Altezza Diary 1 - Accessories

After driving for a few days, it came to me that it is difficult to survive without a few essential upgrades to the Toyota Altezza. The first difficulty is when reversing because this Altezza does not have reverse sensors nor a reverse camera. I do not wish to drill holes on the rear bumper and the alternative is to install a reverse camera. In order to do so, I would need a touch screen that could transmit the live feed. Unfortunately, there was no touch screen but instead has an old fashioned head unit. However, the biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the lack of an alarm system. This might be a 20 year old car but I am still worried about the Altezza getting stolen. These 3 things that need upgrading would cost a bomb but the silver lining on this dark cloud is that all 3 could be done in the same place. It is also very essential to improve my driving experience. I was in luck because there is an accessories shop, named Superstar, near my office. I have been there previously with my Nissan Fairlady Z and both the price and workmanship were good. The best part is I could drop the car and continue going to work. I usually collect my car when I finish work.

The accessories shop's salesperson was very happy when he heard of the list of things that had to be done. I knew it was going to cost me a sum and would take the whole day to finish. I dropped my car got during lunchtime and I figured by the time I finished work, it would be done. The first thing on the list was to install the reverse camera. Installing at the preferred location is a small matter but the wiring has to go from the rear and connect to the touch screen all the way in the front. Next, the whole center console has to be removed to remove the original head unit and install the new touch screen. I chose a 7-inch screen from China which was mid-quality to keep the cost down and it has all the modern functions such as Bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity. I also had a new alarm system installed with a brake locking mechanism. The way it functions is when the brake pedal is pressed, all doors will be locked. Since it has to do with lock, all 4 door panels had to be removed. Although the changes were minor visually, the touch screen does give the car a breath of fresh air and with the reverse camera, makes my life much easier when driving the Altezza. 

There were some extra issues I had the shop help fixed. The Altezza was a cyclops at night because only one headlight was working and it had a green bulb. Initially, I only wanted to get new bulbs for the main low beam but it seems that the smaller bulbs were also out. The shop recommends HID white bulbs for the main bulb and the result is fantastic. Next, was the driver's window switch which was hard to press. At times it feels stuck and requires additional force to wind the window down, to the point I was afraid I might break it. So, I ordered a used unit for replacement and was surprised, it was not expensive. The installation was free of charge. The last thing I had done was reinstalling the left side skirt. Although the skirt did not fall out and the screws were still intact, there was a gap between the body and skirt. I could see there are some blobs of silicone glue, which the previous owner might have used to hold the skirt in place. The shop removed the silicone glue and cleaned the surface of the body and skirt. Next, 3M double-sided tape was laid on the edge of the skirt and the skirt was put in place. I think many did not know this industry secret but most side skirts were held on with just tape. Even skirts from the factory in Japan use this technique but usually, there were extra pins. 

HID Bulb Ballast

It took a whole day to get everything done and it cost a bomb. However, I think these upgrades were important and necessary. The car might be 20 years old but at least it does not feel old right now.