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According to the Toyota site, 03 ECHO's will start arriving tomorrow, Sep 3.
The first Echo is due for it's 30,000 mile service. I notice in the maintenance book the spark plugs need to be changed. I don't get dealer service since they're so expensive and the shop that gave me an estimate says the Echo uses Iridium spark plugs and should last 60,000 to 100,000 miles. Does anyone know the descrepency?
I read the articles in Motor Trend and AMI Autoworld about the changes in the 2003 Echo and I called the dealership where I bought my Echo. They don't expect to get the '03 until mid-October. This could be due to our being in the middle of the country.
When I have gotten to see it in person, I will make an effort to get online and tell you what I think.
The American Toyota site has updated the ECHO page for 2003.
Wow, that black ECHO on the main ECHO page looks very sharp...reminds me of the last Tercel.
Actually, the site is partially up, but should be finished within the next day. Usually they don't leave it half finished for too long. The rear of the black ECHO looks fantastic with a crisp trunk lid. Don't tell the 2003 Accord fans, but I think the front of the ECHO is a little bit like it in light and simplicity of the grille. Also, I think the profile view of the head and tail lights make it look somewhat Lexus GS-like. Overall, I think this car is much sharper and likeable than the 2000-2002. I liked that one too but I think this one is more appealing. Toyota may have been looking to change it the most it could without a redesign to really boost sales. Does anyone know how current ECHO sales compare with those of the latest years of the Tercel? I wouldn't mind trading in my Corolla for this new car. I noticed an interior showed power windows...perhaps they will be more available now?
According to the Toyota website you only have a choice of pebble beige interiors on the 03 until January.
Iridium spark plugs, but the 01 Echo probably does not.
Prestone, Havoline and Xerex all have "long life" coolant formulas available. The quickest way to tell is to see if the bottle says that it meets GM's "DEX-COOL" standard. Otherwise, look for silicate-free, phosphate-free coolants labelled safe for aluminum engines.
I got curious about this subject awhile back and even exchanged a little correspondence with a Havoline engineer, so I ended up learning way more than I needed to know!
Not a single problem in two years...
Engine cold.
Remove radiator cap
Open the radiator drain and the engine block drain. You might want to remove the plastic underskirt from the nose of the car before draining the coolant out of the radiator. Otherwise, coolant is going to run over the top of the skirt and get all over the place. It looks fairly easy to remove. The location of the block drain is controversial. The offical manual shows it on the right FRONT of the engine between the pipes for the intake manifold. I have been unable to locate it there on my car. I have found something that looks like it on the REAR of the engine (see above post) On my motorcycle getting at this block drain involves three hours of removing the plastic fairing so I just remove the radiator cap and get an eighteen inch long piece of garden hose. I put the garden hose into the place where the radiator cap was and blow. Actually you dont have to plow just maintain a steady pressure and the coolant will be forced out of the passages and out the radiator drain. I do this same thing on my wifes Honda Accord and it works well. Except you dont need the garden hose for a car you can just put your mouth over the radiator fill. If someone can say for sure where the block drain on the ECHO is it would be good to post it.
Close the drain plugs.
Coolant should be mixed with plain water at a 50/50 ratio and the manual recommends using distilled water. (Availible at the drugstore)
The manual says fill slowly. 4.7 quarts MT 4.5 quarts AT.
The manual says to fill the system slowly, start the engine and bleed the system. There is no mention of a bleed plug however, so I guess its safe to assume that youll have to get the engine hot, let it cool down, and add more coolant until it is full. This isnt good. On other cars that cant be filled full the first time (and dont have a bleed plug) I just leave the radiator cap off and start the engine. Constantly weatching the level in the radiator, I add coolant until its full. You dont want to over heat the engine.
The manual doesnt say anything about draining the coolant resivoir and refilling but I assume you need to do that also. For $125 dollars this is a lousy manual! If the coolant tank gets crudded up and you want to clean it out, remove the tank and fill it half full with ice cubes. Add some water and shake until it is clean.
http://www.toyota.com/echo/
Please explain what the dealer means by the word "balloon" in the ad.
He had originally picked out an 01 Elantra with 21.5K on it for $7999. The brakes were messed up on it though, which we found out this past Wednesday when we test drove it. The dealer hadn't fix the brakes on the car today when we went to get it. So we saw this white 2000 Echo (35.8K, auto., white, 4-door) on the lot. He drove it, and fell in love with it. He got the car for $8450 on the road. He is very happy with it. I will let you all know how it works out, because I am sure I will be driving it soon enough.
*Note: The car is white with grey interior, auto., AC, AM/FM radio, body cladding, and rear spoiler.
Thanks for anyone's help on this matter.
I live in south Georgia and my mechanic recommends 10W30 year round for any car.
He recommends 5W30 for northern states during freezing weather.
Is he right?
I might buy my friend a CD player for Christmas or something, but we shall see.
Also, I saw a factory Toyota 6-disc CD changer (in-dash) on Ebay last night. The bid is currently $225. Too bad I don't have the funds right now...
Buying your friend a CD player for Christmas sounds like a really nice idea. I'm very glad that I had one installed.
go to wieck.com and click on "public" then type in "ECHO" for other pictures
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_043342
He has put about 500 miles on it thus far, says he likes the way it drives better than the 1997 Nissan Sentra he replaced with the Echo. He says it also has more power and better fuel mileage too.
I would be curious to hear from anyone with a recalled car to know what the setup is on THOSE cars and what TOYOTA does to modify it.
Frankly most recalls are not worth the paper they are written on. They are mostly due to million to one accidents...not fundamental defects in the mechanism. (there are exceptions)Because of lawsuits the companies are forced into recalling the car. Even the Ford Explorer rollover problem probably affected less than one in 500000 vehicals. If we were all held to those numbers for what we do at work wed all be fired by now.
He really likes the car thus far, a little better than the 1997 Sentra he had before it (it was totalled in an accident). He also likes the fuel economy, a little better in the ECHO, even when running the AC.