New Celica Owner

[TeamKHK]

Hi all,

Thought I'd sign up & check myself in as a new owner of a 52 plate Celica, overall so far I'm very pleased with the car despite only getting it a few days ago. It really is amazing how much these can now be picked up for when on a low budget :)

One minor thing I've picked up on it so far which was also presented to be when viewing it, was the rubber seals along the boot which have slightly perished on both the left & right hand side (it looks like the parcel shelf was previously loose and as a result, has come into contact with the rubber when closing the boot). The chap did a bit of a glue job on it prior to be getting the car but it has since dried and is no longer effective, with both sides of the perished rubber being exposed again.

I'm just looking into some advice as to where I can obtain a new rubber seal from or if anyone has done a repair job on these - recommend what I can use to repair the rubber myself? I've had a good look on eBay for a new rubber seal but these look to be hard to come by.

Many thanks in advance - Liam.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

[TeamKHK]

7 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

Thank you bud :)

Liam.

[Scarlett Arrow]

Hi, Liam..and welcome to T.O.C.

Being a 52 plate, hopefully your 140 is a face lift model. But if not, it's imperative you keep an eagle eye on the oil level on the dipstick. Even some face lift models have been known to become "oil-burners", with a resultant scrap engine.

You may be able to buy a good used seal from Amit (aka ams), who can be found on celica-club.co.uk

Amit is located in Brum, so he's not all that far from Leics, he's a great source of parts for a Gen 7, who can be trusted 100%.

[TeamKHK]

50 minutes ago, Scarlett Arrow said:

Hi, Liam..and welcome to T.O.C.

Being a 52 plate, hopefully your 140 is a face lift model. But if not, it's imperative you keep an eagle eye on the oil level on the dipstick. Even some face lift models have been known to become "oil-burners", with a resultant scrap engine.

You may be able to buy a good used seal from Amit (aka ams), who can be found on celica-club.co.uk

Amit is located in Brum, so he's not all that far from Leics, he's a great source of parts for a Gen 7, who can be trusted 100%.

Thanks for your reply Kev :)

Mine is the pre face lift but thanks for the recommendation regarding keeping an eagle eye on the oil - this is one of the things I kept in mind when looking last week, thankfully the one I got was only serviced back in November and the oil level on the dipstick is still showing between the min / max :) I'll make the oil check a weekly thing without fail moving forward too.

Many thanks regarding Amit over in Brum too - I'll read up & enquire about the seal with him.

Liam.

[RUToyota]

Welcome,  Liam...great car...!...I still miss my Celica even after two years.

 

Good advice from Kev...always keep a good eye on the oil level and change it regularly.

Mine never went above 5-7k miles before the oil and filter were changed.

You'll find AMS very knowledgeable and helpful...he's well respected in the Celica community.

[TeamKHK]

On ‎31‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 10:59 AM, RUToyota said:

Welcome,  Liam...great car...!...I still miss my Celica even after two years.

 

Good advice from Kev...always keep a good eye on the oil level and change it regularly.

Mine never went above 5-7k miles before the oil and filter were changed.

You'll find AMS very knowledgeable and helpful...he's well respected in the Celica community.

Thank you Neil, much obliged :)

What are people's opinions regarding overall comfort on 17" alloys? My Celica came with 17" aftermarket alloys but with the correct Toyota tyre fitment (205/45/17 I believe). However at times I do find the overall ride a tad uncomfortable over rough roads - plus it probably doesn't help by the fact that all four tyres are not matching.

I love the look of the factory 17" alloys that came with cars and seriously considering switching to these, though I am also considering the 16" factory ones... even though they don't look as good, plus are renown for the poor finish!

Would I see much of a difference if I was to say go for factory 16's? Plus would overall handling be compromised much too?

Many thanks - Liam.

 

[Scarlett Arrow]

I've had 14 different sets of wheels on my 140 since 2004, Liam..so hopefully I'm qualified to answer your question.

Firstly, you can make a slight difference to ride comfort by fitting 215/45/17 tyres. You will lose a little acceleration, but you might not even notice it. As this size is more common than 205/45, they are a little cheaper too.

The problem with fitting factory 17" rims, is unless you pay a small fortune to buy new, there's a good chance the used rims will be buckled. Virtually all the Celica 17" rims were manufactured by Fondmetal, and they're just not very durable.

I have a set of 17" GT (Fondmetal Tech5) rims with two new tyres available, but the rims will require some work, should you be interested.

While 16's may not look as attractive, because the 140 isn't blessed with much torque, the car performs much better with the lighter 16's fitted, as you're reducing the unsprung weight. The tyres aren't particularly cheap though, as 205/50/16 is a bit of an unusual size.

Don't forget that OE rims take a flat seated nut, unlike the tapered nuts on your after-market 17's. Having the correct type fitted is CRITICAL.

Hope that helps

[TeamKHK]

1 hour ago, Scarlett Arrow said:

I've had 14 different sets of wheels on my 140 since 2004, Liam..so hopefully I'm qualified to answer your question.

Firstly, you can make a slight difference to ride comfort by fitting 215/45/17 tyres. You will lose a little acceleration, but you might not even notice it. As this size is more common than 205/45, they are a little cheaper too.

The problem with fitting factory 17" rims, is unless you pay a small fortune to buy new, there's a good chance the used rims will be buckled. Virtually all the Celica 17" rims were manufactured by Fondmetal, and they're just not very durable.

I have a set of 17" GT (Fondmetal Tech5) rims with two new tyres available, but the rims will require some work, should you be interested.

While 16's may not look as attractive, because the 140 isn't blessed with much torque, the car performs much better with the lighter 16's fitted, as you're reducing the unsprung weight. The tyres aren't particularly cheap though, as 205/50/16 is a bit of an unusual size.

Don't forget that OE rims take a flat seated nut, unlike the tapered nuts on your after-market 17's. Having the correct type fitted is CRITICAL.

Hope that helps

Just the answer I was looking for, Kev! Thank you :)

Interestingly on the subject of 17" tyres, I did discover last night that switching to 215/45/17 may also help in some way - and double checking the spare wheel in my boot, it looks like my Celica did come with the factory 17's to begin with (and ironically... it is buckled! Which I was made aware of when viewing the car anyway). However on the flip side and also taking into account what you've mentioned, I'm still swayed with potentially going with the 16's just for overall ride comfort - plus I think my 11 month old daughter would also appreciate this ;)

You're right regarding the cost for tyres on the 16" fitment though, roughly £85 a corner with what I would be looking to go for (UniRoyal or Goodyear). With regards to the wheel nuts - I am on the hunt for these as well as the ones on my aftermarket 17's are bespoke solely for them alloys.

Lastly - thanks for the offer regarding your 17's too, I'll bear these in mind :)

Many thanks - Liam.

[Scarlett Arrow]

You have a good choice in tyres, Liam

Camskill have the Rainsport3 at £60.60 a corner plus carriage.

PS The five spoke 16" rims came with Yokohama Advan tyres as OE.

[TeamKHK]

2 hours ago, Scarlett Arrow said:

You have a good choice in tyres, Liam

Camskill have the Rainsport3 at £60.60 a corner plus carriage.

PS The five spoke 16" rims came with Yokohama Advan tyres as OE.

I only go for the best :) I've been there and done that with budgets in the past with some of my first cars - poor grip, road noise and dreadful handling at times.

One of the things I can't stand are non matching tyres, as soon as my old car sells I'll be going for four brand new tyres, complete to go on a set of 16's if I can find any in the meantime!

Thanks for the suggestion about the Yokohama's too, I'll look these up.

Liam.

[Scarlett Arrow]

I bet Amit has loads of the five spoke 16's, flat seated nuts too. He's probably dismantled more Gen 7's than anyone else in the country.

Sorry for not being clearer..I wasn't suggesting you buy the Advan's, just that I see the wheels that have lived in the boot as a spare up for sale, mated to what would now be a very old tyre

[TeamKHK]

On 03/02/2018 at 7:03 AM, Scarlett Arrow said:

I bet Amit has loads of the five spoke 16's, flat seated nuts too. He's probably dismantled more Gen 7's than anyone else in the country.

Sorry for not being clearer..I wasn't suggesting you buy the Advan's, just that I see the wheels that have lived in the boot as a spare up for sale, mated to what would now be a very old tyre

 

Haha no worries mate :)

I think currently I'm going to hold onto the 17" aftermarket alloys that I have & purchase 4 x brand new 215/45 tyres - for me this will be more cost effective and a faster turnaround overall. I've been keeping a close eye over the weekend for some decent 16's in case but sadly most of them for sale out there are in need of a refurb.

Oh yeah something that I noticed this morning - I've got a crack on my Celica key fob casing sadly & will keep replacing :( (and it's the only key I have for it!). I've been looking at some of these new aftermarket key fobs on eBay, but I've read that their are a couple of different types of key blades i.e TOY45 and the like. Do you know what is the correct one for the 7th Gen Celica?

Many thanks - Liam.

[Scarlett Arrow]

Sorry, Liam. I can't help on that one, as I've only ever had to replace the Battery in the fob.

Can you guess who would know?

[TeamKHK]

1 hour ago, Scarlett Arrow said:

Sorry, Liam. I can't help on that one, as I've only ever had to replace the battery in the fob.

Can you guess who would know?

Not to worry at all mate, and I think we both know who you're talking about 

Anyway - I think I've sussed it out for myself going by google and certain eBay listings specifying that 7th Gen Celica keys in particular have an identical key pattern on both sides, I'm 99% sure the correct one we have and as per a lot of other Toyota models out there is TOY43.

Many thanks - Liam.