probably you guys can share your thoughts and ideas on this project.
the issue: my beloved Tiara is really showing it's age as normal daily usage takes its toll. i aim to replace the parts (especially the classic rear axle issue!) and do a total overhaul of windows, suspension, etc (not top overhaul, did that 2 years back!)
in short: need to change EVERYTHING so that more or less it's like a stock Tiara as i'm not really into making the car a performance car. the car would also be used for the occasional long distance trips such as Penang to KL, etc.
xadi n lowpro,
didn't know u guys are tiara owners too!!!
probably you guys are also in AXTAC but it's kinda quiet in the group so i occasionally check it once in a while. u guys wanna share your input on this?
i'm based in Penang now, so anyone care to recommend any competent mechanic/workshop (as lowpro puts it in another thread), that will competently do all this, either in Penang/Perak/Selangor/KL?
my tiara was bought in 2001. it was a 98' car and i took a 7 year loan on it. it was good at first. later on, it needed a few major surgeries though. the gear box broke! (it separated from the engine!) and i had to overhaul it twice, i also had the engine overhauled twice, changed the front suspension numerous times but till the time i sold it in 2009, could not get rid of the knocking noise, changed the drive shafts a few times (best were the italian ones at about rm700 a pair), changed the horn column stalk at rm400 and so many others. didn't bother about the steering column as i didn't have time to look into it. was using the corolla and the 206 already at the time.
gosh!! i spent a super lot on the car but one thing i can really say is i really enjoyed driving it. it was my first european car after owning and selling many japanese and malaysian brands - plus one korean. my first car was a european ford escort mk2 though.
in the end, it was no longer economical for me to maintain the car... i had competent mechanics in seremban and kl but the parts prices were beyond me as i did not know where to buy my own parts (another contributing factor was i did not have the time to do so as well)
yeah, i was a member of axtac too
knew a few nice guys in there who had really well kept cars. as a project, i think the ax would be fun but you will need lots of patience. my project car is now a corolla gl 1.6 liftback and i just dump the car at my workshop in seremban and the mechanic (who is my dad's friend) just fixes it up for me - super cheap parts and easy to find too. i search for used parts at mudah.com.my. i overhauled the car for just rm600 (top overhaul) compared to rm2000 to overhaul the ax (i think i got cheated here).. well, this is my tiara/ax story lah. but i must say, when it was newer, it was a real blast to drive!!
