Hi All
Sorry for the off topic. Does anyone know of a mechanic experienced in servicing Corolla's 2005-2006 period ? (preferably an ex-dealer mechanic). Much appreciated !
Whats the problem Ja, I used to be a toyota mechanic for 10 years but that was 20 years ago now, I might be able to give you some advise.
I'm buying another little car. Focusing on Corolla hatchbacks in 2005 and 2006 years. I'm after a mechanic to perform a 2nd opinion and one with a bit of product knowledge. I've looked at about five cars in three days. I've noticed a few common faults: brake peddle vibrations, engine pinging etc. Not sure if it's headache or nothing to worry about.
Ja
I'm no trained mechanic, but:
Brake pedal vibrations are usually easily fixed by cracking all the wheel nuts and retightening them consistently. Usual cause is some monkey over tightening one or two of them. If it's been like that for ages and/or driven hard, then there may be a slight warp in the rotor. That often comes right after driving(braking) hard again - got to get them nice and hot.
Engine pinging is usually due to fuel that has a low octane running in an engine with higher compression. Not so common these days - most of the recent Japanese cars advance their timing to avoid fuel detonation. Means they have less power, and the fuel economy is bad, but avoids wrecking the engine. Running premium fuel is usually a good solution. The Japanese have 98 octane at the pump, so even our "premium" NZ fuel (94-95 Octane) is still rubbish according to my Mitsi. It LOVES an ethanol blend though!
Hard to kill a Toyota though, so you probably can't go too far wrong.
