[vigsom]

Thank you , guys, for the good wishes.

I have done a fair amount of homework before going ahead and hope I am right.

Got the starter serviced as a preventive;two carbon brushes changed and the bendix was serviced-everything else in the DENSO starter was perfect.

[vigsom]

Update 68400km - approx 600km covered

Fuel Efficiency recorded after three fills is 10.5-11kmpl,all in city traffic.

Judge traffic well and this automatic can be driven really really well.

The moment I have to stop at a signal,I put the car in N and pull the hand brake.

Driving now seems a breeze,especially in tight traffic.

Got the alignment done after replacing the left steering boot;400 bucks.

I fail to understand why they charge more for alignment in this car when the job is the same as in say.a Wagon-R viz. toe adjustment.

Premium gaadi=premium alignment fee maybe????

Guys,any idea how much it costs to get a duplicate key made?

[vigsom]

Had a minor issue with the ac about 45 days back which seems to have been sorted.

By putting the ac on AUTO with the temp setting even at coldest,the cabin wasn't cooling enough.I suspected that refrigerant must have leaked out,so got the pressure checked.

Suction was 20psi and compressor discharge was 120psi or so ;the suction pressure of 20 gave me some relief as that meant there was no major problem.

Got approx 200g of refrigerant topped up to take the suc pressure to approx 35 and discharge pressure to 130psi levels.

Water needed to be poured on the condenser after the refrigerant top up to get the actual pressure readings.

So far so good - the ac is working very well at a temperature set point of 24.5 degreesC

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Hatari

Congratulations! Love the old Corolla.

Was planning to paint my Disc brake calipers Yellow/Red.
But apprehensive as a bright colour behind the alloy will become dirty quickly and would be diffcult to clean daily.
Do let me know your experiences on this

would strongly recommend painting the calipers silver/bright metal and nothing else-the yellow gathers brake dust and gets dirty real quick.

Here's a pic of what it looks like when clean

[camchennai]

Originally Posted by vigsom

would strongly recommend painting the calipers silver/bright metal and nothing else-the yellow gathers brake dust and gets dirty real quick.

Here's a pic of what it looks like when clean

What happened to Toyota emblem in the alloys??

How is the suspension now?? Is it stiff??

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by camchennai

What happened to Toyota emblem in the alloys??

How is the suspension now?? Is it stiff??

Only one emblem was available - and its lugs were all cracked.I have seen scores of Corollas roaming on aftermarket emblems which have worn out.Where do I get a genuine set?and how much?

I can't say much about the suspension as I was hitherto driving a car with one of the worst suspension set ups - the Versa.

But, I'd still say the ride is good probably because of the tyres.

[wmanu]

Congratulations Mate, I would love to see the interiors as well, once the cleaning is complete.

[Spinnerr]

Quick question about the alloys, were they restored? From the pics I can see a factory like finish, like the ones where they have a clear coat or some thin plastic coat. For that nice matt finish.

If yes, how costly is it? and what is the process like? Old alloys, are they just repainted or are they baked as well? Any details that you can share is appreciated.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Spinnerr

Quick question about the alloys, were they restored? From the pics I can see a factory like finish, like the ones where they have a clear coat or some thin plastic coat. For that nice matt finish.

If yes, how costly is it? and what is the process like? Old alloys, are they just repainted or are they baked as well? Any details that you can share is appreciated.

the process involves just repainting - but it costs a lot - approx 1500 per wheel since it is laborious - my bodyshop friend told me it takes almost as much effort to restore one wheel as it does to get one body panel back in shape.

Originally Posted by wmanu

Congratulations Mate, I would love to see the interiors as well, once the cleaning is complete.

Here you are - some interior shots -with a 2MP camera.

[camchennai]

You can source one from Toyota A.S.S., I am not sure how much it costs though I can check and update you.

I see from the interior pics that you have changes the OE system, bad you haven't updated that. I also see tweeters in dash, why did you place them in the place of stock tweeters? Please tell us about audio upgrade

[S_U_N]

@vigsom: Congratulations! The old Corolla is one car that has always fascinated me.
I have a budget of 4.5 lacs (all inclusive). What would be the recommendation for a used Corolla in this price range?
My requirements are:
1. Trouble free ownership - car should not breakdown in the middle of nowhere, and should not require frequent service center trips
2. Should give a mileage of atleast 12 in city with a light foot
3. Should have Airbags and ABS

Sorry if this is appears off-topic.

[AWD]

Congrats Vigsom.
Which Double Din ICE system have you installed & is it well/flush fitting?
Also how much did it cost?

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

@vigsom: Congratulations! The old Corolla is one car that has always fascinated me.
I have a budget of 4.5 lacs (all inclusive). What would be the recommendation for a used Corolla in this price range?
My requirements are:
1. Trouble free ownership - car should not breakdown in the middle of nowhere, and should not require frequent service center trips
2. Should give a mileage of atleast 12 in city with a light foot
3. Should have Airbags and ABS

Sorry if this is appears off-topic.

I'd strongly recommend a 2006 H2/H5 manual Corolla(the tell-tales of a facelifted Corolla are the multispoke alloys) but that would mean a budget of around 5.5lacs.

For 4.5 you can get a 2005 H1 which would have ABS and airbags but this would have a manual AC and also the wood finish would be missing.

If you're going to restrict driving to the City,then don't bother about ABS - even a 2004 or 2005 would suffice(no ABS) - and that would save you some bucks as well

AWD:The audio is a JVC KW-XC404 which I transplanted from my earlier car -I had to get a fill panel for Rs.1500 to fit it in

and used the fitting brackets from the stock HU - perfect fit.

The pics I posted are bad - will post quality pics when I get my camera back

[AWD]

Thanks. Is the part pictured above fabricated/aftermarket?

If yes, 15oo/- is ok.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by camchennai

I see from the interior pics that you have changes the OE system, bad you haven't updated that. I also see tweeters in dash, why did you place them in the place of stock tweeters? Please tell us about audio upgrade

I transplanted the equipment from my earlier Versa into the Corolla plus added a new set of components.

This is what it finally is:

1. Boston Play Smart Sxi606 6.5" components in front - NEW Crossovers neatly tucked away above the kick panels
2. HU-JVC KW-XC404 Double Din with a D/in fill panel
3. Kenwood 8401 amp under the co-driver seat -Ch A driving compos and Ch B driving sub
4. Monster 100 series RCA interconnects
5. stock Corolla rear speakers off the HU amp
6. 10" sub in sealed MDF enclosure in the boot

Used a 40A fuse on the main supply wire and OFC for all audio.

Installation was supervised by me and done by my Electrician - total time was 5 hrs

The set up sounds great ; amp gains needed to be adjusted a bit to suit this car.

I set the switch on the crossover to 0dB since the tweeters sounded bright.

I did not install the new tweeters in the stock position as I wasn't interested in disturbing the stock tweeters and wiring (they are still there but are disconnected).

The stock Head Unit and front speakers are cooling their heels at home.