Recently, I had the unfortunate luck of getting two flat tires during my commute to work on back-to-back mornings. Lucky for me, my wife purchased Tire Road Hazard Protection on these tires which I normally wouldn’t do. So it raises the question: is it worth getting the extra protection on new tires?
If you’re in love with cars like me, you’re always looking for that one great deal that you can snag. However, I’ve found it seemingly impossible to find a decent deal in today’s automotive marketplace. I think back to the way we used to search for and purchase cars and compare it to the way we do it now. A lot has changed for the good, yet at the same time for the bad.
It has been several years since my wife’s Lexus IS350 was properly cleaned, so a detail was certainly in order for this 11 year old vehicle. I had about 4 hours to do a detail, which ended up with quite satisfying results.
I found a pristine, low-mileage 1998 BMW E39 540i, but the deal didn’t go through even though I was first in line to buy the car. Apparently someone swooped in before my test drive appointment to buy the car. So I have to ask: Who gets the car first: the first buyer in line or the first buyer with cash-in-hand?
I had once ridden down to South California from the Bay Area on my Honda CBR600F4. After parking on some hot asphalt, I realized why it’s important to own a motorcycle kickstand support.
A bad wheel hub bearing is a common issue on the 2nd generation Lexus IS350. To resolve this issue, the wheel hub assembly needs to be replaced. After some research and shopping around, I was able to find an OEM-like alternative that costs 70% less than the dealer option.
After five years of running on stock shocks and struts, it was time to upgrade the suspension on my 4th generation 4Runner. I went with Bilstein 5100 shocks and FJ Cruiser springs all around with the front adjustable shocks set to 0.85″ height in order to even out the factory rake. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
The 2006 Lexus IS350 is outfitted with a tire pressure warning system, which detects low tire pressure and displays a warning on the multi-information display. Once the tire pressure has been fixed, then the Tire Pressure Warning System will need to be reset with this procedure.
The oil change is the bread-and-butter of car maintenance. Engine oil does two things: it helps reduce friction of moving and rubbing internal components by lubrication and it helps absorb heat that is generated from these moving parts. Here’s my procedure of replacing the oil and oil filter including some helpful tips I’ve learned along the way.
After upgrading the 4th generation 4Runner stock head unit with a Scion T1806 and then a T1814, I finally ended up with a T10015. In my opinion, this is the ultimate, stock-looking, head unit for the Toyota 4Runner.
This is the story of the second car I owned–a car that ended up on its 3rd engine, 3rd transmission, and countless other replaced parts. This 2nd generation Mazda MX6 taught me a whole lot about working on cars.