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I never thought I'd end up saying this, but...

Bildo

By Bildo,
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Bildo

Bildo

Posted
Posted

I'm considering breaking the car. :p

You'll probably have noticed my absence recently, this has been because I've been frustrated with Starlets and pretty much fallen out of love with it and the whole modding bug.

I have the car taken to near enough 200bhp on a hybrid, zisco mani, custom intercooler, taken for a proper mapping session, the lot. I've always purchased the best parts and gone out of my way to do stuff to ensure I don't buy cheap shit that'll go wrong in a week. I do a full detail twice a year and the car is garaged and driven 4/5 times a week.

Slowly, after about 8-9 months of absolutely loving the hell out of having that much fun and power from a small car, it decides to start being a twat.

Firstly I started getting pipes popping off, which after 7 or 8 attempts I managed to correct, that had wound me up a fair bit having to take bits apart and mess about with stuff most days. Next was when the turbo thought it'd have a laugh and start just turning when warm for the sake of it, something I never managed to get to the bottom of. I just braced it in place to ensure that it wouldn't move about any more.

After all this it starts to go well again, I love it again, I'm still frustrated with it though and feeling paranoid waiting for the next thing to go wrong. It actually maintains being decent for a good few months with no problems whatsoever.

Then, after some time I notice that it's no longer boosting how it once did. Spooling went from being at full boost on 3.5/4k to more 5/5.5k. I checked all the pipes, no boost leak I check all the general stuff and can't find anything so leave it for a bit frustrated with it. After a few drives I noticed a nut had fallen off the mani>turbo and there's a serious blow. Oh well I think, at least that'll sort it. New nut on, job done. Nope.

I put the new nut on and no improvement. I decide to still drive it for a bit and just take it easy.

Then, a few weeks after that I end up stopping at some lights to find that the car's filling up with smoke coming from the bonnet, I turn the engine off as soon as I can just in time to save some oil in the engine. It clearly thought it'd be a laugh to spray oil all over my heat wrapped manifold causing an insane amount of smoke. Now no way to get home, so several hours of waiting for recovery and it's back in the garage. I have no idea what the problem is and spend several days in complete 'I give up' mode with it. Rick comes over and quickly diagnoses that luckily it's an easy fix and it was just that the oil return pipe had split and combined with high pressure and fairly high speeds this had sprayed oil everywhere. Okay, I think, I get a new oil return pipe and head myself to JAE.

It's still boosting as late as it had done previously at this point, so it's still not fixed and I'm still not back in love with it.

Now, it starts doing okay again after the oil feed, so I decide to try and locate the issue again with the late boosting. I take all the IC pipes apart and reconnect them, checked the mani, the whole length of the exhaust for issues.. Only thing I can find is that the same nut has come off again on the mani, so I get that refitted.. Still the same.

I noticed that it was still blowing from that area so I give up and tell the local garage to sort it. They told me the gasket and gone, and that if I got a new gasket it should help the issue. So, to Toyota for the gasket, £17, then back to the garage. They ring me a few hours later to say they couldn't get to all the bolts without taking the mani off. Then apparently whilst doing that my heat wrap crumbled to pieces. So they decided to rip the heat wrap off, bin it, take the mani off, re-fit the gasket and re-fit the mani. Okay, if that's the sacrifice I have to make then so be it.

So I get the car, being all hopeful. It looks like he's done a decent job refitting it, there's no blowing evident from anywhere, it meant I got to check my mani properly for any cracks too while I was there, nothing. So I pay him (£85 in the end as they're too shite to get to some awkward bolts.) I drive off and it's still the same, I sigh and take the car back to work.

Now on the drive home a weird noise develops, it sounds like it's spool related so I'm assuming that there's some kind of issue with the turbo. They decided to remove the turbo brace that I had on but the turbo doesn't seem to of moved too much yet so I don't think it's related to that.

Now, countless hours later of hopelessly trying to fix it, £110 lighter through what looks like it's just caused another problem and a car that still won't spool properly.

I'm so skint recently, and I'm trying to save to go to Japan next year. I'm genuinely for the first time in my 3 year ownership debating just breaking the fucker and getting what I can back.

Should I, shouldn't I? :D

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Idrees

Idrees

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Mate, put it back to stock and sell it. I know I should be supportive and tell you to stick at it, but I know it's always going to be the same for you. I regret the Glanza build, I know it's never going to be 100% how I want it. Yes we may enjoy these cars when they work, but does that really make up for all the times we drive around worrying what's going to break next? I would have broken mine a while ago if it wasn't for my cousin and a good mate, they've put many hours in the car with me and it would be plain rude to tell them I'm breaking it and that their efforts went to waste.

Go and test drive a few motors, my brothers just purchase a 2004 Seat Leon FR. 98k, FSH, 150bhp and plenty of torque. A happy guy for £4100, puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. It pulls so well and is amazing on fuel.

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Bildo

Bildo

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Mate, put it back to stock and sell it. I know I should be supportive and tell you to stick at it, but I know it's always going to be the same for you. I regret the Glanza build, I know it's never going to be 100% how I want it. Yes we may enjoy these cars when they work, but does that really make up for all the times we drive around worrying what's going to break next? I would have broken mine a while ago if it wasn't for my cousin and a good mate, they've put many hours in the car with me and it would be plain rude to tell them I'm breaking it and that their efforts went to waste.

Go and test drive a few motors, my brothers just purchase a 2004 Seat Leon FR. 98k, FSH, 150bhp and plenty of torque. A happy guy for £4100, puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. It pulls so well and is amazing on fuel.

You have got a very valid point mate. I can honestly look back to when I first started loving the car and say, I think I did enjoy it that much. But like you say it's now become a waiting game for me as to what's going to go wrong next. I feel like my fun's being limited by my constant fear of fucking something up whilst enjoying myself. You have to bare in mind though that there are a couple of people who have helped me greatly with this, and I would too feel bad. That's one of the only reasons it's not in pieces right now.

It's the niggly pricks that are annoying me, if an engine goes, an engine goes, you know what you need to save and that's that. With things like this, where do I start? Get an actuator? Get all new pipes? Get a new turbo? All that would be £600+ish.

I have a bad, bad feeling that if I was to break I would end up going RWD and eventually going down the same route again. That's my biggest fear right now!

fustration all round mate :p not good....

chin up, i had the same problem... maybe just try giving the actuator a few turns... see if that helps....

how many miles is on the turbo since it was fitted and how much boost have u been running?

Matt.

Should an actuator ever need turning though? Surely it's one of those things where once it's set, it shouldn't need adjusting unless there's something up? Also, since the turbo has started making funny noises since it came from the garage today I'm pretty weary of running boost! It sounds horrific at times.

I'd say about 6-7k max on the turbo, it's been running at 1 bar which was mapped on emanage blue at Tuning Developments.

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Idrees

Idrees

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I have a bad, bad feeling that if I was to break I would end up going RWD and eventually going down the same route again. That's my biggest fear right now!

Test drive some nice 'sensible' cars first and see what you think. :p

Best of luck with your decision mate.

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Steve GT

Steve GT

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sad to hear mate

dont lose faith

and just incase you do i want first refusal on the zisco mani if you do decide to break her and il give you a standard one too

p.s not being cheeky and trying to scank parts off you i generally want you to keep it but just incase :p

dont lose faith dude I've been through a loss of interest patch and it soon changed

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DavidAshton

DavidAshton

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I think starlets are getting to an age that there just becoming dog shite, I know mine is and I know another local member who is having nothing but trouble. Its mainly consumable parts on mine buts its seriously one thing after another at the minute and I cant see where its going to end.

Id love to sell mine and get something modern, upto date with a bit of poke but I just cant justyfy getting rid with the ammonut of time and money i have put into it, and the shite prices they fetch now looks like ill just have to push throgh and get it to a reasonable working state.

If you feel you can reasonably get rid now, id do it sooner rather than later because I can only see them getting worse and loosing even more value.

Good luck with whatever you decide and i know exactly how your feeling about it....

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bucketep91

bucketep91

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Posted

i had th same problem with 1 of my hybrids rotating like that when it was warm i just braced it and never had a problem again.

weve all been in your position at some point with these cars, i went through 2 hybrids and a ct9, a head gasket then bottom end failure in the space of 6 months i paid a lot of money sorting it just to sell it on because i couldnt go through with breaking it

to quote liam "starlets really are pricks!"

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Bildo

Bildo

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sad to hear mate

dont lose faith

and just incase you do i want first refusal on the zisco mani if you do decide to break her and il give you a standard one too

p.s not being cheeky and trying to scank parts off you i generally want you to keep it but just incase :p

dont lose faith dude I've been through a loss of interest patch and it soon changed

I'll keep you in mind mate, I've already had people in the past say if I've ever sold up they want so and so bits. I'll have to give them first refusal.

Thanks for heads up though!

Everyone thinks the same, even us N/A owners......do whats best for you/your pocket mate

throw your old tubby on + ecu till the issue is sorted?

I sold the tubby to part-finance buying the hybrid, it was a bloody good turbo too. :) Last time I saw it someone was running it at about 298704287934 bar and raping its arse end in.

I think starlets are getting to an age that there just becoming dog shite, I know mine is and I know another local member who is having nothing but trouble. Its mainly consumable parts on mine buts its seriously one thing after another at the minute and I cant see where its going to end.

Id love to sell mine and get something modern, upto date with a bit of poke but I just cant justyfy getting rid with the ammonut of time and money i have put into it, and the shite prices they fetch now looks like ill just have to push throgh and get it to a reasonable working state.

If you feel you can reasonably get rid now, id do it sooner rather than later because I can only see them getting worse and loosing even more value.

Good luck with whatever you decide and i know exactly how your feeling about it....

The thing is, I don't seem to be having "general Starlet" problems. It seems to be more the turbo/actuator/FMIC issues that I've had, things that I've spent a lot of money on and made sure I've purchased the best stuff money can buy for Starlets. I've been lucky in the respect that the worst thing that's happened car-wise is a bearing went and I had a seized caliper.

I guess everything hits a certain age and starts to develop problems though!

Thanks for your advice mate.

bildo... everything wears.... maybe the turbos getting worn and adjusting the actuator to compensate will work...

my turbo wasnt boosting till late like yours... i gave 2 turns on actuator and it was fine :D giv it a try!

I gave it a couple of turns earlier, seems to of made it worse if anything so I'll go back once it's cooled down and try turning it the other way. Not really up for burnt hands right now, I think it might get a spanner through the windscreen! :D

i had th same problem with 1 of my hybrids rotating like that when it was warm i just braced it and never had a problem again.

weve all been in your position at some point with these cars, i went through 2 hybrids and a ct9, a head gasket then bottom end failure in the space of 6 months i paid a lot of money sorting it just to sell it on because i couldnt go through with breaking it

to quote liam "starlets really are pricks!"

It's annoying, and to be honest if more than one of us have had the problem then it should've been resolved really. I wish I'd of asked for another one to try and forked out a bit of extra money at the time for peace of mind. After spending a shitload in one big lump I kind've got impatient/skint though! :D

I've been seeing your threads over time and seen the shit you've gone through. Good job for sticking with it, it's inspirational!

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Glanza_cl

Glanza_cl

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there just old cars... even mine 2 years ago gave me shit, its just how it is. spent a shit load sorting it out but got it right in the end but then couldn't cope and sold it lol.

but its the same with every modified car, once you change something something else needs to be changed... that leads to the next thing and the next etc etc

best car i'v owned is the scoob why? because i haven't had to fiddle with it, just left it how it came and have loved every minute of it.

only you can decide how much you can take, you can sort it out but whether you are prepared to absorb the costs is your choice.

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BAZ2CRAZY

BAZ2CRAZY

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Not another one! I think there testing there owners.. Theyve together at meets like jae and devised a plan to piss us off to see if we truly love them.

If it was a girl... Id be like bye bye. But its your car! Much more important :p

Mitch

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Glanza Al

Glanza Al

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Come on Bill dont give up the fight dude, you must remember the problems I had with my V, a cracked manifold in 3 places, 4 exhaust blows, a cracked cylinder head, then a leaky repaired cylinder head, exhaust knocks, boost pipes blowing off at about 3 psi, the list goes on mate, the rear panel of the car having had poor previous repairs and welding almost falling off, my boot leaking and turning the wheel well into a pond, the list goes on and on man.

As it happens Im really missing mine more recently, so much in fact im considering getting a GT. As said above take it to Tuning Developments or TDi or something and let them have a look at it. May sound stupid but mine was boosting lower for about a week, so I cleaned out the air filter and that seemed to sort it straight away.

Dont get rid of it man yours is easily one of the cleanest Vs on the scene now :p

Al.

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Nanglebadger

Nanglebadger

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mate, i am 100% feeling you.

6 or 7 times in 2 months I've had to go to Jays to have something fixed, and the damn thing still isnt MOT worthy. it just fucks u right off when u plumb so much effort into it, u dont treat it like shit, u try to look after it, and it still acts like a wanker for no reason.

i keep finding myself looking at FR Leons too, only the current shape ones, with a BTCC OEM kit, diesel.

its so easy to fall out of love with them, but when they do play ball, its easy to fall right back in love.

but with home ownership becoming something of a serious consideration, the constant spending on repairs and stupid things has to come to an end, it simply cant go on.

i hope u come to a decision that makes u happy buddy!

Phil.

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The_Notorious_C_A_T

The_Notorious_C_A_T

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I do know what you mean. I'm sure alot of people do on here.

I broke my car no problem, didn't have any regrets at all when I did it, still don't really. It's only a car at the end of the day and if breaking it and selling it in bits helps relieve some stress then maybe it is the right time.

Although I might get a starlet as a toy to mess about with, as I have a new car that I can use to get to work and crap. Although having a newer car don't mean they are problem free, on the owners club I read nothing but problems about my new car haha

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