Friday, March 19, 2010 - 08:33 am, by: Daniel Arndt(Darndt)
To begin I'll introduce myself as a confessed DIYer. Everything from resprays to engine rebuilds, interiors and custom mods. So I'm always in pursuit for the best value for money parts. Ive only owned my soarer for 2 weeks now but already had experience with some parts sourcing and am interested in everyones opinions and experiences buying parts.
My latest experience is the good old timing belt and water pump change for the V8. Started by searching the net (ebay and the like) for kits, found most cheaper ones are from the US. Even including postage is still cheaper. Also contacted CH Toyota for a quote. Very helpful and fast communication, but price was a few hundred more than the US one. Also went to local Toyota dealer and they said "Soarer? whats that? is it an import?" At this point I thought well i wont be coming here again. I did end up getting the Toyota coolant from there though, as Ive read only to use the Red Toyota coolant.
I ended up buying the pump and belt online from domestic gaskets in the US (find them on ebay) Parts arrived 5 days after paying for them. And i made sure i bought the pump with the cast impeller (personal preference over the stamped metal ones) Pump is AISIN brand. Belt is non genuine but does have the handy white lines which i read only the Toyota ones do. Idler/tensioner rollers look and feel good too.
Overall i couldn't justify spending extra $200 to buy the same parts here in Aus.
Whats your opinion or experience with parts?
Ian Johnston Goo Roo South Australia UZZ30 GT 4.0, UZZ31, BMW R1150R
Monday, March 22, 2010 - 09:34 am, by: Daniel Arndt(Darndt)
mmm interesting genuine has plastic. The AISIN impeller looked a little plastic but I never heard of that, so assumed it was some new alloy, it was a funny bronze colour. I'll check tonight.
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and a Supercharged Manual V8 
( The fifty is in the post mate ) hahahahhaa
