Toyota Aqua 2016, a few questions!

[ila420]

Assalam Wa Alekum,

I am planning to buy Aqua 2016 G, currently have Honda N One, I have got a couple of questions as I haven't used any Hybrid car before. I have read some threads in this forum but they are 2-3 years old. I will be grateful if you guys can help me decide if I should go for it or not.

1> Is the seating capacity of back seats that bad? I read and watched reviews where almost everyone complains about it. Will a person with height 5.5 will be able to sit comfortably?

2> As per old threads people were not able to find 0w-20 oil easily, is it still the case? and what about oil and air filters, are generic Toyota filters good?

3> Ground clearance, this is a major issue with almost all Japanese hatchbacks even with sedans, how did you guys tackled it? I saw a video on youtube where the guy installed bigger tires but he said the back tires were touching the body while crossing a speed breaker. Will installing spacers back 1.5 and front .5 along with bigger tires will solve this issue?

4> Lastly, what are the recommendations of a reasonable good mechanic in Karachi, considering it is a hybrid car and not every local mechanic is familiar with the mechanics of the vehicle.

Also, has anyone went for a ceramic coating to keep the scratches away? If yes, from which provider and what was the cost? Any specifics you would like to share.

Thanks.

[umairalizafar]

Here are my observations:

1> Seating capacity is bad as compared to what you would expect. Like, Vitz has more space in the back as compared to Aqua. Also, what I have observed is that the issue is not so much as the legroom, but the seat design and headroom. The seat is raised from the middle, which means that the middle passenger in the back seat will be very uncomfortable, that is, if he is able to somehow get there. I would say that you should consider it more as a 4 seater. 5 people can sit, but you would not like to do that especially on long routes. The leg room for the other two seats is alright. A 5.5 person will be able to sit comfortably, as long as there are 4 people in the car. If you compare it to what you otherwise get in the amount of money you are spending, then you will feel the leg room is lesser.

2> I am easily able to find 0w20 in Lahore city. Oil and Air filters are also available. I haven't had any difficulty finding anything.

3> I used to face issues with ground clearance when 3 or more people seated in the car. I have 185/65R15 installed. So I installed 0.75 inch spacers at the back. Now, the car hasn't touched any speed breaker even with 5 people so far. I don't have any spacers at the front.

4> I would suggest you to familiarize yourself with some basic knowledge of hybrids. Finding good mechanics will be hard. Personally, I have purchased an OBD scanner that works with Dr Prius app/Hybrid Assistant, and also purchased a Chinese knock-off of a Mini-VCI Mangoose cable along with Toyota's Tech Stream software. I haven't had any issues with my Aqua yet, but when I had to diagnose my old first gen Vitz, I first diagnosed the issue myself, read about the possible issues and the solutions, and then took it to someone. I would not like to just blindly trust even Toyota mechanics on the car, as it has some sophisticated tech involved in it. I would recommend heading over to PriusChat website as well, for Aqua/Prius specific information.

As for ceramic coating, I would rather suggest keeping the car regularly waxed instead. A few friends got their cars coated, but maintaining a ceramic coating requires extra care and is expensive as well. Whereas a good wax coat will not cost you much, and will give as good results too.

[ila420]

Thank you for taking time to provide the details.

Can you please name the products you use, such as engine oil, oil filter, air filter, brake oil, transmission oil etc. Also for oil change do you go to any specific garage or this can be achieved from any service station? This is something which is required after every 5000 KM.

I will keep in mind the tip about OBD Scanner, this will come in handy if there is any mechanical issue with the vehicle.

Do you feel any change in the drive after installing the spacers specially on a bumpy road, any change in the shock absorption? The drive still feels light as it was without the spacers? Did you altered anything else other than installing the spacers for ground clearance? And why no spacers at the front?

How regular do you get your car wax coated?

Really appreciate your help.

[umairalizafar]

Currently I am using Total Quartz 0w20 engine oil. Oil filter and air filter are the Toyota original ones from the market. I have a trusted place to get oil change from, which provides me with better rates and I trust him for providing original oils and filters. You can go to your own trusted guy, as per you desire. I change oil every 5000 km, even though there are oils and recommendations about longer change intervals, but I like to err on the side of caution. I did not require brake/transmission oil change as of now. When I do, I will look at the owner's manual and buy the ones recommended there. Transmission change interval is something which sparks debate both here and abroad, because Toyota hasn't mentioned any change interval. But it is a long debate about whether to change, and when, if so. Brake oil change I don't exactly remember but I think it was after 100k kms. It uses Dot-4 brake oil, and ATF-WS transmission oil. Both are available in the market.

I have felt some change after installing spacers. The car has a higher center of gravity now, and is a little more bumpy at high speeds. However, given its low center of gravity, its road grip is still very good. Before the spacers, the road grip was even better. I didn't change anything else in the car, except for getting an android based Navigation system . I did not add spacers to the front because they were not required. I wouldn't have added them at the back too, if I could get away with it. The car touched on speed breakers from the middle, which means adding spacers in the back resolves that issue. Hence no front spacers required.

I apply a coat of wax after around 3 weeks to a month. I do it myself, and use Turtle Super Hard Shell Wax. The results are good, but of course, not as good as the more expensive ones.

[janjuaz]

Hi

0 - 20W oil is easily available, even at Toyota 3S. However, i am using Liqui Moli for both my Toyota Hybrids.

Check the following link for spacers and that will work the best without lifting your car https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2Pcs-Lot-Car-Auto-A-B-C-D-E-F-Type-Shock-Absorber-Spring-Bumper-Power/32811199588.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dxoCrdJ

Also you can install Alloy Rim with 195/65/15 tires, this will help in better road clearance as i did.

WiFI or Bluetooth OBDII Scanner is best option to manage and monitor your car without having any dependencies on Mechanics

Batteries and other stuff for Aqua are easily available but in higher prices.

[ila420]

Thank you for the reply, did you changed both the tires and installed the suggested spacers? The aliexpress link has 6 different sizes, which one will be suitable for Aqua 2016? Are these spacers available in local market or I have to get them from aliexpress? The ones I installed in N One are those desi type.

Any link to purchase the OBD Scanner locally? Like Daraz or any other.

[talhamaqsoodch]

I agree with @umairalizafar on all points except spacer, I have not used spacer, car still does not hit many speed breaker with four persons, (if not over weight). I have to go extremely slow on speed breakers or sometime if there is space i do the cross-crossing maneuver to avoid hitting.
And as Umair said do familiarize yourself with some basic knowledge of hybrids. I have also purchased Mini-VCI cable and downloaded Toyota Tech-Stream software, used it twice. one of my colleague also used it for calibration of his VITZ auto transmission after transmission oil change.

[ila420]

Thank you for the reply @talhamaqsoodch, I am still searching for a good 2016/17 Aqua, got the inspection done from Pakwheels for 4 vehicles but none of them had a good score and had mechanical issues.

I will get bigger tires installed first to see if it helps or not, before installing the spacers.

Btw what is the difference between OBD Scanner and a Mini-VCI Cable, arn't they both for diagnostic? I have ordered an OBD Scanner from aliexpress. The VCI Cable is also available, let me know if it is necessary to get that.

[umairalizafar]

Yes, with 185/65R15 tyres, it is a little better, especially on normal sized speed breakers, but I had to frequently go to places where there were King Size speed breakers, and I didn't always had the luxury to go dead slow on them, resulting in minor scrapings. But since I had to frequently move around in such places, I had to get spacers for peace of mind. It is like a Corolla now.

[talhamaqsoodch]

OBD Scanner and Mini-VCI Cable, they both are diagnostic tools.
you can say OBD scanner is third party software, a portable one. I have not used OBD Scanner so can't say much about it..
Mini-VCI will only be used via Laptop, you will use it with Toyota Global Tech Stream (GTS) software, which is Diagnostic tool provided by Toyota and used at all Toyota 3S dealership. i have used it and this tool is awesome.

Best of luck for finding a good car, do verify auction sheet online before buying

PS: I searched for 2 months, but eventuality I had to import it myself that too in open era of importing right now its very difficult.