new corolla owner looking for advice

[05corolla"S"]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum. Just bought my first Toyota. 2005 Corolla "S". I bought it for the reputation Toyota has as a reliable car with good gas mileage. So far I'm happy to say my experiance has been close to the reputation.

Two questions I had though. One, I seem to be averaging only about 27 MPG, Sticker posted 31/38 and two, Every so often i have a hard time starting the car, meaning I have to turn the key two times to get it started. Any ideas??

Any other advice good or bad on this car would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks All

Dave S.

[Steve]

Perhaps giving the car a full service with new plugs, leads, air filter .. the whole lot

[RichieRich]

Hi,

I just bought a 05 Corolla S aswell. I am having the same problem. She doesn't start on the first attempt. It is manual so I am thinking its a problem with the clutch sensor as I have to take my foot off of the clutch and re-press it before it will start. Other than that she is fun to drive. One other thing......It does not corner that nicely. My last car was a 97 Acura 1.6 EL and that thing would hug the corners. I find that if I try and take any sharp turns in the corolla, it feels like it wants to turn over or skid across the road. Anyone else feel the same way?

Rich

[Guest]

i also just baught a 05 Corolla S and i have the same problem with starting the car.... its not all the time but once in a while i have to turn the key a few times.... i was wondering if it was just me... if you get it looked at before me let me know whats the deal?..ill do the same for you.

[fidgits]

sounds like this could be a common problem then?

[josh84p]

Hello,

Regarding the starting problem:

I own a 2004 LE (auto), and I know several other people with automatic corolla trans. and I have never heard of that problem. That leads me to believe that it is a problem with the clutch sensor, as RichieRich said, since I've never heard of an auto doing that.

Regarding the MPG:

When I first bought my '04, it did not get great mileage either. At first I actually got about 3-5 mpg less than on the sticker. Once I got some mileage on the car, the mpg increased.

Another thing to consider is during the summer, cars get less mpg. I get about 4-5 mpg less in the summer (during a/c use), and about 1-2 mpg less during the winter(during extensive heater use). The averages they give on the sticker usually indicate the average in optimal conditions (This usually means normal driving with little a/c use- which few of us do)

I hope that helps

Josh

[vertigo_phreeze]

about the MPG thing...i just bought my '05 Corrolla last friday and, at the dealership, they told me i wont hit the MPG on the sticker until about 5,000 miles or so. they did say that Toyota's are usually reliable as far as getting the MPG that is advertised, and it not just being just in "optimal conditions" like most manufaturers. hope that helps.

[fidgits]

yeah, it is true that an engine needs to 'loosen up' before it reaches its normal operating conditions, such as performance and economy.

[89corolla]

Perhaps giving the car a full service with new plugs, leads, air filter .. the whole lot

It's a 2005, it doesn't need that yet. ;) With a clutch sensor, it will either allow it to turn over or it won't. I guess they just don't make Toyotas like they use to.

B)

[IZZ-FE]

The starting could be a fuel delivery problem. A handful of Australian Corolla's have had this problem and it seemed to have been fixed when Toyota cleaned out the fuel lines on these cars.

I recommend you run your cars on Premium high octane fuel for a couple of weeks and see if this makes a difference. Sometimes this is a very easy fix.

In regards to the cornering, the car has a very soft rear sway bar / stabiliser as standard. Even when I put in stiffer springs the car still had alot of bodyroll when cornering, however, when I changed the rear sway bar for a thicker/stiffer TRD item ( 18mm standard - 22mm new ), it has reduced the bodyroll and the car corners so much better.

[gazoocorrolla]

I was wondering how many miles you have on your car already? i just bought a 05 corrolla ce with manual transmission and i havent had any problems with starting the car...

[gazoocorolla]

i was wondering how many miles you have on your car already? i recently bought a 05 corolla manual transmission and havent had any problems starting...

[AtoyotA]

I completely agree with 89corolla. Nothing to do with the Clutch sensor. If it was, it wouldn't crank. My 03 "S" is the same way, you just have to let it turn over a couple times for it to start, just the way it is.

[carbontc]

Hello every1 here.

I am new here too. I have a 2005 corolla S with automatic transmission and reading all your messages it came true that my car has starting problems.

So everytime i get into the car, i put the key on ignition, i wait about 10 seconds and then i turn the car on. It works and it does well.

Regarding to the gas mileage consumption, I also i was getting 24mpg and I realized the stock under drive pulley is to heavy (UDP). To make things better I ordered a K&N air filter pannel for better air flow (in that way I dont mess with factory warranty). If you want to order one, go to ebay motors, under cars&truck parts type: 33-2252 and it will take you to the seller i found out.

So if anybody knows a company that makes aftermarket UDP's let me know because I want to get one so bad.

How does the UDP works?

By using an underdrive crank pulley, you effectively slow the speed of your accessories which decreases the drag on the engine, freeing up horsepower.

An added benefit of the ultra-lite crank pulley is a 3lbs. reduction in rotating weight, making your engine respond faster! This is one modification that not only adds power, but improves gas mileage too

-Christian

[carbontc]

and also I forgot to mention the alternator pulley:

Lights getting dim while idling? Subs cutting out? Worried your udp is slowing the altenator too much? Try this on for size... a smaller OVERdrive alternator pulley! Made of anodized aircraft grade aluminum, speeds up the rotation of the alternator 12% for increased amperage output at lower rpms. A cheap alternative to larger, expensive high amp alternators and a nice fix for cars with udp's and high watt stereos.

[05toyorolla]

I'm a new member, and to add a reply to the common problem and sound like a broken record, I am also having trouble starting my auto tranny '05 Corolla 'S'. It only has about 2000 miles on it, and I was hoping that over time it break in and stop doing this, but from the sound of it, I guess I better get used to it.

[fidgits]

that sounds unacceptable to me...

if its a common problem Toyota must do something? no?

[jedu]

I saw people talking about those troubles in ToyotaNation. It looks like this is a problem with the Corolla 2005.

My Corolla 2005 is automatic and it also have trouble starting, but mainly when the engine is already hot. It takes about 10 sec to start...sometimes.

[stevelaw]

The engine is not even broken in yet. But when it's time for your first air filter change, why not use a K&N?

[Tranic]

Well I have 24k on my '05 Corolla S manual and I have experienced the same issues with the starting. True it mostly happends with the engine is hot but it happend one cold morning??? It always manages to start and the dealership has no idea what to even look for since it's such an intermittent issue.

As for the problem with cornering, I got a nice set of 18" MSR wheels with 205-40-R18 Toyo Proxies. That all but eliminated the body roll. I think the high sidewall stock tires need to accept their share of the blame.

[juskeeponrollin]

The engine is not even broken in yet. But when it's time for your first air filter change, why not use a K&N?

I know this sounds like a stupid question, but my wife and I just recently aquired a 2005 Corolla LE automatic. We already have 20k miles on it (We're both Realtors), anyone know how to change the air filter on it. Ive never had trouble replacing the filters on my previous cars but I have not been able to figure this one out yet

[Kevin]

Dave S., et al.

I am having both the start issue and the mileage issue. I have owned three toyotas. They have performed well previously, all 'on spec'. This one (05 Corolla LE) does not get good mileage period. Current MPG is 28-30 and not one tenth of a mile over that figure. I am getting nothing but run around at the dealer and nearly the same response nationally. I did finally get someone to call me back. It only took 10 days. I will post what I find out.

Kevin

[Dave F]

I have a 2005 Corrola Matrix XR 4x4(same car as Corolla on hatchback). I'm getting 22-24 MPG and sluggish to start to turn the key a few times to start it everyonce in a while. Also this car doesn't shift into overdrive after a cold start...so I'm going 55 mph at 3500rpm's for about 20 seconds before it'll kick down. Toyota tells me that's by design...I thinks that's a bunch of crap.

Would I buy another Matrix NOPE

[Leighcm]

I know this sounds like a stupid question, but my wife and I just recently aquired a 2005 Corolla LE automatic. We already have 20k miles on it (We're both Realtors), anyone know how to change the air filter on it. Ive never had trouble replacing the filters on my previous cars but I have not been able to figure this one out yet

I think on your car the filter is in the middle right hand side under the hood. It's a large black box with little clips on it that you just flip backwards to undo....and it's simple after that.