[BeemerBug_06]

Time for another Update!

So Silver Streak hasn't been driven too much for the past couple of weeks, as we've decided to let it take a short break since it is still dad's daily runner. This opened the door to allow me to do some pending DIY Cleaning and TLC work!

The engine bay had gotten quite filthy and dusty :( in fact the entire car needed a nice cleanup! Since I stay opposite Shivaji Park, in Mumbai, our cars are all perpetual dust magnets!


After a wipe down with a damp cloth


Following that was my favourite part! Applying Waxpol, which gives the car that awesome shine!


Well, both the headlights had gotten quite foggy and had in fact yellowed out. So here is the quick DIY solution->
Apply Colgate-let it dry-wipe it off with a damp cloth-apply a tad bit of wax- wipe it off with a wet cloth-voila!


Here is the result!




After Waxpol was applied and washed off!


After the engine bay received a cleanup!


The interior was vacuumed with the help of my portable Black & Decker Vacuum cleaner. The dashboard and trims were cleaned with the help of an interior cleaner solution, also made by Waxpol and a microfibre cloth!


I wiped it down again, this time with a dry cloth and put the cover, all in a day's work!

[BeemerBug_06]

It's been a while since my previous post on this thread. Unfortunately haven't had the time to update it on a regular basis due to work . Anyway here is a not so exciting update.



Blame the rain for these troublesome paint bubbles
However, it is somewhat understandable as the paint is now 15 years old, and in a city like Mumbai things like this are bound to happen at some point.
Just my luck that they appeared a few days after I fixed the new monograms in place

[vigsom]

Having known Corollas in depth, I can definitely say that these bubbles aren't because of age.

Either there's been a paint job done on the boot lid OR the metal on the boot lid has started corroding from inside.

Also, the monograms of the Corolla never fall off if they're stock with the stock adhesive.

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Having known Corollas in depth, I can definitely say that these bubbles aren't because of age.

Either there's been a paint job done on the boot lid OR the metal on the boot lid has started corroding from inside.

Also, the monograms of the Corolla never fall off if they're stock with the stock adhesive.

Alright vigsom, thanks for the input. I take your word for it. Having read your statement, I guess the paint bubbles appeared due to the metal on the bootlid corroding from inside. My car's monograms never fell out btw, the older ones had worn out and become a little discoloured - they were there for 14 long years!
So I decided to put new ones.

Post the rains, the car will be sent for a service and all pending work shall be completed.

[fordfreak]

Just stumbled across your thread and it threw me into complete nostalgia mode!

I've been lucky enough to own all three generations of the Corolla. Just summarizing my experiences below.

2004 Corolla 1.8 E H5 in Champagne Mica Metallic - I still remember how excited I was when we got her and my father taking me for a long drive the same evening the car came home. This was the first 'big' car I was allowed to drive after getting my license and was by far the most 'fun to drive' generation of the Corolla. The Corolla was the definition of 'bullet-proof reliability'. Other than scheduled maintenance, there was nothing to be done to the car. The only issue I ever faced was a dead battery. After around 12 years of ownership, we sold her in 2016 with a little over 100k KMs on the ODO. The new owner drove her from Kolkata to Delhi and never faced a single issue. Still regret letting her go!

2010 Corolla Altis 1.8 GL in Silver Mica Metallic - At the time this was a much improved upgrade from the previous gen Corolla in terms of features and creature comforts. However, this is nowhere close to the old Corolla in terms of driving feel. I don't enjoy driving it as compared to the other generations, but the back seat is where this car wins you over. Still have her today with around 81k KMs on the ODO, with zero issues. I have no plans of letting her go any time soon.

2018 Corolla Altis 1.8 GL in Silver Mica Metallic - Owned her for exactly a year now. The ride quality, reliability and back seat comfort of the Corolla are three things that have not changed through the generations (I mean that in a good way). On a positive note, this is much more fun to drive than the 2nd-gen Corolla (but its nothing like an Octavia). Clocked about 6200 KMs so far and the car still feels it drove off the factory floor yesterday. Only wish Toyota had provided a better infotainment option with the car. The current HU is below par IMO.

The Corolla is the ideal car to own if you are looking for practicality, reliability and long-term value. I'm very disappointed that Toyota won't be bringing the next-gen Corolla to India. I had that in mind as a perfect replacement for my 2010 Altis when the time comes to sell her.

Apologies for hijacking your thread. Keep sharing your updates and wish you many many more happy miles with your Corolla!

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Just stumbled across your thread and it threw me into complete nostalgia mode!

I've been lucky enough to own all three generations of the Corolla. Just summarizing my experiences below.
Apologies for hijacking your thread. Keep sharing your updates and wish you many many more happy miles with your Corolla!

Hey Fordfreak! First off all, no need to apologise , lol. Might I add, that that is a super neat Corolla you've got there and it's good to see your loyalty towards the brand Wishing you many happy miles with your present Japanese workhorse! Unlike your Ex-Corolla, mine yet has to touch 50k on the odo! I have many trips and drives with the Silver Streak in the not so distant future, so stay tuned
Also nice username, if I can add.. I too am a fordfrek :P

[BeemerBug_06]

Time for some nostalgia ! Since the monsoons are here in full swing, thought I'd post some pictures of the car when it experienced its first ever monsoon! These images date back to July-August 2005 and were shot on my dad's then Nikon F4 , which is a film SLR, hence the photo grain. Also, stay tuned as there is a major update coming very very soon!







Just realised that I haven't put up pictures of the car when it received a suspension overhaul. Last November, the car's suspension decided that it was time for a change. Hence, we had the shock absorbers and other suspension components changed . My mechanic always uses Original parts, so we had a brand new set of Toyota shocks put for the car, after which it felt like it had just left the showroom when I went for a drive in it







At our friendly neighborhood garage!

[vigsom]

^^ Nice picture of the handbrake liners; this part is generally never touched since it doesn't wear out

Please post pics of the suspension components if you have them.

How did the rear discs and brake pads look like after 15 years?

[BeemerBug_06]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Please post pics of the suspension components if you have them.

How did the rear discs and brake pads look like after 15 years?

As per your request, here's an image of the worn out shock absorbers! As said earlier, my mechanic insists on using only OEM parts. Hence, we had brand new Toyota Shock absorbers put for the car. Now I doubt we'll need to touch them for quite a while !

Unfortunately I do not have pics of the Brake pads. But they did look quite tired and worn out and demanded a change!

[BeemerBug_06]

It's now time for a Major Update!

With the new suspension in place and the car running like new, we decided that it was high time we took Silver Streak for a road trip. Initially between 2006 and 2010 we did do quite a few trips from Mumbai-Lonavala, Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Matheran and so on. However since 2010, it all slowed down and the car began living the life of a monotonous city driver and beater car.

Anyway, just this weekend my parents and I decided to make a 118km roadtrip to Lonavala and Pawna. Silver Streak was of course the choice of car for the trip On the day before the trip, we took it for a quick service and fill up at Cadell Auto near my house. Despite it raining heavily over the week, we decided to go!

We left home at around 11am on Friday, 2nd of August. Despite encountering rain and traffic we eventually made it out of Mumbai within an hour and a half. The Eastern Freeway which extends from Wadala to Vashi is indeed a blessing. After a short stop for refreshments on the way, we were on the Expressway! The car performed very very well. It ran smoothly without any hindrances. My dad drove in a rather economical manner and did not exceed 140km/hr. The car gave us a good enough mileage of about 14- 15km/litre !

The roads from Mumbai to Khandala- Lonavala are very good, refined and smooth. Since the monsoons are here in full swing, the cars were moving at a slower pace and driving with their blinkers on, due to the presence of thick fog! The road till Lonavala is quite pleasant. The bad roads started once we crossed Lonavala and drove towards Pawna Lake which was our final destination . On the way, we encountered some cattle and some stranded cars, which included spanking new Bimmers and Mercs!
Our good old Silver Streak handled the rough roads like a tank and the new suspension of course made things better! Here are some images I shot while we were getting there!


Cruising along the Eastern Freeway


The Bushi Dam area near Khandala


It was a cloudy, rainy and foggy day at Khandala , which made the driving a bit more cautious


A couple of Innovas chilling after a long trip, amidst the fog!


A quick stopover at Lonavala . The rain did an awesome car washing job


Time for an aesthetic image. And yes I know the number plate needs a change and so does the RHS Fog light bulb, in fact it decided to take off in the midst of this trip . I have ordered the new one today itself!


The rains can indeed bring beauty and greenery almost anywhere. Unfortunately this is where the bad roads to reach Pawna start from!


After a straight 30 minutes of bad roads, we finally reached our final destination- Club Mahindra Hotel and Resort Pawna Lake


View of Pawna Lake from the Hotel

[BeemerBug_06]

While the hotel was getting our accommodation ready, I decided to do a quick photo session of the car


The Big T !


Silver Streak felt quite at home at the hotel




Greens and Silvers ! Also note the Yokohama Earth 1 tyres that we recently fitted for the car


The recently fitted new monograms did shine !

[BeemerBug_06]

The weekend proved to be quite a wet one. Hence, we were unable to really venture out of our hotel room and explore. An advise I would like to give is, that although the monsoon is a beautiful season to visit Pawna and Lonavala in, the heavy rain will often keep you from going out anywhere and enjoying time away from the hotel room. Hence avoid visiting in the monsoon. Instead go in Winter, not only is the weather pleasant but the scenery is also very beautiful and inviting!
Likewise, for Silver Streak time was going very easy as it was enjoying its time off in the hotel parking lot along with the other cars who had traveled there from various places such as Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.

[BeemerBug_06]

Finally on Monday, the 5th of August we were scheduled to leave. Keeping the weather and Mumbai rains in mind, we decided to leave as early as possible so that we could beat the rain and get home without any hassles. We left Pawna around 11 am . The fog on the way back was very thick and intimidating for any driver and with only one fog light functioning we had to be even more cautious than usual. On the way we met some more cars that had decided that they could go no further! Silver Streak of course showed no signs of trouble or defeat.

Soon enough, the rain began pouring and that made our travel even slower. But this was Lonavala and not Mumbai, hence although we moved slowly, we moved and were not caught up in a traffic jam! Eventually we made it out of Lonavala and onto the ghats and then onto the expressway.

Again , my dad drove very economically and the car was happily cruising along at about 120km/hr in 5th gear. After about an hour we were in the outskirts of Mumbai. Now that's where we encountered traffic, as expected. Thankfully once we approached Chembur, we blindly took the Eastern Freeway and reached Wadala in 15 minutes flat and in another half an hour we were home at Shivaji Park! The entire journey lasted for about 2 hours and 35 minutes. Yet again, Silver Streak has not failed to prove its reliability, loyalty and immortality ! That car brought a BIG SMILE on my face once we were home!

Now time for some snaps


All prepped up to go home!





Time to show those bad roads who the Boss is !






If only that RHS fog light bulb was working , lol


The dangerously thick fog made it seem like we were driving into a horror movie plot !




TeamBHPian spotted ! Also we happened to meet one of Silver Streak's cousins who was on the way to Lonavala as we were on our way home


Time for a Break


Home at Last!


Well done Silver Streak!! You were simply awesome!
Now here's to many more upcoming road trips and long drives

With that I conclude this mini travelogue on this thread. I hope you'll enjoyed reading and I hope it was of help to those of you who have any plans to travel to Lonavala and Pawna anytime soon. Till then , stay tuned for more updates about Silver Streak!

Signing off,
BeemerBug_06

[90sKid]

Hi BeemerBug .. I had a Toyota Corolla from 2010 to 2015, Bought it used with only 30k at that time and my Dad drove her till around 150k before he sold it for an innova , As a kid back then, I always remembered begging my father whenever he went out to take me along in the Corolla , I still remember the day when we went to check it out at the Lanson Toyota dealership when we were looking to exchange our old first gen Accent, One look at it and it was enough to convince us to buy the car, Back in the day, It was owned by the owner of the same dealership and was used very sparingly . We enjoyed a lot of long drives in the car. This car was the best cruiser we ever owned and I am yet to find a car that can offer the same comfortable back seat and that beautiful suspension.That car was well built and was damn reliable as well .Never left us stranded ever. That car saved my mum from a terrible accident with a bulldozer once.
Your car is a keeper buddy..keep it well..I could only manage to get into the driver's seat once as we sold the car the very next day.It is a loss that still stings me to this day.When I see a well maintained Corolla on the road .I regret that I couldn't enjoy more of that elegant car and should have kept her for life...

[BeemerBug_06]

Back in the Game!

Greetings everyone!
While I am otherwise active on the forum, I realised that this thread has been inactive for over a year. To start off with, until now, there weren't any noteworthy updates with regard to the Corolla. The car has hardly done south of 3000 km in the past year and a half due to the outbreak of the pandemic and has been constricted to 5-10km usage within the city limits only. Apart from a trip to Lonavala in January 2021.

Ever since the pandemic began to calm down and things became normal again, it returned to becoming my dad's daily driver to work is just a mere 5 km and back. I would use it occasionally because I found it to be a bit tiresome to drive in traffic due to the size and heavy clutch. Hence, I picked my Zen over it in most cases.

Along with that, the car had started to age. The silver colour had started to fade and no longer looked fresh, rust began to develop in several areas (some dangerously affected), and the controls became heavy. This raised the question :-

To Keep or Not to Keep?

With regard to the Corolla, my folks have never been sure about selling it off. It's always been a scenario of sitting on the fence which ends with dad canceling the plan. However, this time around, I too felt it was time for a new car, something automatic and something a little less cumbersome to drive.

So one Sunday, I went and took test drives in the following cars.


Honda City


Maruti Ciaz


Skoda Slavia


Volkswagen Virtus


Hyundai Verna

CONCLUSION:- While each one of these cars had its strengths and weaknesses. I was not very impressed. If I had to pick one, I'd pick the City considering I find it to be the best value for money package. However, none of these cars (not even the Germans) felt built to last and solid as I expected them to be. Driving experience wise I found the Virtus 1.5 to be the best of the lot, yet I feel it does not live up to the price it demands. So that did it.

The Corolla stays!
Mark my words, no car from today will offer the durability and reliability that generations of Toyotas and sedans, in general, would offer. Not even the Toyotas of today can probably be as good.
Furthermore, the resale value for the older Corollas is quite low now, so we would get peanuts for it if we were to sell it off.
To add to that, we spent a good sum in 2018 to overhaul the suspension and brakes and in 2020 I renewed the registration as well. Also, a sub 40k km run Corolla today is probably rarer than plutonium.

So it was time to plug all the issues.