Recently Bought An Mr2 Roadster

[somi]

Hi All

Recently bought a 2003 MR2 Roadster and wanted to register as I have been viewing the site for a few weeks.

The car is great although I have noticed that the alloys have had slight repair jobs, do dealerships still supply these alloys?

Regards

Andrew

[cfc1]

Yes.. you should still be able to get them from a dealer, however.. most alloys in the Toyota range suffer from corrosion problems where the finnish bubbles up, you would be better to spend your money on a set of aftermarket alloys.. just remember to keep the rear tyres wider than the fronts to keep in with the staggered set up.

Failing that, I have a set in my garage that came off my 05 plate Roadster.. 15" fronts and 16" rears, Yokohama tyres alll round in not been used much, I haven't looked at the wheels for a while so I'm not 100% sure how they are holding out.. but if you want to view them and make me an offer we could meet up.

[somi]

Thanks, the wheels have suffered from corrosion and it has been covered up slightly - its not bad but I think I will invest in a new set of alloys.

[cfc1]

Welcome to the club btw

Where in Fife are you as I'm not far away and I work in Crossgates.

[somi]

Thanks

I'm in Dunfermline!

I had originally bought the car for my wife to use, she got one shot of it and now I'm using it!!

[cfc1]

fantastic to drive eh!

The only real thing to look it for can be found Here Well worth a read.

I just had a quick look at the wheels I have in the garage, they look pretty good.. there is only very very slight bubbling beginning to appear (this is normal for Toyota rims) the tyres, 185/55x15 fronts and 215/45x16 rears are in excellent condition. They were only on the car for around 4000 miles before I put new wheels on. I wasn't planning to sell them, I was going to keep them for track days etc.. but if you are interested in them they wouldn't be expensive.

[somi]

Its funny you mentioning about the pre cats.

I caller the western Toyota dealer today and mentioned the pre cats and was told not to worry as this only happened to imports!!

I caller as I have been pretty worried about this, the car has only done 13000 miles and I certainly want to keep it for a long time, what would you recommend?

[cfc1]

1st of all it is more commonly found it pre-03 cars and it doesn't affect every car, infact.. its quite rare. It is a known problem though and there is an unofficial 7 year warranty on cars with a full service history.

If it something that you are really concerned about you should think of gutting the manifold, the pre-cats aren't needed here in the UK, they are there so the cars can pass the strict emissions laws in the USA. Just follow the guide in the link I posted earlier for removing them. Check your oil regularly, no.. check it religiously every single week. Very few Roadsters suffer this problem but the only way to be 100% sure is removing them.

[somi]

Have you had your pre cats removed?

I think that I would have to take the car to a garage as to be honest I am pretty hopeless on the mechanical side.

Do you know of a suitable garage? I was also thinking about the MOT aspect - would it pass okay with the pre cats removed?

You have put my mind at rest though - at least the problem is rare. I would hate to think that I have spent all that money when this problem could occur.

[cfc1]

I've just had a turbo conversion done :) clicky and part of the kit is a new manifold.. so yes, my pre-cats have been removed.

The car will pass the MOT without the pre-cats as they were only to help cars in the USA pass the emission test there.

As for a garage to do the job... well, I'm not so sure about garages in Fife, but the two lads at Fairdeal Garage in Crossates are good mechanics (I work upstairs from them) and would be able to do this for you without any hassle. Failing that Hypertech in Bonnybridge are a Jap Specialists and are getting a good reputation. The only real Jap Specialist I can think of near Dunfermline is Manse Vehicle Management in Cairneyhill.. but I can't comment on how good/bad they are as I've never dealt with them

I've just remembered as I'm typing.... Automotive Services in Elgin Street IND EST... speak to Pat.. he'll sort it.. excellent place to get stuff done. There is also a link between Automotive Services and Whiteline UK.. partners own it I think. There is also Dastek in Dalgety Bay but again I couldn't comment on the quality of their work.

[somi]

Thanks very much for your help - much appreciated.

I will contact Automotive Services and get a price and take it from there- I certainly dont want to keep worrying about it.

'That engine is unbelievable'

[cfc1]

'That engine is unbelievable'

The drive is even better

Automotive Services... 01383 738077

[Star_69]

Well done on the new purchase Somi! Nice toy isn't it! Got it just in time too for summer!

Davy's not wrong about checking the oil religiously. I found out the hard way! Didnt check it for about a month, which to be honest was about normal for me since it never burnt any, then all of a sudden hideous knocking noises on the m25. Thought, the exhaust was rattling, but only 20miles till home. Found out it was quieter in low revs so put it in 6th and cruised at 50 (bad move I know, but it was 3am!). About a mile from the turnoff I lost power, oil light THEN came on, immediately followed by the service light, then 10 secs later the engine seized! .. sump was totally empty!

That was an 03 plate with 32k which I've had since new and serviced regularly. Gutted! Don't want to scare you, but it might be worth treating it like an RX8 ;)

- Brad