Adding to my arsenal of newbie car mods on my first car, a ’94 Mazda Protege, I replaced my OEM shift knob several times. Nothing was wrong with my stock shifter, in fact looking back at it now, I think it looked the best out of all of the aftermarket ones I replaced it with. But, I finally got my very first car and I was ready to modify anything that I could get my hands on.
I had a commuter car, but really wanted a car that I would have fun working on. I found this 2nd generation Mazda MX-6 for $800 in non-running condition. After years of working on the car, it was on its 3rd engine and 3rd transmission. This car is how I got my start working on cars.
The car battery in my Toyota 4Runner recently lost its ability to hold a charge. The battery I bought 5 years ago has held up well until earlier this week where I couldn’t start my car anymore. I began to troubleshoot and eventually figured out the battery was the issue. Here’s what I did to troubleshoot and replace the car battery in my 2003 Toyota 4Runner.
The touch screen suddenly stopped working on my Lexus IS350. After realizing a repair with a conductive pen wouldn’t work, I decided to replace the whole digitizer. At only $20 for an aftermarket one online, I thought it was a no brainer.
The center console is not that difficult to remove on a Lexus IS350, but there are a couple things that can make it arduous. First, the vent trim can be tricky, and second, the dashboard can crumble apart if it has had many years of prolonged sunlight exposure.
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.
