Man, life has been pretty full since I saw all y'all last! Astrid, my 2005 Corolla, is doing okay, considering everything I've had to do to it since it got back from the body shop after the accident.
It's just been little things here and there all over the car but it gets tedious at times. First a bulb blows, then a weird sound, then the antennae starts acting weird so I can't pull in radio. I replaced the rear tire three times due to a humming coming from the right rear. Sound went away for a while each time but 500 to 1,000 miles later it came back stronger. Fuel mileage was crap from day one and nothing I did seemed to help. After months of fighting it, it dawned on me it might be the rear bearing. Bought the whole kit and caboodle, bearings, drums, shoes, and hardware kit and spent a day replacing everything!!! By the way, I really hate replacing drum brakes!
Anyway, get everything done, and what do ya know? Hum is gone!!!! The bearing was so bad it was amazing it still moved. The weight of the car kept it loose enough to roll but I couldn't turn the darn thing with my bare hands like I could with the new ones. As a bonus, my fuel mileage quite literally jumped by almost 75%. Previously I never got better than 16 MPG around town and now I'm getting close to 26 or 27 around town and 35+ on the highway. I was able to confirm these measurements on my recent trip to Ohio.
I've replaced most bulbs with LEDs, but still trying to find an LED compatible flasher relay to convert my turn signals. Replaced my antennae with a shark fin. Fixed or replaced all kinds of things all over the car, and finally down to the last I can think of, new rotors. I was planning on replacing the rotors along with pads up front at the same time but fate had other plans. To avoid a moron who pulled out in front of me I had to basically stand on the brake pedal. I'm guessing so much heat generated so fast shattered on of the pads friction material because soon after it started grinding metal on metal. Had to replace the pads before I could afford the rotors, but those will come soon.
After that I want to get a set of alloy wheels. The lower weight should help my mileage more, not by much but every little bit helps. When I get the new wheels I'll get a set of good, same size tires. I didn't know I had three different sizes on my car, Two were 195/65, one was a 205/60, and one was a 185/75. I have all the same size, now, but different brands, good used tires to carry me over.
Hopefully, after all this, I can finally kick back and enjoy my $9,000 Corolla, LMAO!
It's just been little things here and there all over the car but it gets tedious at times. First a bulb blows, then a weird sound, then the antennae starts acting weird so I can't pull in radio. I replaced the rear tire three times due to a humming coming from the right rear. Sound went away for a while each time but 500 to 1,000 miles later it came back stronger. Fuel mileage was crap from day one and nothing I did seemed to help. After months of fighting it, it dawned on me it might be the rear bearing. Bought the whole kit and caboodle, bearings, drums, shoes, and hardware kit and spent a day replacing everything!!! By the way, I really hate replacing drum brakes!
Anyway, get everything done, and what do ya know? Hum is gone!!!! The bearing was so bad it was amazing it still moved. The weight of the car kept it loose enough to roll but I couldn't turn the darn thing with my bare hands like I could with the new ones. As a bonus, my fuel mileage quite literally jumped by almost 75%. Previously I never got better than 16 MPG around town and now I'm getting close to 26 or 27 around town and 35+ on the highway. I was able to confirm these measurements on my recent trip to Ohio.
I've replaced most bulbs with LEDs, but still trying to find an LED compatible flasher relay to convert my turn signals. Replaced my antennae with a shark fin. Fixed or replaced all kinds of things all over the car, and finally down to the last I can think of, new rotors. I was planning on replacing the rotors along with pads up front at the same time but fate had other plans. To avoid a moron who pulled out in front of me I had to basically stand on the brake pedal. I'm guessing so much heat generated so fast shattered on of the pads friction material because soon after it started grinding metal on metal. Had to replace the pads before I could afford the rotors, but those will come soon.
After that I want to get a set of alloy wheels. The lower weight should help my mileage more, not by much but every little bit helps. When I get the new wheels I'll get a set of good, same size tires. I didn't know I had three different sizes on my car, Two were 195/65, one was a 205/60, and one was a 185/75. I have all the same size, now, but different brands, good used tires to carry me over.
Hopefully, after all this, I can finally kick back and enjoy my $9,000 Corolla, LMAO!
SMILE... your COROLLA is PAID OFF right?