21st Birthday 🎂

[Rhymes with Paris]

Well it is in a few days for the Tsport, but I can't wait to tell you how it got on at the early(as in before it was due, not 6.00am)MOT today.

I got it cleaned inside and out yesterday by the Bulgarians near Tesco's, and just as they do every time it goes in there, they were very keen on buying it.

One of them even said he would buy it if it failed the MOT, they really like Yaris's there, there were two MK1s and a MK2 that the staff run.

They took a lot of care cleaning mine over an hour or so, and made a pretty good job I reckon.

So to the MOT station today, and I asked the tester if I could have a look for myself under the car while it was up on the ramps, surprisingly they said yes, what with me being a bit doddery on my feet, and elf and safety and all that.

So I finally saw the underneath, and it's not bad at all, the surface rust that I was a bit worried about,is just that, no rot, and overall very clean under there.

No worse I would think than a 5 year old car subjected to UK roads.

No problems with emissions, brakes, anything at all, apart from the driver's side wiper blade being split at the bottom, soon sorted with a £8 Bosch one from europarts next door.

So again another pass, so very happy with this remarkable little car once again.

 

 

 

[Rhymes with Paris]

So a few minutes after passing, here she is, looking very pleased with herself.

[Bper]

Hi Paul, brilliant news you will get another 20 years or more by the sounds of it. Looks in great condition and no wonder its wanted regardless if it passed the MOT or not.

[Mojo1010]

Well done! 👍🏻  

Had my first Yaris about 14 years ago, also the MK1 year 2000 1.3GLS. Had it for 2 years before sold it to a relative due to having a company car. Mk3, then MK4 hybrids now.

Total 8 years of Yaris ownership so far, one day will need a bigger car so will miss it, especially the latest gen. Worry not, will stay in the Toyota family for sure. 

[Rhymes with Paris]

Thank you for the nice comments, now she has got the ok, I think I will treat her to an oil and filter change, hydraulic fluids change, coolant change,and brakes service.

Probably been answered somewhere on here already and in the handbook that I can't find at the minute, but to save my lazy brain, anyone know the correct oil for this model?

And is the pink Toyota pre mixed coolant correct for this age car?

Also is the clutch and brake fluid from the same reservoir,ie shared from the same pot?

I should know all this really, but not sure, so best to check.

[Cyker]

It's always good to check! I sometimes think I know something only to realize I've gotten it mixed up with something else  

But I think you're right for all of them - I think the oil will be 5w30 as most Toyotas from that era were specced for that. The coolant is the Toyota Super Long Life premixed pink one as you say, and you're correct the clutch and brakes share a fluid reservoir.

Very impressive how you've kept that so clean, especially the underneath, as the sub-frames can be prone to rust if not looked after.

She's still a looker!   

[Rhymes with Paris]

Thank you Cyker, but I might have said before, most of the credit for the condition of the car is down to the two previous owners, the first being my neighbour over the road who bought it brand new in 2003.

And his lady friend who had it after that until she didn't feel confident to drive any longer, kept it always garaged and serviced spot on the mark, and was a very good driver.

I have had it for only the last 5 years, and don't have a garage, but try to keep it clean and looked after, with help from the car wash guys now that I can't clamber about much.

 

[TonyHSD]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🚙2️⃣1️⃣🏅

Many more trouble free miles. 
I don’t know why but lately I have started to like older cars more and more. Is it from my age or because of the latest models filled up with annoying tech and these electronics with batteries that needs replacement those old cars are real treasures to discover. 
 

[Rhymes with Paris]

10 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Happy Birthday 🎂 🚙2️⃣1️⃣🏅

Many more trouble free miles. 
I don’t know why but lately I have started to like older cars more and more. Is it from my age or because of the latest models filled up with annoying tech and these electronics with batteries that needs replacement those old cars are real treasures to discover. 
 

Thank you Tony, I was very lucky to find this one.

It's maybe a combination of the two reasons that you mention, I too like things as simple as possible, like the on and off buttons for the most of the tech, instead of touchscreens.

I have thought for a long while now though that the fairly simple electrics for this era of Japanese cars are well made and reliable.

My previous car was a 2012 honda CRV, which was a lovely comfortable car, but required a lot of faffing about when topping up the tyre pressures for instance, for one thing.

Tpms reset and figuring out the menu to do so,on the Yaris just check the pressures regularly, and keep a good eye on them.

You obviously know a good deal about how to look after a car up to a very high mileage , so your opinion is valued.

[Cyker]

You definitely deserve some credit too - When I sold my Mk1 D4D to my brother it was in fine order; He had it maybe 2 years and the front and rear sub frames started to rust enough it was noted on the MOT, and random electronics like the head unit started to glitch and eventually stopped working!

I do understand the draw to older vehicles though - KISS, or Keep It Simple, Stupid! is a mantra I subscribe to strongly  

I don't mind automatic systems that reduce my workload, but I have to say a lot of the automatic systems in my Mk4, and I assume all modern cars, mostly seem to increase my workload by doing things I neither asked nor wanted them to do, and overriding them is more difficult as so much stuff is behind a menu system or a tiny out-of-the-way button, rather than the big blocky buttons, sliders or dials in easy reach that were a feature of older cars!

 

[Rhymes with Paris]

The big blocky buttons that you probably remember from your D4D.

[Cyker]

Yes! I miss those so much, esp. the HVAC controls! 

In the Mk4, while I'm grateful they are buttons and not horrible touch screen controls, they're all the same shape and size, and that size is a 1x0.3cm button all in a continuous row down in the dark in front of the gear shifter with nothing to distinguish them by position or feel - Very much form over function!

I will say the detented knobs for adjusting temperature are nice though and the hazard warning button is nice and sanely sized and positioned.

Amusingly the window control switches are practically identical to the ones in the Mk1 and Mk2 (And I'm guessing the Mk3!), but I'm glad they stuck to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra there  

[TonyHSD]

17 hours ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

The big blocky buttons that you probably remember from your D4D.

And the seat materials and general throughout the whole cabin so much better materials used in older cars. Just look at these seats 👌 When I visited the dealer for parts I always go seat in each new model on display and when I tried the gr sport Yaris I did not liked the seat materials at all, they felt so harsh and scratchy. The door cards were also very hard including the roof lining and the pillars. I believe that the interior cards, roof, doors and boot hard plastics does actually amplify the tyre, road and wind noise coming from outside. 

[Stevie J]

Congrats on the MOT pass - 21 years old is really knocking on now, and for it to have no rot on it is pretty exceptional - you have been pretty lucky on that issue. When I had my Mk1 it had to have welding done on it by the time it was 14 years old - the rear sills and inner rear wheelarches had to be done. My mother had it before I got it and she kept it in the garage all the time too. Sadly I dont have a drive or a garage so once I got it, the rust started on the underside. Having a garage to keep a car in is such a good thing, and when you have to leave a car out in all weathers, it soon starts to deteriorate.

When I sold my one on, it was 17 years old, back in 2016, and had 70K miles on it. The people I sold it too bought it for £400 and ran it for another 3 years before it failed its last MOT at 20 years old and after that seemed it got scrapped. Show me any electric car that lasts 20 years without a new Battery pack. I think people driving round in 20 year old ICE cars is going to get more common as the years go by, and we could well end up like Cuba, for lack of being able to buy brand new ICE cars with only electric cars being available.

This was my MK1 - I owned it for 5 years between 2011 and 2016 - was a great car. Wheels non OEM as the original ones wouldnt hold air pressure any more, so I had to replace them - that seemed a common issue with the CDX wheels - they corroded round the rims and caused them to leak.

[Rhymes with Paris]

Thank you Steve, very interesting post, and great pics of your old MK1.

I think you are absolutely right on the rot and wheel issues on these.

The wheels on mine were replaced under warranty by the first owner a couple of years into his ownership, through premature corrosion, but these seem pretty much ok now.

It is a great shame about the tendency to rot around the rear sills on these , and generally around the underside rear area on these older Yarises,as the engines and the rest of the car seem as though they will go on for a very long time with a bit of care.

I was very pleased to have a look under mine, and as you say very lucky to not have rotting through the metal problems.

Yes the beam (don't know what it's called)at the rear did have some surface rust, and the inner sills at the rear, but not bad.

Ideally we would have a garage with ramps to look after the underside properly, even to just poke the gunge out and a wire brush and treat the metal, but sadly I have to rely on other people who in one enquiry wanted to cover everything with stonechip  or underseal type stuff over the surface rust and Shultz gunge, which of course makes it worse,and hide everything, did not get my business as no understanding of basic common sense at all.

 

[Stevie J]

MIne went through in the rear arches quite badly, and the fuel filler pipe had to be replaced as well due to it rusting through - but the fuel pipe was done whilst my mother owned the car, when it was 11 years old. I had to have the rear inner arches welded while I owned the car though, and the rear beam and springs got advisories as I remember for corrosion although the springs never snapped on me on the rear.

It was always a thing, going back to the 70s that Japanese cars would carry on driving until they went so rusty that the engine would fall out of the car - engines reliable, but bodywork would rot like crazy, however, it was no worse than your average BL car of the time. All cars rust, it's only a matter of time, it depends on how they are driven, where they are driven, ie, in the North East coast by the sea, would corrode the car far quicker than a car driven round leafy Berkshire, and how they are looked after. Your car was kept by someone who drove it little, looked after it, garaged it and you have looked after it as well, so it has made it to 20 years old. Some Yaris MK1's would have been on the scrap yard by the age of 10 in coastal areas with all the salty roads and salty air.

Undersealing the car only works if the car is rust free to begin with - if you underseal over existing corrosion, it is pointless, without treating the rust first. Ideally you would do this while the car was quite new, and maintain the coating each few years. I question whether it would be worth the considerable expense of doing yours at the ago of 21 years - Just keep an eye on it and attend to anything before it goes through into holes - you know where these cars usually go through, so pay attention to those areas.

Here are a couple of pics of where my Mk1 failed its MOT - this area is a very prone area for rot on the Mk1.