Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 7,606
Hoo cookeh! Top shedding, I've enjoyed this thread a lot 
Cookeh goes shedding...
- Thread starter Cookeh
- Start date
People that call themselves "petrol heads" and deride small, low powered cars are really no such thing, they are simply snobs. You can have at least as much fun in cars like that as in V8 powered monsters, it's just different. Personally I love little cars like this, three cylinder engines sound great and the low power just means actual skill is needed to keep momentum up.
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 7,606
I had lots of fun in my 659cc three cylinder turbo 
I quite enjoyed the 1.25 Zetec Fiesta. Does that mean I have to like this? Nope.
So if you like cars must you like ALL cars?
The 107 isn't even best in class is it? The Panda is better?
Last edited:
First car was a 1.2L Corolla, pretty much as slow as the Pug (12.7s to 60mph as opposed to 13.7s). Difference is it actually wanted to use the full rev range, it could corner without toppling, there was feedback from the steering letting you know where the wheels were and when they were approaching their limits of grip, the steering wasn't horribly over-assisted, it was refined enough to not make you lose your mind, seats were comfy and had support so you could push it without falling out of the seat, brakes actually have modulation where you can feel the biting point, they increase in pressure as you brake harder, the gear change wasn't like stirring porridge, the throw wasn't longer than a football pitch and the clutch had some weight and a definite bite point.
I loved that car, so much so I made my partner buy a 1.4L Corolla as her first car (and she's now in love with it too). I had it for two and a half years, I legitimately shed a tear when I sold it. I actively looked for excuses to go for a drive with it, I hooned it around the Evo triangle, I took it on Snakes Pass two or three times a week, I razzed it all around the Pembrokeshire coastline. I had so much fun in that car.
Small cars can be great. Low powered cars can be great. Especially when you can use the full rev range and feel the engine note rise without ever having to worry about your licence. The 107 is still very much not great, though, and I am far from a car snob. There will be a little review clarifying why this car is so horrid, purely looking at it from a driving point of view at all road speeds and scenarios, coming when I have some more free time.
Last edited:
Soldato
There I was thinking computers were bad for TLA (Three letter acronyms). Then I read that last post with the pics and hardly understood any of it!
I'm guessing tar remover does what it says on the tin. No idea about the rest.
I'm guessing tar remover does what it says on the tin. No idea about the rest.
My bad. From the top:
LSP = Last Step Product. Cover wax, sealant, coatings, etc. Any protection you put on your paint.
TFR = Traffic Film Remover. A type of product designed specifically to cut through road grime and muck without contact.
2BM = Two Bucket Method. A method of car cleaning employing, you guessed it, two buckets. One full of soap and one with just water. The idea is the water only bucket becomes the rinse bucket and that is where you rinse your mitt after each panel. This keeps the mitt clean and the soap bucket clean so you don't re-introduce dirt you've just cleaned back onto the panel and inflict scratches or marring.
That's it on the acroynm front... I thought there were much more than that given your comment!
Other than that, tar remover removes tar, glue/sap remover removes glue/sap, fallout remover removes ferrous based contamination, clay removes almost everything contamination wise that is bonded to paint.
Soldato
Taa.
My car last got a "wash" when it went in for a service in 2016. Yes, I know you're facepalming right now.
My car last got a "wash" when it went in for a service in 2016. Yes, I know you're facepalming right now.
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 7,606
Mucky pup.
Not at all, to each their own. This shoebox got washed 5 times in the 8/9 years that my sister had it. Three of those were me and were in a one year period...! Not everyone is bothered by the exterior or want to put the effort in and I completely get that. I find it relaxing though, takes my mind off other things!
Caporegime
Soldato
Taa.
My car last got a "wash" when it went in for a service in 2016. Yes, I know you're facepalming right now.
Despite posting when I was getting my new car around 18 months ago for some advice on products...
I picked it up a few days before Xmas 2016, it was brand new, its never been washed!
I am going to need a service soon, fully expect the garage to burst this babies washing bubble
I mean to do it, I just never get round to it. I did wipe the interior down the other day with a cloth. (I was bored waiting outside tesco)
Soldato
I had the Aygo, which is pretty much identical, i honestly did think it was that bad, decent enough to chuck around and would happily sit on the motorway doing 70ish. But i took it for what it was, a tiny eco shopping trolley. It was nice to have a car that you could drive to within an inch of its life and ability and not be in license losing teritory. I actually preferred it to my sisters 1.0 Yaris (MK1).
Condition isnt all that bad tbh, i wouldnt let a car get into that state, but then i wouldnt spend the amount of time and material to clean it as much as you are
All it would get is a Polish £10 valet and job done.
Condition isnt all that bad tbh, i wouldnt let a car get into that state, but then i wouldnt spend the amount of time and material to clean it as much as you are
All it would get is a Polish £10 valet and job done.
Aygo had significantly better build quality, actual insulation and slightly different gearing. Actually a much nicer place to be, having been in both the Aygo and the Pug.
Soldato
Basic Chassis and drive train are the same though.
Found a spare 40 mins this afternoon to sort out the boot. I had previously skipped in during the interior cleaning as I didn't really have the time. I tackled the spare first, horribly rusting which is truly bizarre as the thing has never been used - I can't (or won't!) take credit for that either as when spraying them I never touched the back part and that's worse!
Wheel before by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
So APC, some car shampoo, a single large boar hair brush (yes, I need to expand my selection
) and just a little bit of water gets us something sort of clean. I then dried the wheel and put on the only sealant I have, AutoGlyms EGP.
Wheel during by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Wheel after by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Whilst that was doing its 30min cure, I moved on to the boot which was in dire need of a vacuum and a scrub. The numerous boot leaks and wet-dog excursions over the years had made it a smidge mucky:
Boot filth by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Boot filth 2 by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Boot filth 3 by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
In keeping with the atrocious build quality one can expect if one chooses to torture themselves in such a vehicle, you can see all the areas where the boot floor has worn away the paint, as has the tyre which can't actually be bolted down using the supplied bolt unless you leave the tool tray out. Naturally this makes perfect sense as who needs a wheel brace or even jack when changing a tyre, I mean you can just lift the car with 1 hand and swap it with the other...
So it got vacuumed and scrubbed with APC. Then naturally the rubber spacers that are meant to stop the tyre wearing away the paint just detached themselves (useless). So now we have to contend with a load of old glue - and of course I have no tar remover. Copious amounts of WD40 and lots of scrubbing got it sort of presentable.
Boot after vacuum by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Tar removed by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Rubber spacers before by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Rubber spacers after by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Contact adhesive was used to reattach the spacers, which themselves needed substantial cleanup (see above!), and I applied two coats of Bilt Hamber DSW just to try and give it some sort of protection from further inevitable boot leaks. I have realised that this area really needs sanding back and repainting as it's sure to start rusting soon with all those chips and worn areas. Also, anyone else find it odd the seam sealer doesnt actually cover top or bottom (as pictured) sides of the boot floor? Must have saved PSA what, 5 cents?
Boot after wax and spacer adhesive by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
DSW gloss by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
On a side note, I am very impressed by DSW. It was super easy to apply (once I had dampened the applicator), cured quickly and left an impressive amount of gloss on the one clear-coated part of the entire boot.
Next up was that aforementioned boot floor. Which has foam spacers to protect the rubber tyre from wearing but nothing to stop the paint wearing. 10/10 PSA... It was dressed with AutoGlyms Bumper and Trim gel. I hate this product, its a pain to apply and so inconsistent finish wise with poor coverage. Yet some how I still have the damn thing after two years. Can't wait to finish it so I can get some PERL or maybe splash out on some ironically named Poorboys Natural Trim Dressing.
Boot floor before by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Boot floor during by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Boot after by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
It was at that point I noticed the rust bubbles appearing on the seat backs, and made the mistake of wire brushing them... Seeing it was quite bad I decided to wire brush it properly and then put a bit of Hammerite on it. I quickly learned that to get a decent finish here I would need to spray it but I don't have any and I needed to get some protection on there before it rusted even further. It's not too bad from a distance, might get better if I use some fine grade wet dry on it and then attempt to polish the seat backs.
Seat back before by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Seat back after by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Still on the seat front the covers on all four sides had started to work themselves loose somehow. Clipped them back in with ease.
Seat cover before by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Seat cover after by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
Lastly the plastic trim on the C-pillar. APC and magic eraser was my friend here. One advantage of the horribly scratchy and hard plastics is that magic eraser makes short work of cleaning them with no risk of marring.
C pillar before by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
C pillar after by alistair.hurrell, on Flickr
And that was it for the time frame. Could have been better with the aid of some fallout remover and tar remover, but hey ho. Getting close to having the car up to standard now. Really just the wheels left and then touching up some of the paint situation. Definitely glad about that as I don't really enjoy working on this car, which is weird as I enjoy it on every other car I have access to... Guess I still haven't fallen in love with it, probably because I have to drive it too!
Wheel before by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrSo APC, some car shampoo, a single large boar hair brush (yes, I need to expand my selection
) and just a little bit of water gets us something sort of clean. I then dried the wheel and put on the only sealant I have, AutoGlyms EGP.Wheel during by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrWheel after by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrWhilst that was doing its 30min cure, I moved on to the boot which was in dire need of a vacuum and a scrub. The numerous boot leaks and wet-dog excursions over the years had made it a smidge mucky:
Boot filth by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrBoot filth 2 by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrBoot filth 3 by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrIn keeping with the atrocious build quality one can expect if one chooses to torture themselves in such a vehicle, you can see all the areas where the boot floor has worn away the paint, as has the tyre which can't actually be bolted down using the supplied bolt unless you leave the tool tray out. Naturally this makes perfect sense as who needs a wheel brace or even jack when changing a tyre, I mean you can just lift the car with 1 hand and swap it with the other...
So it got vacuumed and scrubbed with APC. Then naturally the rubber spacers that are meant to stop the tyre wearing away the paint just detached themselves (useless). So now we have to contend with a load of old glue - and of course I have no tar remover. Copious amounts of WD40 and lots of scrubbing got it sort of presentable.
Boot after vacuum by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrTar removed by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrRubber spacers before by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrRubber spacers after by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrContact adhesive was used to reattach the spacers, which themselves needed substantial cleanup (see above!), and I applied two coats of Bilt Hamber DSW just to try and give it some sort of protection from further inevitable boot leaks. I have realised that this area really needs sanding back and repainting as it's sure to start rusting soon with all those chips and worn areas. Also, anyone else find it odd the seam sealer doesnt actually cover top or bottom (as pictured) sides of the boot floor? Must have saved PSA what, 5 cents?
Boot after wax and spacer adhesive by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrDSW gloss by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrOn a side note, I am very impressed by DSW. It was super easy to apply (once I had dampened the applicator), cured quickly and left an impressive amount of gloss on the one clear-coated part of the entire boot.
Next up was that aforementioned boot floor. Which has foam spacers to protect the rubber tyre from wearing but nothing to stop the paint wearing. 10/10 PSA... It was dressed with AutoGlyms Bumper and Trim gel. I hate this product, its a pain to apply and so inconsistent finish wise with poor coverage. Yet some how I still have the damn thing after two years. Can't wait to finish it so I can get some PERL or maybe splash out on some ironically named Poorboys Natural Trim Dressing.
Boot floor before by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrBoot floor during by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrBoot after by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrIt was at that point I noticed the rust bubbles appearing on the seat backs, and made the mistake of wire brushing them... Seeing it was quite bad I decided to wire brush it properly and then put a bit of Hammerite on it. I quickly learned that to get a decent finish here I would need to spray it but I don't have any and I needed to get some protection on there before it rusted even further. It's not too bad from a distance, might get better if I use some fine grade wet dry on it and then attempt to polish the seat backs.
Seat back before by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrSeat back after by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrStill on the seat front the covers on all four sides had started to work themselves loose somehow. Clipped them back in with ease.
Seat cover before by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrSeat cover after by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrLastly the plastic trim on the C-pillar. APC and magic eraser was my friend here. One advantage of the horribly scratchy and hard plastics is that magic eraser makes short work of cleaning them with no risk of marring.
C pillar before by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrC pillar after by alistair.hurrell, on FlickrAnd that was it for the time frame. Could have been better with the aid of some fallout remover and tar remover, but hey ho. Getting close to having the car up to standard now. Really just the wheels left and then touching up some of the paint situation. Definitely glad about that as I don't really enjoy working on this car, which is weird as I enjoy it on every other car I have access to... Guess I still haven't fallen in love with it, probably because I have to drive it too!
Just to add to the contrasting side that these cars are really not as bad as you make them out to be. The motor itself is a solid cam-chain Toyota unit that easily achieves diesel economy. Ok they don't have any power at all but fine as long as you use the rev range. The bodies generally are better galvanised than other eco boxes of this era and the ride is fine. The best of the bunch is obv the Aygo.
I've maintained two now in the family for many years and the things just don't break. The statement you made about the clutch is simply not true. Both the 107 and Aygo I work on are past 100k on their original and as long as you carry out the clutch adjustment every 20k ish you will find they last just like any other.
Fantastic little eco boxes for the money. Like with any car, there will be plenty of abused poor examples round such as yours due to the nature of their cost.
The only thing I don't like on them is the gearbox. Not as smooth compared to the Ka or the Lupo etc of same era.
I've maintained two now in the family for many years and the things just don't break. The statement you made about the clutch is simply not true. Both the 107 and Aygo I work on are past 100k on their original and as long as you carry out the clutch adjustment every 20k ish you will find they last just like any other.
Fantastic little eco boxes for the money. Like with any car, there will be plenty of abused poor examples round such as yours due to the nature of their cost.
The only thing I don't like on them is the gearbox. Not as smooth compared to the Ka or the Lupo etc of same era.
Caporegime
Please sand and paint the wheels. They have been the most offensive part of the car right from the start of the thread!
Also 38mpg on a run at 60MPH from a T5?
Also 38mpg on a run at 60MPH from a T5?
Please sand and paint the wheels. They have been the most offensive part of the car right from the start of the thread!
Also 38mpg on a run at 60MPH from a T5?
Its on the to-do list. I get 32-34mpg or so on a run at 70, 38mpg at 60 is doable with decent roads, traffic and gradients.
Read your owners manual btw, especially the specifications section, tells you exactly what components and service items you need (even spark plugs, which will probably be EOL now, but just use sparkplug-crossreference to find the right replacement).
Last edited: