rider

I had the garage put the Pug oil into my V160, replacing RP Syncromax, at MOT time on the 11th of October. The gearbox felt good on the way home to be parked up through the winter. Its impossible to give any kind of meaningful evaluation over three miles but I got the impression the gear throws were smoother, less notchy. Maybe that is so or maybe its just wishful thinking on a high from another all clear MOT pass in hand.

More important is can you afford to sell it. We are a couple of years off peak Supra.

A bit off topic so hopefully a mod can clear this part out later on to tidy the thread. I did a write up of the wheel tidy that I did on the one I purchased. It took me over a week from start to finish to give drying time to do so be prepared to have down time on the car.

If you end up keeping the car, the steering wheel looks well loved/tired. I have a refurbished one so if you'd be interested in a swap with cash my way that would really raise the look of the interior. I plan to fit my refurbished wheel to my own Supra sometime but I could just refurbish the one off your car for my own use. One question on the pics, are there rear hockey sticks on the car? These are still available from Toyota if they are absent as it looks like they could be from the pics.

The loom is indeed different and also the c/l module. In US spec cars the c/l module is located behind the steering wheel. Unlike jspec cars, its a red button a programmable module. So you can pair (unlike jspec cars) new or replacement remotes. This makes the US system a whole lot more user friendly so get them to throw in the behind wheel module.

That's a no to that as far as I have seen. It is a bit surprising seeing Autoglass do A70 glass but nowhere is there A80 glass available any longer apart from the odd US supplier quoting prices on glass that I doubt they actually hold in stock so it'd probably be a cancelled order anyway. There are quite a few companies in the US that will make curved laminated glass screens and at least one in the UK. Though the WD crew never reveal the companies they use in their makeovers so they aren't always easy to track down. I think, from my fading memory, it was the WD episode on a Marcus that needed a new rear screen and that is a very curved screen. They needed the old one to scan though, which might be a problem for our friend in Germany.

You need to pretty much wait till someone sells a tailgate with glass these days. In the UK there are companies that will make new screens so long as they have scanned a template beforehand (one was featured making a rear screen on a UK TV restoration programme, Wheeler Dealers) so there presumably are similar companies in Germany or the Netherlands where there is a strong classic car culture. I cannot imagine its cheap though but with tailgate sellers asking £1k these days that's not going to be a cheap option either.

I have a set bolted together with oil pipe sold to me in 2016 as off a fresh import 40k mile car (aren't they all?) that a modder was converting to a single. One turbo seems to have a little more shaft play than I'd expect on a 40k mile set. I'd sell them for what I bought them for - £300. Buyer collect or arrange their own courier. I can put onto a pallet or may even have a 1/2 pallet laying around. They are too heavy for Hermes.

In 2017 I bought new OE parts for my suspension overhaul and to give you some idea on costing these were then: Front: New Parts - OEM Front top control arms: £500 Front bottom control arms £540 Lower arm brackets £65 Bolts, cams, nuts & washers £132 Front strut bumpers £44 Front strut dust Insulator £66 Front anti-roll bar £276 Front bar clamps £30 Front bar bushes £18 New - Non OEM (Blue Print) Tie rod ends £48 Drop links £42 Rear: Bushes, arms, pipes, tank guard, tank straps and fittings Amayama £780 Toyota Oxford £2,880 TCB £450 Other Parts Wheel Bearings £190 Discs £100 Brake pads £120 Handbrake shoes £45 Drop links £60 Sway bar £120 All around: Toyota Billstein struts £660 The thing is with the suspension if you are doing it then there is so much to do from the struts and springs to wheel bearings, roll bars and their bushes, drop links and maybe even having some professionals do a chassis tune to make sure the car is all planted correctly and evenly. You can take it as far as you want, I wanted a car that handled like new so I took it all the way with a £15k spend on the underside. With £2k you might find better ways to improve the suspension feel over treating the arms to a new bushing set. As an example, I found a new set of wheel bearings transformational (replacing the original 100k mile+ ones) in road noise and feel of the car.

I spent probably 25 hours over a two week period refurbishing a leather steering wheel a while back (pre-facelift, no airbag) with the intention of fitting it onto my car that has the cheaper composite OE wheel at the moment, but I just haven't got around to fitting it and its just sitting as a piece of art under my TV. You can still buy the composite wheels new from Toyota for £1,500 including the horn boss. The leather ones are all gone but cost well North of £2k with the horn boss. So I'm thinking of just putting it onto FB but wondering where to pitch it, I'm thinking of edging towards £1,000 for a not fussed if it actually sells or doesn't. I've seen untouched and very tired OEM steering wheels advertised for over US$1k States side. I assume these must be off imports as I'm pretty sure all USDM cars had airbag wheels. I could enjoy the feel of stitched leather and sell my original composite wheel for a few £hundred or just sell this leather wheel for a few more £hundred. Decisions, decisions. It was MOT day today so that's why I was looking at the wheel sitting under the TV wondering whether to fit it before taking it down for its test. The answer was not yet. I know if I was advertising it on the forum a good few £hundred would probably be regarded as too expensive, but I figure my labour is valuable and prices are invariably higher on eBay and FB. If people think £1k is unobtainable/dreaming then I'll consider focussing on my first though which was to sell the composite wheel after fitting this one - sometime. I do like the feel of the leather wheel, it'd be a classy seamless upgrade on my car. So many little jobs to get to, I still have an OEM set of alloys to get to grips with. That's a definite for this Winter refurb job that is going to get done.

Another buyer guide, a bit more current. Mk4 Supra buyers guide - Garage Dreams.pdf

There is little point asking what people are paying as their driving history and location plays into the pricing. Then the premium is raised by every £1k you add to the agreed value. There is however a sticky thread above that details various companies to contact.

I did post up a while back advising/warning people that R134a refrigerant had hit the phase out list due to its global warming potential and that availability was reducing meaning prices were accelerating faster than Supra prices. I recommend that people look to grab a couple of service cans while they can, you need to be certified to get cylinder quantities these days. I'm looking to import a stash of service cans to land in the UK in December and if the get through OK (don't get lost or impounded on the way) then I will be listing the surplus (to my own shelf stocking) on eBay. If anyone wants one or two cans (340g - a Supra charge is 600g) send me a PM, I'll do a 20% discount on the eBay price for forum bodies. I service my own cars a/c systems with top ups and I've found that my Supra appreciates having a refrigerant top off every 6 years to replace the gas that naturally escapes through the flexible hoses.

That's an impossible feeling or impression to asses with new mats compared to near 30 year old duty mats. My original Pure Sports mats still look in very good shape after 112k miles under heel and foot and over 25 years of use. I know of people with new PS OE mats int heir wrapping, be like holding onto packaged gold bars.

Its showing a good amount of bolster creasing and cracking on the drivers seat for a 9k miler. Got to be a brave person to throw an extra $200k out there unless its verifiable history from sources other than the dealers word and some documentation. Its not like paperwork has never been creatively created within the auto industry.

It could be that fixed price selling auction house fees are allocated in a different way to an auction sale but if it is, then it must be something they don't do very often seeing it isn't outlined in their fees section.

Classic Car auctions have buyers fees rather than sellers commission. So the sales price is what the seller sees or on reserve wants.

That is correct, they are available from Toyota at about £6 each. Someone was after some recently so there is a recent thread I added the part number to. Just a twist and replace, the soldering info is just if you are soldering in some LED's.

There is a how to somewhere on site of how to break down the controller and either replace the bulb or LED them. Look up for the search feature. ac controller tear down.pdf

I've just had a renewal offer with a 2% increase in premium through Hegarty (Hiscox insurer). I've asked that the Supra agreed value be raised to £44k (30% increase on last year) and that is the new level. I have it as a group policy with my other classics so its impossible to say what the premium breakdown is but its a shade over £700 for a shade over £100k of metal insured on agreed value. As the saying goes, its only money. Car covered jspec TT6 - 1996. PS - probably worth adding in conditions as they do affect premiums. Mileage 1,000 mile limit Excess £200 Requirements - Garaged overnight when at home. The Insurer has agreed that my 0.4 acre footprint on plot building can be classed as a garage in addition to my garage. This notification was needed to be disclosed and agreed upon as I have more than two cars insured under the group policy and it is only a double garage by the house.

I've used lots of sources for parts over the years and its getting harder with A80 Supra retailers with failing parts supply the retailers have to work a lot harder tracking down non stocked items and it seems to have become too much trouble for some to be bothered with any longer. USA: McGeorge Toyota Pros - cheaper than Toyota UK including shipping and taxes. Answer emails. Cons - Ships USPS so you have Parcel Force handling charges this side. Amazon.com Pros - They ship at really low rates, usually cheaper to ship in from the USA than DPD from Liverpool to Chester. Handle all the duty side to. Cons - Amazon charge retailers a massive commission, even more than eBay, so they have loads of product listings as 'no longer available'. These are still good to identify the actual retailers who may or may not ship direct to UK customers. I buy in things like Supra oil filters from Amazon in the USA. Last lot were half the price of buying locally. RockAuto Pros - Cheap parts and tools and really good ship rates. They also handle all the duty and VAT side to. Cons - Not a lot of parts listed for the Supra. Middle East: Amayama Pros - Cheaper than your local Toyota dealer Cons - They do cancel parts from orders without notice or an option to then cancel the entire order. Their shipping is cheap enough but there are UK handling charges and fees to pay before the parts are finally delivered to you. Their warranty conditions mean that there is effectively no warranty available on parts. UK: Toyota UK - Lots of dealers offer decent prices and some, like Burrows Sheffield, have sold Supra parts on eBay. Anyone can get a 10% discount on parts just by asking their local dealership. Pros - You can take stuff back. Cons - Even with a discount still expensive for most, though not all, parts. Inchcape Oxford - Another Toyota dealership with one Mr Manley who used to be a forum favourite go to for Supra parts. I've probably spent more here than anywhere else. Pros - Always worked with you on prices. Cons - Steve has become harder to pin down over the year, apparently losing interest. That probably comes down to his not wishing to waste time looking at a lot of discontinued part numbers. TCB Parts - A forum sponsor and all round good operator. Pros - Good pricing and finds parts others seem to have problems with. Cons - The very high standards of only a few years ago do seem to be slipping where emails can go unanswered and quotes can take an age. Maybe it comes down to the time it takes to track parts down for a low sales conversion rate that has mellowed the enthusiasm. There are probably easier markets available than Supra owners asking for a quote. Keron - a forum sponsor and all round good operator. Pros - Knows the cars inside out and gives good prices. Cons - From my own experience, not always easy to track down and doesn't responded to messages. The days of can you track me down a part seem to be largely in the past with suppliers and its more a case of do they have it in stock or listed in stock somewhere ready to ship. For those reasons I'll always ask the local Toyota dealer first now and then if the part is available spend a little time seeing if there are alternative cheaper sources. That tends to mean quick online searches rather than wasting time sending an email to a supplier that probably will go unanswered. Than means pinging onto the amazon, amayama and McGeorge websites for a quick look and going from there with Amayama my least favoured option to buy from.

Its easy enough to check the coil packs by measuring the resistance and you'll either have a stable reading in spec, a variable reading indicating a failing coil or no reading indicating a failed coil. Spark plugs, and NGK are a premium brand and should be good for at least 20k miles; lots more if you went platinum or iridium.

I think you are misinterpreting the English. The air bags are supposed to be a safety aid in conjunction with worn seat belts. Otherwise there could be a pretty big bang going on in front of your face as you kiss the wheel boss or smooch above the glove box should the belts not be worn at the time of an air bag deployment. The air bag deployment is activated by crash area sensors not movement or locking of the belts. PS - It'd be worth someone checking though if the SRS deactivates if the red unbuckled warning light is on. Otherwise you could be risking a broken neck with a bag deployment into an unrestrained body. But I believe Keron recommends you hot wire bridge the belt unbuckled warning so that wouldn't be an issue, so long as you do that rather than just remove the bulb in the dash.

I'd check the resistance on your ABS sensors or do a diagnostic code check. Its more likely that one of your ABS sensors has failed. PS - I have a spare set of very good Bilstein coilovers with original excellent condition OE coils sold to me as coming off a very low miler (something that is a very common beast in Supra World). I paid a lot for them so they certainly wont be sold cheaply. If you cannot find a set elsewhere then do come back to me.

I lost 100 of my own hours to my underside refurb with new OE parts, I hate to think how many hours you have put into your car. You have to treat it as a hobby, a labour of love, otherwise you'd lose it along the way and probably most of your savings. It takes a certain kind of character, I'd say almost obsessive in a complimentary way to see a multi-year project through. I just don't possess that degree of patience and was starting to lose the will to go further after just 12 weeks of looking at the underside of my car sat up on the ramp, it was only the thought of the finishing line that kept me focussed and motivated for that long. My ongoing restorative work now only goes as far as preventative maintenance replacing clips, electrical bits and ancillary mechanical parts with new OE as the moment moves me. Mind you, for those who embarked upon the mission only a few years ago now It is/was all done in the knowledge no one will be able to undertake the same project today with many of the parts needed now fallen off the Toyota bin list over the last 3 to 4 years. That is always going to make these cars a bit different and worth the effort, not to sure about the expense though.