Toyota Corolla- DIY tips

Among all the models created by Toyota, Toyota Corolla is the most reliable car which is still very popular and trusted all over the world. The name itself declares its success, the name Corolla is taken from the word Crown, it is a favorite name of Toyota and has proved to be a jewel to its owner. The engines of Corolla are sturdy and give great mileage with low gas consumption.

Toyota Corolla has been on the market for many decades and is still running strong and giving a hard time to its competitors. Toyota Corolla was launched in the market in 1966. Since then the Toyota Corolla series has seen many changes and redesigns to match the changing world,today a single piece of Corolla is being sold every 40 seconds.

Today it is still in production in its ninth generation. Along with Japan the automobile is produced in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Turkey, Brazil, India, South Africa, and Thailand. Ninth generation of Toyota Corolla comes in different types of trim levels which are as follows:

• • Toyota Corolla CE
  • Toyota Corolla S
  • Toyota Corolla LE
  • Toyota Corolla XRS

Among them XRS is a more sporty kind of vehicle. It has great exterior looks with variety of choices in colors from Super White to Phantom Gray Pearl, Silver Streak Mica, Desert Sand Mica, Cactus Mica, Impulse Red Pearl, Black Sand Pearl, and Indigo Ink Pearl. The interiors can also be given colors from Stone to dark Charcoal and Pebble Beige. It has lavish and comfortable interiors and stylish exteriors.

The machine or engine of the car is powerful giving 1.8 liter of double overhead cam shaft (DOHC) WT-i with 16 valves and 4 cylinders. The horsepower is around 126 hp at 6000 rpm. Corolla consists of five-speed manual overdrive application. Automatic overdrive transmission comes as an option.

Toyota Corolla name brand is well known all over the world. It has gained such popularity by exceeding the customer’s expectation by giving great performance. The latest Corolla XRS model have sporty look to attract the younger generation of the world. It has been successful in doing so. The latest model has been made wider than the previous ones, which has made getting in and out of the car easier. The taillights are also similar to the headlights. Upgraded features like electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and anti lock brake system (ABS) are now available. The sunroof is an additional feature. It is a great add on.

Toyota Corolla LE model consist of ABS and EBD, airbags which are for both driver’s side and passenger side front and back, monitoring system for tire pressure, CD changer and cruise control application. In Corolla S along with ABS and EBD it has vehicle stability control system (VSC). In Toyota Corolla LE along with ABS, EBD, and VSC, it has moon roof and sun shade.

Even though Toyota Corolla looks like a compact car from outside, once entered inside it looks comfortable and airy car with lots of space. It has been engineered very smartly. The interiors are made from high quality materials with leather seats. The seats have plenty of headroom and leg room and good space in the back seat.

It is the great Japanese cars running on the road. Since its launch, many years have passed by and the car has passed through many tests and has turned out to be a real survivor. There were many other cars which had the same features as the Corolla had, still it survived these challenges and came out as a victory. As the years are going by, the car is getting evolved with great features and more trustworthy performance. There many new accessories and features added in each new generation of the car.

How to Service A Corolla?

As a popular model, it has a very specific servicing modules which should be followed to keep the same smooth and comfortable driving experience. Adhering to this fixed schedule of Corolla servicing will give benefits of the factory warranty. Still if a customer wants to do some cleaning up and servicing at home, there are two basic services which the customer can perform,namely the common filter cleaning and basic filter and oil change along with replacement of spark plug. It is advisable to change the oil after every 12 000 KMs of travel. This simple practice will ensure long life and great performance of the vehicle.

Following are the instructions to service the spark plug of the car:

1. 1. First step is to open the hood of the car and spot the front top portion of the engine. Four wires are visible plugged in the top of engine.
   2. Remove them one by one taking care to label each position of the wire with a marker as they are removed . This will ensure the correct insertion of wires. These are the spark plug wires. There is a spark plug below these spark plug wires.
   3. Remove this spark plug. Now replace it with new spark plug. Tighten the new spark plug .
   4. Place each spark-plug wire in this new spark plug correctly. A clicking sound will be heard if the wires are re-inserted correctly.
   5. The next step is to plug the wires back into the engine.

Below are given the instructions in order to service for oil change:

1. 1. The first step would be to start the car and run it in one place for few minutes. This will heat up the engine and make the oil more diluted to run easily.  After this maneuver, open the Corolla hood. Now remove the cap of oil filter which is present on the top of the engine.
   2. Raise the front portion of Corolla with a jack. After that place the jack stand on the sub frame of the vehicle. The vehicle should be standing on the jack stand and lower the vehicle accordingly.
   3. As the vehicle is raised on the jack stand, the person can easily crawl under the vehicle to see the oil pan. It is a metal pan beneath the engine. There is a oil drain plug,. With the help of a wrench, oil drain plug can be removed. Remove all the oil. After all the oil is removed leaving few oil drops,tighten  the drain plug. This can be done with the help of wrench, just make sure not to over tighten it.
   4. Towards the front side of vehicle there is an oil filter, which is in form of cylindrical object. Remove it with a wrench and drain all the oil and finally remove it totally.
   5. Take new oil filter, and apply new oil around the new gasket. Now, put it in its place in the engine and tighten it with hands.
   6. Remove the vehicle from jack stand. Lower the car on the ground.
   7. Now, put the funnel on the mouth of oil hole in the hood of the Corolla. Add new oil in through funnel. Check the level of the oil with dipstick. The level should be between the levels L and F.

With all above tips, you can surely keep your vehicle running efficiently in its long run.