My Green MR2 - 2004

Started by chrismscotland, September 24, 2018, 23:17

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chrismscotland

Well its been around 6 weeks of MR2 ownership and I thought it was time to start a thread so I can keep track of what I've done, what I want to do and what I should do!!
A little long but bear with me!

Overview

2004 MR2 with 59000 miles on the clock when I got it, Black Leather Seats and Air-con with a Hard-Top fitting kit (but no hardtop).
Inside its in fantastic condition, seats looked in great nick and not much of a mark on the plastics/trim inside, all in all pretty happy with the interior.

Outside it was also in good nick with nothing too serious looking, the usual scratches that come with age, swirls etc but not bad, the Headlights a bit faded.
Alloys had just been refurbed and look in really nice condition.

Soft-top also in good nick albeit needing a clean!

Mechanically it seemed fine after a test drive and more than survived the drive back from York to Edinburgh with it (with the roof down most of the way!!)

Since then...

Actually priorities first up, I took a trip to American Golf to invest in a smaller, narrower golf bag, which fits perfectly behind the seats! (If I remove the plastic panels and put my driver on the top!)

First up I had an Engine Management Light 1 week in, invested in a Code Reader/Clearer which suggested it was one of the O2 Sensors on the top, quick call to Toyota suggested they wanted £200+ to replace it, quick search on here and I duly ordered up 2x Denso Sensors from Amazon (£42 each) and a Sensor Socket! - took me 15 mins to swap both out myself (though I might as well make them consistent!).

Secondly a more serious endeavour, replacing the Stock Head Unit with a Double DIN Sony XAV-200 unit which provides Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay (for Navigation, Music and Messaging), Android Auto and Radio, took a few hours but fitted the microphone in front of the Rev Counter, Sony Remote installed on the Steering Column and a Pre-Facelift surround which tidies it up nicely and helps to hid the cable spaghetti behind!! - Also did the "aerial/window lock mod" to prevent the aerial going up unless I need it, mainly using Mobile Streaming for the Radio now!

After that I realised that the rear brakes were sticking, I decided to dodge trying to fix that one myself and got it into my local indy garage, had to replace the Discs, Pads and Rear Callipers but it does now brake nicely! - will need to replace the Handbrake Cables before the MOT next year though as they were stretched and despite their best efforts the HB doesn't function brilliantly.

The car was apparently serviced just before I bought it but given that the Rear Brakes were in such a state I was left a little skeptical, so got it into Toyota for a full service, it does now seem to be running a little quieter and smoother since the filters were changed, oil change, etc.

They also spotted a leaky seal on the Gearbox Drive Shaft so I've had that fixed and the gear change does seem more smooth since!, their only other mechanical recommendation was that the Front Pads/Discs are needing replaced but rather than pay them £240 I've picked up pads/discs myself for £50....

Had a quick clean of the soft-top drains too after I noticed some "sloshing" after a heavy rain - lost a couple of side vent clips though so replacing them this week!

Near Future

Weather permitting I'll get my front pads and discs changed this week, which is hopefully the last thing that really needs to be done for now.
Planning on replacing the Timing Chain Tensioner too, it was a bit loud before but its more noticeable following the service as the car seems generally quieter now (aside from what sounds like the Timing Chain Tensioner!).

Next up is trying to get the Headlights polished up, they're not yellow but a little cloudy, will also need to fix the fitting of the Drivers Side Headlight as the mount has cracked but thanks to this place I've confirmed with Toyota that I can get the replacement fitting/fix parts.

Also have a set of new Bulbs for Dipped and Main Beam as I'd prefer to switch to "whiter" beams than the yellowy ones, got some Osram Night-breakers in the cupboard.

Unfortunately some plonker opened their door against my rear wheel arch and dented it :( - managed to pull most of it out with a dent "sucker" but will need to touch up where the paint has been removed for winter - intending to get some bodywork/paintwork stuff done next year so it will need to wait!

Travel

So far I've used the car mainly as a daily driver with a fair few trips across the M8 to Glasgow but also enjoyed a number of coastal days out with the roof down around East Lothian and Fife, even the wife is enjoying it!

Away for a weekend in a few weeks and agreed to take the MR2, actually been surprised how much I've fitted in the frunk and storage space but have a luggage rack on the way!
Also off to Cardiff in early November for Wales v Scotland in the rugby, quite looking forward to that trip with the car too, although would have liked to have Cruise Control fitted for that one!

Longer Term Future

I suspect that my suspension/steering will need some attention eventually, seems a little "skittish" at times but as its mainly on the cobbled and rutted Edinburgh streets (and seems fine outside the city) I'm willing to ignore that for now!

Paintwork - I do want to get the paintwork restored/looking at its best but not all that sure what the best way of doing that, I might invest in a machine polisher if thats going to help with removing scratches and swirls, I'll also need to look at getting the remaining dent sorted out in my wheel arch!

Cruise Control - I'd like to get Cruise Control fitted if I'm going to keep the car longer term as I do have a fair bit of motorway driving from time to time with work and if I can feel sure the cars running well I'd love to do some kind of European Road Trip next year (if I'm allowed in!).

Daylight Running Lights / Fogs - would like to replace the fog lights for one of the Vistar DRL kits as it looks lovely! May do that before the year it out if I can get a set.

Soft-top - I bought a car that at least had the Hard-top fitting kit so that I had that option as I fully intended getting one for winter, however in the 6 weeks I've had the car I've changed my mind, what's the point in a soft-top if I can't put it down! The heater would melt faces so I don't have any concerns about being cold!!! The HT fitting kit will also raise a few quid toward other things!
I'd like to get the soft-top replaced at some point perhaps a different colour (maybe brown or Burgundy), I would probably have got it done in Swansea when I go down to Cardiff in November but really feel I can survive a bit longer!

Toyota MR2 MK3 by Chris Mitchell, on Flickr

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