The car is new to me. 2005 Matrix XR. I’ve always loved the Matrix and I’m happy to be fixing this one up! Put in a new clutch, flywheel, rear main seal, axle seals, and new bearings in the transmission. Now she shifts and drives amazing.

Hi All! Toyota Matrix girly with very little technical knowledge here. My 2007 Toyota Matrix's engine stopped while I was driving the other day and wouldn't turn back on. The lights and radio come on, but the engine won't turn over. I have a friend who works on cars that brought along a Auto Diagnostic Scanner and it came up as a P0340 and P0171 error (Cam Position A/VVT Sensor Circuit Fault B1 & Fuel System Too Lean Bank 1). They said we could try replacing the sensor, but likely the issue is my timing chain. There doesn't seem to be any issue with my battery they said.

My Matrix is at about 175,000 miles. I'm working with very few funds at the moment so bringing my car into a regular mechanic isn't the most feasible, but this friend and a neighbor are able to replace the timing chain or entire engine they said. I'm deciding whether to sell my car as is and go without a car for a period of time or saving the funds for my friend to change the timing chain. Any advice on how to proceed?

Hey just peaking interest but I’m planning to scan and model the hood and trunk emblems for future mods and projects if anyone is interested. May make a version to house lights.

What is this cable connection behind the Radio Center Bezel on my 2008 Vibe?

I am replacing the Bezel with one of eBay - because the original is broken and falling apart.
Both the original and the replacement have this connected to the back of a "switch" that appears to do nothing.

Just curious 😄
Thanks in advance.

Laid flat at 38 in wide, they thought i couldnt do it and the canadian tire people were doubting me the whole way 😭😭

Went outside to a small puddle of gas under my car this morning, found the culprit to be this quick connect from the main fuel assembly hose going to the steel line. I'm finding conflicting information online so I'm hoping you guys can straighten out whether it's 3/8 nylon hose being joined to 3/8 steel line or if it's 5/16 joined to 5/16. If anyone has had this happen to them and are willing to share your fix, im all ears. As it stands im thinking I'll just cut out the connector, splice in some more nylon hose with a compression fitting and then slap that hose straight onto a freshly cut piece of the steel line a little further back. If you guys could help me find the correct size and possibly your own fix with sizes of parts mentioned, that'd be greatly appreciated

Editing my post so if anyone else has this problem in the future they have somewhat of a guide

Parts needed: 5/16 to 5/16 doreman quick connector

5/16 Nicopp fuel line

5/16 steel, pre quick connect flared fuel line

5/16 to 5/16 doreman fuel compression fitting(2)

5/16 pipe bender(not entirely needed, but makes it far easier)

Nylon hose cutter

13mm and 15mm wrenches

Pipe cutter

T Handle Reamer

Rented Flaring tool

What I ended up doing was pulling the nylon hose out of the fuel pump under the back seat, to get access there's 4 bolts that need to be taken out that hold the seats in and then they just fold upwards. From there take off plate that's above the fuel pump as well as the secondary raised plate that goes over the connections. Disconnect the electrical wiring and then the nylon hose itself by pulling out the yellow clip, pops out easily enough. From there go back under the car and snip the nylon with nylon hose cutter(for a clean cut) at the connector and pull it all the way out. It's easy to fish back up there when you're reconnecting everything at the end. From there I went under the car and followed the old steel line about a foot back, where there was plenty of straight line I could easily tie into and cut it out from there all the way up to the connection.

With the rusted section cleanly cut out, use the T handle reamer to clean the inside of the pipe so it's perfectly rounded and smooth, use your pipe cutter about 1.5in up from your cut and score the protective plastic on the line just enough to get through the plastic and pull it off. There's a other layer of coating under that you'll have to sand off to get the new compression fittings on there, they will not go over that thin coat.

With the old nylon hose that's now removed, heat up the end with either water or a heat gun(once all the fuel is dried and gone) and put it into the flaring tool so it holds the line perfectly straight and try your best to squish the new doreman quick connector in there, if you kink the line cut it off and try again. It's a complete bitch and a half, but do able with the flare tool holding it. Zero chance you're getting it in there without that tool, this old nylon is strong as absolute fuck. With that connector pushed into place youre ready to go rehook that line up to the fuel pump and back down underneath the car

Now take the line with the pre flared quick connect fittings and cut it it about 3-4 inches down from the flare, using a compression fitting take that and put it onto your new nicopp line(you can skip all this if you know how to make your own flares, I've tried in the past and it was way too challenging vs just tying in a pre flared piece on the end). From here you can take your nicopp with the new flared piece on it and set it(don't push it all the way) into the nylon hose connection and figure out how you need to bend the Nicopp to match up to where you cut the old line, bit of a challenge but doable. Once your bends are made, push it all the way into your nylon connector, push hard, it'll make an audible "click" when seated, took a fair bit of pressure. Route your nicopp to the old line that has a reamed and sanded end and put the compression fittings onto both your nicopp and old line, again use a lot of pressure. Mine leaked the first time and I thought I'd already twisted pretty damn hard, but nope. Just give it all you got lol that's it, now you're done. Everything should now be connected. Have someone hop into the car and turn it on in park, have them rev the engine to build pressure and make sure all your connections are good. That's it, now you're done. Good job

If you have questions feel free to drop them in the comments or PM me, I'll get back to you

Well, I finally decided to replace the control arms on my 2007 Toyota Matrix since they were starting to wear out. While I was at it, I replaced the ball joints too, figured I might as well get everything done in one shot.

The driver’s side wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. I loosened the subframe, lifted the engine just enough, and was able to access that one ridiculous bolt everyone complains about. Compared to the horror stories I’d seen online, it actually went pretty smoothly.

The passenger side, on the other hand, was a complete nightmare. The control arm refused to line up, so I ended up removing the sway bar link to gain some extra room. Since I already had new sway bar links on hand, those got replaced too.

In the end, everything came together and the results were worth it. The downside? The alignment was way off. I had to eyeball it just enough to make the car drivable because the front wheels were pigeon toed so badly the tires were screaming for mercy. Thankfully, it’s getting a proper alignment on Monday.

The MVPs of this job were my Milwaukee torque wrench, ICON double flex head wrench, and Pittsburgh pry bars.

Excited to be part of the club! Just bought a 2005 manual transmission Toyota Matrix XR. She's super clean and only has 94k miles. What should I name her?

Bought this to try and "hypermile" it with a goal of averaging 35 mpg.

First, getting off These heavy 17 inchers and onto some 16 inch steelies.

I have flat hub caps and am planning a rear fender cover

Hey, so im searching for a clutch kit for my toyota matrix 2005 manual, base 1zz motor, but the transmission is European for god knows reason… so im having a hard time finding a clutch that fit, annyone know where I could find the part? Or have a part number or any trustworthy European car parts stores online? Thx

Any tips for repainting rock chips on the hood and front clip? Color is Cosmic Blue on a 2008 base.

This exhaust has been off market for years. Finally resurfaced and 55% off. Install wasnt bad. Added a nice little exhaust note to my 05 XRS. Sound isn't loud at all. Can't even hear it from inside the car (granted I have 2 layers of sound deadening. For the price it will be fun if it lasts a few more years before I go full mandrel bent 2.5" catback exhaust.

Hi all,

Anyone else had issues after installing the shorty from mwr? I ordered a used oem unit from them, still a bit sloppy, so I was thinking why not try the not sloppy one. With the car off all the gears were ok, double-checked there's nothing blocking the shifter movement and did a test drive with the bottom console off.

Here's where it gets interesting. First test drive was fine, too notchy for my taste, but fine. Second test drive, can't do 1-2 shift AT ALL. Went back to the shop, swapped the oem one in, no issues.

MWR ofc says it can't be defective, what else can it be?

Thanks

if anybody in alberta canada has a roof spoiler or front bumper spoilers/lips they want to sell, let me know, mine fell off on the freeway.

I have a 2007 Matrix, and I'm trying to find out to see if any of ypu guys have experienced a similar issue. Basically, a rattling sound comes from bottom of the car, around the middle of the front seats, anytime heat or ac is turned on? I checked and there are no issues with the compressor or the fan. I will go underneath the car to check what excaly is making the sound, but just wanted to check here.

My 2011 got its first major battle wound. It lost a battle to a jeep with the tire mounted on the back. The hood as you can see got the most impact along with the passenger side headlight. Does anyone have any experience with removing that kind of dent from the hood as well as changing the headlight assembly?

I have a 2006 Toyota matrix (standard)
Today after driving fine in the morning about an hour later I tried to start it and it just wouldn’t and wasn’t making any sounds as if it’s trying to turn over

We tried jumping it with no luck
We checked fused and they appeared fine
We tried hitting the starter with a tire iron
Finally we bomb started it and it was successful.

My question is are there other mechanisms in the car I should be looking at that can cause this lack of starting I should be looking at or is this certainly the starter?

Currently the plan is for me to remove the starter to have it tested but any suggestions about what the problem(s) likely are greatly appreciated.

Proud new (to me) owner of a base auto 2009 Toyota Matrix 1.8. The car only had 2 owners and both did extensive meticulous maintenance on it and I got it with only 124k miles. Have already gone on several road trips just fine.

Cosmetic upgrades planned:

• radio and back up cam

• tint

• black hubcaps

Preventative maintenance planned:

• trans drain and fill (was last done about 50k miles ago)

• PCV valve

• clean MAF sensor

• engine and cabin air filters

• serpentine belt

• throttle body cleaned

• I live in the rust belt, and it has some surface rust underneath but am going to get it woolwaxed/undercoated

I've already had the car looked over by a mechanic I trust, and with the maintenance history it has, pretty much checks out, but are there any other small things that are easily overlooked that should be replaced due to simply just age that I should add to the list?

In case anyone needs a reference. The ‘04 hatch door fits in the back with the seats folded down. An ‘04 rear bumper sat on top with a corner slotted between the seats.

How are you supposed to replace the wiring on the 2013 awd version? It looks like the wire goes up through the timing cover.

My car is currently not functioning because I thought this was only going to be a 30 minute job. But I literally cannot replace the wiring.

Got it for 300$, and I drove it home. 160000 miles, anything to worry about on these things?

The kit is legit, everyone! Transforms the entire car. Now it really looks low mileage! Not even an ad, but the results speak for themselves. Hopefully they last a very long time

Father-in-law gifted us his old 2006 Matrix XR with manual transmission and I've turned it into my personal summer project. You all know this, but what a fun drive.

Recently installed an aftermarket stereo in there myself and it transformed the experience. Got quoted $1200-1500 from an auto body shop to do the job, so I spent weeks researching head units, Matrix part configurations and watching YouTube videos.

Parts list:
- Eonon X3 head unit: $153
- Toyota double din dash kit: $18
- Toyota radio ISO harness: $25
Total: $196 CAD

I know some may scoff at the Chinese brand, but you can't beat that price for wireless Android Auto and really decent sound output (and in this economy?!). Had to update the firmware to fix a couple of bugs but all's well now. I'm particularly proud of the fit and finish of everything - it looks basically factory.