What do your spark plugs look like?

[Ovan]

If an ignition coil were shot, it would not run acceptably.

My experience with additives for the fuel has shown they benefit the industry more than the car.
If the fuel is too low octane and knocks, the sensor tells the ECU and it adjusts accordingly. Pinging noises are not normal. Did you buy it new?

If you live in the northern parts, say Rockhampton or higher, 10w 30 doesn't seem too thick. Try to get an oil compliant with ILSAC GF-5 and change it timely. See the owners manual.

When I bought the car it had 138.000 km, it now has 149.000 km. For the next oil change maybe I will try 0w-20 or 5w20 its one of the recommended ones in many websites, and when I search 10w30 it says that the oil does not fit my car, weird...

I think ill never buy a car from a toyota dealership ever again...

[foama]

When I bought the car it had 138.000 km, it now has 149.000 km. For the next oil change maybe I will try 0w-20 or 5w20 its one of the recommended ones in many websites, and when I search 10w30 it says that the oil does not fit my car, weird...

I think ill never buy a car from a toyota dealership ever again...

If regular maintenance was done properly and timely, 150 000km makes it an almost new engine. You may want to check out a VW50400 compliant oil. It is 100% PAO and Ester based, and also has the highest level of protection against wear and carbon deposits. It is officially a longlife oil that often last more than twice as long as usual, so it is definitely still OK when changed at normal intervals.
see: https://online.lubrizol.com/relperftool/pc.html

[Ovan]

An update!:
Changed the plugs and gapped them, i realised that the old plugs gap were too high, maybe it caused problems in the long term,not sure. But I used some Liqui Moly petrol intake Decarb and sprayed right inside the intake after the throttle body and can't believe how smooth and responsive it feels right now, it doesnt hesitate anymore when going uphills, there was a lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust.
Recently changed the oil by myself, it was the first i do this in a car lol and came up as dark a soy sauce, and even worse... i added some valvoline synpower full synthetic 5w30, the engine sounds better and idles smoother. However the pinging noise seems to be still in there but now after the engine is warm. Any ideas? i am guessing it could probably need a new coolant... at this stage i feel like the dealer was ripping me off

[foama]

An update!:
Changed the plugs and gapped them, i realised that the old plugs gap were too high, maybe it caused problems in the long term,not sure. But I used some Liqui Moly petrol intake Decarb and sprayed right inside the intake after the throttle body and can't believe how smooth and responsive it feels right now, it doesnt hesitate anymore when going uphills, there was a lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust.
Recently changed the oil by myself, it was the first i do this in a car lol and came up as dark a soy sauce, and even worse... i added some valvoline synpower full synthetic 5w30, the engine sounds better and idles smoother. However the pinging noise seems to be still in there but now after the engine is warm. Any ideas? i am guessing it could probably need a new coolant... at this stage i feel like the dealer was ripping me off

Plugs with too wide gaps will cause misfires and waste fuel.

Oil like soy sauce or darker needs to be changed, unless you like carbon deposits, caked-up piston rings and burning oil.

Pinging is certainly not normal and should be taken care of asap.

Coolant needs to be clear and not murky. Even in Darwin you need the correct sort of coolant, unmixed with other brands, and in the correct concentration. If not, you kill the engine in the long run. If there is not enough coolant in the engine, you are sure to get serious problems very soon.

[R01k]

Guys, what are these spark plugs telling me? Worrisome oil traces? Just changed them at 75K mi on my 2014.

[klroger]

Look Good!!! If they were plugs from my engine, I'd put them back in & run them for another 50,000 or more

[wwjoshdew]

96k miles on mine when I changed them.





But I traded it two months ago for a 6 speed manual forte gt. The ONLY THING I miss about my Mirage... that damn turning radius. The worlds smallest area?! No problem. Can whip that sucker around. Not my new car!! haha. Much bigger car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW6IbSgFOmM

Oh yeah! I noticed better gas mileage after changing my plugs. I was only seeing in the 30's with the old ones. Then I got back into the 40's with the new plugs.

[7milesout]

Look Good!!! If they were plugs from my engine, I'd put them back in & run them for another 50,000 or more

Agreed about them looking good. But I think I'd slap new ones in, index them and enjoy the tremendous gains in hp.

[foama]

These plugs have a little "pill" of precious metal (iridium, ruthenium...) on the tip of center electrode. It looks a bit like a short needle. The precious metal reaches only about half way down that pill. When that is used up, the rest of the pill which is made of cheaper metal, gets worn away very quickly. That rapidly increases the gap and your car uses more fuel. So, it pays to have a good look at the pill of these plugs. If there's not much left, its time to change them.