If you’ve owned your vehicle for long enough, interior bulbs going out won’t be an uncommon occurrence for you. On my 4th generation Toyota 4Runner, I’ve had my fair share of interior bulbs burn out, but recently half of the climate control LCD screen went out. This is the screen that displays the trip computer, clock, outside temperature, and climate control information. The fix is extremely easy and doesn’t require many tools to replace. Just make sure to order the right part and you can switch the bulb(s) out in less than 5 minutes.

The windshield molding on the IS350 can become brittle over time and start cracking. It may even get as bad as separating from the windshield completely. The right and left molding pieces fit onto the car via five clips on each side of the windshield. The unfortunate thing is the design doesn’t incorporate reusing these clips and therefore if you want to replace the trim pieces, you will likely need to replace the moldings as well as the clips that hold them in place.

I caught a glimpse of the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) race fairings in that blazing red, white, and blue color scheme and straight up fell in love. Combining these colors and further contrasting it with the gold wheels would be absolutely gnarly. So I started with getting my 2003 Honda CBR600RR’s wheels powder coated gold.

The serpentine belt (a.k.a. the drive belt) plays an important part in running the various pulleys tied to critical components of your vehicle. There aren’t really any specific drive belt change intervals on the Lexus IS350, but it is typically recommended anywhere from every 90k miles to 120k miles. Given that drive belts are very easy to replace and the belt itself costs somewhere between $20 and $30, it’s worth it to be a bit more conservative on your change intervals for this part. 

This HID projector retrofit write-up pertains to the ’03-05 model years of the stock 4th generation Toyota 4Runner. These stock halogen headlights work adequately for lighting up the front of the vehicle, but there is much more left to be desired. This is Part 2, which covers the installation of the wiring harness, ballasts, and HID bulbs, as well as the final calibration of the whole setup.

This HID projector retrofit write-up pertains to the ’03-05 model years of the stock 4th generation Toyota 4Runner. These stock halogen headlights work adequately for lighting up the front of the vehicle, but there is much more left to be desired. This is Part 1 which covers the disassembly of the headlights, installation of the projector, and re-assembly of the headlights.

Signs of a failing alternator can be an excessively noisy alternator, a burning smell coming from the alternator, and flickering of vehicle lights under electrical load. In this case, the car completely lost power while driving on the highway. The alternator is not too difficult to replace, however it does require some time. The drive belt needs to be removed and there are few difficult bolts to get to. However, it is a direct replacement so in all it can be done successfully if you take your time and do it right.

A car battery replacement is pretty simple to do: disconnect and remove the battery, then install the new battery and reconnect the leads. Fully charged 12 volt batteries are considered fully charged with a reading of 12.6 volts or higher. If the car battery tests as anything lower than 12 volts, it is considered dead or fully depleted. I got a reading of 10.34 volts, which indicates the battery is completely discharged.

The 4th generation Toyota 4Runner OEM brake calipers are notorious for becoming seized over time. This can lead to symptoms as minor as uneven brake pressure while depressing the brake pedal, to something more extreme such as the brake caliper completely seizing up. I’ve outlined the process for replacing the brake calipers on my 2003 Toyota 4Runner.