Some Year End Cleaning... Part 1

It's a Japanese tradition to clean, clean, clean at the end of each year, so the new year can begin a new, or at least in the cleanest possible condition. Cars included. So while it's now impossible at this date to drop into a detailer to get the car professionally cleaned, most people with cars do take some time to do what they can to clean their cars, whether by machine, or hand.

Now I've already done the wrong thing by having the ISF washed by machine, this time I took the time to do things by hand. 

Right before the year end, I had just picked up the car from the dealership - I had found a slight rattle (a big no no for any Lexus) in the dashboard and they took a couple days to take the dashboard apart, locate and eliminate the source of the rattle.  In any case, the car was freshly hand washed when I got it back, so of course I jumped at the chance to apply some of my favorite car polish/sealant - Zaino (in my efforts to keep my GT-R clean, I have plenty of this stuff at home...gotta use up!).

At the dealership, saw this very nice red IS350, so naturally had to take photo for comparison purposes

Specifically, this time I decided to simply use their all-in-one product, Zaino AIO, because it has some minor cleaning properties, and it also gives the car the Zaino slickness, sheen and protection we know and love.  Oh, and because I wasn't going to spend time eliminating all swirls and then sealing with a clear sealant like Zaino Z-2 or Z-5, because I will eventually take the car to RAPT to get taken care of anyway.  Incidentally, the paint is in pretty good shape (no bumps I can feel using the saran wrap test) so I didn't bother using a clay bar.

From: http://www.zainostore.com/product/Z-AIO.html

I didn't take any photos of the application, but simply used my Porter Cable machine and an orange pad.  Machine apply, hand buff dry, then apply the Zaino Z-8:

From: http://www.zainostore.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=Z&Product_Code=Z-8&Category_Code=shinemaintenance

The car looked like this when done:

This was actually the next day...interesting how the blue looks different when using the iPhone (first photo) and my DSLR. 

I then decided to take care of the interior - beginning with the driver's seat.

First time using this - the Zaino leather cleaner

Used a shoe polishing brush (soft bristles) to get the cleaner in all the crevices

Dark spots are the dirt that got removed - so not as dirty as I thought

What was amazing (and I didn't take a photo) was that the leather ended up with a satin-like sheen - so it looked brand new I guess. But as I was rushing, I then went ahead and applied the Zaino leather protectant.



Application of Z-10 results in the leather feeling softer and supple. Oh, and it smells like a brand new leather interior now, which I personally love (most Japanese cars with leather, do away with the smell because Japanese consumers don't like the treated leather smell).

So now my car looks pretty good (still need a pro to buff out all the small scratches) but the interior is nice and clean, and smells awesome.

But you know what, I wasn't satisfied with this level of clean... so after the New Year's, I decided to really get OCD. See my next post...

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....

Parking in Japan...Good and Bad

While I have the luxury of a two car garage, whenever I take the IS F out for a drive, I always try to find a safe location to park it.

You might think that, because Japan is such a crowded country that parking would be a premium, and that most spaces would be as tightly packed as possible. And sometimes cars barely fit into their spaces. And this is true.

From, http://girigiriparking.blog34.fc2.com/blog-entry-41.html

However, Japan is also home to probably the most number of mechanical parking garages. This usually involves a pallet onto which you drive your car, and then that pallet moves about in a certain geometric manner to maximize use of space.  These garages can be simple - a pallet that just goes up to fit 2 cars in the space of one, or can be mechanized to move horizontally as well as vertically,  for example 3 cars wide but 5 cars tall, sort of like a Tetris game, with one unused space like those puzzles.

With my GT-R, when I lived in Tokyo, I absolutely hated the parking structure.  This was because not only did it take forever for my car to appear, but also because humans were able to walk into the structure (on the ground level), and as the cars where tightly packed together, someone's bag or zipper would cause scratching. That, and as my car is lowered sometimes I'm not able to use the pallets!

Check out this old link on my GT-R Blog for photos.

Anyway, the other day I had to go to Chinatown in Yokohama for dinner. And was pleasantly surprised that 1) my IS F did not scrape the pallet, but 2) the car has a surprisingly wide tread, I only had a couple of centimeters on each side of the wheels as they fit into the pallet's track.

When we parked, the car simply vanished up, as if being vacuumed. But on the way down, there was more of a performance.

Enjoy the video:

Quick Trip to Hakone...and the Mazda Turnpike

So just today I took a quick trip up to Hakone with an old friend of mine visiting from the US.  No trip to Hakone would be complete for a car guy without a quick blast on the Mazda Turnpike (what used to be known as the Toyo Tires Turnpike). Here is a link for a further description, including how Mt. Fuji is viewable on a good day.

In any case, this post will be light on words and heavy on pictures. Enjoy!

Here is where we ended up, the Hakone Jinja (shrine) with these Tori gates on Lake Ashinoko...

Shortly after blasting through the turnpike tollgate on the Odawara side, our first photo op...

The rainy weather meant for some slippery roads...so we weren't able to drive at more than 7/10ths!

The roads weren't THAT slippery, but you had to watch out for clumps of wet leaves.

I just thought it was cool how the water mist sprayed up.

Still OEM exhaust, but hearing it from outside the car on full throttle was awesome!

Another stop for some more scenic pictures:

Was too cold and rainy to see Mt. Fuji

I asked my friend to keep driving, and stood on a boulder to get this shot.

And this one...

Yep...have to trust my friend to come back with my car...

Just as I was watching that red Mustang go past

Here he is carving up the road.

After I got back in the driver's seat, we drove to the Hakone Jinja (shrine)...
the local town is dotted with those red Torii gates.

Parked right in front of the shrine's Torii gate.

Here is a closeup of the gate behind the car...

(A different gate...) We parked the car and hiked up these stairs...

To the main shrine buildings 

Note Imperial crest... the non-Japanese Asian tourists didn't seem to even notice or care... 

So that is a lion... or maybe dog...covered in moss... guarding the shrine...

We then turned around and checked out the Torii gate on the water of Lake Ashinoko

And then got back in the car to continue exploring some more backroads...

I have to admit, compared to my GT-R the ride, while firm, is just right for these kinds of roads. As is the steering - which yes could be more communicative but felt just right on these roads. And the power - it sure was nice to have it when we did some quick overtaking of, uh, ehem, other more horsepower challenged vehicles out there.  

In any case, next time hopefully the roads are dry so we can have some proper fun!

I Violated My Own Rule On Always Washing by Hand and...

Yes folks - after having left my car outside for 2 weeks while I was doing a job away from home, plus with all the rain, the car badly needed a wash.

Except I had no time - I had to prepare to go to a relative's wedding later in the day... what to do?  As I pulled into my local gas station, I realized that a car wash would only cost me about 500 yen... and yes while not the TLC I typically expect of my cars, I have yet to take my car to be professionally detailed where all of the existing scratches in the paint would be taken out.

So, I figured one time in a mechanical car wash wouldn't be devastating to me...what's a few more scratches right?....

So with a deep breath:

Since I was taking some video as well you might as well see how these machines in Japan work.
Part 1:

Part 2:

And finally:

After the damage was done, the car was pulled around so that the interior glass and the mats could be cleaned:

Meanwhile, I was getting many upset messages on my Facebook account after I posted the first photo...

Still, it's nice to have a clean interior - after a week of rain which meant lots of dirt inside.

The attendant did remark that he'd never seen the water literally slide off the car, the "coating" as he said must have been very high quality. I DID tell him that I had only gotten the car about 6 weeks ago, and that the dealer may have put something on it.

When I thought about it though, I realized that what was probably happening was my habit of using a spray detailer - in particular this:

From: http://www.zainostore.com/product/Z-8.html

I use this on my GT-R, which is silver, with great results. With a darker car, the results are even better, as this guy with a black Ferrari demonstrates:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2wgk8i

Each time I go to the dealer, they wash the car. So, as soon as I get home I'd do a quick spray on of this detailing spray, just in case. I like having the smooth slick feel to the paint, plus it really does make the car look better.  I can't wait to get the car professionally detailed, but I've been so busy with work and life that I haven't had the chance as of just yet.

Hopefully soon before the winter months...