Netz Sport style bonnet spoiler

Most of the bonnet spoiler used locally seems to be of the same design from Ponds. Here's one that's slightly different. Styled after the one from Netz Sports Japan. Looks more sporty and aero dynamic.




Available from Taiwan for about S$140. Something to consider?

Cheers,

Orignal Toyota 2 din head unit

I have been thinking about the original Toyota 2 DIN head unit from Taiwan..



Quite an impressive machine, considering it's 2 DIN touch screen DVD player/monitor with multi camera options and well as steering wheel control integration for both audio and camera functions. Despite the fact that it plays MP3, I don't understand why they still include a cassette player. I mean who owns cassettes these days? In Japan, you get Mini Disc options, another obsolete format. I would prefer a CF/SD card slot.

Anyway, the interface is very user friendly. As it's from Taiwan, it accepts Unicode too and all chinese characters will display when you are playing Chinese MP3.



If your budget permits, you can also add the original Toyota Front and Rear view camera. The front view camera is three way so that besides looking left and right, you can also see if your precious body kit is about to hit the kerb. Impressive isn't it?



There are even other functions such as keeping a record of your servicing and parts change. But you have to key that in yourself of course. Frills.

So what's the down side? It can't accept Ipod interface directly. You can only connect it via radio frequency. A hassle. The other thing is the GPS system does not have Singapore map. So you can't integrate it properly. I can't be sure on this point, but so far, I do know that these systems can be hacked into doing what you want them to. However, I'm no tech whiz and this is too tall an order for me. I'm a "off the shelf" kind of guy.

Anyway, cost about S$800 to S$850 for the set with cables. Cameras and steering controls are extra that have to be purchased separately from Japan. Unless of course you like the "Ah Pek" 4 spoke steering wheel from Taiwan.

Cheers,

Subwoofer enclosure

Here are some interesting references from Taiwan for subwoofer enclosures.






As most of their vehicles does not have the centre consoles (due to the hand brake), this is quite a space saving option.

Cheers,

Leather seats are up!!

Got my leather seats done up! It's from Tomo Leather. No pictures yet, but will update later.

Cheers,

To change or not to change..

Went out with the boys to the tyre shops and saw a few options. Really tempted to change my sports rims again. As I've said earlier, it's kind of hard to justify when the current set that is only 7 weeks old. But I've grown weary of the dark look with the hyper black chrome rims on my black ride.

This is my ideal rims, Zuenglein from D.A.D., Japan. But at S$650 a piece, I think I'll pass.

This is one of those in consideration. Simple, fairly visible, even at night. And it looks bigger that it actually is. This is Fusion, S028, from Stamford tyres.

I've grown to like this one very much too. It's from RM, 4149 and it looks a bit like a shield plate. Got influence by Jason (a.k.a. fatdad), who is looking for something similar, but in polished chrome. Unfortunately, I don't think I can use this rims as it's a bit thin. I'm currently using 7.5 X 17 and this one is 7 X 17. We'll see if it's available and if it'll fit.

If all goes well, I'll just have to fork out another S$200 for a Taiwanese rims. Considering that I don't have to spray my brake calipers red anymore and that's a savings of S$100. It's not too bad. If I didn't buy the dummy rear disc brake cover, then it will definitely be justified.

Cheers,

Chrome accent

Somehow, with my hyper black colored rims and black door handles, the car looks exceptionally dark when viewed from the side. I've more or less decided on a chrome accent at the following areas to lighten/brighten up the overall external feel of the car.

• Full chrome Door handles
• Door protector with thin chrome trim
• Chrome garnish for side signal light
• VVT-I logo below side signal light
• Silver color/Chrome sports rim

My rims are only 7 weeks old at this point in time and it's probably not a great idea to change it, but if I do, it'll only cost me S$200. Tempting indeed.

Anyway, after looking around for quite a while, finally found a place to do my full replacement chrome door handles without damaging my door sound proofing. Also, they have the type with only 1 keyhole for the X model. Most I see on the market comes with 2 keyholes for the XE models. Apparently, these are original Toyota OEM parts. Excellent fit. Damage: S$188. The stick-on type chrome door handle covers are only about S$65, but it doesn't work for me. The feel is just not right. I prefer the solid feel of the full replacement handles.

And here's a full side profile. The difference is not so noticable during the day.

So, the door protector's next and perhaps the VVT-I logo after. The side signal light chrome garnish is one elusive accessory to find. Here's a picture taken off a Japanese site. Exactly what I want to do for my car!!

Cheers,

Scratches and dents

It's inevitable. Got a dent and a bad scratch on my car recently.

Both were from parking lots. The scratch is probably from an idiot of a bus driver I saw near my car when I left my vehicle at the lot. Thank goodness there was no other damage except for the scratch. Since the bumper is black in color, it's not too obvious. Will probably get the spray painters to touch up when I have the chance.

The dent was quite obvious on the black car as the reflection is distorted. Here's a picture of the dent which seems quite marginal, but when you actually see the reflection, you will know how serious it is.

Anyway, I got the dent fixed at Painless Dent Removal at www.pdr.com.sg for S$30. Hopefully, I don't get any more of these for quite a while.

Given the circumstances, I'm considering bumper guards and door protectors for my Wish. There don't seem to be too many options on the market, but I've seen a few....

Here's one from my friend 'wishfever'. This is by far the best fitting of the lot, stretching end to end.

This is taken off the web, but it seem just a tad too short. Could have been from Toyota Altis.

This is also off a Taiwanese website and is perfect from me. Hopefully the one I ordered from Anthony is the same as this one. S$145 for peace of mind. Hope it works.

As for bumper protectors, I'm getting the simple ones from Razo and spray it to body color so that it won't be too obvious. Hopefully, it will be discreet enough not be be an eyesore.

Cheers,

Dashboard mat

Here's the dashboard mat that's on sale at Autobacs.



I thought the concept is quite good but everyone says it looks "O-biang". Perhaps the finishing on this mat is not quite as good. Don't have a chance to see it live as it was inside a locked car.

Anyway, the opening on the left side means that this mat is actually for the Taiwan made Toyota Wish. They have an additional passenger compartment as they don't have the SRS airbag.

Cheers,

p.s. there are the furry type of dashboard mat too. I bet the black one will look very very nice on the wolf.

D.A.D Garson Executive Oval Ornament

Another emblem from the VIP style company Garson. These folks are basically copycat company that rip of styling and material reference from major fashion houses and do a cheap plastic version for car. And they have terrible English names for some of their stuff.



These goes on the rear passenger doors or near the side marker. It can also be use at the boot door. Cost JPY 7245 for a set of 2. About S$100 a box.

Wonder how it will look on my ride....

Cheers,

Angel eyes modification

There are angel eyes and there are angel eyes. Some are so badly done that they make angels cry. I've seen those where by they cut a gaping hole just to stuff in the CCFL tubes. Really crude.

These are from Taiwan. On a set of New Face Lift Toyota Wish headlights. Pictured here with and without flash. Look at the details and see how the big eye is finished. Much better that those seen on the earlier modifications here.



Good workmanship. However, I still prefer the thick type using acrylic and LED bulbs.

Cheers,

Auto lock function

Some of the more upmarket cars have an autolock function when your vehicle moves off. Unfortunately, Toyota Wish does not have this function. Some after market alarm systems offers a weird alternative whereby you have to unbuckle your seatbelt and step on the brake. But it only works once. Seem more like a functional hassle than a safety feature.

There is an alternative which is an add on module. It allows you to lock the door in 2 ways. Either when you step on your brakes or when your RPM goes up to above 2000. I would take the second option as it's very much like the Honda Civic that I used to drive. It will have to tap into the ECU to get the RPM reading though. Anyway, it cost S$150 and for those interested, it can be done at

Wee Heng Auto
460/462 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534493
Tel: 6281 6739

Anyone interested? Maybe we can go do it together?

Cheers,

Chris Longhurst's car bible site

Saw this site a while back but never got around to browse it till recently. It's great for newbies like me!

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/

Basically, it has everything you need to know about cars, including Suspension, Wheel and Tyre, Engine oil, Fuel and Engine, etc.

A godsend for car dummies like me.

Cheers,

Toyota Wish key chain!

Toyota Wish has a miniture keychain!



Should cost between S$10 to S$20. Wonder where do they sell it in Singapore?

Cheers,

Wish photography

My friend K. H. did up his ride with a body kit and exhause today! (Envy! Envy). So we had a gathering to take some pictures and here are the results.

These are the Pre Facelift Toyota Wish. The first one belongs to my friend.









These are the New Face Lift Toyota Wish. The first one belong to my friend Robin and the third one to my other friend Andrew.









Too bad did not get to shoot Jason and Wong's car and there was a few more nice rides too. Some are pretty radical but miss the photo opportunity. Too many cars to see and so little time. These gathering are a killer. Getting "poisoned" all the time with new stuff.

Body kits are so tempting. But there seem to be none for the new face lift model that is bump and hump friendly.

Cheers,

TRD catalogue for Toyota Wish

TRD does produce a 2 page brochure for all Toyota Wish parts.



However, there are more parts that are compatible for Toyota Wish that are not listed. Toyota MR-S, Celica, amongst other models does use similar parts. It's a question of confirmation of compatibility.



Cheers,

TRD

Toyota Racing Development. That's what TRD stands for. Seems like every car company has a race team/tuning specialist, Mugen for Honda, STA for Subaru, Ralliart for Mitsubishi, AMG for Mercedes etc. So Toyota has TRD. And TRD makes special parts for Wish too! They have strut bars and suspensions, which is really premium stuff.

Anyway, those are out of the question at the moment. In the mean time, I added some after market TRD accessories for the car.

This is a sticker on the visor. It replaces the original Wish one, which was and epoxy. Besides, I didn't like the Taiwanese Wish logo.




I also change the cash card cover to one with the TRD initials. Just for fun.



And lastly, the "so-called" neck support. It's more decorative actually as it does not support the neck when you lie back.



I also have another chome emblem for the back of the car. Have yet to put it up. Will update later.

Cheers,

UV protected!

After much research on the different types of film, I finally went and did it! Went to look for Kelvin from Ezy Tint at Ubi to do up my Solar films today. Opted for the 3M Purecut 80 package with 86% Visible Light Transmission to ensure LTA compliance (yes, what a hassle). It has 99.9% UV (Ultra Violet) ray rejection and 95% IR (Infra Red) ray rejection. Did a touch test earlier and it does make a a whole lot of difference, especially when compared to other films. The reasons why I've decided to put in 3M films is:

1. UV protection for the skin and car interior
2. Heat protection for comfort
3. Reduce glare for driving comfort/safety
4. Prevent shattering of broken glass
5. 3M has lifetime warranty on product, including color change

Overall, the films were very well applied on the vehicle. Obviously they have done this a lot of times. No bubbles, scratches. However, I can't wind down the windows for 48 hours till the film has dried. Otherwise, I may dislodge the film. Small matter. Total damage at S$1100. Not the cheapest 3M deals, but I'm happy with the service provided.

Now that I have solar films, leather seats will be next! Have already confirmed with Tomo leather for a black full leather interior (seats plus side door panels.) Need to get the armrest passenger side armrest soon before I send the car in.

Cheers,

Mod culture

Just about in every country, there are car fanatics who are interested to modifying (MOD) their cars. Some for power and performance, other just for a more unique look. And some of these modification are EXTREME!!! The car hardly looks recognizable from the original stock version. I've seen quite a few examples in Thailand and here a Toyota Wish from Japan with 'gull wings' doors.





For those in Singapore, the stringent LTA ruling on vehicle modification pretty much curtailed the opportunities for most car owners (except for a brave few). As such, most of the MOD fans here have been reduced to dolling their rides with add on accessories and a few parts replacement such as crank pully, strut bars, filters and coolers. Nothing radical like their overseas counterparts. Besides, the numerous road humps and speed bumps are a killer for most body kits. What a shame.

So effectively, there is really no car modification culture here, just car personalisation through accessories. Boring!

Cheers,

Rear wheels done up!

Ok! Finally got the allen key to dismantle my rims! Went down to WishWerks again to do my dummy rear brake covers. 20 minute job and S$45 poorer.

Here's the before and after..

And here's how it looks like from slightly further..

This is not a performance enhancement, just another ornamental accessory. Basically, I just hated the all black look of the rear tyres as they are on drum brakes. These rims has skinny spooks so disc brakes (which the front tyres were on) will compliment them quite well. Now...problem solved!

Picture of front tyres and rims for comparison.

Anyway, also got another gear knob and TRD neck supports before I left the place. Pictures later.

Cheers,

My car is one month old!

Feels good to be behind the wheels of my new toy again. The car is now just passed one month old.

Anyway, installed 3 new Original Toyota items on the car yesterday. As usual, ended up with more than I bargained for when I went to the workshop, WishWerks. Not that I'm complaining. Intended to install a simple rear dummy disc brake cover, purely ornamental, but makes the rear wheel set look less filmsy, left with the following instead..

These are fog lamps. Useful for foggy or heavy rainly drives to increase visibility for the driver in front. In our climate, not exactly the most practical, but does brighten up the black colored car in the front substantially. Cost S$350 per set.



Pedal set with foot rest. Again, an ornamental enhancement, but it sure does feel nice and cool if you are driving barefooted. Cost S$130 per set.



Inner boot tray. The one I got was slightly different from the one in the picture. I have the Original Toyota Thailand version, which is a kind of soft preformed material. This will be practical if you some some wet/soiled stuff to carry and as this is easily removable for washing. Cost S$48.

The dummy rear disc cover could not be installed as my rims had anti-theft knobs on. So I have to go back to Poh Heng to get them as Justin did not give them to me when I installed the tyres and rims.

Also went the Toyoto Wish Club West gathering at farmart last night. Had a blast of a time there and everyone is so friendly. Learn so many things along the way. Great for first time car owners.

My WISH list is now slight shorter and more organised.

Performance:
01. OWS air filter
02. Steel brake hose
03. Water temp, Oil temp and Volt meters
04. Tein or TRD Coilover

Interior:
05. 3M 86% VLT solar films
06. 2 tone leather seats
07. Ash Grey Wood colored control and side panels
08. 3M car mats
09. Sound Proof rear door, firewall and roof
10. Original Toyota arm left rest
11. GPS system

Exterior:
12. Side LED mirror
13. Door protectors with thin or no chrome trims
14. Clear signal light with chrome trims
15. Red brake caliper
16. Dummy disc brake cover
17. Weld on exhaust pipe
18. HID front lamp

I was quite keen on a bodykit initially, but now, it's in consideration after the prep talk by Novaol and Robin (skyeverob). Unless it's an offer I can't refuse, otherwise, I may pass on this. Old man like me should be more down to earth.....

Cheers,