Astral Black '04

Started by ManInDandism, December 15, 2019, 22:58

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ManInDandism

Just over two years of ownership and more than enough background to add to this section of the forum.  A good few photos which I will upload over the coming weeks with details of mods and maintenance items.   

Pretty standard stuff as plans for the car are simply to enjoy it for what it is.  Bought primarily to have something mechanical and inexpensive to fiddle with and to enjoy a bit of top down driving at the weekend in the summer months.

First pic from a few months back:

   
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

For those who don't know - 'Man In Dandism' comes from the Jap speak plastered all over the JDM Mk2.  It's on the removable T-bar roof panels, on the carpet mats and also the rear window:



I owned a GT T-Bar Turbo for about 5 years.  Bought in 2000 again as a weekend toy, and sold it once the novelty of the 241 bhp 3S-GTE engine wore off.



Unofficial 0-60 was 5.6 sec (e.g. the MR2 Gold Portfolio book) and at the time the straight line rapidness meant I turned my nose up at the supposed 'replacement' which had just been launched.


Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

#2
Back to the MK3. I think my initial shortlist was either a Roadster or a S2000.  Did not sit in either but armchair investigations  dismissed the latter as not really being suitably able to accommodate my 6' 4" frame.  Not sure I wanted to spend as much as they cost anyway.  Probable bias towards the Toyota from previous ownership and having mellowed in the interim years, now readily accepting of the different driving characteristics.

Decided on the minimum spec and then waited for the right car to show up.  Considered a number of cars from ads in the usual place for a good few weeks without ever going to look at any of them then committed myself to one with a deposit before even seeing it. Happened to be several hundred miles away from me in Newcastle but have travelled up and down the country for cars so never fazed by distance.

Bought from a (no longer in existence) independent garage called Get Carter Cars.  Proprietor named Carter and an obvious play on the Michael Caine film which was also shot in the Newcastle area. 

Spec:  black leather, hard top,  air con, TTE exhaust and on 77k miles.  4 previous owners and, subsequent to some dreadful MOTs with fail lists as long as my arm, there were two clean ones done inside the last year, meaning a lot of the standard maintenance work had been attended to. 
 
Last owner had the car for just 4 months and I did get in touch with him....but more on that later.

A couple of the (many) pics from the ad:









Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Train up from King's Cross to Newcastle of an evening and booked myself into a Travelodge so as to pick the car up the next morning and give myself an adequate amount of daylight for the long drive back down south.  Still determined not to commit if it turned out to be a bag of nails but after the obligatory tyre-kicking session, test drive and overcoming the initial shock of how cramped the cabin is  :o  :) , I concluded that I could do a lot worse.

As regards price, I paid £2,900 which I was happy with as all main boxes were ticked.  These had obviously bottomed out and I would still expect to pay about the same two years along the line.  I looked at cars up to £5,000 which is near the top end never really intended to pay that but considered each on its own merit in terms of  equipment level, mileage, condition and age as you still get people asking top dollar for a comparative wreck.

The car had no stereo as had apparently had an expensive head unit which was removed by previous owner but I negotiated some money off because of.  This also meant that I had to endure the 6 hour plus drive back home in total silence. Ho-hum. 

Other plus points were refurbished wheels in a two-tone chrome/black finish, recent new rear calipers  (and I'm guessing at handbrake cables as well), a sports cat  - looks like a Malian to me, Alpine component speakers and a Pioneer rear view camera in the rear bumper. 

When I got it back it just sat unloved at the end of my drive and I didn't actually spot the camera for weeks.  Winter is said to be the best time to buy a sports car from a price perspective, and now in December 2017, not a lot done with it for a good few months.  I don't think it had been driven much without the hard top either as soft top was pristine.

Minus point would be the tyres which I had been suckered into believing were Bridgestone all round.  As mentioned, there were lots of photos in the advertisement including several showing just the wheels.  The crafty sods had however focused on the single wheel with the (cracked) Bridgestone when in fact there was a mix of 3 different brands.  Rears were new but cheap so first priority was to fit some premium rubber.



Early-ish photo (before I replaced Toyota badge) taken standing in front of the garage.  Other cars are Mrs M's Beemer 430 xDrive, my E350 estate and (out of shot) Ford Fiesta Mk5 bought for our then teenage children to share.  They've more or less left home so I use it drive to/from the train station but gives them something to use when they do pop back.         

Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Car only came with one key - not a factory original but black and logo-less.  I immediately bought a second off eBay which this time came with a natty gold logo (though seller does not/cannot display this in the ad).  Had it cut locally and, as I was successfully able to program it from the first one,  I assumed it was a master rather than a valet key.  Curiously it did not fit the glove compartment or storage bin locks as you would expect it to. 

I wondered if  the internal locks had been changed or bin doors swapped.  The dealer would never know this so I made contact with previous owner.  He was able to fill me in with some recent history and also sent me a set of photos:



Owned the car for just 4 months.  Rear bumper was cracked and needed replacing.  Got wind from the Facebook group of a second car in same colour sitting unused on someone's drive.  Bought it and swapped the bumpers around, but as too good to scrap, sold it on. 

Clutch went almost immediately after purchase, so took it back to the garage where he bought it.  They fitted a new one but damaged the original cat pipe, hence getting the sports cat fitted.  Had no clue about the key as was given one key which was falling apart so got a new one cut and programmed but had never attempted to lock glove compartment.







Had the passenger side re-sprayed as rust at the bottom of the door and around filler cap (says nothing more sinister than that and, as all very tidy, no reason to dis-believe  :) ).



Air con being re-gassed.

Had an MX5 prior, and having had several of them not as happy with the MR2, so went back to one and traded it in.  Garage had told me as much. Took out a Pioneer Apple CarPlay unit to fit in new car.  Offered to send me the factory unit but I said not to bother.  Did send me the Owner's Handbook though as wasn't left in the car.

I did eventually get to the bottom of the key issue...



Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

So puzzled as to why my one 'master' key that I was able program a second key from wouldn't lock the glovebox/storage bins I did some reading around the interweb and it was relatively easy to reach a conclusion. 

Both master and the valet keys have the same key code.  However the (grey) valet key begins life with a slightly different blank which is pre-cut and has some metal missing to prevent it from operating certain locks.  This is from the tip to about 6-7mm up as per below: 



My guess would be that a locksmith has cloned a valet key and made a master from it and also just copied that  blade. Can't be done with a pedal dance but there are workarounds for virtually all previous restrictions with the right software interface.

So to get a fully functional key, I figured that I just needed to get hold of the key code.  Would anticipate Toyota charging an arm and two legs, so I used car keys-online.com - they can get it from the VIN.  Require a copy of the V5 plus driving licence and for a charge of £18 they emailed it back. 

Roadster key codes are 5 digits and in the range of P1 to P2390 apparently. As they themselves are a bit hefty for key prices, I went back to my original eBay seller.  He set me a photo of the key bitting specification and asked me to compare it to the key in my hand.  Obviously this matched but had the broader tip. £40.00 all in for the key including cutting and I get a decent looking fob to boot.



Sorted  :)

   
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

A handful of shots from the Sussex/Surrey meet in May '18











Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Interior mods.  Overall I have just planned on retaining the standard OE gloomy black look...but I have added a few motoring mod cons like Bluetooth phone connection and Sat Nav. List so far:

  • Steering wheel re-trim, black with black stitching, flat bottomed plus Midship Runabout centre badge
  • New OE Gear Knob (ordered from Japan)
  • New OE Gear Stick Gaiter
  • Chrome Dial Rings
  • Lockwood Sill Plates
  • Sourced and restored sun visors in place of visor plugs.  Seems most discard the visors for being in the way and/or not useful but found myself being blinded even with both a cap and sunglasses.
  • Black Rubber Mats
  • Interior Dash Kick Panels courtesy of the club
  • Brodit ProClip with a Garmin mount for a 5 inch Garmin DriveSmart Sat Nav unit
  • Double USB Car Charger
  • Aerial up/down switch in place of the coin holder
  • Hi-Fi:  Pioneer Double DIN Head Unit with Bluetooth and Microphone for Phone Connection, Video Display for Reversing Camera plus full iPod compatibility.  160 GB iPod Classic in glove box, Pioneer Component Speakers plus Underseat Subwoofer (in passenger side storage bin)

Will add some piccies...
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Steering wheel unboxing:





From royalsteeringwheels.com and @Wullie to thank for the idea from this thread.

Car interior:



Reversing Camera - Pioneer ND-BC8:



Video image:



Camera wiring already in situ courtesy of previous owner - black for video and red for power (ever so slightly more complex than this as I read up on it, but no rocket science involved!).  I had removed the passenger side  bin to run the yellow subwoofer power wire to the battery.   




Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

househead

Very nice! Custom wheel but with the retained airbag. Love it, looks great!
2004 Sable Red Edition, TTE Twin Exhaust, Toyosports Manifold

barchetta_ms


ManInDandism

Cheers @househead and @barchetta_ms - as said, I can't really take any credit for the idea  :)

Replacement OE gear knob vs worn 77k effort.  Around £50 odd from eBay including shipping from Japan and only appears to show up every now and again. Personal preference is to retain the factory look for the most part (plus others never appear to fit that well).

Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

In car entertainment.  The little time I do spend in the car, I tend to to do so in silence just listening to the engine revving up and/or the TTE exhaust note. But since I started out with just a big hole where the stereo sits and with listening to music being one of my favourite pastimes, I thought I'd at least kit it out with something semi-decent.

Head unit: Pioneer double DIN MVH-AV290BT With all the requisite features - Bluetooth, hands- free phone connection, touch screen operation, video display for rear-view camera, iPod connectivity etc. 


There are a ridiculous number of head units on the market - Pioneer alone currently have 37, so it's worth spending time matching them up to your individual requirements.  On top of this models are frequently updated - I think mine was superceded before I'd even secured the last dashboard screw! 

Speakers:  Pioneer TS-E171Ci 2-way component speakers.  The car did come with a set of budget Alpine ones still in place. Though an upgrade from the factory set, I found them a bit lightweight. These ones seemed to be flavour of the month around here when I was doing the install.

These come with a large passive crossover unit to separate out treble and mid/bass frequencies.  There is a decision to be made as to where on the inside of the doors to locate these.  I attached them to the polystyrene block about half way down using some heavy duty Velcro.

The main drivers were mounted using CT25TY02 Toyota-specific adaptors and I also stuck strips of Silent Coat sound deadening material wherever I could around the inside of the door shell.

Subwoofer: Pioneer TS-WX130DA Quite obviously, you will get a better bass sound with a dedicated subwoofer.  It also eases the burden on the drivers in the door.  I opted for an underseat design but as our seats are so low though I have placed it in the passenger side storage bin instead.  More Velcro used here as well as I preferred not to screw it in place.  Power comes from a direct connection to the battery and RCA leads run down the central console to connect it to the head unit.








 

Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

1979scotte

Nice write up
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Free Ukraine 🇺🇦

ManInDandism

Radio aerial up/down switch in place of coin holder.



Intercepts blue antenna wire from the additional ISO harness



160GB iPod Classic connected via rear USB cable and lives in glovebox



I guess most people have long since discarded these as junk and have them rattling around in a drawer somewhere.  I still run not one but three of them - one for each car and another for my train commute.  Several as a pain in the rear to remember to keep swapping one in and out.  Yes I do have music on my phone as well, but with these you've 14,000 plus of your own beloved songs easily at your disposal and it just remains there.

Other car has full integration - steering wheel control, track display in the centre of the speedo (as well as another main display) and an album/artist/song speed search facility via the telephone keypad.  Conversely, does not work as well in the MR2 as all you have via the head unit is a tedious search through one extremely long list or another.  So not really lending itself to a mid-journey change in selection.

I have actually just bought a remote control unit primarily because it cost peanuts:       



The princely sum of £4.34 including P&P on a slow boat from China - not sure which region but I did disinfect it (for future reference, lame attempt at a topical joke  :)  ). Only tried it to see if it works and it does, but at that price is a gimmick to maybe overcome the daft low down placement design and keep eyes on the road.
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

househead

Nice work. I love the iPod Classic. All that storage, and actual buttons. It's well made and doesn't require the internet to function. Does one thing and does it really, really well. Some designs are timeless and it is one of them.
2004 Sable Red Edition, TTE Twin Exhaust, Toyosports Manifold

1979scotte

Ipod classic are worth £££.
My Mrs still uses hers we even had it repaired the other year.
Until recently most phones had nowhere the storage and killed their battery in short order.
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Free Ukraine 🇺🇦

ManInDandism

It's quite frightening how quickly things have changed. Only a handful of weeks since my previous post and here we are deep into a worldwide pandemic.  I feel almost as ignorant as The Donald now in respect to my earlier quip, with the only saving grace being – at least I am not meant to be a world leader. 

It was 'as you were' when I dropped car off at my mechanic last Monday afternoon though employer had me already working from home.  Then later that evening Bozza more or less said that I wasn't supposed to go and collect it as this would now fall under the guidelines of non-essential travel.  Obviously some common sense needed to be applied, but as it happens I generally leave the car with the mechanic for a few days.  He's independent and fits the work in as and when since is aware that it's only a weekend car.

A few weeks back he had fitted the parts I supplied for a refresh of the front suspension – mounts, shocks and springs, all KYB, plus dust covers and bump stops, drop links, wishbones and an assortment of relevant OE bolts which I got from Toyota.  I did get a report back on the odd seized bolt that proved a bugger to remove surprise, surprise.  This is the reason that I am farming out more jobs than I initially intended.  No substitute for the experience where a dollop of Plus Gas definitely ain't gonna work.  It also helps having all the right tools and being able to get the car in the air.  All things considered – not really enough hours in the day for me to attempting a job of this size.

Large pile of goodies including front suspension bits.  I did the rear about this time last year.



Wishbones



Car went back as he'd noted that tie rods were past their best and would prevent/hinder decent wheel alignment.  So inner and outer tie rod ends, steering rack boots and ARB bushes this time around.  I included new brackets and screws with the bushes.  Just as well as another sheared bolt made the job that much more difficult.

Tie rod sets



Front ARB Bushes, brackets and screws



Steering rack gaiters and clips



So after all this - all I've done is drive the car the couple of miles home and then park it up.  So no idea what difference it has made  ::)

Stay safe folks.

 
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

I replaced the auxiliary belt and tensioner a few weeks ago.  The belt was done as per the instructions in the 'How To' section and I used a couple of generic 1ZZ engine youtube videos for the tensioner.  Toyota parts used:

  • 90105-12297 Drive belt tensioner mount bolt £5.16
  • 90179-08263 tensioner nut £1.80

I've taken to getting replacement fixings for any repair work.  16 year old nuts and bolts are likely to be past their best - plus being non-stock items, you can't just nip into the parts dept to pick them up if you find they are absolutely required.

Heeding the warning about rounding off the dummy bolt on the tensioner, I bought a 6-point socket set and a set of 6-point combination spanners.  Socket for use with a breaker bar but I got the spanners as well to make sure I was covered if clearance proved to be limited (which it isn't).

The old belt came off without any drama but I did spend a fair bit of time trying to remove the tensioner nut from its bolt.  It's a stud bolt threaded at both ends and, very unhelpfully, it's too easy to end up just turning it out fixing point.  This results in both nut and bolt rotating in unison.  The other fiddly bit was getting the new belt on but that just required some perseverance. 

Parts



Fitted



Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

No legitimate reason to drive the MR2 but this has to be by far the least of my worries in the unprecedented situation the world now finds itself in.  I can at least turn to the latest addition to my virtual garage:







The imaginatively named Import Racer! 

Rather than motor sport-derived, looks to be a souped up street racer.  Bought off eBay - I think it costs around £65 new but if it had a V5 it would show at least 1 previous owner  - hence my bagging it for £16.00.
  It was all a bit dusty but the  bodywork just needed a good polish and interior a good clean and vacuum.  I stuck it on a bowl of water so got this job done in 30 seconds flat.

New ones actually come with an extra set of white wheels.  I have no idea how they are swapped over or even what the point of this is... then there will be those wondering what a fully grown man is doing with a toy car in the first place  :D
 
It has a good set of standard features for a model car - 1:18 scale, doors, boot and bonnet open as does the authentic looking glove box.  Shame about the OTT graphics but hey-ho.



Exterior features include the Luxurypart Monocraft-x  widebody kit and GT carbon mirrors.  I'm not up on my wings and spoilers so can't tell you the make. The suspension look way too low to be anywhere near practicable – you'd lose that skirt climbing up a sloped drive let alone a speed bump.

Wheels are probably 18's and with the correct stagger.  Tyres are Toyo Proxes complete with the correct'V' tread pattern. For brakes we have Endless branded JDM performance brakes calipers with cross drilled and grooved discs.

For the interior you have yellow and black bucket seats with a 4-point harness, aluminium mats, racing steering wheel, additional pod mounted gauges, the now hard to find aluminium gear shift bezel and silver mesh grills covering the bass/mid speakers.



Head unit has been replaced with a double DIN model and shows a video or camera image of a yellow car. The rear lights indicate a PFL model which I believe means the original head unit would have been a Sony.  So at least they've not had to replace the toy Fisher-Price unit with a real toy one  ;D 

There appear to be a pair of subs behind the passenger seat and I can't make out what a square shaped thingy behind the driver is meant to be.  I would have guessed at a power amp but there is a large powerful one in the frunk where you might normally find the spare wheel.

 

And do take note of the gas strut holding the bonnet open which was lovingly fashioned from a piece of matchstick.

As regards the engine bay – all a bit mushy and non-descript but the engine cover is painted in body colour red and I think I can just about make out a turbo hose. Finally there is a Ché Lotus style exhaust. 



what a motor this would be if it was real  8)

There are two other cars in my virtual garage.  The first is a Ferrari F355 Berlinetta which I have had for nearly 20 years.  Again a 1:18 scale model and this has doors and a boot that open and a steering which turns the front wheels.  I accompanied a friend to the NEC Car Show some time in the early 2000s and brought it as a souvenir from the trip. It was probably my favourite car at the time when I was rolling around in the similarly shaped but considerably less desirable MK2.

A Jaguar F-Type SVR Coupe resplendent in Firesand Orange coachwork completes the  line-up as a more recent favourite.  A bit of a let-down this one – no opening doors, bonnet, boot or anything  :(   Then the wing mirrors are extremely flimsy - I have already had to glue one back on. 

I just need to work out what sort of vroom vroom noise each one makes as I shuttle around the living room on all fours pushing them in front of me...those were the days eh  ;D  ;D  ;D





 


 







Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

Bossworld

Great write up, our cars can't have been that far apart in the registration queue (I also have an NJ04, originally from Minories Toyota in Durham I believe).

With regards remotes, the Sony rotary commanders aren't cheap but are confirmed working on several Pioneer models. I've got the best single din I could find (x8700DAB) in conjunction with a Sony RM-X4S - the resistance values are within Pioneer spec and I think I've only got one button that does nothing. I've tried twice in my car owning life to get on with the credit card remotes and A) finding a suitable adhesive to keep them stuck is difficult and B) learning the positioning of the buttons to operate it eyes-free is harder than the equivalent stalk.

ManInDandism

Quote from: Bossworld on April 12, 2020, 08:53Great write up, our cars can't have been that far apart in the registration queue (I also have an NJ04, originally from Minories Toyota in Durham I believe).

With regards remotes, the Sony rotary commanders aren't cheap but are confirmed working on several Pioneer models. I've got the best single din I could find (x8700DAB) in conjunction with a Sony RM-X4S - the resistance values are within Pioneer spec and I think I've only got one button that does nothing. I've tried twice in my car owning life to get on with the credit card remotes and A) finding a suitable adhesive to keep them stuck is difficult and B) learning the positioning of the buttons to operate it eyes-free is harder than the equivalent stalk.


Cheers :)  My car was first registered on 01/03/2004 which is plate change date and is from Hodgson Toyota in Newcastle.

Have driven negligible miles since getting the remote and, as said, only really bought it cos it was so cheap.  So yet to see if it actually proves useful in any way.
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Driver's seat cushion replacement back and base.  The usual bolster wear which I had attempted to tidy up with some cheapo restorer but with moderate success:



Both driver and passenger side are the same part number so I got a barely worn one off Dean at Rutland MR2. It was either £60 or maybe £80? Well over a year ago so can't quite remember:



Then I decided that the base could also do with replacing as the leather starting to split:



There is a slight difference to these on each side so it's not as easy to get a driver's side one in reasonable nick.  Note that the passenger side base will actually fit (with some minor customisation to accommodate the height adjuster knob) but wanting everything to be just so, I just kept checking eBay until a driver's side one that looked  a lot less shagged than mine showed up:



Listed at £30 but seller open to offers so I went £25 which was accepted and with some postage on top.  This was back in January I think - and the plan was to then wait until the hard top came off as would be easier to lift the seat out.  As it transpires, the current situation mean hard top is still in situ but actually the seat does lift out easily enough when folded.

There's a page in the Repair Manual which gives some basic instruction in dismantling the seat and there are also some useful 'how to' YouTube videos. On two of these the guys had not worked out how to remove the height adjuster knob and succeeded in breaking it off.  It's held on by a cotter pin and you have very patiently try to unclip it with either a taped screwdriver or a trim removal tool:   



Voilà!



Looks as good as the other side now and all for not very much money  ;D 

I also took the opportunity to sand down and re-paint the rusty feet as well as giving the carpet a good clean. 
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Updates....

Seat back in car



New bits



Timing chain tensioner replaced as  old one leaky. Yes - could have just replaced the O-ring but my generally philosophy is to just change stuff that's going on 16 years where it doesn't break the bank.

Oil cap was going cheap (not directly from Toyota) - having 'lost' my original one when I forgot to replace when topping up the oil. I got a replacement from a breaker but not convinced on the seal on that one.   

And finally a new post cat O2 sensor that has been sitting in it's box much longer than intended.  Intermittent P0136 code which I am currently just clearing as when it shows up. Having rounded the existing one attempting to remove it, it is now looking like an epic bumper off job to be able to attack it properly (as discussed elsewhere).  So a question of setting the time aside. 

Then onto the new headlights I picked up off eBay. Not something I had been considering, but a bargain is a bargain:




Again as mentioned elsewhere, I messaged the seller to find out why they were up for sale.  Answer was that he has a PFL car, had second thoughts after fitting them so went out and bought a new PFL set.  I did wonder if it had to do with the extra work required to fit as connectors are different, but he seemed pretty savvy about that. 

I actually considered my headlights to be fairly decent when I clean them up, but here is a side by side shot:   



And on the car:



This one shows how much the front bumper needs to come away:



And job done



Then I gave the old ones a good clean and put those up on eBay:



30 day ad with a 'buy it now' price of £80.  No word of a lie - they were picked up a mere 20 minutes after I listed them!
Black 2004 Roadster
Previous: Black 1994 Mk2 Turbo

ManInDandism

Some updates.
 
Firstly and  a long story short,  I reached the conclusion that P0136 sensor issue I am getting is probably down to a leak in the flexi section of the cat.  It's a Malian Sports and I can feel it blowing at that point even at idle.  Both sensors B1 S2 - Heated Oxygen and then B1 S1 - Air Fuel Ratio swapped out.  The latter is suggested as an additional step in a Toyota service manual on the basis that ECU cannot always set a discrete error code for every eventuality. 

I now have to change the cat to prove it, but it is disappointing as this is barely 3 years old and has probably covered no more than 7 to 8k miles  ???   I have however noted that others here have suffered a similar fate with other brands, though it's getting what you pay for I guess as seemingly no such issues with the factory one.  I'm happy to go with Malian again as much because I like the sound, but it would be nice if it lasted a bit longer.

There is no stock at the moment anyway but I emailed them and they say are expected by the middle of next month.  If I do buy one, I will consider getting a better flexi inserted.  I've looked up a specialist exhaust place (that  opposed to an exhaust builder) and it doesn't look as if it will add much to the cost.

The car got through the (6 months deferred) MOT with no advisories.  As I understand it, 'small' exhaust leaks are not a fail although a lit EML is.  So I made sure to go for a drive a day prior to the test to get it to turn on and then cleared it when I got home since it only lights up after a fair few miles.

I have also done some routine servicing bits, oil and filter, air filter and applied some cleaner to the MAF.  I have to say that I was quite alarmed at how little oil drained into the catch can  :o  I know that all of the oil never comes out, but it weighed nothing compared to a new 4 litre container. Previously when I check the dipstick , I was satisfied if it registered even just a drip on the extreme tip and I then generally added some for the sake of it. 

I am now going to make sure that dipstick is always absolutely coated especially having now read the owner's manual on what is considered 'normal' consumption.  Interestingly I was reading about the class action lawsuit lawsuit by US owners of cars with the 2AZ-FE engine. 2008-11 cars were burning oil with owners claiming they were sold a pup by Toyota. A Technical Service Bulletin was issued for this though too little and too late for many of the owners.

So the 1ZZ-FE is not alone in this.  I can't actually recall having to top the oil up ever in in any other car I have owned.

Other bits I have done:

Re-paint the calipers.






And through the wheel.



I did some initial coats prior to having the brakes done 18 months ago. Pagid discs and pads plus new pad holders, shims, caliper bolts and servicing kit. Because I was swapping bits out I didn't need to be too precise with the brush.

Plan A was to change discs/pads myself but as bolts were rounded by previous owner/mechanic I had to farm the job out to a local fast fit place.  Obviously working on them would mark the caliper surface a bit, so I always intended to touch them up especially since there is loads of paint left. 
   
I also put some black Hammerite on what remains of the back plates. It would have been good to be able to replace them, but needing to get the hubs off first obviously renders this a total no-no. 

Then I changed the side repeaters as one of them was looking a bit tired.  OE ones which were £20 for the pair.  Bulbs swapped out to the chrome ones which turn amber as they look neater when not lit. 





Headlight cleaner to help preserve the new headlights.



New bumper inserts just because Toyota were selling them.  New bits for our cars are fast disappearing so it's get it while you can.



I guess it's the time of the year to put the hard top back on – weather permitting, that will happen this weekend.   Also, I am now convinced the soft top has previously been replaced.  Amongst other telltale signs,  it doesn't look worn enough to be nearly 17 years old. So will again be kept away from the elements until March-ish  :) 





Black 2004 Roadster
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