Introduction:
Spotted on Gumtree in June 2013.
Being sold by a gentleman called Lennie in Essex.
I was in the middle of a huge american custom station wagon project and was driving my late dad's 2006 Toyota yaris - boring! And needed a "fix!"
So the Yaris was sold and I went down to Essex to pick it up on the 29th June.
Lennie and his Dad had kept the car looking fantastic, but hadn't been on the road for a few months.
First adventure was about half a mile away when I pulled into the petrol station and a chap in an Audi said there was smoke coming out from under the bonnet!! All it turned out to be was WD40 burning off the engine.
There was a slight smell of leaky antifreeze but other than that and the sound of rust scraping off the brakes, it went well.
200 miles later and I pulled in at home (as the stereo surround fell off!) and was greeted by a young lad of a young 19 years who was seriously impressed by it, but my 15 year old son said a man of my age shouldn't be driving it - it was embarrassing for him! But I didn't care, it was fantastic fun to drive.
Here it is outside the house for the first time
Interesting stickers around the car
Now since I teach maths to 11 to 18 year olds and intend to use the car to get to work, some of these may not be appropriate (but still funny) so i took a decision to remove them all rather than risk being sacked!
This was intended as a restoration project to get it back to tip top condition, as a gesture to the previous owners and to seriously enjoy it, and get it out to shows again.
After a serious inspection (and I mean serious!) over a few days, and quite a few miles, these are the faults that were apparent (the more there is the better!!)
Poor brakes (not surprising after being stood)
LH rear light unit brake light too dull (5W bulb installed rather than 21W)
RH rear light unit melted in the brake light lens (no doubt the 5W bulb above was an attempt to prevent the other side melting).
Heater stuck on full!
Rear fog light switch not working properly (warning light not working and intermittent
Front left lower wishbone rear bush seriously split
Rear wiper blade split
AC not working
pollen filter clogged up
Gauges blue LED illumination poor (one out)
Mileage reading display not backlit
LCD Clock not backlit
Rear axle bushes split and causing 1" excess travel and causing car to crab.
DVD function on flip out stereo not working (pink wire not earthed)
Stereo wiring needs tidying although working
No tuner signal on stereo
Peeling lacquer on drivers door handle
Rust on inner sills behind axle mount bracket/bush
Rust on drivers wheel arch lip near sill
Loads of debris/mud lodged in base of wing behind front wheel - this is what came out
Worn out front discs and pads (see photo above!).
Sagging rear parcel shelf due to weight of speakers
Brake fluid absolutely horrible! (contaminated with water and a lovely green colour!)
Lower strut brace cracked near welds on drivers side
Missing spare wheel
Rear spoiler moving up and down too much
Howling coming from front of car at about 40 mph (could be wheel bearings or Diff)
Oil leak from gearbox end plate and another from offside driveshaft seal
Passenger window not working from drivers side switch.
yellowing chrome bulbs in detangoed headlights
No spare key
Loose drivers door card
Steering wheel blue dye rubbing off.
Slight exhaust blow near fuel tank under clamp
gauges surround appears loose and vibrates (4 missing screws out of 7!)
Alternator pulley rubbing through a blue silicone hose
Red stereo power wire touching exhaust manifold
Back left tyre a bit low on tread
Front right spotlight corroded
Looks like someone has levered the door frame on each side and bent them
Now dont get me wrong here, the car was easily driveable. But i am a perfectionist when it comes to restoring/building cars, so anything slightly wrong will be put right.
Wish list:
LED tailights
Leather seats
New quarter panels at rear
removal of rear wiper to complete the smooth luck
Click here for brakes and suspension