Tiara Renovation Project

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!!

some of mine...sold

wow, yours looks good compared to mine. you changed the whole hubs or used the spacers?

Lowpro...

Bagus sekali mendengar cerita anda mengenai tiara.Saya amat bersetuju dengan pendapat anda mengenai kereta tiara ni.Sebab saya telah menggunakannya selama 12 tahun tapi sayangnya akhir2 ini ada masalah dgn enjin.Ianya berpunca dari minyak enjin kering.Dengan serta merta nya menghasilkan bunyi yang kuat.Atas nasihat mekanik,saya hanya menggantikan conrode bearing dan top up minyak dengan yang baru.

Ini juga mungkin tak dapat bertahan lama.Dan juga spareparts agak mahal.Baru2 ni beli clutch plate set rm320.00 jenama LUK,buatan Germany.Kawan2 tidak mempercayai dengan harga yang sebegini mahal.Tapi nilah hakikat nya.

Nak cari enjin half cut juga susah .

Lowpro...harga overhaul sama dengan harga enjin?

lebih kurang sama lah. tapi dulu mekanik saya rekomen buat overhaul sebab dia kata kita pun takkan tau condition engin yang dibeli. untuk clutch plate, i dah banyak kali tukar tapi yang best memang valeo. tak murah. lebih kurang 400 lebih tapi boleh tahan lama.

maxcobmara,
one hell of a fantastic looking tiara, no doubt!
definitely very delicious to look at also!
all in all, how much did it cost you to spruce up the car?


chralham,
boleh recommend info tentang mekanik anda dan kat area mana? saya memang serious nak 'overhaul' dan buat kereta ni elok2 sebab nikmat bawak tiara ni memang tak de tandingannya!

mekanik anda tu boleh ke buat project macam ni?

lowpro,
maybe you can recommend the mechanics in seremban or KL area which you think are competent enough to undertake this challenge?


everyone,
right now the most pressing issues would be:
1. left rear axle bearing
2. aircond - faulty compressor (i guess)
3. faulty power windows (all four!)
4. car dies when idle and i have to press the accelerator a bit to prevent it from dying (for example, while waiting at traffic light)

can anybody suggest what to do with the above issues?

Duratena..

Mekanik yang biasa saya hantar kereta saya ,menasihat kan supaya tak buat overhaul enjin di sebab kan belum tentu ada spare parts .Di sebab kan ini saya ambil keputusan hanya menukar conrode bearing yang berharga rm170.00 saja.
Mekanik ni pun ada di SKUDAI,Johor.

Setakat ini enjin masih boleh di gunakan tapi tak tahu selama mana boleh di gunakan.

Mengenai clutch plate ,baru2 ni ada tukar clutch plate .Ini adalah penukaran kali yang ke dua.Yang pertama menggunakan jenama VALEO rm240.Dan yang terbaru ni menggunakan jenama LUK made in germany rm320(double spring).

too many things to mention....

1. left rear axle bearing
Replace both for RM180

2. aircond - faulty compressor (i guess)
tested? could just be low on gas and need comp oil... RM-99

3. faulty power windows (all four!)
All four... its the master fuse RM2

4. car dies when idle and i have to press the accelerator a bit to prevent it from dying (for example, while waiting at traffic light)
Carb service RM15

can anybody suggest what to do with the above issues?

dug deep into older threads and found several workshops.

so...for starters, i was wondering whether among harapan, bengkel sri emas and elite (all in batu caves area) can do the above (and more!)

some said ah keong (i'm assuming from Keong Car Services in Taman Mayang Jaya) is well-versed on older models in this thread. so i take it a tiara would be "kacang putih" for him?

guys, any recommendation by tiara owners as to where you send yours for major/minor repairs? can't wait to spruce up this baby...!