Just here to vent a bit and get some advice. Some of you may know about the TSB thread I posted and since I have had my car serviced more issues have come up. I own a 09 Corolla S which I have had for 6 months with just under 9000 miles on it. I bought the car brand new (3 miles on it) and expected a fairly refined machine, knowing full well what first year in a new model means. That being said, here are my issues and gripes:
Clicking/popping noise - when I step on the brakes with moderate force this noise occurs. Not guaranteed to happen every time but frequently, especially in stop-and-go traffic.
Rough idle on cold start - has happened since having the TSB fix for the squeal/grinding noise. The car doesn't shake badly but it is noticeable to me; the RPM alternates up and down 100-200 revs. Have filled up at several stations, ran fuel system cleaner and no luck. I thought maybe the TRD filter fouled the MAF sensor but it happened before I even put the filter in and I have never oiled the filter myself, it was factory oiled.
Rattles - I have 4 different places: headliner above passenger seat (a good smack makes it stop for a minute, otherwise it sounds like an angry hornet), dash near change holder (haven't been able to pinpoint location, might be the A pillar rattle), rear deck (right side speaker, they are aftermarket so I'll need to take a look at the install), under the drivers seat (which occasionally likes to make a loud pop noise when I sit in it - I weight an entire 150lbs, give me a break). I have resolved the other minor rattles (passenger seatbelt against B pillar, etc.) and I don't expect the car to be silent but the headliner rattle is the worst - there is no way I am removing my headliner.
Keyless entry - remote has terrible range. I have used the chin trick so many times I'm afraid I may develop a tumor.
Laggy throttle response - this has been beaten to death, still irritating. Nothing to do with missing performance or acceleration, the throttle is just slow to respond.
I know some of these are just general gripes but this car has me frustrated. Within the first month of owning it had to bring it to the dealer for two services: rear seat latch was misaligned causing the seat to fold down if I stepped on the brakes too hard (fixed) and the TSB for engine squeal (fixed, so far). I have owned 2 cars previously, a 1984 Accord with 114k and 98 Civic with 108k, both had the high mileage when I bought them and I had less issues and gripes. I traded the 98 Civic (155k at trade) for the Corolla and almost wish I hadn't.
I am currently considering trading in the Corolla for a Civic; another owner might be lost. I am going to talk to the dealer about my issues to see what they will do but ultimately I am just unhappy with my purchase. It sucks because I can think of plenty of pros (I actually enjoy the steering, looks, color, interior color/style, ride comfort, efficiency, quietness, price) but every time my car comes up with a new quirk or issue I immediately feel like dumping it in the ocean.
Sorry for the long rant, just looking for opinions or suggestions. Anyone else have similar issues? Any resolutions? Maybe I just need someone to tell me the Civic is worse so I will stay with my Corolla.
Wow that absolutely sucks to buy a new car and have that many issues.
I have a 2010 S picked it up Aug 14 and have about 6000 miles on it already.
The only issue I had was the alignment was slightly off, it was corrected at 150 miles. So far so good.
For the headliner, wedge a very small piece of foam into the center of it where it meets the windshield. This will make a huge difference. The rear window rattle and driver seat noise is resolvable at the dealer, from what a few members have said.
For the throttle response there is a device called the sprint booster that should help, it won't improve 0-60, but it should help with "pedal feel".
J Laggy throttle response - this has been beaten to death, still irritating. Nothing to do with missing performance or acceleration, the throttle is just slow to respond.
This was the one thing that I absolutely could not get past. Probably if I had bought an automatic, it would not have even been an issue. Some people blame the DBW, but my RSX is DBW and has the best throttle response of any fuel injected vehicle I've driven.
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2010 Corolla S 5 speed. It's GONE!
2007 Corolla CE Auto
2010 Aveo5 - good CHEAP car so far
This was the one thing that I absolutely could not get past. Probably if I had bought an automatic, it would not have even been an issue. Some people blame the DBW, but my RSX is DBW and has the best throttle response of any fuel injected vehicle I've driven.
Laggy response is due to computer control which has been tuned for drivability and better fuel mileage.
If you press on the gas too quickly, the engine will get more gas than it can use until the air flow catches up to it. By slightly delaying the response the gas is not wasted. Also, if you're driving along and pump the gas pedal on and off very quickly, you'll notice that the input is ignored. If you did that on an older car, your drivetrain and car would be jerking back and forth. You can see where slowing down the inputs for a small amount of time is good in this instance. I normal driving, drive train lash is eliminated which is much better for the transmission and CV joints.
RSX, is built for a different purpose.
Quite frankly, after driving the car for a couple of days, I no longer even noticed the lag, but appreciate the reasons it works the way it does.
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JDM yellow fog bulbs, Cool Blue Headlight bulbs, Modified Intake, TRD air filter, billet shifter knob, modified light sensor, Carbon Fiber Dash, 30% Window tint, tinted reverse lights, signals, de-badged, MSW type 12 wheels, Eagle GT 225/40-18 tires, additional brake lights, TRD sway bar, Lowered
J Sorry for the long rant, just looking for opinions or suggestions. Anyone else have similar issues? Any resolutions? Maybe I just need someone to tell me the Civic is worse so I will stay with my Corolla.
Do yourself a big favor wander over to the new civic board and see how many engine complaints they have. Granted the Civic doesn't not have all the issues you listed but the ones they do have will have you crying for your corolla. If you are having issues with your car take it in and don't accept it till its fix. If they can't fix it dial the 1 800 toyota number and make more noise if it still is not working then start looking for another vehicle.
I hear what you are saying but vetting on a forum will not get you the results you want or need. Or if your are more adventurous rattles can be fixed with foam or sound deadener, brakes can be replaced by performance pads, ect ect. You feelings of frustration are valid but don't sit there and stew for days get on the dealership and make them start fixing your issues.
Laggy response is due to computer control which has been tuned for drivability and better fuel mileage.
If this is what Toyota was going for, I'm even more disappointed. The 08 Corolla I traded for the 2010 got slightly (.8 mpg) better fuel economy and didn't have much throttle lag.
Different strokes for different folks I guess. I shouldn't have traded my 08 in, but I'm sure others like the 10th gen much better than the 9th gen.
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2010 Corolla S 5 speed. It's GONE!
2007 Corolla CE Auto
2010 Aveo5 - good CHEAP car so far
If your going to use a K&N filter or TRD filter you should be cleaning your maf sensor on a regular basis. i.e 2X year. Maybe yearly if using a regular filter. Very easy to do and keeps the car running nicely. This is something that would make a great DIY sticky for those that aren't sure how to do it.
If your going to use a K&N filter or TRD filter you should be cleaning your maf sensor on a regular basis. i.e 2X year. Maybe yearly if using a regular filter. Very easy to do and keeps the car running nicely. This is something that would make a great DIY sticky for those that aren't sure how to do it.
Been using K&N and TRD for years and never cleaned my MAF sensor and never had a problem. I'd say you have a better chance of screwing up the sensor by trying to clean it if you don't know what you're doing.
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JDM yellow fog bulbs, Cool Blue Headlight bulbs, Modified Intake, TRD air filter, billet shifter knob, modified light sensor, Carbon Fiber Dash, 30% Window tint, tinted reverse lights, signals, de-badged, MSW type 12 wheels, Eagle GT 225/40-18 tires, additional brake lights, TRD sway bar, Lowered
I hear you about the rattles. My 09 XRS is developing new rattles at a fairly frequent pace now. I have one up front somewhere, one on the right side B pillar, and probably 2 or 3 rattles at the back somewhere either in the C pillars or further back.
The XRS doesn't have a laggy throttle...but the S models slow response was one of the reasons why I went with the XRS. I figure its because its 130 someodd HP and not that much torque and its just not going to get going very quickly.
This was the one thing that I absolutely could not get past. Probably if I had bought an automatic, it would not have even been an issue. Some people blame the DBW, but my RSX is DBW and has the best throttle response of any fuel injected vehicle I've driven.
I had an 04 RSX-S, and FYI no RSX of any year had DBW. the K20 motor had a throttle wire.
Do yourself a big favor wander over to the new civic board and see how many engine complaints they have. Granted the Civic doesn't not have all the issues you listed but the ones they do have will have you crying for your corolla. If you are having issues with your car take it in and don't accept it till its fix. If they can't fix it dial the 1 800 toyota number and make more noise if it still is not working then start looking for another vehicle.
I hear what you are saying but vetting on a forum will not get you the results you want or need. Or if your are more adventurous rattles can be fixed with foam or sound deadener, brakes can be replaced by performance pads, ect ect. You feelings of frustration are valid but don't sit there and stew for days get on the dealership and make them start fixing your issues.
^ Best advice here.
IMO the rough idle sounds like you could take it back to dealer (if it happened after the squealling cam assy TSB update)
Rattles, ask yourself, would you rather yourself, or a grubby handed tech, tear your car apart to find the rattles? You never know, with a little roll of foam weather strip and a screw driver you can usually get some good results, plus you're the one that really knows what the rattles sound like and coming from. Both of my last 2 toyotas had rattles and I managed to find and fix them both.
Throttle response is shit, I'm not going to defend it. I have 5spd matrix and the lag is always got you guessing if you pump the throttle little lag before it revs up, sometimes has you over revving when it catches up looking like a novice. I've got used to it.
Oh and Keyless Entry. I can lock/unlock my car through my building at work and to the other side of the parking lot. Mine seems to have an incredible range, that chin trick is a myth isn't it?
Do yourself a big favor wander over to the new civic board and see how many engine complaints they have. Granted the Civic doesn't not have all the issues you listed but the ones they do have will have you crying for your corolla. If you are having issues with your car take it in and don't accept it till its fix. If they can't fix it dial the 1 800 toyota number and make more noise if it still is not working then start looking for another vehicle.
I hear what you are saying but vetting on a forum will not get you the results you want or need. Or if your are more adventurous rattles can be fixed with foam or sound deadener, brakes can be replaced by performance pads, ect ect. You feelings of frustration are valid but don't sit there and stew for days get on the dealership and make them start fixing your issues.
I appreciate this kind of reply and I know that the forums will not solve my issues. Suggestions for DIY rattle fixes help though but I know the dealer will need to fix the other issues. I will be in the dealership this week to get these issues resolved but up until now I have not had time so I had a chance to stew about it. Once I get in to the dealer we will see how that goes, the service advisor they usually give me is an idiot so I will be asking for someone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdhog
^ Best advice here.
IMO the rough idle sounds like you could take it back to dealer (if it happened after the squealling cam assy TSB update)
Rattles, ask yourself, would you rather yourself, or a grubby handed tech, tear your car apart to find the rattles? You never know, with a little roll of foam weather strip and a screw driver you can usually get some good results, plus you're the one that really knows what the rattles sound like and coming from. Both of my last 2 toyotas had rattles and I managed to find and fix them both.
Throttle response is shit, I'm not going to defend it. I have 5spd matrix and the lag is always got you guessing if you pump the throttle little lag before it revs up, sometimes has you over revving when it catches up looking like a novice. I've got used to it.
Oh and Keyless Entry. I can lock/unlock my car through my building at work and to the other side of the parking lot. Mine seems to have an incredible range, that chin trick is a myth isn't it?
It is a myth and what I said was a joke. I will have the rough idle looked at for sure. As for the rattles you make a good point, I'm not sure I want grease stripes down my headliner so I'll have to look in to that.
I guess the biggest thing, which has been mentioned in other threads, is that I don't feel like I enjoy driving my car. My brother-in-law has a 7th gen Corolla with 215k and I stole the keys last night for a ride. I enjoyed it more than I thought. Yeah his is a stick and I drive an auto so that may be part of it but my Civic was auto and I still enjoyed driving it. It's a bizarre feeling but I look forward to driving other cars but not my own.
Shit, I'm beginning to realize that maybe I should have gotten a 5M XRS (or an Si).
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