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The other day it was so warm up here in CT that I decided to give my '00 Blue SEv6 a 10,000 mile birthday present of a hand wash. As the week of grime and dust came off, I noticed several new dings and scratches, as well as one major problem with the paint around my left fog light.
I'm looking for suggestions about:
1) Have people found it worth it to get small dents, not bigger that 1 square in. (door dings) repaired? What's the most cost-effective way to accomplish this?
2) What about small scratches? Is the Solara touch-up paint easy to use and a good match? Some of the scratches go down to the white primer.
3) The problem around the fog light is that the paint has actually peeled away (think sunburned skin). What is actually showing is the black metal/plastic underneath the blue color. Am I out of line thinking this is a defective paint job? Does anyone know what the "official" name of this car part is (the grille-looking thing that holds the fog lights)? Could it be the front bumper cover or the front bumper extension? Any suggestions for repair/replacement?
Thanks,
Brad
What exactly are you looking for your car? The only thing that I know they have not make for Solara is the header. Otherwise most of the performance parts are already available.
Are you happy after the first couple of days?
The ride is almost the same as the Bridgestone Potenzas I had before (just a bit harsher when I hit a hole or bump). But I think they are quieter than the Brigestones. A very, very smooth ride.
I think I got my car the way I wanted to look. I don't want those vinyl stickers all over the place. I got my Niche chrome wheels and TRD suspension, I got exhaust, KN drop in filter, TRD supercharger and a rear sway bar later on. That's pretty much all I need. I got speed and I got the looks. Hehe a few days ago at drive-through ATM there was this lady behind me and she got out of the car and got right next to me to complement my car. I thought she was going to rob me. But anyway, I have more info at my website, kinda outdated but okay. http://home.cfl.rr.com/poman
Just wait until Camryman forum getting back up Feb 14th. Someone there got their Indigo guages for Solara. No clear corners or euro lights that I know off but I know there's people out there got them.
poman, nice rims and i like the red caliplars or however u speell 'em....anywayz, what size tire did u get? i am thinking about 235/40/17
I have 225/45/17 and that's what TRD has. 235/40/17 might be a bit wide. You might have to roll the rear fenders to accomodate that. Goto http://www.trdusa.com for more info on TRD package for Solara.
the only water problem i notice is, whenever the solara gets washed, and then maybe you lower the windows, when the windows get raised they sure do have alot of water on them.... moreso than other cars i own... nuts you say? i think not.
tires- i just bought 225/45/17 and after a long and inquistive search i have found that 235 will probably not fit. if the offset is real wide it may fit with respect to the strut tower, however it will definitely rub the fenders. trd said their offset is 38mm but the actual tsw revo wheels are 40mm. maybe they had em specially made for the fender... mine is 42mm and i have no prob now but maybe after i put the springs on it will potentially touch the fender. trd said up to 43mm should be ok. are you gonna put on lowering springs? if so i would buy just 225/45 because it will still be a tight fit and the tires are cheaper.
brian
kdonkor1 - 215/60s are just right. Don't go any taller due to the strut tower and don't go wider due to the stock wheel size... If you change the wheel, you have more options (within the limit of the fender).
'99 SE V6 5-Speed
The noise that I had was a "clunk" when the car was going upwards, after certain kinds of dips in the road. It was nothing functional, just a noise once in a while.
My service adviser said that Toyota was replacing the strut towers, as the hole in the orginal ones was a little large, and allows the bolt holding the strut to move a fraction of an inch, making the clunk.
It is possible that they cannot duplicat it - it really only happened once in a while, but it would ALWAYS do it on the same bump.
Thanks for the information. Did your dealer replace the strut towers? My dealer said he wasn't aware of any problems with the strut towers and didn't know of any service bulletin from Toyota. Are you aware of any service bulletin? I suppose I'll need to go on a test drive with the service advisor in order to point out the noise. Again, thanks for your help.
"#311 of 432 2000 Camry Steering STINKS! by george5 Jan 17, 2001 (09:29 pm)
I have a 2000 Toyota Camry with 2,400 miles on it, and I have to say that the steering system on this car stinks! Does
anyone else think this as well?
My Camry is extremely tiring to drive on the freeway because of the continuess steering wheel adjustments required to
make the car go in the correct direction. It is TOO sensitive to the road crown, moreso if the road is lower on the
left(tilted down to the left), the car just drifts left quickly. When the road is tilted to the right, it behaves well and does not
drift however. I did take it in for an alignment to the dealer at around 900 miles, and it has helped a little, but this is
REDICULOUS. What a WASTE of money to have bought this car. I know the problem is with the car, and not me,
because I have driven a friends 1999 Honda Accord a few times, and her car drives effortlessly. The steering on the
Accord adjusts automatically on its own to compensate for the crown(tilt) in the road, enabling you to go straight with
little effort.
On my Camry, I have also noticed that the car drifts slightly to the left even on level roads."
As for quality of service, find a dealer near your home who has a reputation for treating his customers well and you'll be fine; Toyota has a major push on right now to address these issues (Toyota dealers have gotten a reputation as "order takers" because their businesses are usually quite high volume).
Don't let us scare you into not buying a Solara. The thing about these forums is we usually search them out when we have a problem, hoping someone else will have some advice as to what to do to fix it. That's true in every forum. So you may hear some complaints, but as a whole, they are few for the Solara. Try reading some of the other forums and you will see a difference in the Solara and its competition.
On the other hand, we don't usually post when there are good things about a car, and we should. I would advise you to keep reading this forum and test drive as many Solara as you can get your hands on. Don't compromise on what you want and don't buy one that pulls or does anything it's not suppose to do. Once you buy it, you may never get it fixed to your satisfaction. Mine tracks perfectly straight, as I'm sure most do, but if someone has one that doesn't, you will definitely hear about it here.
Take someone (objective) with you on the test drives and give the car a good check. I think we all hate hearing someone complain about something they should have known about before they bought a car (too small, not fast enough, inadequate stereo, etc.). Researching your prospective car is free and you will be rewarded with exactly what you want and I think you will much happier with your decision. I know I am.
Take everything you read and balance it out before you make your decision. Keep us posted and Good Luck!
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I've heard that the 2002 model year may bring changes to the Solara. If anyone has any kind of information or pictures of the changes, we all would be glad to know about them.
I own a 2000 SE V6-5spd. with the option 6 package (leather, roof, stereo, everything) and have had it for 9000 wonderful miles. No pulling left here. I do have a couple of questions for you.
First, there is a warning light that flashes when someone is sitting in the passenger seat and isn't wearing their seat belt. I find it very annoying when I am carrying something in that seat and that light keeps flashing at me. Do you know a way to easily disconnect it? In doing so, will it have any effect on my manufacturers or extended warranties? Or should I have the service center disconnect it?
Second, what type of gas should I use in my solara? The options I have available here are 87, 89 w/ 10% ethanol, or 92 octane. I thought ethanol would be safe since it is a new car, but have heard bad things about it. Any suggestions?
jabeck
2000 black w/gold SEV6
I just dropped my car off to get an oil change and they are going to take care of the strut tower clunk. I asked my service advisor if there was a TSB and he said yes. The dealer is Sheridan Toyota in Santa Monica. He also said that it is not going to be done on all Solaras but only those were the customer hears the noise and brings it to the dealer's attention.
In my opinion. . .
- If you disconnect it yourself you will void the warranty on electrical parts in the car. Who knows what other element of the warranty would be voided.
- I highly doubt that the dealer would disconnect it for you because this is considered a safety feature, even if you believe it is an annoyance.
By the way, sometimes that happens to me when I have a bag of groceries on the passenger seat.
I may not be correct but it is just my guess.
Has anyone had the 30k mile service done? I am coming up on that mark and I think that I am going to have it done.
Thanks,
Neil
'99 SLE
Red\Gray - 28,705 miles
<IMP arc="http://www.406coupe.ch/406pos1.jpg"
<IMP arc="http://www.406coupe.ch/406neto9.jpg" target=_blank
This Coupe carries their sign discreetly on the side.
I'll look around the Town Hall and possibly post it in other forums.
I have to confess that as I happy Solara owner, this is the only forum I find time to read...
If you have a S/C, check the belt to insure it is not rubbing your AC line. My S/C belt wore a hole clean through after 16k miles of driving. My dealership is going to try and make a custom line that bends away from the belt. Good luck.
Neil
i am confused by what you are saying is being offered to you...
are you saying : the invoice price of the car is $X, but i'm paying $1000 less than that because there's a $1000 rebate?
if you are saying that, then it's a good deal in my opinion.
on the other hand: if you are saying, the invoice of the car is $X, and that is what I'm paying. There's a $1000 rebate but the dealer is keeping that.
if you are saying that, then it's not a good deal.
2 door coupes are slow sellers-- and bad retail... hold firm for invoice less the $1000, plus no more than $200. times are tough these days-- dealers need to move iron. am i nuts?
I read in your post #169 that you've installed an eclipse cd changer. I also have a 99 SLE with JBL premium stereo. Where can I get the cd changer? I live in LA.
Also, has anyone installed wood dash to their solara (either factory or aftermarket). Does it match with the original wood dash?
Thanks
Check out Msg 521 for pics of wood dash installed. Looks great.
I have a 2000 Solar and have ordered a Kit for my car... should be in next week.
I also will install the side wind vents ..