Vancouver CorollaRev members...

But still no manual transmission. =(

I've sealed the deal on a 2007 Mazda 5 GT, I get it sometime next week to Monday the week after at the latest.

congrats.
post up some pics and details if u can

i had the timing belt/water pump on my sienna replaced yesterday, also changed the upper/lower rad hoses.
labor = 400
parts = 400
total = broke :wallbash:

at least i got a discount on parts and labor. so i got a bit of break and total was 800. dealer wanted to charge around 500 for timing belt alone.
dealers normally charge around $120/hr labor. i was charged $80/hr plus discount. it's a 5hr job, the whole thing took around 7hrs - including waiting for parts to arrive. i watched the guy do it and it was a pain. space is really tight.
i wanted to do the thermostat too, but the guy said toyotas are very good and i should just leave it alone. for a 10yr old car, it drives really smooth - gotta love toyota V6.
every time i drive the car, i'm so amazed that it's so smooth and i'm driving a 10+ yr old car.

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this is amazing! ford now tied with toyota

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April 19, 2009
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Ford surpasses Honda in GQRS initial quality study

Dearborn, Michigan - Ford Motor Company has surpassed Honda and has statistically tied with Toyota in initial vehicle quality, according to the 2009 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS). The survey is conducted quarterly for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

“This is truly a significant accomplishment for us,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president of global quality. “Honda and Toyota have claimed bragging rights for years, but now we are seeing our hard work pay off. It’s evident in study after study.”

The latest survey measured 2009 model year initial vehicle quality in the categories of the number of “things gone wrong,” and customer satisfaction in the first three months of ownership.

In the first quarter of 2009, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles dropped five per cent in things gone wrong to 1,228 per 1,000 vehicles, significantly better than Honda’s 1,422 per 1,000 vehicles, and statistically equal to Toyota’s 1,150.

The survey also showed that Ford’s brands improved two percentage points in customer satisfaction with quality, to 79 per cent, which puts its domestic brands in a tie with Toyota and Honda for industry leadership.

Leaders in their respective segments for initial quality and customer satisfaction were the Mustang, for sports cars; and in initial quality, the Taurus for large cars, Taurus X for crossover utilities, Mercury Milan for midsize cars, and Ford Ranger for compact pickups. The all-new 2009 F-150 recorded quality levels that equated to less than one problem per vehicle, as did the Taurus, Taurus X, Fusion, Milan and Edge.

Ouch, a necessary maintenance item but still hurts the wallet!

Got the 5! $17k OTD (minus trade in).

the dealer should refund your pdi, someone left garbage in your back seat...hehe

looks good. is this a gt version?

Lol it's used, no PDI fees. We were at the drive-in theatre the night before, it was nice watching from the back with the hatch up.

It's a 2007 GT, a few differences from the current 08-09 (no Bluetooth, no aux-in, no passenger seat armrest, no 2nd row passenger outboard armrest, different bumper, no rear seat heater ducts but two extra cup holders as a result) but has everything else otherwise. It's a great car, we're happy with it. Saved lots of money over brand new.

looks beautiful.

how's the power?

Thanks!

Low end sucks, I thought there'd be more low end torque with the higher displacement, but the 5 does weigh 3400 lb so *meh*. But once you get into the higher RPMs, it's niiiiiiiiice. The 5 speed manual is not quite as easy to use as the Corolla's especially in heavy traffic situation but it's not bad by any means, but it feels confident and rev happy when pushed and the shifter is just absolutely made for quick, precise shifts with a short throw.

If you opt for the 5 speed automatic version, I've heard good things about it too, just not me and my wife's cup of tea. Either way, you still get great handling as the 5 loves to take corners (although I would be careful with tight corners without the front strut tower bar or lower anti-sway bars, the tall body does roll and sway a bit), and I've had to be careful not to go too fast a few times, it's very stable at high speeds.

The features I appreciate the most in this car are very minor -- automatic lights, automatic rain sensing wipers, and automatic climate control, all allowing me to pay less attention fumbling with stuff and more attention on the road.

time to mod that car.
i believe u can get quite a bit of parts for that car. i think it's the same car as mazda premacy in japan.

be the first one on the block to convert it to a mazdaspeed 5!

or does the miata use that name?

I think the Miata is the MazdaSpeed MX-5.

If anyone wants a 2005 Corolla XRS for $8,000... I wonder what's wrong with it.
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/ctd/1133714913.html

looks like it's a repo car so it's cheap.
as long as the title is clear, i guess it's ok

mx-5 is miata.

Congratz on the car DKaz.

I am still waiting for you to help me do the DRL thing.. =D
you traded in the corolla with the matrix wheels?

Yah... it helped push the trade in price up $500 and there wasn't much benefit in trading the rims.

Thanks. =) Yah for sure whenever you're free, hopefully if I find that box under your dash it'll take me like 5 seconds to do.

^^^
the box should be located in the same place as your corolla. since the engine bay is the same for both cars.

where's the link for the DRL module again? and would i be able to find that module locally like lordco?

I'm selling my DRL module if you want it, I'm selling it for $30. You can probably get a DRL module brand new for the same price, I bought my module for $80 but it's heavy duty and was originally made for semi-truckers wanting to add DRLs to their trucks so it'll last a long time. One thing, if you have fog lights in your Matrix you can connect it to that if you want it to be your DRL.

I'm adding HIDs to my Mazda 5 but it's a lot easier to bypass DRLs, I just have to ground the negative, haha. It doesn't disable DRL but it just runs the low beam at high power all the time. Not a problem since HID bulbs have a life span of over 2500 hours, compared to 1000 hours of typical halogens and 300-500 hours of Silverstars. You can do the same thing with yours except you need to get a relay harness.

www.dxhid.com

They're selling their Precision HID kits for $80USD, + $45USD shipping.

kenny, did u get rid of your camry and got a forester??
just wondering.

yup! anything to get my stupid DRLs to my highbeam slot. and i am sure the plug and play HID kits are fool proof to install

how much do you want to charge me for the job?

i can come to Mission on a Sunday or something if you don't mind.

thanks!

I'll see about Sunday... it's raining. =( You can come if you want. I'm installing some speakers in my 5 Saturday morning which would've been best. The install should be easy and less than half an hour if your fusebox is similar to the Corolla's which I think it should be.

I work downtown if you wanted to do come over on a noon hour or after work or something, seems silly to drive all the way to Mission just for a little install, there's a parking lot behind my office. You can get me a can of Coke or Grande Pike Place Roast from Starbucks with cream and three plantation sugars or something for the install. =) Heck I'd install lowering springs for a 6 pack of beer. lol. We're community!

Which kit are you going for?

haha, thanks KDaz!
well, actually tomorrow i get off at 330pm from Yaletown. I can come in if you like. it will just be a little cruise/drive. i don't mind if you don't mind. =)

i am actually looking at Bosch 6000k kits (because they are made in Germany and HIDOutlet has 1 year warranty on them) , or the Precision 5000k kits. i still haven't decided yet.

I also ordered some Eibach Sportlines for $99. they are on its way from Eibach USA! =DD

you know how to install springs? wow, don't you need a compressor?

anyways, let me know when are you available and let's do this asap!

i always thought he was a toyota lifer

Sorry TRDood I just got plans to get some baby stuff with the wife, you could come later today, I'll message you when I'll be on my way home. Other thing too is that we could meet up at Coquitlam Centre parking lot.

he just told me friday or yesterday that it's a courtesy car.

hey, no worries. i just came back from golf. haha

maybe we can meet after work or something near downtown? what time do you get off? i get off at around 430 near broadway and cambie.

someone did the engine swap into a mazda 5

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...rn_of_the_boss_wagon_mazdaspeed_5_project_car

Yah, they're having a harder time tuning it than they could imagine though! Hopefully they can get the 0-60 in under 6 seconds next issue. I want to see them run the 1/4 mile too and then autocross it. I'd tap that. lol.

TRDood, sorry I forgot to bring the DRL module today, but we'll try sometime later this week, just come by my office anytime.

Hey Dkaz,

can we do this friday? pm me with your office address and time

big, HUGE thanks to DKaz in setting up my drl's! ran out to buy a set of Slim Bosch 6000k, took me 1.5 hours to figure out everything. haha
I am still stuck with mounting the module box, I tried to use double sided tape and tape it to my strut bar metal thingy but the surface is not flat and it keeps falling off. now it's wedged between my fuse box and intake box. LOL i am going to screw it on later.

some pics!

DRL, highbeams running 30%



DRL, with parking lights on


Low beams Bosch 6000k, Yellow fog overlays


now, my ballast makes a hissing noise when it warms up, is that normal?

thanks again to DKaz!

Yah the high pitched noise from the ballast is normal... CFLs will do that too if you listen to their ballasts carefully. After awhile you won't even notice it anymore.

Nice! Remember to aim your headlights down a little bit, do that and you'll never get flashed by annoyed oncoming drivers. Where and how much did you get your ballasts?