"New" Wheels (Part 1)

One of the problems with buying used, even a Certified Pre-Owned car, is that not everything is perfect, at least cosmetically.

For me, the biggest issue I spotted were the curb-rashed wheels - this was because other items like rock chips in the bumper, hood and mirror covers can all be written up as normal "wear and tear" - but curb rash signifies poor driving skills.

I get annoyed every time I see this on my car (so all the time....)

And, yes because I am sensitive to how others view me as a driver (especially when driving a nice car), I want to make sure that people don't think I can't drive without scraping ALL FOUR wheels.

So, I searched on Yahoo Auctions for some OEM wheels with as little damage as possible  - which was easier said than done, actually.

Finally, however I found a seller who not only seemed to be selling some clean undamaged rims (one small spot had some rash), but also was running on almost brand new tires (Michelin Pilot Super Sports) - he claimed only 4800 kms on them.

From the photos, it looked like a good deal - even the tires alone would be expensive (if new) and so I figured that together it would be a decent deal (i.e. get clean free wheels for the price of the tires).

From the Yahoo Auction page

From the Yahoo Auction page

When I got them, however, of course they were not as perfect as the seller claimed. Good condition yes but some light scrapes were visible so I had to buff those out using a combination of PoorBoys 2.5, 3M Perfect-It, and some good old elbow grease:

Before

After

Have to give credit to not just this 3M product, but some PoorBoys 2.5 vanishing compound too... oh and yes my PorterCable machine!

Still, they look great from a few paces away and clearly way better than the wheels on my car now.


Also, it appears he was truthful about the tires - the tire code shows that the tires were manufactured the 8th week (last week of Feb) of 2015, so these tires are relatively new and 4800kms - in Japan - makes sense especially if these tires were manufactured overseas (so if imported, would be on the car around late March, and I bought these wheels in August, so about 800kms per month?)


I noticed, however that there was still some brake dust hiding between the spokes and even though I used some clay to try to remove, it just wasn't going as quickly as it could:

Not very efficient...

So, I decided to try a chemical solution:

The purple stuff is the melted iron/brake dust, apparently...

Truth be told, the chemical did not remove all of the brake dust, so check back in Part 2 for my additional efforts. The wheels are presentable, sure, but not perfect... yet...

Airbag Repaired! And Ludicrous Shaken Estimate...

Well that was fast! Last weekend, took the car into the dealer, they gave me a new Prius to drive around for a while, went shopping, and then when I was done drove back to the dealer where they had the IS-F ready to go, new airbag module installed and the car washed and vacuumed!

Just like this one. Courtesy http://clicccar.com/2015/10/20/334187/

I actually had fun "driving" the Prius, it reminded me how quiet hybrids are, and how it feels like driving a washing machine.... but I digress.  The dealership itself WAS entertaining, however: As the bi-annual shaken is coming up in late September, they gave me an estimate for the work. I can see why these are money makers for dealerships (and why lots of people forgo paying this, and use the money on a new car).  What is required isn't so bad. It's what the dealership guilts/worries people into paying for, that is outrageous!

Here is what the estimate contained for my IS-F:

Fees Required by law (to be paid to the Japanese DMV)
Weight tax: 32,800 yen
Basic insurance: 27,840 yen
Revenue tax stamp: 1,100 yen
TOTAL: 61,740 yen.

What the dealer will charge for taking care of the above:
"24 month Periodic Inspection" - 32,616 yen
"Renewal Inspection" - 9,500 yen.
TOTAL: 42,116 yen.

So, at MINIMUM, I will end up paying: 61,740 + 42,116 = 103,856 yen.

Of course, the dealer is in business to make money. Thus, they recommend the "Lexus recommended periodic inspection parts replacement" which is the following.
1. Engine oil and filter exchange:
Labor: 7,236 yen
Oil filter: 1717 yen
Oil pan drain plug gasket: 86 yen
TOTAL: 9,039 yen (the oil is free as the car is a CPO car, still under warranty)

2. Brake line air removal;
Labor: 10,908 yen
Brake fluid replacement (1000 mL): 1814 yen
TOTAL: 12,722 yen

3. Front window wiper blade (R/L) exchange:
Labor: 1836 yen
RH wiper blade: 918 yen
LH wiper blade: 864 yen
TOTAL: 3618 yen

4. Interior Air filter exchange:
1836 yen (labor) + 2160 yen (new filter) = 3996 yen

5.  Engine key battery replacement - 864 yen (labor) plus 432 yen (battery) = 1296 yen

6. Engine steam cleaning: FREE!

Total for this "recommended" service is 30,671 yen.

The dealer also has provisions for "repairs pursuant to inspection results" - I am scared of this, I get the feeling I will end up paying for something here:
1. Brake cleaning: 1728 yen (part)
2. Headlight aiming 3672 yen (labor)
3. Parking brake adjustment: 12,744 yen (labor)
4. F/R side slip adjustment (wheel alignment): 5,670 yen (labor)
5. Engine coolant exchange:
Labor: 9,072 yen
Super Long Life Coolant: 2904 yen
Radiator drain washer: 205 yen
TOTAL: 35,995

The dealer also told me that it is a good idea to update the Navi software. Not sure why because the car seems to update the maps automatically, but maybe the software is better now? IF so this might be worth it.
Navigation software update: 16,200 yen (software) + 1620 yen (labor) = 17,820 yen

Of course, because this is a high performance engine, I should REALLY consider the following:

The NUTEC Engine Refresh Course (2501 cc and over): 4752 yen for two bottles of NUTEC's NC-901 plus 7668 yen labor (not sure why this is so expensive, probably some kind of engine flush - it's not sold commercially, you have to go to an authorized shop -so no DIY here...).

In addition, the NUTEC Sludge Remover and Fuel Boost - 2 bottles of NC-220 at 3500 yen (this is available commercially - maybe I'll try it myself one day)
TOTAL: 15,920 yen.

Finally, IF I go for the oil change, why not use a higher spec oil?
Engine oil - 9.3 liters for 34,652 yen.

All of this not legally required stuff, costs a TOTAL of 177,174 yen. Oh and plus another handling fee of 10,200 yen.  So a REAL TOTAL of 187,374 yen! (including tax!).

So, together with the legally mandated taxes of 61, 740 yen, I would end up paying a total amount of 249,114 yen!!!

RIDICULOUS!!

As I have a mod coming up that I am asking Ninomiya-san at BeAmbitious to take of, we took a look together and shared a laugh.  In the end, we  eliminated everything except for the legally required taxes and the Navigation software.

So I let the dealer know, and so I'll be back on the 18th to get the shaken done. Aoki-san said "no problem" but did ask for my understanding that, there might indeed be "repairs pursuant to inspection results."  Who knows what stuff they will say is "mandatory" and what extra I will end up paying. Oh well, it will be an experience.

Meanwhile, I dropped the car off at BeAmbitious in order to, once and for all, get rid of that stupid blank switch on the right side panel.

Does anyone else get as annoyed as me? Why Lexus did you leave a blank?

Full Detail!

Back in May, I took the Lexus into RAPT, the closest detailing shop to me. Kabe-san, the owner, has taken good care of me over the years with my GT-R.

My main goal was to have the car professionally polished with all minute scratches removed, and the protection (the "glass coating") was secondary, because I was planning on using Zaino like I always do to get the maximum shine and protection.  It turns out this was the right thing to do, as the particular glass coating he used, the least expensive Echelon glass coating product (compared to the top of the line Echelon Nano-Fil product he used for the GT-R), was not very good at having the water "bead and run off" like it did with the GT-R. Hydrophilic, not hydrophobic I guess. He also did the interior as well.

Anyway, some photos from when I picked up the car.

I also asked him to repair some leather that was fading, right along this seam.

This is the tool he used to remove dust and dirt from the holes in the seat

Nice and shiny!

He polished the headlights as well!

I told him not to bother with the wheels because they are scratched up, but he polished them anyway

As before he was kind enough to post some pictures up on his blog.

Here they are...amazing the difference in camera quality lol...

Showing how he removed the seats to vacuum underneath.

Now, photos do not do the car's paint justice. Hopefully I'll be able to put up some photos in daylight soon. Before that, however, I have some actual mods too....

TRD Performance Dampers!

Ok - so it's been a couple of months since I last updated this blog, and although I have spent most of that time focussing on my GT-R - mainly due to it now being a "Speedhunters Project Car" - I HAVE been working on the Lexus as well. For example, these "dampers."

As I had had these installed on my GT-R, I know that they work, despite the loads of skepticism I've seen often on the forums - mostly if not all by people who haven't had these installed on their cars.

http://www.trdparts.jp/english/lexus/isf_ccsp.html

Made by Yamaha, when I fitted the Nismo versions on my GT-R, I immediately noticed a difference -the entire car seemed to ride smoother and handling felt a bit sharper.   But basically, all those micro vibrations (which I hadn't noticed before) were now absorbed by the dampers, making the entire ride seem smoother.

So while I knew that these work, I wasn't quite sure how they would on the Lexus, as it already has a relatively smooth ride.  In fact, the reason I ended up installing these, instead of the retrofit of the 2013 ISF shock absorbers (made by Sachs, vs the Tokicos the earlier cars have), was due to the advice by Ishikawa-san at the local Lexus dealer - the TRD parts have a 1 year warranty while installing the Sachs would invalidate the warranty my car currently has (at least with respect to the shock absorbers).  Whatever!

On the dedicated TRD website for the ISF, they claim:
Rigidity is improved by coupling the left and right sides of the body to achieve a flat and high-quality ride. In addition to firming up the body, these dampers increase the feeling of the wheels on the ground to ensure the chassis performance that enables steering to react linearly.

Here is what TRD claims (from http://lexusboutique.net) for the next generation IS cars:
Borrowed from TRD engineering the performance damper further improve the drivability of your 3IS. The Performance Damper is a chassis damping component that is set in the structural areas of both the front and rear of vehicles. It is a device that controls and absorbs minute distortions and vibrations. Mounted on the front and back of the vehicle, it rapidly absorbs the slight jolts and vibrations that road surfaces present. With this application, car body movements as a result of steering maneuvers are countered quickly, providing increased driving stability as well as a decrease in road noise.

In any case, I figured that I'd eventually install these TRD dampers at some point anyway, so might as well do it now, in the hopes that the ride quality would improve.

So when the car was getting the new front bumper cover installed, I had them also install these TRD dampers (installation requires removal of the front bumper cover anyway!).

My impressions - at low speeds, the car seems, for some reason, eerily more quiet. Was there some kind of low frequency vibration before? Not sure but for some reason the car is bank vault quiet.

Then at higher speeds yes the ride is marginally improved - maybe a subjective 10-15% better, but still not at the all around level of feel that the GSF had with its Sachs dampers.

In other words, I may still have to upgrade to the OEM Sachs at some point.

The biggest difference however was that indeed, the steering felt more direct and precise, with less on center numbness (the area of numbness seems reduced). However, after getting the Ohlins DFVs on my GT-R rebuilt, and experiencing how good those coilovers are, I now realize how much refinement is lacking in the IS-F.... what to do...

Takata Airbag Recall, Part 2!

So it turns out that, with respect to the latest Takata airbag problem, the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MILT) is taking matters into their own hands.

On May 27, MILT published this, which is basically the same information as I posted in my previous post regarding NHTSA and American Toyota's efforts on the Takata airbag recall (that the IS-F is subject to recall):

This is basically a schedule on how MILT will begin issuing recall notices for affected cars.

Then today I got an email from my dealer apologizing for basically not really understanding what I was upset about.  It turns out that today, Lexus Japan posted the following:
https://lexus.jp/recall/2016/recall_160601.html

Hello, yes there is a recall...

Listing all models of the IS sold in Japan subject to the airbag recall.

Interesting for me was, over 4 years they only sold 2638 IS-Fs in Japan??

Yep that airbag assembly thing

What is most interesting is that Lexus Japan says that replacement parts are likely to be available by mid-August. Perhaps it's the low number of cars affected, but that timing seems much faster than what is going on in the USA.

For me, I'm just not going to drive with passengers in the front seat for a while...

Takata Airbag Recall!

Great, just great. Even though I had done research on this issue before I bought the car, it turns out that the passenger side airbag inflator is made by Takata.

Just a couple of days ago in the US, Toyota Motor Sales, USA announced that it would be recalling several cars, including select Lexus models.
http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-takata-expansion-may23.htm

    * 2009 - 2011MY Corolla, Matrix 

    * 2006 - 2011MY Yaris 

    * 2010 - 2011MY 4Runner 

    * 2011MY Sienna 

    * 2008 - 2011MY Scion xB 

    * 2007 - 2011MY Lexus ES 

    * 2010 – 2011MY Lexus GX 

    * 2006 – 2011MY Lexus IS 

Give that the interior of the IS-F is near identical to the IS, I suspected but had no confirmation that the IS-F would also be included.

However, just last night I stumbled upon this:

https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/cp/g2gg2hlofaq.pdf

Which explains the 5 phase recall in detail, and the reasons why. Most importantly however was this graphic at the end:

which clearly shows the 2008-2011 IS-F as one of the affected models.  I've emailed my dealer and he is trying to get information, but for now, it's wait and see...

Do You Smell That? Nope, I Don't Either...

Buying a used car means, no "new car smell."  That, I understand. And yet, to me somehow the car, when I checked it out in Tokorozawa before buying it, still seemed to retain the hint of someone else, I think.  Not sure how to describe it, but it's not a bad smell. Just like a presence, kind of like a hand me down shirt.  Even though Kabe-san at RAPT later reassured me that the car smelled like any other Lexus IS, I'm still not convinced.

So I began to do some research, and ended up buying one of these even before I took delivery of the car.  It wasn't until after a few days with the car that I learned that the IS-F actually has a built-in "Plasmacluster" ion generating function in its A/C.

First, a quick review on how this "PlasmaCluster" system is supposed to work, from Sharp's Australian website:

Plasmacluster Ion technology is an original Sharp sanitising technology that purifies the air by emitting positive and negative ions. Plasmacluster Ion technology deactivates suspended airborne mould, viruses, dust mite allergens and bacteria. It attacks a wide range of odours including  pet, cooking, garbage and cigarette smoke. 
Positive and Negative Ions : Deactivates airbourne allergens, bacteria, mould spores and viruses.
Positive and Negative Ions : Reduces unpleasant  odours at molecule level.
Negative Ions : Refreshes the air by replenishing it with negative ions.

 Plasmacluster Ion Technology  :

• Reduces suspended allergens and floating mould spores with positive and negative ions.Plasmacluster Ions are helpful in deactivating  allergens caused by dust mites and in deactivating mould spores that can cause mildew in the home. Sharp Air Purifiers and Ion Generators help to improve the quality of the air you breathe. 
• Reduces suspended viruses with positive and negative ions.Plasmacluster Ions break down and remove projecting spike-shaped proteins of suspended viruses such as influenza, reducing their effects.
• Neutralises odour-causing molecules with positive and negative ions .Plasmacluster Ion technology helps reduce the source of a wide range of unpleasant household odours including cooking, pets, garbage and cigarette smoke odours. 
• Freshens the air with negative ions.Using negative ions, Sharp Air Purifiers and Ion Generators help to clean and refresh the air. Sharp’s range of Air Purifiers and Ion Generators release negative ions creating a “feel good” atmosphere similar to naturally occurring environments like a rainforest or near a waterfall.

So what does this really mean? I really wasn't too interested in the first two bullets, more in the second two about neutralizing odor and freshening the air.  Can I really believe this propaganda?

First, this is not an ozone generator, which, despite its effective smell reducing technology, is now widely accepted as being hazardous to one's health. And it's not a HEPA filter either (although the ISF has a "pollen mode"... I will have to research that).

Some articles do say there is a small health risk associated with OH hydroxyl radicals (aka PlasmaCluster), but when one carefully reads these articles, you can see that they are usually trying to sell a competing product. I would also argue there is a risk to DRIVING so a small risk from hydroxyl radicals is not going to keep me from trying to use the unit to eliminate smells in the car.  Because, once those smells are gone, then I no longer would have to use the PlasmaCluster?

******
So I wrote the above soon after taking delivery of the car.  I used the Plasmacluster and I think it helped but it took a full detail, inside and out, for the car to regain a true "new car smell."  I had actually done the chemical clean:

From: http://www.earth-chem.co.jp/top02/car/kuruma/mukou.html

As well as applied these Zaino items for leather surfaces of the car:

photo courtesy of: http://www.lazaino.com 
Zaino Z-10 is supposed to bring back the most authentic "leather" smell.  
In Japan, most Japanese cars with leather interiors purposely do NOT smell like real leather, 
because apparently the Japanese don't like that smell. 
I beg to differ so I plan to see what I can do with the Zaino.

And both helped, to some extent.   But as I will blog next, the detail that Kabe-san at Rapt did, was what really made the difference, although I wasn't as happy with the results as I had with my GT-R.

 Stay tuned!