Looking at 03 Matrix XR...

[Fruitbat]

Hey all,

I just crashed the shiat out of my 95 camry (Another one bites the dust....) , and I'm pretty sure I'm replacing it with a Matrix. I found a 03 XR locally for a decent price with low mileage (under 80k km's/50k miles) with a good options pack (PW, PDL, A/C, Cruise...).

Since 03 was the first model year, are there any wonky problems that they're prone to? Would I be better off to throw another couple grand at an 04 or 05?

Anything specific I should look for?

Thanks a million

[fishexpo101]

Nothing that seems out of the ordinary for that particular car. It has similar issues as the 2003 Corollas - which shares the platform. If anything, the 2003-2004 had less problems than the 2005+ Matrix, in my opinion.

Most of the common issues are covered in TSBs that are floating around the net - some common ones are:
- cold start/cold weather idle surging (idle speed see-saws between 800-2000 RPMs)
- vacuum leak at the intake manifold (revised gasket)
- they improved the syncros in the later model years for the 5-speed manual, automatics carried over
- hub bearings seem to go out early
- tend to eat up rotors quickly under certain conditions (brakes are fantastic otherwise)
- OEM battery is pathetically weak

[Fruitbat]

Thanks fishexpo. Regular maintenance stuff doesn't worry me too much, so the battery and rotors won't be much of an issue.

Are the Hub bearings garage-swappable, or do you have to take apart half the front end and get them pressed in?

I'm looking at an auto, so the sycro problem won't be an issue.

Is the cold start idle issue fixable? We're below freezing for 5-6 months a year here so it could be a problem.


Another random question - How quick does the car warm up in the winter? It's a fair bit of interior space to warm up, and I have no idea how quick the 1ZZ warms up. I've been spoiled by the V6 getting up to operating temp in about 3 minutes, even when it's -30 outside.

[fishexpo101]

Hubs can be purchases as a whole assembly (the recommended method) - just unbolt the old one, new ones go on. They can be broken apart and have the bearing pressed out - but takes a lot of work. Downside, the hubs are $$$$ - but fortunantly, bad wheel bearings are not super common - just something to look out for in the used car.

Cold-start idle issues - could be due to a leaking intake manifold (composite manifold could warp slightly, causing a vacuum leak) - goes away when the engine warms up. New gasket design seems to fix that. Idle issues could also be from an old program in the ECM - there is a TSB that covers certain revisions of ECMs that can be "reprogrammed" to an extent with the Toyota handheld to reduce the occurance of the idle fluctuations.

Also forgot to mention the "sulphur farts" syndrom for many Corolla/Matrix. Easy to tell - the car spews that rotten-egg smell almost constantly. Intially blamed onf poor quality gas that will eventually go away - turns out a ECM reprogram and replacement catalytic converter will fix it. Not all cars exhibited this behavior - but the ones that did, it took a TSB to fix it.

Also forgot about the serpentine belt issues. The OEM belt (Bando) is pretty pathetic. Others and myself have used Goodyear Gatorbacks with great results. There is also a revised part number for the serpentine belt tensioner (if the tensioner is shot) and better choices for the idler pulley. Not all have this issue - just another thing to watch out for.

Remember TSB are fixed at the dealerships discretion - it is not a recall, so they are not obligated to fix it under warranty. But these TSBs are a good source to find out what problems are occuring that will warrant the TSB to be released.

As far as warming up - probably not as fast as your V6. I have (had - given it to a family member) a 3rd gen Camry myself (1996 Camry LE, 5S-FE, 300K miles) - the most bulletproof car I've ever owned. It does seem to warm up a bit quicker than the Matrix, but not by a whole lot. My 2002 8th gen Corolla warms up about the same speed as the Camry - since they have comparable dimensions - this is reasonable.

My XRS (2ZZ-GE) has slightly more cooling capacity and I've read that it does indeed heat up slower than the 1ZZ-FE variants. Even so - I get decent amount of heat (few degrees above ambient) after about 5-7 minutes of running. After 10 minutes, I got enough heat to keep passengers comfortable. But with ambient temps being normally a hair above freezing in the winter time, where I live at - might not be a good approximation for you.

Before you take the plunge in the Matrix - test drive it well and make sure you get used to its "quirks".

I found it tough to find a comfortable driving position - took some trial and error, but found a good compromise position between room for my legs, distance from steering wheel, and comfort for my back.

Also has a HUGE blind spot in the rear, from the design of the hatch. Slightly larger side mirrors help, but takes some getting use to - little more head swiveling to get fully comfortable with it.

Also an exceptionally "boomy" cabin. Since it is so tall and expansive inside, tends to bounce cabin sounds all over the place. Camry was whisper quiet - this car is a little more rock and roll.

But in the end - passenger room, ride quality, and especially cargo carrying capacity (folding rear seats, tiedown rings in the back, hard plastic load surface, and adjustable clips in the built in rails in the back and back of seats) - I can load almost anything a SUV can, but get a package that drives like a smaller car and with it, cheaper maintenace and killer fuel economy.

[Fruitbat]

Wow, thanks a million. I'll keep an eye out for all those things.