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Toyota Echo

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Comments

  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    See above posts around 3393. There are both pipes and hoses that make up the rear brake plumbing. The brake HOSES for the rear brakes are very close to the wheels which should something get caught in the wheels and rotate with them might hit the hoses. I do not see a problem for the metal piping back there. At least thats the situation on my /ECHO. which was built before the problem. I have not seen an ECHO built during the recall dates. (8/01-4/02) My feeling is that dammage to the rear piping is possible on any car and is something that should be regularly inspected for. Again, without actually having seen an ECHO built during the recall time, I feel this is a nonissue.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Do you do your own maintainence? If not, who does? And how much is it?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I saw a '03 Echo in the dark blue color yesterday and I was impressed with the exterior changes. Looks more grown up, if that makes any sense. I hear it now has an option for 15" wheels also.

    The Sandman =0)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My friend's in-dash CD changer came in the mail yesterday. I was going to offer to put the unit in myself, since it looks very "plug and play". Anyone done this? How hard do you all think it would be?
  • sluglineslugline Member Posts: 391
    First Drive: 2003 Saturn Ion

    While saying that they could "do without" the centrally-located instrument cluster in the Ion, at least Edmunds didn't accuse Saturn of cost-cutting or compromising safety -- as they accused Toyota of doing with ECHO. To anyone considering ECHO: Test drive it yourself; you may be surprised at how quickly you adjust.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    My dad has a penchant for complaining and he didn't say a word about the center pod on our rented ECHO.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Funny how they panned the Echo for the dash, but not the Saturn ION. I hate car mags sometimes, they can be so subjective in their opinions.

    I have no problems with the center gauges in my friend's Echo, and neither does he. He actually said it's easier to look over than down, once he got used to it.
  • mdrewmdrew Member Posts: 32
    Hey, look at the positive side. The ECHO's gauge placement has been upgraded from "dopey" to merely "annoying" in the pros and cons of the latest Edmunds review. Guess they're trying to sound more objective. Of course, the center gauge placement isn't listed at all in the "cons" of the Saturn, where in the review they talk about how, even though they don't prefer it, it gives the car "a unique look"! (what happened to "dopey"?) I'm only glad I didn't follow Edmunds advice and choose the "superior offering from Kia" instead of the Echo. My brother did, and would never do it again.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Lets face it. ECHO isnt cool enough for the staff at Edmunds. The design of ECHO is an insult to their preconceived notion of their superior position in this life. They imagine themselves dicing with Team Ferrari in a Formula One race in their BMWs, Saabs, and Audis. (with wide non pizzacutter tires no less) I hope they are being good because if not theyre going to wake up in hell with nothing but ECHOs to drive.
  • sluglineslugline Member Posts: 391
    Thanks to all for the previous feedback on tires. Wal-Mart installed four Douglas Xtra-Tracs on my partner's ECHO on Tuesday. I haven't driven the car myself, but she says it feels good. I believe the Xtra-Tracs carry a DOT treadwear rating of 360; the factory installed Bridgstones were rated at only 160. I hope they will prove to be a good value for their bottom-line cost of roughly $175
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Slugline do you realize that you are in a perfect position to make a comparison test between the tires?! Since you know the mileage obtained from the origional tires and the treadware rating you should expect 360/160 the distance from these new tires. So you can detect if this rating system is worth anything. Me, Im thinking of pep boys tires Futura 700s or something like that with a 500 treadware rating (and from what people say a bout the Potenzas it wont be long!)
  • aeroterremeraeroterremer Member Posts: 79
    I'd like to refer back to a previous discussion re the plural of Echo. I just noticed on my oem floormats today the word Echo seems to have what resembles a megaphone-type sound coming from it. It looks almost like a sound echo. So therefore I take the word Echo to be like the sound echo, so the plural, it would seem, should be Echoes. However, I prefer Echos, and will personally refer to more than one Echo as Echos.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I looked in my dictionary and the plural of ECHO is in fact ECHOES. I think ECHOS looks better but I am wary of flouting convention.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    When my wifes Honda Accord Station Wagon with 153,000 miles was stolen a couple of weeks ago, I never expected to see it again. Well, ITS BACK as the police CAUGHT THE THEIVES! The car has some moderate dammage to the front end when it got into a minor bangup during the apprehension. And they broke out the drivers side window (the door cant be opened...before the theft!) Also they hacksawed off the muffler apparently to make it sound cool. And they put black tint on all the windows. And a decal on the drivers door with a little boy pulling down his pants with the words: KISS MY [non-permissible content removed]. Thre was a very artsy business card on the dash which says "House of Pain Body Piercing". But other than that they CLEANED THE INTERIOR of the car to a very high standard.
    But now I dont know what to do with it. Its still drivable and the insurance came to take a look at it to estimate what they will give us. (I bet it wont be much although the man said they would probably total it) Im wondering if I can get money somehow from the theives as we know who they are and how would you do that? (offer immunity in exchange for $5000?) Im hoping aagainst hope we can get another ECHO for her to drive. (Oh Please Please Please!!!)
  • 719b719b Member Posts: 216
    if the thieves were dumb enough to steal an accord station wagon with 153000 miles and try to make it look and sound cool, i doubt they'd be smart enough to put $5000 together.
    plus the court can't make them pay you any more than it's worth... even if the district attorney was inclined to make such a deal.
    take the insurance money and put a down payment on the echo you want.
  • photoboyphotoboy Member Posts: 18
    Our 2000 LX has just over 61,000 miles on it and we are getting ready to go to our third set of tires. The OEM's were out after about 25,000 miles and the latest top of the line TOYO 800 Ultras are showing lots of wear, plus the wife had the left rear blow yesterday as if someone shot at it. All is well, but we are concerned about this vehicle and how it seems to wear out tires. We have done rotations every 5,000 miles and have had four front end alignments done. I have never been over impressed with the handling of this vehicle (wallowing and such). Any suggestions?
  • photoboyphotoboy Member Posts: 18
    The above was supposed to go to the Windstar forum. Don't know how it got here. Sorry guys (and gals).
  • sluglineslugline Member Posts: 391
    Town Hall lets you delete your own mistakes; just look for the "delete" button. You should even be able to go back and wipe 'em out now.
  • sfechosfecho Member Posts: 26
    For what it's worth, my ECHO #1 has Bridgestone Potenzas and ECHO #2 has Michelin MX4's. There is a big, big difference in the smoothness and quietness of the tires, the Michelin tires are vastly superior.
    I think both tires are original equipment for the 2001 ECHO.
  • kaz6kaz6 Member Posts: 331
    I agree about the Michelin's! I had them on a previous car and they were great riding and quiet.
    My Yokohama's are doing well...very compliant ride and not too much noise for 50 series tires.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    If you go to this website there is all kinds of information on parts for your ECHO as well as an easy to understand maintainance schedule. (they claim you determine the need for a valve adjustment by listening to the valves operate...not a good sign) Look for the title on Google.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    I saw a 2003 ECHO in the local dealers lot this morning. Somehow, someway, Toyota has managed to make this car look WORSE. They removed the front Toyota logo from its place on the hood and moved it below to the grill, in the process surrounding it with a black plastic bulge. So now it looks like ECHO has a ZIT in the middle of its forehead. The interior also has added chrome do dads on it. I guess it will look normal after a while.
    The dealer was recieving a new shippment of cars this morning so I walked around rows and rows of them, car alarms going off left and right. The lot men were moving them all around and leaving the keys in the doors of some of them. Naively I returned the first key I saw to an official looking person who explained they leave the keys in the locks of the cars they want to move later. So if you want a new Toyota CHEAP look for the big delivery day!
    Sat in the new Prius. Its just lovely inside like the ECHO but with upscale features and trim. VERY roomy and comfortable. I think the porspective ECHO owners should buy the Prius if they want power windows, airbags, ABS etc etc. I wish they made it without the battery driven part I might buy one.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You can get an Echo now with power windows and locks, but not cruise control.

    And I drove a Prius when they first came out in the beginning of 2001. The brakes are very hard to modulate, because of the regenerative braking system. I didn't think about getting one because I thought I would get myself into a rear-end collision trying to get used to the brakes in rush hour traffic.
  • kaz6kaz6 Member Posts: 331
    I agree about Toyota making the ECHO look worse. The front end looks very busy and slapped together. The cladding is now broken into parts and doesn't wrap around the front end. The rear looks good but looks like it came from an old Tercel.
    The new gauges are very legible-the tach. is very easy to read. I would prefer the Ion's pod as it's a little more complete looking.
    I don't know how many options the one I was looking at had but it was stickered at just over $16k!!! It was the factory tag and not the total on those 'dealer adjusted' tags.
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    There is no comparison. The Ion's is easier to see, represent more of a full cluster, and the white faced gauges in the Ion 3 are even better. The Echo pod, especially pre-tach, was an insult with its idiot lights. Might as well go back to a 3 speed automatic or a 4 speed stick.
  • slbondslbond Member Posts: 2
    I recently purchased a 2002 with an AM/FM stero but no CD. Would like to install a CD that is compatable with the system. Can anyone give me some suggestions about finding a unit that is compatable and cost effective. Thanks,
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Toyota Guys (look on google) have a special on a six cd player. Dont know anything about the unit itself though.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My friend just bought a 2000 ECHO about a month ago with just the radio like yours. He won a 6-disc Toyota CD changer on EBay for under $300. I called Best Buy for him (a stereo/electronics store around here - don't know if you have them around you or not), and they said it would be less than $100 to install the radio.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Look out Toyota Guys have a 6 cd in dash changer for $250. (they didnt pay me to say that)
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Last weekend my wife and I took a backroad trip in the ECHO from Westmont to Saratoga Springs NY, a distance of about 330 miles. All deserted two lane highway basically following the Delaware River into NY. Probably the most time we have spent together alone for a few years! Which is dangerous because although we get along very well all the friction between us comes out when we are driving together. ("Are you going to hit EVERY pothole in the road?" "WHEN are you going to turn the windshield wipers on") But we got along famously the entire time and the ECHO besides being a pleasure to drive on twisty turny roads got 38 mpg.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    My ECHO passed its first NJ inspection yesterday. In the NOX department with a score of 725 to pass, the ECHO got 14. In the HC part of the test, you can get a 14 and still pass. ECHO got 1. There was 0 thats right 0 measured CO in the test. I wonder what the Prius's are getting?
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    The echo, along with most (not all) of the other vehicles in Toyota's product line are classified as ULEV vehicles. This means that they have 10% or less of the emmissions of a LEV vehicle. Proof is in the Pudding as they say, so congrats.
  • babyboomerbabyboomer Member Posts: 205
    Georgia does not have inspections for things like NOX. Many years ago Georgians were required to have inspections but the law was negated. Does anyone know which states mandate inspections, or if the list in shorter, which states do not require inspections?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I know MD doesn't require inspections. You do have to do the emissions testing only, and that's every 2 years. But no inspections.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    The articles I have read about the 2003 Echo indicated that the length was being increased by about 1.6 inches over the 2002, but the brochure I have does not show that change. It does show one [glaring] change in figures, though.

    The 2003 brochure shows that ground clearance has been reduced by about half an inch. Does this mean the Echo has been lowered or has the front and rear redesign caused the change?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    That would be the only thing I would think.

    How is your Echo holding up now? It's been awhile since I have seen you here. Did you ever convince your roommate to get an Echo? :) I got my best friend to get one, and he loves it thus far.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    My Echo is coming up on its second birthday [as measured when I bought it] and it is rapidly approaching 50,000 miles. Still love driving it.

    My roommate is still without her own car, but her son is leaving the area [to join the Marines] and won't be taking his car so she will be driving his for a while.

    Vocus, your answer wasn't really clear to me so would you clarify. It was almost like I asked, "Do you want tuna salad or chicken salad?" and you said, "Yes." I couldn't figure out if you thought the Echo had been lowered or the change in facia had caused the lower ground clearance. What do you think?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Sorry, that was a dumb answer, now that I reread it. :)

    The front/rear restyle wouldn't have anything to do with the lowering of the car. Maybe Toyota lowered the car to try and not make it feel tippy, as some people complained about.

    I raced around a corner with my friend's car, the day he bought it (used), and it felt tippy to me. BUT, I am used to driving a turbo Jetta with sport suspension and 17" tires on it too.. :)
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Today My ECHO is two years old. 13,501 miles, tires half worn out (potenzas) windshield wiper blades replaced, average mileage so far 38 mpg. (almost all city driving) No problems!
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
  • mralanmralan Member Posts: 174
    Does your ECHO have an automatic or manual tranny? 2 dr. of 4 dr?
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Its a five speed, two door. (but what diff would a two door make I wonder?)
  • mralanmralan Member Posts: 174
    I was just curious about how many doors because I'm still undecided on which model I'm getting in Mar 03.

    Seems like most ECHO's are 4 doors.
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Yes thats true there are. Its easier that way to carry passengers. But my two door is like a hanicapped bus its SO easy to get in and out of with my bad back!
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    TWO years old and you only have 13,501 miles?!? I hate you! :) I have 26K miles on my Jetta, and it just turned a year old the Sunday before last. I drive 35 miles one way to work daily though...
  • kneisl1kneisl1 Member Posts: 1,694
    Yes but you are doing "good" miles where the engine fully warms up. I expect youll easily see 150k out of the engine that way...maybe more. I on the other had have a 6.5 mile trip to work and thats about all the car gets. The dipstick is already brown coated with varnish, despite oil changes three times a year.
  • grnechory81grnechory81 Member Posts: 16
    hey i have an echo bodykit for sale imported from japan taking reasonable offers

    also have B&M short shifter asking 100 + shipping

    also omp adjustable strut tower brace asking 70 + shipping

    also jsp touring spoiler already painted electric green 150 + shipping

    also have aem power pulley (alternator under drive pulley) made to fit gt celica and corolla was going to try and make fit but never got the oppertunity to inspect it out completely selling for 70 plus shipping comes with belt

    also 17 inch enkei sazukas asking 400 plus shipping needs new tires

    also intrax camber kit 20 plus shipping

    lastly i have a pioneer avx p7300dvd w/p8000r brain for 1100 shipped

    all prices are USD and are negotiable if interested please post or email me at grnechory19@aol.com
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    To solve the problem you are facing (varnish) you can simply use a good synthetic oil like Mobil 1 or Amsoil and this will clean the engine up.


    Another choice would be to use an additive to clean the engine before your next oil change.


    Take a look at the following url's, you might decide to use this product.


    By the way I am not a dealer and I have NOT used this product.


    http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000026


    http://www.auto-rx.com/index.html

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