Discussion
I’ve had an Audi S4 since 2014. Fantastic car, perfectly suited for what it’s used for; commuting, carting the kids around, shopping, occasional road trips, emergency starts away from the lights to annoy the SUV next to you, the usual. Great in the snow on continental DWS06+ tires. In short, the perfect car for Colorado. Just a little boring, and after 5 or 6 years, I was idly looking to see what there was to replace it. Unfortunately, there was very little out there that fitted what I wanted. Fortunately, I had no pressing need so just continued to look.
When Toyota revealed the GR Yaris, I was delighted, it seemed perfect – small, quick, AWD. Then they decided not to bring it to the US. Bum. So I went back to looking. Over time, I realized that the GRY is NOT suited to the US. It really is too small. Certainly, for me, and what I’d use it for.
Subaru released the new WRX…a little interested, but more in the STI, which had the potential to be 380bhp …..and was canceled.
Golf R Mk8 – still manual! Yes! And touchscreen interior….nope.
Then Toyota teased the GRC, and I put a deposit down on day 1. 2 years later, still waiting. I was in no rush, making the occasional call to the dealer to see where I was. Mainly because the Audi was such a good car I was in no real urge to replace it, plus it was low mileage, had never put a step wrong and the DSG fart was still amusing me.
Then, back in May, the Audi got hit up the arse by a teenager in a Nissan Rogue. Distracted driving, I think; they crossed a solid white line without looking and hit me from the left. I was only doing about 30, they were probably closer to 50. A lot of time then ensued – several weeks delay before it could be assessed. Then a further delay in getting someone else to assess it as there was concern about frame damage. Then booked into repair at an Audi collision center.
3 days before it was due to go in for repair, with the rental booked, all setup, I got a call from the repair center…’ Yeah the guy doing the assessment definitely missed a lot of stuff, it’ll be totaled’. And it was. Not surprised, I told my wife on the first day that I thought it probably would be.
I’ve been delaying the pickup of the Audi ever since (currently on my driveway with the boot bungee corded shut and tape all over it to stop the bumper from flapping around and water leaking into it). I hear it raining now, hope it’s ok. I’m on my second roll of duct tape holding it all together (at one point I jacked up the bumper to try to force it back into position. After using a pry bar to remove the largest dent. No bueno.
It’s completely driveable, even the lights all work, except one lens is gone completely. So I’ve been driving it ever since, pondering my options.
Which were quite mixed. I was tempted to go the EV route – Mustang Mach-E or Ioniq 5 were on the shortlist right up until the end. But I still wanted the GRC. Phoned the dealer, ‘You’re first on the list, we get new allocations every two weeks’. Nothing for the next month and still nothing.
So, I sat down and listed my requirements.
Fun.
Manual (see above, DSG is fantastic, but I really missed a manual, and wanted another before they went for good).
Ideally AWD. This is Colorado. 72% of cars sold here are AWD, for a reason.
About 300bhp. See the first point.
There’s not a lot out there meeting these requirements. In order, I considered:
Subaru WRX – not a fan of the plastic cladding…really not a fan of the bumpers which are worse. Also, 271bhp, and not that interesting over all. Touchscreen woes, though not as bad as the….
Golf R – meh. Was tempted but touchscreen. Also, I’ve just had 10 years of VAG and wanted a change.
Civic Type-R – yes, please. Unfortunately rare AF over here and massive dealer markups, so no.
Integra Type S – probably the best choice, but expensive to begin with, also marked up.
GR Corolla – appeals a lot, but unavailable.
Getting frustrated at this point, investigating EV’s. Inoiq 5 N and Mustang Mach-E GT appeal. Prices injected some reality, so Mach-E premium AWD and Ioniq 5 AWD it is.
Hang on, what about used. A year back there was nothing. Yesterday there were 4 used GRC’s in the state of Colorado. So I took a day off to go look at a couple of GRC’s, and maybe an EV – the insurance company is getting more strident.
Today there’s 3 used GRCs – one was the spec and colour I wanted. Premium, in ‘Heavy Metal’. This includes all three of the option packs that were initially available – the LSDs + brakes, the tech pack, and winter pack.
So, what do you get for your $42kish? Essentially a Toyota GR Yaris with a Corolla draped over it and the drivetrain stretched to fit. Thinking of it as a 4 door Yaris is probably the best, it’s pretty close to this.
And tuned up a bit. 300bhp.
Achieved through higher boost, upgraded pistons, valved exhaust (they had it waiting for me in the showroom, and when it was time to test drive, they opened the doors to drive it out, it starts in loud mode and everyone’s head snapped round, amusing me enormously) and a few other bits and pieces. There’s a list on one of the forums somewhere for those interested. I suspect the changes will have made it into the updated GRY.
Interior is…adequate. Not as chintzy as I thought it would be – there’s soft touch plastics on the majority of the dash, though the doors cards are hard. Seats are essentially GRY. Tech is decent; Android Auto, digital dash, etc. I’ve got my phone paired and it drops into AA quickly and that’s likely all I’ll use. Drive modes change the dashboard display and I’m still playing with that. Climate controls have dedicated buttons, so it’s probably the best compromise between hard buttons and a touchscreen that you can get. The whole thing is quite ok.
Also – heated seats and steering wheel. Must haves for Colorado. You can joke about heated steering wheels in the UK, but in all the cars I was looking at, I automatically chose the trim with it – if it’s available, I wouldn’t be without it.
Exterior – it’s a Corolla. With different front wings, front and rear bumpers, rear door extensions and vents all over it. It’s pure comedy. Mine is the slightly toned-down version – no vented hood, no carbon roof, no silly rear wing. It’s still not a sleeper as the front of the car is almost all grill, but it’s not completely in your face.
Trunk is comically small. I need to lower the floor of it as soon as possible (It has a 6” insert taking up much of the space as the battery is now rear mounted and the level is brought up to match, wasting a lot of space). There’s some solution to this. I was hoping to avoid doing anything, but it’s a complete joke.
It’s an interesting car to drive. I’ll swear blind it reminds me of something else a lot, but I can’t think what. The obvious comparison is the Evo IX I had some time back and indeed I think of it as a squished Evo – performance and dimension wise its very similar – but it’s not what I’m thinking of, entirely. It’s very agricultural up to about 20 mph, then a lot more polished than the Evo above that; the Evo IX was all lag, lag, lag, boooooost, change gear, boooooooost, change gear, boooooost, change gear. The GRC is much more linear than the Evo, and turbo noise is much reduced. I may need to change the intake just to hear it better – it’s just about audible with the window open. One of very few mods I think that would be worth it.
On the other hand, it’s got a stock exhaust and the drone from that on the over-run is absurd. I can’t understand anyone wanting a louder exhaust at all.
Driving position is….unexpected. You drop into a sports car, you drop a little bit into a sedan like the Audi. You climb up a bit into an SUV like the RAV4 we also have….you slide right into the GRC; the driving position is correspondingly quite high.
It drives like a pointier Evo. Quite precise, though not as exact as the EP3 CTR I had. Quite a hard ride, especially on crappy Colorado roads, but acceptable; you don’t feel like you’re going to lose fillings. I drove it back about 40 miles through heavy rain and it was completely solid and stable. Fast enough. Comparable with the Audi, though probably slower. My FiL drove the Audi back home and I followed, with no difficulty in keeping up, though neither of us were trying because of the rain.
Minuses. Apart from the trunk, not many. A couple of spots of road rash (concealed by the dealer) on two wheels (I’ve ordered some gloss black wheel paint and alloy filler to conceal these a bit. Doesn’t need to be perfect.
Some paint chips. Clearly a finance repo from some kid who couldn’t keep up with the payments, couldn’t afford clear bra – it needs clear bra and tint (de rigeur here in CO to keep the temp down inside). Will try to book those in shortly.
Will need another set of winter wheels and tires. I’ve detailed my experience on high-performance summer tires in a Colorado winter on here before. TL:DR – don’t.
Pluses. Found the manual for the aftermarket garage door opener/mirror, and was able to program that up. Win. I was thinking about getting one that plumbs into the loom and is auto-dimming with a compass (useful in the US in the middle of nowhere as you could travel 50 miles to the next landmark to find you’ve been going in the wrong direction. I’ll see how it is at night in the winter to see if it wants replacing. Incidentally, the mirror is much better than the GRY – doesn’t block anything.
Honestly, it’s completely hilarious, I love it. It’s not the fastest thing on the road, nor the best spec, but it’s totally comic. I had the Audi 10 years I can see this being longer. I think I may have to treat it to a personalized plate.
It photos as chrome in sunlight, looks silver, is actually grey. Crappy photos as I've only taken a few.
When Toyota revealed the GR Yaris, I was delighted, it seemed perfect – small, quick, AWD. Then they decided not to bring it to the US. Bum. So I went back to looking. Over time, I realized that the GRY is NOT suited to the US. It really is too small. Certainly, for me, and what I’d use it for.
Subaru released the new WRX…a little interested, but more in the STI, which had the potential to be 380bhp …..and was canceled.
Golf R Mk8 – still manual! Yes! And touchscreen interior….nope.
Then Toyota teased the GRC, and I put a deposit down on day 1. 2 years later, still waiting. I was in no rush, making the occasional call to the dealer to see where I was. Mainly because the Audi was such a good car I was in no real urge to replace it, plus it was low mileage, had never put a step wrong and the DSG fart was still amusing me.
Then, back in May, the Audi got hit up the arse by a teenager in a Nissan Rogue. Distracted driving, I think; they crossed a solid white line without looking and hit me from the left. I was only doing about 30, they were probably closer to 50. A lot of time then ensued – several weeks delay before it could be assessed. Then a further delay in getting someone else to assess it as there was concern about frame damage. Then booked into repair at an Audi collision center.
3 days before it was due to go in for repair, with the rental booked, all setup, I got a call from the repair center…’ Yeah the guy doing the assessment definitely missed a lot of stuff, it’ll be totaled’. And it was. Not surprised, I told my wife on the first day that I thought it probably would be.
I’ve been delaying the pickup of the Audi ever since (currently on my driveway with the boot bungee corded shut and tape all over it to stop the bumper from flapping around and water leaking into it). I hear it raining now, hope it’s ok. I’m on my second roll of duct tape holding it all together (at one point I jacked up the bumper to try to force it back into position. After using a pry bar to remove the largest dent. No bueno.
It’s completely driveable, even the lights all work, except one lens is gone completely. So I’ve been driving it ever since, pondering my options.
Which were quite mixed. I was tempted to go the EV route – Mustang Mach-E or Ioniq 5 were on the shortlist right up until the end. But I still wanted the GRC. Phoned the dealer, ‘You’re first on the list, we get new allocations every two weeks’. Nothing for the next month and still nothing.
So, I sat down and listed my requirements.
Fun.
Manual (see above, DSG is fantastic, but I really missed a manual, and wanted another before they went for good).
Ideally AWD. This is Colorado. 72% of cars sold here are AWD, for a reason.
About 300bhp. See the first point.
There’s not a lot out there meeting these requirements. In order, I considered:
Subaru WRX – not a fan of the plastic cladding…really not a fan of the bumpers which are worse. Also, 271bhp, and not that interesting over all. Touchscreen woes, though not as bad as the….
Golf R – meh. Was tempted but touchscreen. Also, I’ve just had 10 years of VAG and wanted a change.
Civic Type-R – yes, please. Unfortunately rare AF over here and massive dealer markups, so no.
Integra Type S – probably the best choice, but expensive to begin with, also marked up.
GR Corolla – appeals a lot, but unavailable.
Getting frustrated at this point, investigating EV’s. Inoiq 5 N and Mustang Mach-E GT appeal. Prices injected some reality, so Mach-E premium AWD and Ioniq 5 AWD it is.
Hang on, what about used. A year back there was nothing. Yesterday there were 4 used GRC’s in the state of Colorado. So I took a day off to go look at a couple of GRC’s, and maybe an EV – the insurance company is getting more strident.
Today there’s 3 used GRCs – one was the spec and colour I wanted. Premium, in ‘Heavy Metal’. This includes all three of the option packs that were initially available – the LSDs + brakes, the tech pack, and winter pack.
So, what do you get for your $42kish? Essentially a Toyota GR Yaris with a Corolla draped over it and the drivetrain stretched to fit. Thinking of it as a 4 door Yaris is probably the best, it’s pretty close to this.
And tuned up a bit. 300bhp.
Achieved through higher boost, upgraded pistons, valved exhaust (they had it waiting for me in the showroom, and when it was time to test drive, they opened the doors to drive it out, it starts in loud mode and everyone’s head snapped round, amusing me enormously) and a few other bits and pieces. There’s a list on one of the forums somewhere for those interested. I suspect the changes will have made it into the updated GRY.
Interior is…adequate. Not as chintzy as I thought it would be – there’s soft touch plastics on the majority of the dash, though the doors cards are hard. Seats are essentially GRY. Tech is decent; Android Auto, digital dash, etc. I’ve got my phone paired and it drops into AA quickly and that’s likely all I’ll use. Drive modes change the dashboard display and I’m still playing with that. Climate controls have dedicated buttons, so it’s probably the best compromise between hard buttons and a touchscreen that you can get. The whole thing is quite ok.
Also – heated seats and steering wheel. Must haves for Colorado. You can joke about heated steering wheels in the UK, but in all the cars I was looking at, I automatically chose the trim with it – if it’s available, I wouldn’t be without it.
Exterior – it’s a Corolla. With different front wings, front and rear bumpers, rear door extensions and vents all over it. It’s pure comedy. Mine is the slightly toned-down version – no vented hood, no carbon roof, no silly rear wing. It’s still not a sleeper as the front of the car is almost all grill, but it’s not completely in your face.
Trunk is comically small. I need to lower the floor of it as soon as possible (It has a 6” insert taking up much of the space as the battery is now rear mounted and the level is brought up to match, wasting a lot of space). There’s some solution to this. I was hoping to avoid doing anything, but it’s a complete joke.
It’s an interesting car to drive. I’ll swear blind it reminds me of something else a lot, but I can’t think what. The obvious comparison is the Evo IX I had some time back and indeed I think of it as a squished Evo – performance and dimension wise its very similar – but it’s not what I’m thinking of, entirely. It’s very agricultural up to about 20 mph, then a lot more polished than the Evo above that; the Evo IX was all lag, lag, lag, boooooost, change gear, boooooooost, change gear, boooooost, change gear. The GRC is much more linear than the Evo, and turbo noise is much reduced. I may need to change the intake just to hear it better – it’s just about audible with the window open. One of very few mods I think that would be worth it.
On the other hand, it’s got a stock exhaust and the drone from that on the over-run is absurd. I can’t understand anyone wanting a louder exhaust at all.
Driving position is….unexpected. You drop into a sports car, you drop a little bit into a sedan like the Audi. You climb up a bit into an SUV like the RAV4 we also have….you slide right into the GRC; the driving position is correspondingly quite high.
It drives like a pointier Evo. Quite precise, though not as exact as the EP3 CTR I had. Quite a hard ride, especially on crappy Colorado roads, but acceptable; you don’t feel like you’re going to lose fillings. I drove it back about 40 miles through heavy rain and it was completely solid and stable. Fast enough. Comparable with the Audi, though probably slower. My FiL drove the Audi back home and I followed, with no difficulty in keeping up, though neither of us were trying because of the rain.
Minuses. Apart from the trunk, not many. A couple of spots of road rash (concealed by the dealer) on two wheels (I’ve ordered some gloss black wheel paint and alloy filler to conceal these a bit. Doesn’t need to be perfect.
Some paint chips. Clearly a finance repo from some kid who couldn’t keep up with the payments, couldn’t afford clear bra – it needs clear bra and tint (de rigeur here in CO to keep the temp down inside). Will try to book those in shortly.
Will need another set of winter wheels and tires. I’ve detailed my experience on high-performance summer tires in a Colorado winter on here before. TL:DR – don’t.
Pluses. Found the manual for the aftermarket garage door opener/mirror, and was able to program that up. Win. I was thinking about getting one that plumbs into the loom and is auto-dimming with a compass (useful in the US in the middle of nowhere as you could travel 50 miles to the next landmark to find you’ve been going in the wrong direction. I’ll see how it is at night in the winter to see if it wants replacing. Incidentally, the mirror is much better than the GRY – doesn’t block anything.
Honestly, it’s completely hilarious, I love it. It’s not the fastest thing on the road, nor the best spec, but it’s totally comic. I had the Audi 10 years I can see this being longer. I think I may have to treat it to a personalized plate.
It photos as chrome in sunlight, looks silver, is actually grey. Crappy photos as I've only taken a few.
Enjoyable reading, perfect for my coffee and applie cake break from patio laying. Was curious what a GRC was as like what Toyota are doing lately.
The new Corrola looked very cool and sporty but didn’t have the power to match until now, looks like a perfect replacement for your S4.
Looking forwards to hearing how you get along with it. Do you have the 10 year warranty renewed when serviced? Track days planned? Can’t remember if Toyota allow it in the warranty terms.
The new Corrola looked very cool and sporty but didn’t have the power to match until now, looks like a perfect replacement for your S4.
Looking forwards to hearing how you get along with it. Do you have the 10 year warranty renewed when serviced? Track days planned? Can’t remember if Toyota allow it in the warranty terms.
V6Nelo said:
Track days planned? Can’t remember if Toyota allow it in the warranty terms.
I think new owners get one included. Not sure if it was used; I've got the pack and need to see if it's been used.No plans for anything much on it, tbh. There's an extended warranty included that takes it to 100k.
Got the Corolla clear bra'd and tinted Thursday/Friday, and the Audi finally got picked up for valuation on Friday.
Legal limit for tinting is 27% in Colorado, so I was taken a little back when I was immediately offered 15%. When questioned the proprietor said "I've not done a legal tint in the last 5 years". Probably not something I'd own up to, but hey. So I took the Audi over to be metered as I was used to that (the tint place is only a couple of miles away; it has what I'd consider to be a very dark tint) - turned out to be 20%. I assume a 25% tint on top of the existing 5% or so of the regular windows. I was always afraid it would be a bit iffy, but the one time I was stopped, it wasn't bought up. With that said I always thought the Audi was a little too dark, so we went with 35%, which combined with the default tint should be about 27-30%.
Clear bra was also mildly amusing, they do 2' by default, which with the design of the Corolla means a triangle about 2" deep on the fenders (as well as most of the bonnet). So they had to extend that, just to be worth doing. No point doing the bumper itself, its about 3" wide once you discount the grill, there's a savagegeese video of them removing it and waving it around, flexing wildly, smallest modern bumper I've ever seen.
Legal limit for tinting is 27% in Colorado, so I was taken a little back when I was immediately offered 15%. When questioned the proprietor said "I've not done a legal tint in the last 5 years". Probably not something I'd own up to, but hey. So I took the Audi over to be metered as I was used to that (the tint place is only a couple of miles away; it has what I'd consider to be a very dark tint) - turned out to be 20%. I assume a 25% tint on top of the existing 5% or so of the regular windows. I was always afraid it would be a bit iffy, but the one time I was stopped, it wasn't bought up. With that said I always thought the Audi was a little too dark, so we went with 35%, which combined with the default tint should be about 27-30%.
Clear bra was also mildly amusing, they do 2' by default, which with the design of the Corolla means a triangle about 2" deep on the fenders (as well as most of the bonnet). So they had to extend that, just to be worth doing. No point doing the bumper itself, its about 3" wide once you discount the grill, there's a savagegeese video of them removing it and waving it around, flexing wildly, smallest modern bumper I've ever seen.
This amused me greatly.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/driven-2023-toy...
Largely because I agree with virtually everything in it.
Got the two slightly scuffed wheels touched up with paint. Good from about 3 feet away. That'll do for me.
Megachips splash guards ordered. More because I suspect the car will be prone to stone chips than any desire to keep it clean. However, the Evo was quite capable of spraying muddy water in through a side window when turning; wide wheels at the edge of stretched arches, just like the Corolla. I'd like to avoid this.
I've also ordered the Kollectiv Works side mount licence plate holder. Purely cosmetic, but I like the design. Most of the alternate mounts use the tow hook location and look a bit weird.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/driven-2023-toy...
Largely because I agree with virtually everything in it.
Got the two slightly scuffed wheels touched up with paint. Good from about 3 feet away. That'll do for me.
Megachips splash guards ordered. More because I suspect the car will be prone to stone chips than any desire to keep it clean. However, the Evo was quite capable of spraying muddy water in through a side window when turning; wide wheels at the edge of stretched arches, just like the Corolla. I'd like to avoid this.
I've also ordered the Kollectiv Works side mount licence plate holder. Purely cosmetic, but I like the design. Most of the alternate mounts use the tow hook location and look a bit weird.
It cleans up well.
After the clear bra and tinting, I've fitted the mudguards (more stone deflecters) and front plate mount. I'll get it plated mid September.
My first 'mod' - after trying the iMT once and being unimpressed, I left it alone for a week or so while I got used to playing with the gauges and finding what I liked (coolant temp, oil temp/pressure and trip meter )then tried it again. Once I understood what it was doing and how to work with it, I was quite impressed. Only problem is that it defaults to off every time you switch the car off. Fortunately, there's a dongle you can get on Amazon for $23 which switches it on automatically. Whip off a bit of dash time, push the switch out from behind, disconnect it, then put the dongle in between the switch and the harness before replacing everything. Total time - 3 minutes. My kind of mod.
After the clear bra and tinting, I've fitted the mudguards (more stone deflecters) and front plate mount. I'll get it plated mid September.
My first 'mod' - after trying the iMT once and being unimpressed, I left it alone for a week or so while I got used to playing with the gauges and finding what I liked (coolant temp, oil temp/pressure and trip meter )then tried it again. Once I understood what it was doing and how to work with it, I was quite impressed. Only problem is that it defaults to off every time you switch the car off. Fortunately, there's a dongle you can get on Amazon for $23 which switches it on automatically. Whip off a bit of dash time, push the switch out from behind, disconnect it, then put the dongle in between the switch and the harness before replacing everything. Total time - 3 minutes. My kind of mod.
BertieWooster said:
I like that a lot. And I thought that photo from inside the dealership looked familiar. 
Will you be taking it further west up into the Rockies anytime soon?
Stevinson Toyota would benefit from being nuked off the face of the earth! Made the buying experience thoroughly too long and miserable. Plus 'look at all the money we spent on the building!".Will you be taking it further west up into the Rockies anytime soon?
Right now, I'm spending all my time working out what I'm upgrading next
A few things have been happening with the Corolla. Firstly, I realized my old Evo IX spare wheels were the same PCD. Some googling later it appears they’ll fit. Just. Wrong center bore, but fortunately they’re larger, so adapters will work. I offered up the fronts, and as stated, they fit. Just. Must only be microns between the wheel and the caliper. Rears are fine. 20mm spacers, bore adapters and TPMS sensors ordered. A lot cheaper than a set of newer wheels, and the smaller size (17” instead of 18”) means the tires will be cheaper. An enjoyable Sunday spend jet washing the wheels, spraying them with foam, jet washing again, then wheel cleaner, then jet wash, then iron remover, jetwash…you get the idea. For 20 year old wheels, they’re in better shape than I remember – some road rash, but perfectly acceptable for winter wheels. I’ll order tires in the next couple of weeks, so I can have them ready to go by mid-October. Pics to follow once fitted. They’re still plenty dirty after the cleaning, but not as obviously so. Beginning to see the attraction of black wheels.
A few weeks ago, I made the mistake of reading one of the GR Corolla forums.
Anonymous punter -“and I’ve got to do something about that vile hand brake boot”
me – “huh, don’t remember it being bad, I’ll take a look when I next get in.”
me - “Urrrrrrrrrrgh”.
Hmmm, DC sports have replacements….$100 each. Get f
ked. So I ordered replacement shift and hand brake gaiters from redlinegoods at under half that with a coupon.
For those that think this is a good idea, it largely is, but there’s a dash panel that’s a right fker to get back on. I hope never to take that off again. My wife threatened to leave and take the kids with her as a result of my language and only the fact that I was in the garage and blocking her prevented this. Ok, some exaggeration there, but not much.
The colour is a lot closer match than the pictures show.
Amazon has screwed me over on the last part of my plan for the weekend; it remains to be seen if they’ll deliver it tomorrow.
A few weeks ago, I made the mistake of reading one of the GR Corolla forums.
Anonymous punter -“and I’ve got to do something about that vile hand brake boot”
me – “huh, don’t remember it being bad, I’ll take a look when I next get in.”
me - “Urrrrrrrrrrgh”.
Hmmm, DC sports have replacements….$100 each. Get f
ked. So I ordered replacement shift and hand brake gaiters from redlinegoods at under half that with a coupon.For those that think this is a good idea, it largely is, but there’s a dash panel that’s a right f
ker to get back on. I hope never to take that off again. My wife threatened to leave and take the kids with her as a result of my language and only the fact that I was in the garage and blocking her prevented this. Ok, some exaggeration there, but not much. The colour is a lot closer match than the pictures show.
Amazon has screwed me over on the last part of my plan for the weekend; it remains to be seen if they’ll deliver it tomorrow.
Edited by jimmyjimjim on Sunday 15th September 00:38
Amazon still hasn't delivered, but I'm used to their 'running late' guff and ordered another set the moment they said so. Didn't get the discount on this set (crimp tool plus crimps), so I need to wait until the first set turns up before I can return them as the second set.
Only needed to make up a couple of ground wires; someone pulled out in front of me, quite close, so I sounded the horn at them only to hear an almost unbelievably anaemic 'bip'.
So that needed replacing.
Old single horn vs new pair.
Only needed to make up a couple of ground wires; someone pulled out in front of me, quite close, so I sounded the horn at them only to hear an almost unbelievably anaemic 'bip'.
So that needed replacing.
Old single horn vs new pair.
jimmyjimjim said:
I think I may have to treat it to a personalized plate.
The process in Colorado to register a car would put the DVLA to shame. I'll leave it to the reader to decide if this is in a good or bad way. After you buy a car and the dealer completes the paperwork, you get back home and wait for the DMV to send you a title complete notice. Bascially a postcard with a code on it. The time for the title complete notice to arrive is stated as "4-6 weeks". Mine appeared at 5 weeks, 5 days.
In the meantime, you have a paper temporary licence tag that covers you for 2 months. In my case, from August 9th to Oct 8th.
Using the code from the title complete notice, you can go online and register the car.
I got the card on a Wednesday, registered Thursday morning. Estimated time for delivery is 'up to 21 days'. It took 24. Clearly aiming towards the target, not to actually process anything in a timely fashion.
Anyhow, I'm easily amused.
Currently rocking the slightly tatty Evo XI look.
Evo IX BBS wheels, new TPMS sensors (running as set two, hopefully they'll register; you replace the wheels, tell it to look for the new set, and drive for a bit, with fingers crossed).
Much fun, as I had to stop and revert half way through the first wheel to get a socket thin enough to put the spacers on the front.
Falken Aklimate all season with 'three-peak winter Snowflake'. They appear to be a winter rated all season tire, so perhaps a little better in winter than the Continental DWS06+ I had on the S4. They are certainly quieter than the Pilot 4 OEM tires. I don't know yet if there's a slight imbalance; there might be, but the roads here are crap enough it's difficult to tell, and as the wheels are old and needed spacers and adapters, there's not a huge amount I can do about it. Certainly not as noticable when I picked up some ice on a wheel and it was really unbalanced!
As above, it's has been told to use the new TPMS sensors, but takes a while to learn them; I'll check later to see if it's learned them yet.
Edit - yes, all good.
Evo IX BBS wheels, new TPMS sensors (running as set two, hopefully they'll register; you replace the wheels, tell it to look for the new set, and drive for a bit, with fingers crossed).
Much fun, as I had to stop and revert half way through the first wheel to get a socket thin enough to put the spacers on the front.
Falken Aklimate all season with 'three-peak winter Snowflake'. They appear to be a winter rated all season tire, so perhaps a little better in winter than the Continental DWS06+ I had on the S4. They are certainly quieter than the Pilot 4 OEM tires. I don't know yet if there's a slight imbalance; there might be, but the roads here are crap enough it's difficult to tell, and as the wheels are old and needed spacers and adapters, there's not a huge amount I can do about it. Certainly not as noticable when I picked up some ice on a wheel and it was really unbalanced!
As above, it's has been told to use the new TPMS sensors, but takes a while to learn them; I'll check later to see if it's learned them yet.
Edit - yes, all good.
Edited by jimmyjimjim on Monday 28th October 17:44
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