My 2010 Purplish/Mauvish 1.0L petrol/manual IQ Thread

[glimp]

Well, this is a sort of 'hello from me'. I bought the IQ exactly one month ago, in September 2023, thinking I might fancy a little runabout, for local trips. If I didn't like it, I'd sell it again.

Little did I know I'd fall in love with the damn thing!

I'd already looked at a few IQs (being sold on the IQ concept), but this one stood out. Although I could tell that the dealer wasn't being at all honest about the work he'd had done to it, (despite there being dodgy receipts!), I could see this was potentially a nice car, compared to others I'd already tested.

One lady owner (verified), main dealer serviced every year, new clutch, around 70,000 miles on the clock (5,000 miles per year).

Here are some of the things I've done so far...

As you can see, I'm a bit of a nerd 🙂 - On page 2 it says I've made a fabric luggage cover, fitted a bluetooth phone adaptor and done a courtesy light upgrade. Obviously there's also the obsessive cleaning & polishing too. I don't record that.

The car was supposed to have had new track rod ends, suspension arms and a driveshaft oil filter this week, but a couple of hours after I dropped it off, the garage phoned me to say they'd been sent the wrong parts for everything lol, so it's re-booked now for the beginning of November.

Today, I went into central London to pick up 3 x OEM Toyota IQ wheels, bought on eBay last night. I need one as a spare wheel (puncture repair kits are rubbish), but the other two wheels are surplus to requirements. Message me if you're interested in one. They're from a 2011 car - all a bit kerbed, as expected, and some surface corrosion on the inner surfaces, but all perfectly good as a spare wheel. They were F I L T H Y when I got them, but I've cleaned them up and they seem okay for spares.

The drive to London and back (25 miles each way) was a JOY! The car is quiet, comfortable, relaxing and capable in the whole range of driving conditions. I got 45mpg (at least half of it in heavy, stop/start central London traffic).

I am literally loving this car. It ticks all the boxes.

 

So, that's it for now. I'll update the thread when something else happens.

(The poor old fast car is sitting neglected on my driveway, Battery running low, because I actually prefer the IQ - eeek.)

If you have any suggestions for what I should do next, to improve/maintain the IQ, please let me know. This forum seems to be a good knowledge base.

 

 

[Cyker]

I do have a soft spot for IQ's - It's the sort of thing the majority should be driving IMHO, not the gigantic fuel-wasting land barges that are more commonplace!

It's such a weird car to be in - Feels like a bigger higher-class car until you look behind!  

[glimp]

5 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I do have a soft spot for IQ's - It's the sort of thing the majority should be driving IMHO, not the gigantic fuel-wasting land barges that are more commonplace!

It's such a weird car to be in - Feels like a bigger higher-class car until you look behind!  

Behnid? What behind?

To be fair, I was sat at traffic lights in London today, next to a Smart car, thinking - "I've got 4 seats" 🙂

 

...yes I know you need to be an amputee to use one of the seats, but the same is true of a Nissan GTR.

[PCM]

They are indeed, great little ( big ) cars.

Maybe... add some sound deadening, rear mud-flaps, Lanoguard underneath, subtle tints, replaced front Speakers?

 

[glimp]

56 minutes ago, PCM said:

They are indeed, great little ( big ) cars.

Maybe... add some sound deadening, rear mud-flaps, Lanoguard underneath, subtle tints, replaced front speakers?

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

Not sure I need sound deadening. Compared to my other car, the IQ is already as quiet as a mouse. I thought about mud flaps, but rejected it, because I thought the extra wind resistance might increase the fuel consumption (seriously, that's my thinking!)!!! I've already tinted the windows. Speakers - yes, thought about that too, but I'm not unhappy with the current sound quality.

Lanoguard - yes - that sounds like a very good idea - I'll have to investigate that one (I know very little about the product), possibly for next Summer, when the weather warms up?

[PCM]

I would do the Lanoguard now...

Wash underneath with a hose, dry for a day, then spray.

I just bought one of the 500ml bottles with a sprayer. On ramps, took about 30 minutes... £24 approx.

[Dutchrav]

In stead of sound deadening.. just a few pieces to make the doors and hatch close with a more ´premium´ sound is on my list.

 

[glimp]

4 hours ago, Dutchrav said:

In stead of sound deadening.. just a few pieces to make the doors and hatch close with a more ´premium´ sound is on my list.

 

It's interesting you should say that, because I have found that fitting the new check strap to my driver's door has made it feel more 'premium' when I close it, due to the extra resistance making the door feel heavier.

[74hct04]

This thread is a brilliant read, @glimp! You've *almost* motivated me to start my own, but I am so verbose with these things that it would take me far to long to document -in detail- some of the more unusual fixes and upgrades I've performed on "Marshmallow" (the name my wife gave my silly white iQ). Besides, mine's never clean enough for a nice photo!
 
I've just bought a grit guard, hoping to do my first ever full hand-wash of  a car before too long (don't laugh!). What could possibly go wrong?! 🛠️ 😄

[glimp]

56 minutes ago, 74hct04 said:

This thread is a brilliant read, @glimp! You've *almost* motivated me to start my own, but I am so verbose with these things that it would take me far to long to document -in detail- some of the more unusual fixes and upgrades I've performed on "Marshmallow" (the name my wife gave my silly white iQ). Besides, mine's never clean enough for a nice photo!
 
I've just bought a grit guard, hoping to do my first ever full hand-wash of  a car before too long (don't laugh!). What could possibly go wrong?! 🛠️ 😄

I'd recommend that you do one.

I thought the other day that whenever I sell the car I could point potential buyers to this thread, so they can see for themselves what's been done to the car and when it was done. Kind of like two-stage verification! All cars should have their own thread!

[glimp]

7 hours ago, PCM said:

I would do the Lanoguard now...

Wash underneath with a hose, dry for a day, then spray.

I just bought one of the 500ml bottles with a sprayer. On ramps, took about 30 minutes... £24 approx.

This is a very good suggestion. But I don't have access to ramps 😪

Off to YouTube to make myself a Lanoguard Application Expert!

[Jikky]

4 hours ago, glimp said:

This is a very good suggestion. But I don't have access to ramps 😪

Off to YouTube to make myself a Lanoguard Application Expert!

https://rb.gy/q7jgv  I used Supertrol ,one 500ml tin has done my whole car with some left over!, it took around 2 hours,jack one side at a time with an axale stand,a selection of wire brushes,the front internal plastic mud guards come off easy as in changing fog lights/bulbs 2 bolts and a clip.hope this helps.

[glimp]

6 hours ago, Jikky said:

https://rb.gy/q7jgv  I used Supertrol ,one 500ml tin has done my whole car with some left over!, it took around 2 hours,jack one side at a time with an axale stand,a selection of wire brushes,the front internal plastic mud guards come off easy as in changing fog lights/bulbs 2 bolts and a clip.hope this helps.

Thanks Jikky. I'll make a bookmark of that product. i might be tempted to use this kind of waxy protection on components that are unlikely to ever be removed or replaced, but I don't like the idea of applying it to anything else - and I'm not sure my mechanic would like it either. I'll ask him what he thinks, when he does the gearbox oil seal in a week's time.

[74hct04]

Make sure he refills the gearbox with SAE 75W GL-4 gear oil when he does (as per the handbook). Exact viscosities of SAE 75W vary from one brand to another (I read some datasheets) but I am happy with Febi Bilstein so far. Probably best to buy Toyota brand -as specified- if you can. 

[glimp]

51 minutes ago, 74hct04 said:

Make sure he refills the gearbox with SAE 75W GL-4 gear oil when he does (as per the handbook). Exact viscosities of SAE 75W vary from one brand to another (I read some datasheets) but I am happy with Febi Bilstein so far. Probably best to buy Toyota brand -as specified- if you can. 

Thanks for that. I think I'll provide it for him, just to be sure.

[Jikky]

5 hours ago, glimp said:

i might be tempted to use this kind of waxy protection on components that are unlikely to ever be removed or replaced,

Thats exactly what I did !! it comes off easy with brake cleaner if need be,hope this helps

[glimp]

Well, just spent £600 on getting new suspension arms, new track rod ends, a new gearbox oil seal, new gearbox oil and front wheel alignment.

And THAT, ladies & gentlemen, is hopefully all the jobs done for the foreseeable future. I now have a 14-year-old car that's as good as it can be.

Happy!

She's driving beautifully - touch wood!

[Dutchrav]

Happy to read you treat her (him?) well. With those new parts it have to drive a lot better and smoother!

[Barkley]

I find your colour scheme is really easy on the eye.  My YT feed yesterday features some Indian guys wrapping an iQ very professionally, but the wrap was Matt gray = it looked better before they started!

[glimp]

I just bought a pair of these dynamic LED turn indicators for the door mirrors, because I'm a tart...

ALIEXPRESS LINK

[glimp]

...and here's a really good video to tell me how to take the mirror apart.

 

 

[Barkley]

Are you changing it for the sake of it, or are your existing ones faulty?  Visually, I find mirror indicators an affectation (when looking at approaching vehicles) maybe it’s an ‘age’ thing I’m suffering from. 🤓

[glimp]

15 minutes ago, Barkley said:

Are you changing it for the sake of it, or are your existing ones faulty?  Visually, I find mirror indicators an affectation (when looking at approaching vehicles) maybe it’s an ‘age’ thing I’m suffering from. 🤓

There's nothing wrong with my indicators. As I've already revealed, I am a tart, or in your eyes a tart with a couple of affectations (when they arrive).

😎

[Dutchrav]

Those indicators are good quality, we have same kind on our Corolla.

[Barkley]

Is the only difference that they ‘sweep’ in the direction of travel - like the Audi’s?  Or are they brighter or a different colour.  
PS There’s nothing wrong in being a tart - my experience with credit cards proves that!