"New" Wheels (Part 3)

So I was really eager to pick the car up! And not just because of the "new" wheels...

So in addition to getting "clean new" wheels put onto the car, I decided to use this opportunity to resolve another issue, one that had been bothering me ever since I bought the car.

WHAT IS THIS BLANK SWITCH??

Why did Lexus do this? I mean, since this car was equipped with all of the options, should they not design cars to use up all available switch space?

So I found on eBay this "Rupse TPMS for Toyota."  I was naive in that I thought that all Toyota switches were standardized, but more on that later.

First, I had Ninomiya-san contact a tire fitter who took the tires off the wheels, and install the sensors.  He then hooked up the display unit in the car.

I'm happy to report that, for about $100, the electronics appear to work perfectly. Not only do I get fairly accurate tire pressure readings (off by 0.1 bar according to Ninomiya-san), but also the temperature in Celsius! Very cool.

The problem, as I alluded to above, and you can see in this photo, was that the display size is 34mm x 23.5mm. The blank switch, however, if 40mm x 22mm. So while it holds itself in place, there is a noticeable gap on top and bottom.

After some research it appears that these dimensions are the size for Honda switches. Figured it was too good to be true. But not all is lost. I've already figured out a way to, at very least, make this look better... I think.

In any case, and more importantly, the car looks fantastic now with the "new" wheels.

Amazing how NO curb rash improves the looks!

Even two Italians (Dino and Ennio) thought so:

Ennio was in town, helping Dino get his BNR34 ready for the annual GT-R Magazine meeting

In any case, I also had Ninomiya-san install ONE MORE ITEM. And this one is AMAZING. Check back for my report on that!

And So The Search Begins

After having seen an IS F first hand courtesy of my friend Mikku, I decided to, while continuing to search for an e39 M5 or C5 RS6 Avant, check out what was out there in the IS F used car market.

Using CarSensor and Goo-Net, two well known Japanese internet used car sites, I gradually became familiar with the IS F, but quickly realized there was a difference between early versions ("zenki") and later versions ("kohki"), post-facelift.  That is, I saw that the 2011 and later versions had the single large tach and the LED daylight running lamps (and apparently there were revisions to the suspension too). And there were also differing options and trim.

I also realized that, even used, the retail used car prices of these cars, even the early models, was more than twice what I had budgeted for the M5 or RS6 (at wholesale auction).

So, I then started searching for cars online at auction, courtesy of Pacific Coast Auto Imports.  I figured having met and gotten to know Derek Weldon, the owner of Pacific Coast, and knowing he was a really nice guy, that he would help me find what I want. The pricing at auction seemed much more reasonable too.

The only problem with auction sales is, the pictures are fuzzy and the descriptions aren't always accurate.  I wouldn't know until the last minute, via a report from an inspector shortly before the auction, what options the car had and its condition.  Because this car would be used as family transport, I wanted all the safety options, as well as those that made driving the car easier (as I am anticipating the wife will be driving it too).  In particular, this meant the parking sensors on both the front and rear bumpers, as well as the radar cruise control feature.

Check out the following three photos (all from the Pacific Coast Auto Imports website).

Here is a typical photo. Can barely make out the bumper sensors

This is readable - unfortunately it does not go into much detail about the options

For me, the chance to finally own and be able to drive a (relatively) quiet car (vs my GT-R) meant I wanted a good stereo, so naturally I was interested in a car with the optional Mark Levinson system.  It didn't help that my motor journalist friend Dino Dalle Carbonare had given me a short ride in a press RC F car, where we were able to enjoy how that system sounded.

At auction however, cars equipped with the Mark Levinson system were rare, and then when optioned that way, most did not have the bumper sensors (or another option like the moonroof).

Sometimes the data sheet doesn't list the ML stereo. All cars in Japan have the Navi screen so from photos one has to find the "Mark Levinson" script to double check.  Also this car does NOT have the optional silver weave on the center console.

So, just when I was ready to settle in for a long search, I stumbled upon Lexus' own CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) website.  And there, I found it - a production date September 2009 (so 2010 model) car with not just every single factory option, but apparently almost every single dealer option as well!

My next blog post will describe in detail the car and the options it had.