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Hi there,

We have a 2001 Toyota Altezza Gita with the 3L engine. Its only done 110K and we've had it for about 4 months. It was serviced as soon as we got it and our mechanic reckoned it was in great shape.

One issue I notice is that there is a lot of heat coming through the footwell and even the dashboard gets a bit hot when you drive over 30 minutes or so with the AC off. The car has a sway bar added which means the engine heat shield has been removed ( the previous owner gave it to me so still have it). The exhaust pipe is also on the drivers side

Is this normal or something I should be concerned about. The temp guage is just under the mid point and cooling system seems to be fine- we've done trips of excess of 1000kms and had no issue. Just wondering whether its because of the heat shield being removed or something?

Thanks

If the heat shields are not fitted to the vehicle it could explain the excess heat coming through. You should get the vehicle along with the heat shield to a mechanic to see whether it can be re-fitted. Also get the cooling system check for any problems.