dealer has an auto trans that is in the color I want as well as all the options. I did think the manual was a bit sluggish in 2nd but was killer in 4 and 5. The auto seemed to rev pretty high before shifting. Can any of you echoites persuade me to go to automatic, or should I stick with manual tranny? The availability of 5 speeds with the options I want seems to be pretty slim out here in California.

lynnann1

don't know much about manual, learned but never had the desire to drive one with the heavy stop and go traffic we have on the roads I travel.

I have an auto and I really like the way it shifts. It's quick, smooth and fast and two weeks after we bought car last May we took a trip and got 41 mpg with straight highway driving. The overdrive cutoff switch is an especially nice feature.

kaz6

Yes it is hard to find 5-speeds and you are right about 2nd gear. That said, I am very happy with the 5-spd and the clutch is one of the best I've used.
I drive the high dessert a lot so manuals are the only way to go! My daily commute is heavy stop and go but not an issue. Besides, the $1000 that would go for an auto could be used for other goodies!

kneisl1

I agree with lynnann - manual for long distance commute, but auto for driving in traffic. But you say you always had five speeds, so if you drove them in traffic why not ECHO. I despise auto transmissions, but if I drove in traffic all the time I'd have to admit they are better. I agree with you that the CLUTCH on ECHO is the best I have ever used...and that includes the one on my 240D which lasted 21 years.

joebrautigam

we have a four door, 5 speed model.
to get 600 miles on one tank wasn't easy.
It involved drafting semi trucks and stopping as little as possible. I think maybe three times the whole trip/tank, the last one being to re-fuel. Speeds varied between 65 and 75. the terrain was hilly, but not mountains (OH, PA, NY). It was august and we did not use the AC. The MPG for that tank was 55. We averaged 48 mpg for the whole trip CT-CA-CT. In general we get 40mpg around town.
I would opt for the Echo over the Prius if you do alot of highway driving.

danny28

Auto vs. manual:

I have always preferred manuals over autos, but have owned a few autos due to non-availability of a manual. This occurred when I bought our Echo. The dealer sold me an auto for the same price as I offered on the manual, and my daughter drives a little bit aggressively, so I thought this way I wouldn't have to worry about the clutch wear.

The good news is that I'm very happy with the auto. It has a lock-up torque converter so it doesn't slip on the highway like most autos. It also has electronic shift control rather than hydraulic, so it has a very sophisticated shifting algorithm which takes some getting used to, but delivers excellent mileage and performance. Some of the things we auto owners on this forum have noticed are:
1)The trans up-shifts (1->2->3->4(OD..))very quickly when accelerating slowly which takes advantage of the good low end torque that kniesl1 mentioned and delivers excellent city driving mileage. This sometimes causes the car to feel a little sluggish if a hill is encountered during slow acceleration. The cure is to either accelerate a little more aggressively before a hill, or ignore the feeling. The trans does downshift quickly if you press down on the accelerator in this circumstance.
2)Like most autos it allows the engine to rev. up well under full throttle conditions, but there is no hestitation on high RPM shifts like you find with some older autos.
3)The computer "locks out" 4th gear (overdrive)while the engine is cold, presumably to speed up the warm-up, and improve emissions.
4)The engine/trans combo has excellent "driveaway" performance even at -30C (-22F). You can just jump in and go at any temperature.

I hope this helps.

danny28

Please keep posting guys. I love to read your dialog, especially when it gets a little heated. I think you both have a lot of good info. to offer. I for one, came very close to buying a Focus. It was my second choice after the Echo, and if the price had been the same I would have had a very hard time choosing. I'm sure that a lot of readers who are still shopping are interested as well.

VADP, I couldn't help but notice that in your 7+1 point comparison of the Focus and Echo that you gave the Focus 3 points and the Echo 3, with two scored as ties. Are you second guessing your decision to buy the Focus now ? In my case, I would add price as a ninth category which for a stripped version up here in Canada would go to the Echo.

A tenth category for me was side air bags. However, neither the Ford nor the Toyota dealers here stocked vehicles with them. In both cases I would have had to wait for a factory order since they were not dealer installable (SP?..English?).

danny28

I have put wider tires on at least three vehicles and in all cases found poorer performance in snow. When I first did it, I expected the snow performance to improve, expecting something like a "snowshoe effect". By the third vehicle (slow learner ??), my F150 4x4, I new I was mainly doing it for looks. However, on that one I thought it would improve the gas mileage a bit by "gearing it up" a little (larger dia. as well), but that got worse too. I still think it looked better though !

Anyway, what I've found, especially in deep snow, is that skinny tires cut through the snow and run on more solid stuff underneath, where the wider ones tend to try to ride up on top of it causing more rolling resistance. In an extreme case of 10" wide tires on my old mini, the wide tires "plowed" the snow. It was way better with the stock 4" wide tires in snow.

What I've found that is even more important for winter driving, though, is the type of rubber used in the tire. Winter-only tires like snow tires or ice-radials are made from softer rubber which grips ice and snow much better. The "big lie" in tire sales are the so-called "all season radials" which are built from hard rubber. The tire companies make these because we consumers can't be bothered to change wheels in the winter, and want them to last forever.

A good friend of mine has a solution to this dilemma. He just leaves winter tires on all the time on all four wheels and lets them wear out. (The soft rubber wears much faster, especially in the summer)This is what I plan to do on my first tire change because the Echo tires are so cheap anyway.

babyboomer

A co-worker finally saw my Echo and was full of questions. I answered them all and even offered her the key so she could test drive it. I would love for someone else to have an Echo in our small town so I can compare notes, brag that I am not the only one with an Echo, and maybe we can mate them! She did not test drive it but now that I know she is interested I can tell her more. I told her the worst thing about my Echo is that it is getting only 30 to 40 mpg. I love having a car that you can not actually see the gas needle moving to zero and a fill up is less than 12 gallons. My wife's Blazer seems addicted to filling stations, as compared to the economy of the Echo. She allows me to drive my Echo during the weekend but she borrows it for scooting around town during weekends. Been married 30 years tomorrow and what's hers is hers and what's mine is hers. Glad she drives that Echo. Very Echonomical.