[flipsyde]

Originally Posted by jack33

Check whether the brake proportioning valve is clogged.

They checked the force exerted by each brake piston and it turned out to be equal. They used a vernier caliper sort of thing to measure how much the each piston pushed out of the housing. And I flushed the entire system so I guess clogging couldn't be an issue.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Since you bought it pre-owned ('2nd hand' for oldies like me), did u check the car's service history? Was a brake system check/maintenance/part replacement done? Suggest a complete drain and refill of the brake fluid. A car thats done 65K kms over 5-6 years would warrant a brake system check and fluid system drain + refill. Dont skimp on brakes (& tyres). It can save lives. Brakes are not glamourous but what they can do or can not do could be the difference between life and death.

Sorry to sound morbid but I lost an old college friend to a brake system failure related accident.

Rgds,

I did! It had no brake related complaint at all. In fact all it had missed was the 40k kms service which the owner had got done outside in a private garage. I also took the car to the A S S for a complete evaluation before I made my purchase. They did mention the NON-OE Ball joint and the rear disc pads which needed replacement. But otherwise they said the car was properly maintained and had no major issues.

Now they are slowly coming out with all the NON-OE parts!!

[nitrous]

That is it.
Go to Electra , meet Krupesh and he'll help you out.

[flipsyde]

Originally Posted by nitrous

That is it.
Go to Electra , meet Krupesh and he'll help you out.

Yup! That's my next stop. I am a little disappointed with the A S S. If anyone can diagnose whats wrong with the car it should be them. Its the local mechanics who know nothing who ask you to replace every other part!!

Krupesh always seems busy. I have never been able to meet him the last 3 times I went there for various other reasons.

[flipsyde]

Hi again. Been doing some serious driving the last 2 days. I have noticed that the pull to the left is now almost zero while braking. The little pull which was existent was also attributed to the inclination in the road surface as the car started pulling right when I drove on the opposite lane. (This was done on a wide one way road - Saidapet Court Road)

But the steering still bobs right when I brake and there is a 'thud' noise coming from the front right wheel when I brake really hard and when I go over medium to large size potholes and speed breakers. Some online research and videos on youtube show that these are common symptoms for a worn out lower control arm bush. Looks like I need a replacement.

Since I have decided to take the car to Electra Automotive for this problem I hope they can replace just the bushes and not the whole lower arm itself as that just means more damage to my wallet.

While I was checking this out I also noticed that there is a minor humming noise coming from the rear left wheel. I just pray that I don't have a worn out rear bearing too!!

Will be visiting the workshop tomorrow morning. Lets see what the experts have to say.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by flipsyde

Hi again. Been doing some serious driving the last 2 days. I have noticed that the pull to the left is now almost zero while braking. The little pull which was existent was also attributed to the inclination in the road surface as the car started pulling right when I drove on the opposite lane. (This was done on a wide one way road - Saidapet Court Road).

Glad to hear it is behaving. A question - your car seems to have a few non OEM suspension parts. Did the previous owner treat it right?

Originally Posted by flipsyde

Will be visiting the workshop tomorrow morning. Lets see what the experts have to say.

Any update on what is causing the RHS front thud?

Regards,

[flipsyde]

Update : Met Krupesh of Electra Auto today. After an awfully quite 10 minute test drive on smooth tarmac as well as some non existent roads we went back to the workshop. Krupesh asked the mechanics to remove and check the sway bar link rods.

Voila! There was the problem. A worn out right link bar. Lower arm bushes, Ball joints etc were in good shape as per diagnosis. Krupesh asked me to bring the car in at 9 30 in the morning so that he can arrange for the part to be replaced. I asked him if that was the only reason for the "thud" noise while going over bumps and braking for which he assured me that mostly that was the only damaged component but he will tell me for sure only when he strips the front suspension off.

While he was at it I also asked him to check the car overall to make sure other things were in order. I think I am going for a complete fluid replacement (power steering, engine oil, transmission oil, coolant etc.).

I just hope that the link rod replacement sorts out the issues.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Glad to hear it is behaving. A question - your car seems to have a few non OEM suspension parts. Did the previous owner treat it right?

Before I purchased the car I did take it to Toyota A S S for evaluation. Back then they didn't say anything about non-OEM parts on the car. Only complaint was that the 40k service was not done in the A S S. When I asked the dealer about this they said that the owner had gotten it done in a local garage.

In short, I don't know how badly it was abused. But then again its my car now Any and all shortcomings will have to be my responsibility.

Any update on what is causing the RHS front thud?

Looks like its the sway bar link rods which were worn out. They are being replaced tomorrow.

Regards,

[flipsyde]

Update : Replacement of the link bar alone did not resolve the RHS noise issue. Further investigation shows that it needs a new set of lower control arms. That's going to set me back quite a few bucks! But if it has to be done, it has to be done. The one on the RHS was in pretty bad shape. Huge amount of play from the bush even when we try to move the arm by hand.

I did ask Krupesh if the bushes alone can be changed for which he said they alone can be changed but the bushes alone which are available in the market are of very poor quality and wouldn't last long. So we are looking at a complete lower control arm replacement on both sides.

Along with this I am also getting the brake lines flushed and refilled with oil. Also getting the engine oil changed. The good news is that the suspension is in pretty good shape. Should last me quite a few miles before they need replacement. I am looking at getting my car back by tomorrow evening.

While all this drama about the lower control arm was going on Krupesh had a bit of an off during his test drive in my car. He met with a small accident involving a bike which now has left me with a broken LHS tail lamp, dented metal fender just below the tail lamp and a scratched rear bumper. Krupesh said he will take care of the damages and get them all fixed by tomorrow. I just hope he replaces the tail lamp assembly with Toyota OE assembly. I have seen the non-OE ones fade out in no time at all and they look so poorly made.

Today has been pretty disappointing. I was hoping the car would be all fixed and ready to be taken for a spin. Pretty bad first experience with the workshop. Then again I haven't lost hope I am sure they'd fix it all and in good time.

O.T : Am I the only one writing and reading my own posts!!?! Nevertheless that isn't going to stop me!

[Indian1979]

Originally Posted by flipsyde

O.T : Am I the only one writing and reading my own posts!!?! Nevertheless that isn't going to stop me!

Trust me we all are reading it and a lot of team bhpians only post when they hafe something concrete to contribute.

You seem to be well aware of the mechanical bits and seem to be in good hands as read from your post.

Best of luck.

Keep posting!!

[ScorpMan]

Hey flipsyde. How is your Corolla doing? Has the problem been rectified?

[esteem_lover]

Abhishek, let us know your experience with Electra. Could be useful for many.

[flipsyde]

Sorry for not posting about my experience. Yes they were able to fix the issue. It was the worn out lower arm bushes. I was told the bushes alone cannot be replaced satisfactorily and hence the entire arm had to be changed. Costed me around Rs.3500 per arm. That along with the link rod was replaced. I am not sure if the link rod warranted replacement but right now I am very happy with the car. So I am not going to complain.

I didn't get a quote from anyone else other than Toyota A S S and obviously Electra was cheaper and most importantly they were able to diagnose the problem.

I would recommend them to anyone looking for a good garage.

P.S - Just to recap. Parts I have changed on the car since its purchase almost a year back.

1) Front Brake Disc + Pads (Toyota A S S)
2) Rear Brake Pads (Toyota A S S)
3) Ball Joint Ends (Toyota A S S)
4) Lower Control Arm (Electra)
5) Link Rod (Electra)
6) Wiper Blades (Toyota A S S)

[esteem_lover]

How much has your car done now & what was the reading when you bought it ?

[Jaggu]

Great thread, i somehow missed it. Glad to know that your car pull/thud issues are sorted out.

My take on things: your car had a weak suspension/parts, this got aggravated when the dealer did the brake work (they do lot of hammer/wammer). Electra was bang on track to diagnose this.

Doubt i have is, since you removed the front suspension. Did you do a complete overhaul also OR just replaced those parts? I would suggest the former.

For 65k kms car this is lot of work, do you have more data on previous history and service. Toyota's generally take lot of abuse without complain is what i have heard, hence asking.

[flipsyde]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

How much has your car done now & what was the reading when you bought it ?

The car had done around 55k kms when I picked it up. It now stands at around 67k kms. Around 4k kms of the 12k kms covered would have been highway miles. Mileage inside city with A/C on all the time is around 9.8kmpl to 10.2kmpl. Highways it varies between 12.6kmpl to 13.9kmpl.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Great thread, i somehow missed it. Glad to know that your car pull/thud issues are sorted out.

My take on things: your car had a weak suspension/parts, this got aggravated when the dealer did the brake work (they do lot of hammer/wammer). Electra was bang on track to diagnose this.

Doubt i have is, since you removed the front suspension. Did you do a complete overhaul also OR just replaced those parts? I would suggest the former.

For 65k kms car this is lot of work, do you have more data on previous history and service. Toyota's generally take lot of abuse without complain is what i have heard, hence asking.

Actually I wanted to get a complete overhaul done. But Krupesh insisted that the suspension was in pretty good shape and didn't need to be touched for a while.

I just returned from Vellore. I noticed this grinding noise from the rear left wheel. Sounded like a worn out bearing. I hope its something less complicated (cheaper to fix).