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...

My OCD Almost Killed Me!

Ok, a bit of an exaggeration perhaps, but this experiment in cleaning/disinfecting left me with watery eyes and a cough that lasted a few hours...

If you recall back in August after I first took delivery of the car, one aspect I thought was odd was the interior smell.  Kabe-san at Rapt assured me that the smell was consistent with the Lexus IS smell, but I just wasn't sure...

So I began to research - I didn't want some perfume-laced gel or thing-that-hangs-down-from the rearview mirror that covers up smells. I wanted something that would attack the source of the smell, and eliminate it. Leaving only the actual smell of the plastic, wool and leather in the car.

I also realized that the smell that was bothering me was not from the seats, the leather or plastic - it emanated only on start-up when the A/C had not yet kicked in fully. Thus, I suspected something in the A/C system was the origin of the smell.

Without disassembling the A/C system, the only way is to use a device which uses chemicals in a gaseous form that recirculates in the system.  I soon found this - it was cheap enough (few hundred yen), so I went out and got this:

It got pretty good reviews on the Japanese car blog site Minkara...

Basically, you mix water and a chemical which causes a chemical reaction that releases a gaseous disinfectant.  I couldn't find many versions for cars - although this aerosol concept is well known in Japan for getting rid of mold and insects.  There also are lots of products available here in Japan for tablets you place in the car (that absorb smells) and sprays that you spray into the A/C vents (but this doesn't reach far enough I think), but I wanted something extremely thorough - hence this aerosol product seemed to be the answer.

I bought this version because of the claim of "odor-less" and because the manufacturer Earth Chemical is a well known consumer products company known for their anti-pest (insects, rodents, etc.) products and household cleaning products.

I was a bit hesitant to use it - until this past Sunday, when I took my car into the Lexus dealer for its "12 month checkup" (post coming soon) and Ishikawa-san, the chief service tech himself said that he too sensed something was slightly off in the A/C system when he went for a test drive - however he felt it was within what would be found in a used car.  But it inspired me to go home and throw caution to the wind and try this product.  Even though it was evening and it was getting dark (hence my photos aren't the best).

Anyway the instructions are clear - open it up:

It even comes with pre-measured water so you can do the disinfecting anywhere!

Remove the cartridge from the silver and green aluminum wrapper, place into cup, then pour water over the cartridge.

And then yes wait for the smoke to begin emanating - it got really thick shortly after this

The car should be set up to recirculate on AC mode, and full blast. As the smoke thickens, keep the engine running, windows up, and the smoke should circulate throughout the car nicely. I unfortunately sat there like a stooge after setting the product on the passenger floor mat as indicated in the directions... and then had to stumble out of the car when my eyes began to water and I began to cough...

After 10 minutes, I followed the directions to the letter and shut off the car and open all the windows to air out. Sounds simple, except...

When all was said and done, the car smelled like insect repellant!!! Not fair, I thought this was supposed to be "odor-less" but when I think about it, makes sense as insect/pest repellant is what Earth Chemicals specializes in...so I decided to drive around for awhile with all the windows (and moonroof) open, in the hope that the smell would dissipate.

Unfortunately, this did not immediately remove the smell, apparently the chemicals really get into the A/C system...

In any case, I was resigned to waiting for the smell to gradually, and hopefully, naturally fade.  However due to having to leave the car at a work site, I ended up leaving the car outside, in the sun, for a few days.  And, guess what... the smell went away! Success?

Maybe - the old weird smell is gone, yes - but it's been replaced with another weird smell, hard to describe. I may have to repeat this experiment, will do so after I take my car in for a full detail (soon).

Disappointment... in the Lack Of Tuning Parts!?

So coming from the GT-R world, where there are plenty of magzines and "Mooks" (Magazine+ Book) which are literally catalogs of tuning parts available for the GT-Rs, I've been searching for something similar for the IS-F.

Something like this:

I see these for the Civics, RX-7s, GT-Rs, even Toyota Crowns and
Celsiors (=LS400) and Altezzas (IS200)... but NOT the ISF

It turns out that, as Lexus has only been in Japan for the last 10 years, when they did begin selling them the two "new" models were the IS and the GS, which were clumped together in a lot of the Japanese press.  So I finally found this:

FYI, the LS was already sold as a Toyota (the "Celsior") and the SC was sold as the "Soarer" and even the previous IS was sold domestically as the "Altezza."

In any case, I eagerly ordered the Mook (from a used bookstore) hoping to find some cool parts I hadn't come across before on the Internet.  Strangely, no matter how hard I looked, I also could not find a "Volume 2".... ok this is not a good sign...

It arrived nicely wrapped not just in clear plastic, but also this protective foam:

I eagerly opened it up, only to find:

ARGH! My eyes!!!

What kind of junk is this? And then I really wasn't expecting anything IS-F related, but then:

Sorry, but what IDIOT would run around with these heavy cast wheels?

The other wheels they had weren't much better either, at least for me:

Yeah not for me.

It's really strange - with the RB26 GT-Rs, it was almost required to change out the wheels to something more aggressive, fatter, and bigger.  With the IS-F, I think the OEM BBS designs are all great, even though I have yet to see the versions other than the ones on my car now.

In any case, it means that, other than OEM items, I will have to rely on these shops for cool aftermarket parts, at least here in Japan.

Let me know please if there are others outside Japan I should know about!!

Meanwhile, I guess maybe they didn't make enough numbers of the IS Fs to make it worthwhile to publish more dedicated magazines and books? Although this really was Lexus' first supercar...?

MORE (OCD) Protection - For the Remote Engine Starter Remote

Yes, while I think this might be a bit obsessive, as Lexus had kindly given me a brand new remote engine starter remote, my first instinct was to find some way to protect it.

Although, realistically my chances of actually using the remote is pretty much nil.  Maybe I'll eventually find a use for it?

Anyway last Friday I came home to find this:

I had completely forgotten I had ordered this

This was something I had ordered off Yahoo Auctions and was, unbelievably, made to order.  In fact for an extra few yen, they even attached the clear poly for the openings:

IF I could figure out a way to leave the clear protective film on the remote, I would have!

Fitment was very very tight!

Yeah this was before I straightened it... I guess it's homemade and it shows.

The only good that this remote shows me, is how hot or cold the car is, from my upstairs office. I guess that means I could start the car from upstairs as well, even before I open the garage door, but I don't see myself using this for that purpose quite yet. Although I recently DID think of a reason to use it... stay tuned!

Another Child/Dirt Proofing Mod

My first interior mod was to protect the interior from dirt, without affecting the looks and function of the interior too much. (To review, that was the weatherproof rear floor mats.)

Next, I installed (velcro) these to the back of the front seats, to prevent small rear seat passengers from leaving dirt on the seat backs (when they kick me).

Then, I installed these to protect the rear seats from the weight of the child seats, as well as whatever mess the kids make.

Finally, I picked these up from the dealership last Sunday -

So now I've done what I can to physically protect all carpeted and leather seating areas with the highest likelihood of getting dirty.  The next step? Some treatment.... stay tuned...