Using Desiccants to Freshen Up the Interior?

A few months ago during a business trip to Hong Kong I made time to meet up with my friend Matthew, who owns and actually drives one of the world's most pristine Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R.  Not only was his car clean and very stock looking on the outside, but the interior was super clean and moreover, smelled new!

Here is a bad photo, taken at night:

Part of that might be these new (gorgeous!) NISMO seat covers he recently installed, but in scrolling through his car build album on his Facebook page, I found that he has also this nifty trick to ensure that the perpetually humid Hong Kong air doesn't cause "stuff" to grow and possibly cause some smells.  Obviously, what separates a clean car from a pristine one (OCD approved) are the details - note clever use of the coat hangar (I'll explain why this is genius down below):

From his Facebook page. Thanks Matthew!

It's currently somewhat rainy in Japan (with its four seasons the country always seems to be raining every 3 months or so, with the change in seasons) and that means lots of humidity (right before summer is the worst though actually).   As I posted earlier, my car has some weird lingering odor, and I THINK (based on the last time I drove it) that the humidity is making it worse. So it is probably a good idea to see if I can eliminate the humidity in the car, especially as driving in the rain means wet footprints left on the car mats.

In Japan, there are many different types of these humidity reducing, desiccant containing products, usually shaped like the ones Matthew used, placed strategically throughout one's residence to keep moisture from building up - e.g. in clothes and linen closets, under sinks, etc.

Here are some of the more popular ones you can find for a few hundred yen each at your neighborhood drugstore or supermarket:

They usually come in packs of three - as they contain calcium salts which absorb water,
the white granular salts get replaced with a liquid.

some versions also contain charcoal 

Others are "flat" types that you stick directly in your clothes drawer,
however these are silica gel based so the hard crystals turn mushy. Not much drying power 

This is what happens at the end -
you have to punch a hole and pour out all of the liquid that's collected before disposing in the trash.
Caution, this is NOT water...

I had actually a long time ago purchased a car specific desiccant product for my GT-R, however running to AutoBacs and paying a premium isn't exactly the smart thing to do. Car specific models tend to be those modified "flat" types or flattened versions of the carbon/calcium salt versions designed not to tip over in a car.

As Matthew figured out, using these desiccant products is key. However, the stuff easily found, while it works well, has a tendency to tip over and possibly spill.  Thus, I was impressed by his genius in using a coat hangar to make a quick and easy custom rack to secure the desiccants around the transmission well.

Inspired, I was going to do the same thing, but then found these:

Super Compact Type! And with 350ml capacity, only 50ml less than those larger box versions!

 The trick of course is to make sure they don't tip over and spill. In my case, I decided to place these under the front seats, as they are flat enough to do so.  And, they are tall enough so that they won't tip over, however I was still concerned that they might end up moving about and ending up in the rear footwell, where someone could knock if over.

Hence, for the time being, I've decided to just stick them under and in front of the front seats.

You can see the all weather mats doing a great job catching all the dirt that would otherwise end up in the carpet!

I will check in a few months to see if moisture accumulation is indeed, a problem. Meanwhile, for 2016 I am planning more serious mods/repairs. Stay tuned...

First "Performance" Mod!

So even before I took delivery of the ISF, I started thinking about how different this car was going to be from my GT-R. Smooth, refined, and... quiet?

I kept hearing about how the car was quiet enough that you often surprise yourself at how fast you are going.  Perhaps that's why I've never gotten a speeding ticket in my GT-R? The anonymous silver color that hides the car in traffic, coupled with the excessive noise which makes me painfully aware of how fast I'm going?  In any case, I realized that driving a very BLUE car, and a quiet (to me) one, increases my chances of getting a speeding ticket.

In Japan, not only do the police engage in catching speeders (using speed traps, undercover cars and highway patrol motorcycles), but there are also the photo-radar machines, both permanent and moving-type, called "ORBIS."  I don't see many black and whites doing speeding duty, and just like back home in the US, undercover cars are painfully obvious if one is paying proper attention when driving.  The white motorcycle "shiro-bikes" are probably the most deadly, however I have been lucky enough to avoid having to deal with them. (Knock on wood!).

Here are some examples of these ORBIS machines, just in case you find yourself driving in Japan:

"H" system type ORBIS. From https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/自動速度違反取締装置

Example of speed camera (ORBIS) commonly found in the Tokyo Metropolitan area (i.e. Wangan).
From: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/自動速度違反取締装置

"LH" system ORBIS example: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/自動速度違反取締装置

In all fairness, the government DOES warn you when you enter an area where these ORBIS machines are set up:

Admittedly these signs are relatively easy to miss...
From https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/自動速度違反取締装置

On my GT-R, my aftermarket Navi has all of these ORBIS locations programmed in (and updated annually).  And warns me very annoyingly when I am fast approaching one. While sometimes you can't avoid the cops, a stationary radar machine can certainly be avoided.  Unfortunately, I found out that the OEM Navi in the Lexus, however, does NOT have such a warning feature. So at minimum, I would need some method to let me know where these ORBIS are.

This meant the purchase of a JDM radar detector, as I'm not about to replace the OEM Navi (which in true Lexus fashion has some pretty impressive features).  Although I did some research, I could not definitively determine whether or not the radar systems used here operate on the same frequency as in the US (I really like the Valentine unit).  So, I decided that I would stick to one of the 3 main manufacturers of detectors here: Cellstar, Yupiteru, and Comtec.

Market competition has ensured that all of these radar detector products have the same features - GPS positioning, TFT LCD screens that display maps in a very navi-like way (showing exactly where the speed traps are), ability to upload new maps, compact size, OBDII connectivity, etc.  I had done the research online and it appears that the actual radar-detection performance is pretty much the same. So it then became a matter of figuring out which unit had the optional stuff that best fit in with my needs.

For example, I wanted to be able to upload new maps by Wi-Fi (or via iPhone).  Some of the units require the user to take out, from the unit, the micro SD card, plug into a PC and then download new maps.  I also wanted FREE updates, and some charged per update. So I eliminated those types.  I also wanted something that could mount on a visor, but these all would end up with their physical buttons upside down (the screen would flip but not the labels on the physical buttons) which of course would drive me crazy.  I also wanted one with the ability to mount on the dash but without causing permanent damage, whether in the form of holes or double sided tape.

I ended up choosing this model from Cellstar: The Assura AR-282GA (you can check out the videos they have there).  Despite the unfortunate name, (they were probably trying to modify the word, "Assurance"?...) it has some pretty nifty features:
- pre-installed 125,000+ GPS points (includes restaurants, gas stations, etc.)
- pre-installed 41,000+ known speed traps (including ORBIS)
- free WiFi map updates
- OBDII linkage to provide over 180 engine data points
- 3.7inch WVGA screen
- connectivity to a driver recorder (dash cam)
- use of a "gel mat" to mount on the dashboard
- and yes, made in Japan (vs others which are made elsewhere...hey gotta support the local economy!)

So the Friday before I was to pick up the car (yes, I wrote this post a long time ago but forgot to publish it!!), I went ahead and ordered it, and (thanks to Japan's amazing package courier system) it arrived the next morning!

I ordered the optional OBDII cable because I knew that the ISF was a non-smoker's car (so the center console cigarette lighter was deleted), and was worried about the 12V outlet in the armrest being too far away - plus might not the cord (extending to the center console) get messy?

I first had to locate where the OBDII plug was - which was under the steering wheel (I borrowed this photo, as I forgot to take a photo)

From: http://minkara.carview.co.jp/en/userid/917564/blog/28163144/ 

Then mounted according to the instructions - not too close to the windshield, and hopefully at an angle where the GPS and radar can still be detected.  Cellstar kindly provides a type of "sticky pad" which allows you to mount it without permanent damage to the dashboard... when it loses its stickiness you just wash it and it revitalizes.

However, it failed to turn on via the OBDII port (I have to figure out why still), so I eventually resorted to plugging the unit into the cigarette lighter plug in the center armrest.

Also, yes there is another unit I was interested in, which hooks directly into the OEM Navi, but I have another reason for picking this particular model... which I'll post in a future post.  In the meantime I'm counting on this Assura unit to keep me ticket free.

My impressions? Well the unit certainly does give you plenty of warning of EVERYTHING that could possibly come at you. Not just these ORBIS things, but it warns me when there is a Koban (police box) nearby, or a marked police car (it doesn't work with undercover cars, as I soon learned... that's a story for another post...). It also warns when you enter a zone where police are known to set up speed or other types of moving violation traps.  In short, it's almost TOO noisy...and because it IS too noisy sometimes I have the stereo turned up and sometimes I don't hear all the warnings...

In any case, the psychological effect of having this is nice. Although the reality is, if you pay close attention and don't drive like a maniac here in Japan, then you shouldn't get in trouble with the law. Hopefully. Stay tuned....