bdonkersgoed

Is it OK to just go with the cheapie Densos? (i.e. non-platinum)? Since bringing my car to the dealer and having the plugs changed (with non-platinums), my car has a rough idle. If you listen to the exhaust, it shoots out puffs of air and the car shakes a little when it does so. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks! Bryan

I take my car to an independent mechanic . . . they are pretty cheap, and only fix what needs to be fixed (unless I specify otherwise). I really like that attitude because I hate it when mechanics want to replace an entier assembly when only one component is broken . . . The mechanic that I go to does no have an extravagent looking shop, btu they do good work and are super friendly. It's called Byma's Tire and Auto on Bridgeport Street in Waterloo, ON. I once had a flat tire in my Bridgestone Blizzak (due to a nail) that I didn't buy from them. They were the closest garage, so I took it to them. They changed my tire (which was under a road hazard warraty that I didn't know I had!) balanced the tire, installed it and everything and sent my damaged tire back to Bridgestone and didn't ask for a dime! I had never been a customer before, but they won my loyalty right then and there :D As an update, my car still seems to do this hesitation. I never got the fuel filter changed though, because they said it was so badly rusted there that there were scared to change it in fear of wrecking the fuel line (which they suggested will need replacing very soon :( ) Regards, Bryan

I would like to know the same thing . . . . has anyone ever purchased thsi CD before? Regards, Bryan

Was it difficult to change the pump? I have to get mine changed on my '92 due to a leak . . . Regards, Bryan

Yes, I live up in Canada and rust is a problem on all cars here that are at least 5-6 years old. My undercarriage does take a beating. Basically, everything under my car is pretty badly rusted fom what the mechanics say. The brake lines and fuel lines all need replacing :o I think the lines are liek $1200CAN, plus there is a bracket on top of the gas tank that usually needs replacing at the same time, and it is a $700CAN part :o It is deifintely true . . . rust is a problem up north! Basically, the only problems that I have had with my car that are not general maintennance all boil down to rust as the root cause. I hate rust! Regards, Bryan

Wow . . . a loaner car for an oil change?! Now that's customer service :P I think they are just trying to keep you happy so that you are a customer for life. What kind of loaner car do you get? I took my car to an independant and got a loaner car (for about 7 hours of work). The place looks crappy, but they do really good work. I got a beautiful 1989 Ford Tempo in an elegant colour they called "rustic maroon" (emphasis on the RUST) with a red interior :P Aside from the fact that the clear coat was almost completely peeled off, the speedometer and odometer didn't work, the gas tank lid had to be opened from within the trunk, there was an anonomous car part in the trunk, the seatbelt didn't work right, someone had written phone numbers on on the passenger seat in pen, and you sometimes had to start it in neutral so that you can rev it so that it doesn't stall, it was an OK car . . . and the personalised license plate saying "Tires" was a nice touch :P Needless to say, it was embarassing to drive. I didn't put gas in it in my hometown for fear of someone I know seeing me in this thing. But, it sure made me appreicate my Lexus when I got it back! B) Regards, Bryan

I also agree . . . Here is why . . . if you have your brightness dial all the way to the left and your headlights are on, it turns the instrument cluster lights off. If you shut your lights off, the instrument cluster will light up. This is because it is assuming that you are driving in the daytime, and it is more difficult to see the cluster in the sunlight, so it lights it up automatically. I think this is the reason? Anyways, let us know if it worked. Bryan

If you have your user's manual, the fuse location are all detailed in there. If not, then I belive the location are specified on the fuse box lids. There are two fuse boxes under the hood (by the battery) and anotherni the cabin to the left of the steering wheel. Good luck! Bryan

Well, here's the story: First of all, I really do hate Canadian Tire service, and the only reason why I brought the car there was because the battery I had in the car was a Canadian Tire top-of-the-line Eliminator battery. I purchased this battery about 1.5 years ago, so it is still under warranty for another 1.5 years. I brought the car into Crappy Tire to gt the battery tested. The techies check the battery, and find that there is some kind of plastic or something inbetweent the positive terminal and the battery cable. Also, the positive cable was supposedly a little loose. Anyhow, they told me that the battery was all charged up and the car was starting off of the battery again. I pay my $24.00CAN for the testing and hop in my car to drive it out of the shop. Turn the key . . . no power! So, I go back to the service desk adn tell an embarassed employee that the battery is still dead. His reply . . . "Oh, maybe I should have ran the full testing on the charging system and everything. What I did was just charge the battery and put a multimeter on it, and it looked OK". Well duh! I could have done that myself at home in no time flat! So, the car goes back into the shop to get the load and charging system checks done (which is what I thought they were doing in the first place). I shop around in the store for 30 minutes and return to the service desk. The employee apologizes for his error, and tells me that the battery is indeed no good. He already installed a new battery under warrenty and my car is good to go. Oh, but wait, the load test costs $40.00CAN! And I had already paid $24.00CAN for the crap multimeter test before! So, I complain a little, and say that I thought it was kind of stupid that I should have to pay for a test that I would not have needed if the battery (under warranty!) had never died! His reply, "oh, but the test doesn't just test your battery . . . it also tests your charging system." Big deal! I wouldn't have to have the charging system checked if my battery (under warrenty!) was functioning properly! :chairshot: After a little while of politely stating my case (and I am not a vocal person by any means) he decided to charge me $13.00CAN for the second test, so the total bill comes to $37.00CAN. Also,the battery installation was free (which, IMO should be free anyways because I wouldn't have to install a new battery if the warranteed battery hadn't failed). Oh well. $37.00CAN is a small price to pay to have a functioning battery again :) At least the battery hasn't failed yet since the new one was installed about 2 days ago. Thanks for your help guys! Bryan

I'm hoping that it is the battery, because it is still under warranty B) Don't you guys find it weird that the alternator in my car was able to recharge the tow truck guy's boosting battery pack? If the alternator was bad, it wouldn't be able to charge the pack, would it? Also, I did get a shock when I got out of my car yesterday . . . I actually got two shocks. I usually get one shock due to static buildup, but two? Could this meant hat I might ave smoe bad wiring somewhere? I was fiddling around with my wiring in the signl lights a couple of weeks ago . . . Also, how long (driving) should it take for the alternator to recharge the battery? Thanks for your help guys! Bryan

Yeah, I ended up using the free tow truck service . . . Got in my car, and the battery was dead. I got a boost from the two truck and drove 30 kms and had to get gas. Pumped up and the battery was still dead! The battery should have recharged after 30 kms, shouldn't it? Anyways, I got a boost from a lady in a Mustang, and I actually had to let my battery charge a bit before it would turn over. This shouldn't have been needed as I was just driving the car :( So, it sounds like my alternator is fried. I checked the fuse and it was OK. Is it posible that it is something more simple like wiring shorting out or something? The tow truck guy thought my alternator was OK because it was charging up his boosting apparatus after my car had started . . . I am so confused! Please help! I took my motorcycle to work today so that I wouldn't have to worry about the battery . . . Thanks, Bryan

Thanks fo the input guys! Well, I am thinking that the problem is not the battery itself, since it is less than a year old. It is a Motormaster premium brand . . . should be pretty good. At least it comes with a free tow trunk jump starting if it dies (which I will probablyneed to use after work today :P ) I will definitely check the alternator using the above method when I take the car home tomorrow. I have a really good voltmeter there, and I believe it has an alternator checker that you can plug into the cigarette lighter . . . nto sure how well it works though. I looked up the prices on used alternators, and at least they are not too expensive. About $75CAN will get me a used one. Regards, Bryan

Hello Everyone, I got in my car to drive to work this moringm and my battery was dead! I had to boost it with my brother's car :( Anyways, the battery is a newer high-quality Canadian Tire battery with more crank than the original. I've had it in the car for about a year now. I noticed my battery was pretty weak when I left work yesterday. When I went to start the car, there was little juice to crank the engine. Does it sound like I have an alternator problem? I hope not, 'cause I just spent more than $2000 on the car in the last two months, and don't feel like more repairs :( Thanks, Bryan

Actually, I just recalculated and I am more getting around 25-26 mpg . . . I am Canadian, and I like to measure fuel consumption in kms/L (contrary to the standard L/100kms which I think is stupid). Andyways, I was converting to miles per Imperial (UK) gallon. The UK gallon is 4.54609L where as the American Gallon is only 3.78541L. Thus, when referring to mpg in terms of the US gallon, the mpg will be smaller. Oh well, the feul consumption still isn't too bad. It still uses less gas than my '93 Mazda MX-6 did . . . Regards, Bryan

That seems pretty expensive to me . . . at least, in the Toronto area it is expensive. There is a Red '92 with 135000 kms selling here for $6995CAN. There is also a Black '93 with only 82550 kms selling for $9500CAN (although it has been for sale for a while, so you could probably pick it up for $8500CAN) I bought my Green '92 (5-Speed) with 132000kms 2.5 years ago for $9500CAN I think a more fair price for that car would be $7000CAN - $7500CAN. Are the prices in Vancouver that much different? Good luck in your search! Bryan

I had the infamous "clunking" sound in the driver rear of my car. I replaced both of the struts in the rear and the clunking and squeaking is gone. Sounds so much better now! The mechanic said that the strut was totally wasted. He said there was a leak in it and the strut had absolutely no resistance in it at all. Now I just have to fix a little leak in my exhaust, and the car will be super quiet again B) I have spent a fair amount of money on my car in the last month. About $2200CAN ($1567US). Some of the repairs are as follows: - New calipers (in rear) - New rotors (front) - Service calipers and slides (front) - New brake pads (front) - Fix leak in brake line - Fix leak in exhaust (still one left though) - New struts in rear - Distributor cap - New plugs - General Tuneup - PCV Valve - New Emergency brake shoes and cable - Recharge A/C - Oil change So basically, I have an entirely new brake system (did rear brake pads a few months ago) and new suspension in the rear. Hopefully I should be good for repairs for a while . . . I told the mechanic to look the car over really good for anything that might be wrong. I still need to replace the Power Steering Box as it has a leak in it. I'll definitely buy a used part for that! Still, even with all these repairs, I love the Lexus. This is the first time I have had to do major repairs in 2.5 years of ownership, so it hasn't been too bad. Regards, Bryan

Wow, that's pretty cool. I have seen that thing in my '92 ES300 but never investigated it further. That's a pretty cool feature of the climate control. Bryan

Car-Part Website See the website above. It has the inventories of MANY MANY scrap dealers across North America online. I am sure you can find a used alternator there. Good luck! Bryan

Wow . . . another Actuary out there :P Those fellowship exams are brutal. I think the Society of Actuaries' goal is to fail students so that the job field remains competitive (and it is REALLY competitive!) Just out of curiousity, which field is your son in? Property and Casualty? Life? Pensions? Consulting? I am currently in the Property and Casualty field, and I think that is where I want to end up when I am done school. Car insurance interests me more than life insurance . . . Regards, Bryan

Sounds like it is the automatic transmission that cause the grief? Anyways, good solution! Since manual 5-speed was only available in 92-93, why not pick one of them up? Much more fun to drive, don't have to worry about an auto tranny, and the initial purchase price is cheaper! That is what I did 2.5 years ago, and I have been very happy! The only trouble is finsing a 5-speed . . . they are much more rare. Good luck! Bryan

I am a coop student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario majoring in Actuarial Science. Waterloo is known to be one of the best Actuarial schools in the world. What is Actuarial Science, you may ask? Well, Actuarial Science is the complicated mathematics behind risk management. Most commonly, Actuaries are used in large insurance companies to determine the rates they are going to charge to match their exposures. They are the people that are making the rates rise so rapidly in Ontario :P But don't hate them . . . it's not their fault. They are only matching the rates to what the insruance company should expect to pay. Anyways, at the moment I am working downtown Toronto at an insurance company headquartered there. I will be returning to school in the Fall. Actuarial Science is very difficult, but rewarding. The Canadian jobs Almanac lists "Actuary" as the second-best job one can have, ranking just under "judge" (based on stress and compensation I believe). Regards, Bryan

Cool . . . I'd be interested to see how it turns out. Some pics would be cool too B) I haven't even looked at my steering wheel since the day I bought the car . . . I right away bought a cover before I showed it to anyone, and I haven't taken it off since It would be nice to see some real leather on there again :D Regards, Bryan

Oh no . . . I prefer the non-cushioned wheel . . . I was kind of hoping it would be new leather :) I hate how my stupid cover-over steering wheel cover makes my steering wheel so thick! It would be really nice to have complete new leather. . . I'll consider getting that kit you mentioned . . . has anyone else tried it before? Is the DIY kit hard to install? Regards, Bryan

Well, if I went that route, I think the shop guy thought the cheapest way is just to repair the fenders that I already have. Otherwise, he would probably just pick up and aftermarket one. There's no point in buyig a used one if I am going to have the whole car repainted anyways . . . just creates extra work where they would have to strip in down, where as an aftermarket part is already primed and ready to paint. Regards, Bryan

Do these new wheel wrappings require that you take the original wrapping off? Are you essentially rewrapping the entire steering wheel with new leather? Thanks, Bryan