Ask Chief Engineer Tada-san and Scion USA a question.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

Really, I thought yellow looked really nice in person

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ht=sema+yellow

On a very limited basis, yes. With the right accents, yes. Call it age/maturity, but yellow on sports cars just feels played out to me.

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

damnit, stop making me go off topic!

I would almost like to see Scion not do a RS with this model, simply because it is so totally different from their previous cars. But if they did, there aren't a whole lot of options they can add before it goes completely out of the price point.

So what would you suggest for an RS series besides a unique color? (which would probably be the light blue that Subbie has)

If anything, I would suggest simply bringing an 86 GT spec version with the push button start/stop, auto-dual zone climate control, leather/Alcantara seats, and HID/LED headlamps. But offering it in only one color would blow for everyone who doesn't like that color. Which is why I think Scion is way too limited the way they've been running things and they'd be much better off actually giving people options now like nearly every other manufacturer in the world does.

But as I posted previously in my plea/suggestion to Scion, simply making a few things standard like the HID/LED headlamps and the red stitched leather e-brake would satisfy many people and bring more customers to Scion vs Subaru. And then offering things like fog lights, navigation, and SiriusXM radio as options to be dealer installed would satisfy those who need them and would make Scion a little extra money. But as they are now, not offering any real options is ridiculous. They need to either start offering these options on the Scion, or sell a higher spec model as a Toyota.

[soconfoozed]

I want to respectfully ask Tada-san a difficult question...after all, life isn't always sunshine and rainbows.

Tada-san,
The 86 is unquestionably a huge success, and automotive enthusiasts all over the world are thankful you undertook this project. However, for some owners, the 86 has been troublesome.

As chief engineer, surely you must be aware of the various issues with the 86 (for instance, VVT actuation, idle dip, and HPFP chirping). What do you have to say to those customers who cannot enjoy their 86 because it's stuck in the shop? Mine has been down for two months in less than six months of ownership. I have heard you say the 86 was not developed under a timeline and was only to be released when you felt it was done. How important do you feel quality is in a car like the 86, and what might be done to improve this in the future?

By the time you answer this question, I will no longer own my 86; I am returning it to Subaru USA due to unacceptable reliability issues. I am regretful, but I feel I have no choice...I can't trust my 86.

[FRSjeff]

Originally Posted by soconfoozed

I want to respectfully ask Tada-san a difficult question...after all, life isn't always sunshine and rainbows.

Tada-san,
The 86 is unquestionably a huge success, and automotive enthusiasts all over the world are thankful you undertook this project. However, for some owners, the 86 has been troublesome.

As chief engineer, surely you must be aware of the various issues with the 86 (for instance, VVT actuation, idle dip, and HPFP chirping). What do you have to say to those customers who cannot enjoy their 86 because it's stuck in the shop? Mine has been down for two months in less than six months of ownership. I have heard you say the 86 was not developed under a timeline and was only to be released when you felt it was done. How important do you feel quality is in a car like the 86, and what might be done to improve this in the future?

By the time you answer this question, I will no longer own my 86; I am returning it to Subaru USA due to unacceptable reliability issues. I am regretful, but I feel I have no choice...I can't trust my 86.

My case isn't nearly as severe as this guy's. But, I completely agree with his question(s). I really do hope Tada-san addresses this concern. I do (mostly) love my car; but, I have experienced some of these quality issues and therefore, can't seem to 100% enjoy my new car 100% of the time [like I did my 1st production Honda Del Sol Si that I drove trouble free for 18 years].

I will probably end up trading my FR-S in for a new one next year (assuming these quality problems are fully addressed) or for a competitive car Nissan or Honda may bring to the market. BUT, I wish I could just feel comfortable and confident with keeping THIS FR-S for a long time (like my Honda) ... and save some money or even better, put that saved money into this FR-S.

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

If you're friend with MotoP on FB, you'll always see/read decent amount of 86 information/updates

Search "Moto" and you should be able to find him

Yup, here's a cut/paste of something people might be interested in...

[Bristecom]

Oh! I have a question I've been meaning to ask Tada-san! "Was the aerodynamics done by Toyota? If so, did they utilize any of their Formula 1 wind tunnel facilities for the development of this car?"

[alrashwa]

Originally Posted by FRSjeff

My case isn't nearly as severe as this guy's. But, I completely agree with his question(s). I really do hope Tada-san addresses this concern. I do (mostly) love my car; but, I have experienced some of these quality issues and therefore, can't seem to 100% enjoy my new car 100% of the time [like I did my 1st production Honda Del Sol Si that I drove trouble free for 18 years].

I will probably end up trading my FR-S in for a new one next year (assuming these quality problems are fully addressed) or for a competitive car Nissan or Honda may bring to the market. BUT, I wish I could just feel comfortable and confident with keeping THIS FR-S for a long time (like my Honda) ... and save some money or even better, put that saved money into this FR-S.

I was hesitant to ask similar questions simply because I didn't want to cause offense, but it really is the gorilla in the room for me... I love my car now, and I always did. But the first 2 months of ownership for me were very stressful. I had some pretty major mechanical repairs started less than 3 days after purchasing the car... Not to mention continual chirping. I really hope Tada-san can address, or even acknowledge that it's not an isolated incident, even if its not common.

[bucket]

My question is similar to one that appeared on an earlier page, so I just wanted to get another vote in...

As an engineer, which particular part of the car or design (no matter how trivial) gave you the most joy when you finally figured out how to make it perfect? ... similar to the "aha" moment mentioned a few pages back, which is also another question, what was the most difficult engineering obstacle to overcome? Anything in particular that kept the team up late for weeks?

[FRSjeff]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

I was hesitant to ask similar questions simply because I didn't want to cause offense, but it really is the gorilla in the room for me... I love my car now, and I always did. But the first 2 months of ownership for me were very stressful. I had some pretty major mechanical repairs started less than 3 days after purchasing the car... Not to mention continual chirping. I really hope Tada-san can address, or even acknowledge that it's not an isolated incident, even if its not common.

I, too, absolutely do NOT want to in any way be offensive and/or disrespectful in expressing my concerns. I have a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude for Tada-san and his design of this fantastic automobile. Hopefully Tada-san can and will provide some insight for us about the "problems" we've experienced.

[alan.chalkley]

Dear Tada san
Thank you for bringing the "fun to drive car" back to Australia.
I enjoy working on my own cars and have one question.
There are a lot of opinions on how to replace the spark plugs.
What are the best tools and engine supports and method of replacing the spark plugs?

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

My bet, WRB won't happen for FR-S. Prob different color... like yellow?

love that! make sure it comes with "meter"
one fast taxi! eh! he! he!

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

My bet, WRB won't happen for FR-S. Prob different color... like yellow?

Originally Posted by soconfoozed

I want to respectfully ask Tada-san a difficult question...after all, life isn't always sunshine and rainbows.

Tada-san,
The 86 is unquestionably a huge success, and automotive enthusiasts all over the world are thankful you undertook this project. However, for some owners, the 86 has been troublesome.

As chief engineer, surely you must be aware of the various issues with the 86 (for instance, VVT actuation, idle dip, and HPFP chirping). What do you have to say to those customers who cannot enjoy their 86 because it's stuck in the shop? Mine has been down for two months in less than six months of ownership. I have heard you say the 86 was not developed under a timeline and was only to be released when you felt it was done. How important do you feel quality is in a car like the 86, and what might be done to improve this in the future?

By the time you answer this question, I will no longer own my 86; I am returning it to Subaru USA due to unacceptable reliability issues. I am regretful, but I feel I have no choice...I can't trust my 86.

japanese junk? is this possible?

[meWant]

Originally Posted by Z6

I'll keep this simple as I know you will need to translate it.

Firstly, thank the man for bringing back the traditional affordable sports car of the 20th century! Toyota is very innovative with their ideas and always leap outside of the box there placed in (compared to other car makers).

1. Has this partnership with Subaru worked out well for Toyota, will you be considering doing future projects with Subaru again (has this been a success)?

2. How do you find the time to travel, develop cool cars and spend time with your family? your always popping up everywhere in different countries.. are you tired from all the traveling etc?

3. Is there anything you can tell the FT86 community that can place us on our toes?

Posted for Z6. Was accidentally posted in the wrong thread.

[whaap]

Originally Posted by soconfoozed

I want to respectfully ask Tada-san a difficult question...after all, life isn't always sunshine and rainbows.

Tada-san,
The 86 is unquestionably a huge success, and automotive enthusiasts all over the world are thankful you undertook this project. However, for some owners, the 86 has been troublesome.

As chief engineer, surely you must be aware of the various issues with the 86 (for instance, VVT actuation, idle dip, and HPFP chirping). What do you have to say to those customers who cannot enjoy their 86 because it's stuck in the shop? Mine has been down for two months in less than six months of ownership. I have heard you say the 86 was not developed under a timeline and was only to be released when you felt it was done. How important do you feel quality is in a car like the 86, and what might be done to improve this in the future?

By the time you answer this question, I will no longer own my 86; I am returning it to Subaru USA due to unacceptable reliability issues. I am regretful, but I feel I have no choice...I can't trust my 86.

I think it's fairly safe to say that the quality issues have been addressed by Toyota. My FR-S has a build date of August 2012. I have had none of the the issues I've read in these pages since I purchased it in September except one and that is a humerous story. My car had the clank/rattle/squeak in the rear package shelf area. I took it to my local dealership that confirmed there was a problem and we agreed to wait till a service bulletin came out since Toyota was already aware of the problem and a bulletin would be coming. While waiting for a service bulletin to come out my problem has decided to correct itself and has left the premises. So, I can now say I have zero problems with my FR-S.