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iRage

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Everything posted by iRage

  1. Did not see this until now. I think it is partly because a lot of the threads and their update notifications get drowned out by updates about the spam threads.
  2. What I mentioned were safety sense models. Non-safety sense cars are quite hard to come by actually (in parts form at least). They are quite popular (in all models) in Africa so they all get shipped out. Same with the petrol Axios...you can hardly find any here because they are all in Africa Yes...the Vitz 1.0L is appauling. The 1.3 is somewhat bearable as it actually moves with people in it. If invested a bit on suspension then it actually becomes interesting but hardly anyone wants to do that for a standard trim level 1.3. If so you might as well by a RS, TRD+, GR Sport, GR Sport GR. etc.. Atleast you should be proud that you are providing the rodents in your neighborhood a wonderful warm home
  3. Does this happen when the car is still cold..like if you drive for a long time and the engine oil and transmission oil are all heated up (engine and transmission oil takes a while to heat up and is not what is shown in the engine heat meter on the dashboard), does is it still happen ? Have you changed the CVT fluid ?
  4. I am assuming you would be going for the ACA21, i.e. the AWD version ? In which case you will get the 1AZ-FE 2.0L engine. I haven't had the Sorento but a friend of mine did in Diesel. The diesel variant had ship loads of torque compared to the RAV4 I had (field office car). However, the owner of he Sorento also said that the perol 2.4L variant was not as good or fun because the car is quite heavy and the engine is strained. The RAV4 on the other hand...a bit lighter and pushes the same amount of power as the 2.4L kia engine (~140-145hp). The 1AZ-FE engine is a durable engine wih things going wrong mainly to do wih things like the EGR valve going bad (clogged up) and the engine idle getting strange. First variants of the engine was a bit picky when it came to bad fuel. The Sorento comes better equipped than the RAV4 for about the same amount of money. However, like many Korean cars of the period, it feels all very dated and is prone to plastics, upholstery, etc..going bad and takes a lot of extra effort to keep in good shape. The RAV4...interior looks dated and simple but there is something hardy about it. Also, the petrol variant is quite fun to drive because it was nimble and was the last RAV4 to come with a simple AWD system splitting power constantly towards the front and back. I would put my money on the RAV4 but I might be biased as I am familiar with Toyotas a lot more than Korean brands and whenever I did use a Korean car it was not the best of (all-round) experiences. In SL most of the RAV4 are 2WD which has the 1ZZ-FE 1.8L engine..this is the engine that came with the fun versions of Corolla Fielders/Corolla/RunX/Allex and the Celica, so it is quite a fun engine but in the RAV4 its a bit senseless (the engine is detuned from stock. fun and revvy in a straight line but chassis cannot handle what the engine can do on corners. So you willl be driving like a granny). SO try to go for an AWD variant. Make sure you get the car properly inspected and make sure that the rear diff and transfer case has had regular fluid changes and that there is no hissing or grinding noise coming from the rear.
  5. If you buy it from Upgarage or Yahoo auctions those things run for about 7000yen on average if you want a pristine looking one. If you are okay with some scartches then we are looking at about 4000-5000....how the **#**# does it run up to 100K ? The one without the color LCD but tacho meter is about 5000yen for a good one. Plus local shipping of course. I should quit my job and just strip parts and send them to SL
  6. It might help if you tell us a bit about the maintenance of your car. Your car's gearbox is completely different from the gearbox @shanakamm is referring to. His car has a standard automatic transmission and yours has a CVT. Also, @shanakamm has posted this nearly 8 years ago and he hasn't logged on for nearly the same amount of time. So I doubt he will give you a response.
  7. It would help to know what the car is. Is it an actual automatic transmission or a CVT ?
  8. Depends on what you want... The Fit is a much nicer and engaging car to drive. The Aqua is a not frills car that is a bit cheaper to run (assuming the Hybrid system is in proper/decent condition). They both have various niggles you can find if you search the forum.
  9. Sorry for the delay...here is an easy one...
  10. I wonder what will the techs at the main office say. If i were you I would write to the head office and ask why their user manual says one thing but they do another.
  11. Well..obvious response would be a Renault 16. But the side mirrors are not standard and the door handles are off. For a 1:18 model they should have gotten those right.
  12. Well..there is some logic to it. Depending on the market segment the car is manufactured to the materials used differ. An entry level car (or even an entry level trim/grade level of a particular model) will have different upholstery material, more surfaces with hard plastics, less sound deadening, etc...Depending on the type of car the amount of material used will also differ because of weight requirements, budget brackets, etc... Different materials age and wear out in different ways. For example a textured hard plastic surface will easy get scratched and will look like a couple of tigers made babies in there, whilst a soft texture soft plastic surface will show scratches a little bit less. Also, a manufacturer is not going to put a heavy dashboard (thick materials, etc..) in a little car with a 660cc engine and 65hp. So it is natural that a car like a Swift will have a better feeling (and even durable) interior than a Viva Elite or a Daihatsu Mira. Similarly, the interior of something like a RAV4, Vitara is built to a higher level of robustness to with stand more "abuse" than a Swift would. Same goes for mechanical components as well. Makes sense...99% of the Vitzes in SL are 1L econo boxes with an engine that is as energized as a dead dog. The Axio....it is not necessarily that its considerably down on power with a 1.5L Hybrid power train, it is how the car is setup. You won't feel heavy acceleration and the torque distribution is made to favor soft eco friendly driving.
  13. I wouldn't say it is always the case...but in most cases it is. We got the ribbon cable for the RAV4 replaced under recall. But we did have to pay for shipping. Also, if the recall is applicable across the board for a specific model irrespective of the market (e.g. as in the case of the RAV4...)
  14. The root of understanding why is understanding that you technically did not buy a BRAND NEW car. You brought a car previously unused in Japan. It was registered to a Japanese entity (person or organization). Deregistered. and then exported to you. Deregistration can be done within a day so even if done within a day it gets recorded as a used car. Now, you are complaining about using a car in a place it wasn't intended for. All of Toyota's warranty obligations (for your Premio) are with the person who bought the car from the dealership whose name is on the registration papers to be used in the place it was sold in, i.e. Japan. Now some exporters actually act as a proxy and when something fails they get the parts from Toyota Japan as they are registered owners within Toyota Japan and do the repair...but those kinds of dealerships in SL soon run out of business. Now, the AC compressor problem has been there across the board for many Toyota models from the era. Toyota used this type of compressor to improve fuel efficiency in models in Japan and some other cold regions. Only hitch is they are less durable in warmer climates where the AC is constantly used. In Japan they were replaced under warranty if failed. For cars used in Japan the failure rate was not high enough (because AC doesn't get used that much) and also it took about 4 to 5 years for the error to come up that Toyota Japan didn't feel the need to start a mass recall. Sadly, when you take a car outside of the market it was intended for the warranty ends. So you and your car are not covered. Also, in the Japanese local market the Premio/Allion were not popular and hardly got sold since 2012/2013. The common joke in the industry (in Japan) was that Toyota made the Premio/Allion to be sold to Africa and South Asia. Since 2013 till the end there were more cars bought brand new and exported to other countries than used in Japan. So..Toyota never bothered fixing it because they did not come across any of these issues in high volumes because the cars were out of Japan. Whatever was within their responsibility did not fail that much. Therefore, no need for a mass recall. Warrantied replacement sufficed. In most other models that had the same problem they improved the compressor and now they perform a bit better. Just that the Premio/Allion was an outdated model that sort of did not get the priority/urgency to fix these little niggles. So sadly, although Sri Lankans feel the Premio/Allion is god's gift to motoring, the reality is that it is not a very modern car nor is it indestructible like the car sales people, brokers, and your neighbor's uncle's son-in-law who is doctor says it is. The AC compressor is known to fail. The alternator is known to give faults. If the engine is not driven properly (i.e. driving like a snail in the interest of saving fuel) and not serviced regularly the engine will build up sludge. The CVT is known to fail. In fact around 2010 and 2014 (ish) when the Premio/Allion was still in use in Japan; Toyota issued several recalls for cars manufactured before the recall release dates...one was the CVT issue (in 2009/2010), another was for the failure of a hydraulic regulator in the ABS module (in 2014). So..sadly this is something you will have to deal with. It is your responsibility if you purchase/use a grey import. Sometimes the local agent is obligated to honor recalls but they don't always do that (in SL) or does it under certain conditions (unless it is a serious recall like the takata airbag rupture). Sadly, when all these car importers and brokers sell you these cars (either used or unused in Japan) they don't advise buyers of these issues either. You cannot blame Toyota (other manufacturer) Japan and their official dealerships because they are technically selling the car to a Japanese person to use in Japan (in cases like yours the car would be registered and delivered to a car exporter in Japan). So in their eyes the car was sold in Japan..is getting used in Japan...and gets covered under the usual maintenance services for Japan. In fact for the first 3 or so years (until the 1st shaken period) I wouldn't be surprised if the Toyota dealership your car was bought at sent service notifications to the person who first bought the car (unless the deregistration is done through them or notified to them)
  15. Not changing it and allowing the fluid to get moisturized would still make the cylinder washers and metal components erode away. So makes no difference in that regard. Considering it has not been replaced for 5 years you might want to consider looking in to refurbishing the cylinders as well... Strange...they don't want money ? I mean...c'mon you were giving them business and they ha the potential to escalate the work.
  16. That is really sad to hear and very disappointing to see how UM has slipped. They used to be pretty good. Its dumb that they just looked at the color and said it is fine...even the user manuals of the cars they sell brand new say brake fluid needs to be replaced 2 (3?) years or 20,000 (30,000?) km.
  17. The Axio is overpriced for what it is (its an entry level sedan based on the Vitz). The Premio/Allion is unreasonably over priced. Look...every car has things that can go wrong. There is nothing wrong with the Axio. Any Hybrid car will have battery issues if not used enough (for the battery to go through proper charge-discharge cycles) and the subsequent components are not properly maintained. As for the ABS issue...the module had a tendency to prematurely fail. It was something that was there with pretty much all Toyotas of the period. If you look at everything else you will find issues. So you should not walk away from a car model just because of the rumor mills in SL (most of them are over exaggerated by makabaases, brokers and your neighbor's uncle's daughter-in-law's co-worker). I mean everything from the Vezel to Axelas to Lancers to Civics will be put down. The only thing these people will not ut down in the Premio/Allion which has an engine from two decades ago. You might also want to look at cars like the Lancer EX, Mazda 3, Civic from the same era as the Axio. They should be around the same price range but you will get much more car. In terms of refinement the Mazda 3 and Civic will be higher than the Lancer EX but all of them will be miles ahead of the Axio (okay...Lancer EX feels a bit plasticy but feels pretty good). If you are willing to go abit older you might be able to find a Mazda 6 as well..but finding one is quite hard as people seem to hold on to them (the good ones at least). There are crossover options ans well as sedans from Kia. Hybrid or non-Hybrid..depends on how much you use the car for. If you just use it a few days a week or few kms on a daily basis (short drives) then a Hybrid might not be the best option for you. If your driving patterns are like this or do a lot of high-intense driving (up mountain roads etc...) then again, Hybrid might not be best as it wont be that efficient (gasoline engine runs most of the time). Especially the older Hybrid variants. Lot of driving/usage...long drives on the highway, etc...would suit a hybrid best. Do the math and see which makes more sense for you
  18. It was brought to my notice that most makabaases now don't accept anything other than the usual Premio/Allion/Axio 140/etc...
  19. Uhh....well..how much does it cost to fix ? Seems like you do not know ? I would have thought the first thing to do is to go and get a proper quotation to actually fix the car. Sometimes the damage might look bad to the owner but in reality the damage is not as bad. When you get the actual quote, if what you got is around ~70% or more of what the actual cost is...then you might not get more and the effort to try to appeal it might not be worth it.
  20. Well...in many ways the CD was a bit more temperamental than the 1 & 2 C Toyota engines. For starters they do not like bad fuel <back in the day that was quite an irony as we were not fully into the whole clean diesel thing...diesel was dirty...and a diesel engine didn't like dirty fuel ? WTFH !!!?? >. Also for some reason it did have cooling issues in general. I also remember people claiming that the timing belt didn't last that long. All in all, it had weird things that the baases couldn't figure out compared to the CA engine...or even the LD diesel engine the previous model came with.
  21. Yeah...it was not as bad as people made it out to be. In fact it was one of the best handling vehicles of its class at the time. Being an outcome of the 901 Movement the manufacturer put a lot in to the handling of the car. The suspension was not the usual run of the leaf spring as well. The wagons (we got quite a few low trim level ones) had a multi-link setup with a transversely mounted leaf spring. The cargo variants had a rigid leaf spring and it was a bit saggy for our locals. On top of that the car was heavier than the old model everyone loved. So it felt a bit sluggish unless you hammered the living day lights out of it which affected fuel consumption. I think the more bearable variant was the diesel. But then the CD engines were seemingly not as straight forward as the CA engines for our wrench monkeys to work on. SO combination of it all meant our guys pretty much demonized the car.
  22. I was sort of hoping he could consider the Belta by increasing the budget a bit... Totally missed he wanted an auto
  23. Welcome to the forum... For starters...out of your list the Alto is the most basic entry level car. Easy to run, cheap to fix (especially the Indian one). But you get no creature comforts and minimal safety features (unless you are lucky to find a new Japanese market Alto). The Vios (not Belta?), Honda City and Swift Beetle are decent A to B cars. Depending on the spec the safety features on these models can be very lacking (especially an Indian spec Swift Beetle). How reliable and easy to run will depend on how well the car has been taken care of until this point. These models were built for developing markets as an entry level sedan/hatch so the refinement of the equivalent Japanese market models (e.g. Toyota Vios vs. Toyota Belta, Honda City vs Honda Fit Aria). So things like the seat upholstery material...sound deadening, etc...will be lacking in the export models compared to the Japanese ones (the Vios and City were built in Thailand, and some models years of the Japanese market models were also built there). Spare parts for these cars are available (under normal market conditions and parts imports are unrestricted) as these cars use engines and other components used in other models by the manufacturer. Or in some cases there are so many of them around there are a lot of parts available. Things like body panels obviously will get harder to find the older the car becomes (less used cars for parts removal, etc..). Again....there is no guarantee that a newer car (Viva or Alto) will be better in terms of reliability than a 2002/2003 car. It all depends on the car you are looking at and its ownership/maintenance history. My advice is go look at all these models...see which appeals you. Shorten the list down to 2 or 3 models and when the best condition model comes up...buy it. Don't spend all your money on the car. Save some for repairs you must and will have to do once you buy the car. You can spend all 4mil on the car if you ahve other savings you can use to attend to these repairs. Get the car professionally inspected. By that..I mean if you are interested in a car and willing to buy it...take it to the agents or a place like Car Checks and get it inspected (not taking your neighborhood baas to look at the car kick the tires and tap the body work...). Personally...from your list...I think the Viva Elite is the one that stands out. Fun to drive...used to have decent support...pretty decent tech behind it. If you can get a Fit Aria that would be the more "nicer" car.
  24. Don't give up on the agents just yet. At least get a quote. For export market models Mitsubishi has a budget spare parts lineup which the agents used to provide. These are also available in Japan through Mitsubishi dealerships for JDM vehicles. Not sure if the SL agents have them as well. But check...you might realise that the total cost at the agent might not be too far off against a proper/reputable 3rd party garage and proper 3rd party parts. Yes and no. Manufacturer repair guides typically have a set process that must be followed and parts that must be replaced to attend to a specific repair (e.g. according to the manufacturer process changing the oil requires the replacement of the drain plug washer and tightening the drain plug to a specific torque. We hardly do it do we ? Or...replacing the control arm bushings requires the replacement of the entire control arm but we just pack in new bushes instead of replacing the whole thing. So...the whole rack end replacement is the same. Removing the rack end and installing it according to the manufacturer process ensures that all the nuts and bolts are tightened to proper spec...any secondary parts (either directly linked to or would typically reach end of life with the rack ends) get replaced etc...Not following the process is not going to destroy your car. The risk is that if there is anything else wrong it might not be picked up and rectified. When the exact manufacturer process and parts replacement is not followed the typical outcome is longevity of the repair. This is typically the reason why, for example, the original control arm and bushes might last for 10 years whilst the replacement job one might do will only last for 4 or 5 years. Most users of average cars (in SL) don't care about it because in 4 to 5 years time the car will be someone else's problem.
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