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Ok....so TECHNICALLY this was yesterday but got in a little late last night and needed do a little cleanup on the photos. Did a quick run to NorCal and back to make sure we were well stocked on refreshing beverage supplies.... For those not in Oregon, liquor prices here are a bit carzy - Cali is 30-40% cheaper plus Costco sells alcohol so there's access to the Kirkland brand which is actually good and extremely well priced. Note - we only do this about once every 3 years and we pick up for other folks so it helps cover the gas....
This was her first overnight road trip also....
First...the route....mostly Interstate until Grants Pass, some nice steep grades....but then a great drive through the redwoods to the coast with a few nice winding stretches....
Her first stateline crossing (with me anyway) and the first order of business.....before lines got too long.
Missed getting her picture with Sasquatch and the Giant wooden Salmon....but here she is with Paul Bunyan and Blue
Taking in the view of the waves at the coast......
Hard to get a photo showing the scale of the trees, some were even bigger but also needed a safe space to take a photo..... Only about a third of the height of the tree is in the second photo.
Cool roadside waterfall.....and back into Oregon.... (we won't talk about what happened pulling back onto the pavement - Keep in mind the trunk was weighted down with about 12 cases of refreshing beverage enhancers) It's pretty amazing how much fits in this trunk.
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The obligatory stop at In-N-Out....We finally have one about 40 minutes south of Portland but even with Covid and Stay at Home the drive through line is probably an 45 minutes to get through, maybe longer. This line was nice and short. And of course there was NO eating in the car. Ever. Period. Don't even ask. You'll be left on the side of the road if you even try to eat a fry from the bag. (Eating on the trip was actually a factor when we talked about which car to take given you can't go into any of the places to sit).
Her 39,000 mile birthday.....perfectly where we stopped to eat the In-N-Out, just up the interstate.
Finally back home this morning.....she actually really really really needs a bath. Last night was reading all about hand washing and which soaps people like (and if you have comments - I'm open! to suggestions).
Pretty amazing how Atomic Silver hides dirt....
Ok....so I was a bit silly and obsessive on this little trip....but with things a bit boring at home it was a nice little escape. Thanks for indulging me.
So today I was finally able to put the license plates on. I had asked folks about frames in another post. You can see pics of the back here (assuming I did the link to an exact post correctly!) : Rear Plate w/ Silicon Frame
I'll post photos of the front shortly.
I also went and picked up some cleaning supplies for the car. I wanted to wash behind the plate really well. There was some wierd paper debris stuck near the screw holes. I read a few threads and opted to give the Chemical Guys a try. Luckily, after checking multiple places, I found a 7 piece starter kit at WalMart for $39.99. Had a bucket & lid, the vortex grit screen, a chenille microfiber mitt, and a few cleaning liquids. They had a few other Chemical Guys items in stock but not the Maxi Suds II. Figured this was enough to get me through today and I'll order some other things soon. I'm still open to hearing folks suggestions. Amazon's shipping is so F'd up on "non-essential" things who knows how long it would take to get stuff from them. I'm also happy that that Chemical Guys products are made in the US - even the bucket and lid. I've tried to buy American for a long time - I worked for WalMart when I was a teenager when Mr. Walton was still alive and he always said that if we didn't have American manufacturing there wouldn't be people to shop in the stores. Don't get me wrong...I'm glad the GS is made in Japan but to me there's a bit of truth to what said. Not everyone can or wants to be in a service type or information type job. Many folks just like making things.
Dealers should be forbidden from attaching ANYTHING to a car. I specifically asked if they used Stainless Steel screws to attach the "L Certified Paper plate" and dealer frame and they said they were pretty sure they were. In Oregon this is critical and they should know it. Also, had their frame been on the car much longer it likely would have damaged the paint. The frame needs a rigid material (like a real license plate) that sits on the little foam block stand-offs to keep from rubbing. Their paper "L Certified" plate doesn't have any rigidity.
This photo is the new screws that they put in at the end of Februrary - about 6 weeks ago. Obviously not stainless.
LED fog lights from Morimoto finally installed on my f-sport. They fit perfectly without having to deal the the water reservoir issue. The lights are shorter than most. I bought a set of fog lights from jdm guys in LA but only used the bezel and the harness and left out the halogen lights. Had it professional installed within a hour after months of reviewing all the posts about wiring. I guys fuse tap it and used my harness and switch. Some added light at night but I most did it for the look. Why why why Lexus did you not include fog lights on the f-sport????
LED fog lights from Morimoto finally installed on my f-sport. They fit perfectly without having to deal the the water reservoir issue. The lights are shorter than most. I bought a set of fog lights from jdm guys in LA but only used the bezel and the harness and left out the halogen lights. Had it professional installed within a hour after months of reviewing all the posts about wiring. I guys fuse tap it and used my harness and switch. Some added light at night but I most did it for the look. Why why why Lexus did you not include fog lights on the f-sport????
jdpdata.. I see you have the 4.7 V8 in your 4Runner... one of the best engines ever made, at least in terms of reliability and durability. The one downside is gas mileage... I regularly get 12.5mpg on my 02 Sequioa, but it's got more 330K on the odometer. I hate to say it but I'm hoping for a "Cash for Clunkers" incentive to get into something more sensible. What kind of mileage does the 4Runner get? It's a smaller SUV so I suppose it's got to be better.
Yes, it's absolutely horrid with MPG. I'm averaging ~16PMG, but I love that 4Runner to death, so smooth and gobs of torque. I currently have 182K miles on her. Bought her brand new in '06 when I traded my '06 50th Anniversary 350Z in when we expected our first child. No sense keeping a 2-seater when 3 people are in the household. We've been everywhere in that truck. I'm never going to sell it, my neighbor keeps asking to sell it to him. It's now detailed inside and out. It's better looking than most newer cars. I was so disappointed when the new 4Runner stop offering a V8. Next weekend I'm going to try to clean the carpet.
What a miracle some Simple Green and 303 Protectant can make. I use Simple Green to clean the wheels, it's brand new again!
Masochistically Changed The Number of Flashes for the Change Lane Signal
So first a huge THANKS to FishBike for posting the instructions on how to do this.... Second, I completely agree with jkeifer3 that the engineer who came up with this was a sadist and those of us who attempt it are masochists
I'm embarrassed to say it took me four tries....I'm sure the car felt totally violated by the time I was done. The one that got me was step 10.... After doing wiper up, wiper down, wiper up, wiper down, let wiper go, I did wiper down farther....Not turn signal lever down. It's like freak'n Simon Says. Granted...I was trying to do this reading the instructions on my phone and it was almost 10 PM but still....
I'm happy to say though, that my lane change indicator now flashes 5 times instead of the standard 3 and if I decide to try 7 I know how to do it! I tend to agree with bclexus, I think 4 would be perfect - with three I'm just not fully in the lane yet and I personally don't want to seem like I'm cutting folks off.
It's funny that out of 6 manuals that are over 2" thick - they don't even tell you that this is something that one can adjust. The manual says 3. Not "3, see your dealer if you'd like it adjusted to more". I accidentally found it just browsing when I first joined. I think it was under the "favorite found feature" sticky and someone had linked to it. Is there a sticky - "All the things you can can change but didn't know you could?" or would that take all the fun out of it....
Yes, it's absolutely horrid with MPG. I'm averaging ~16PMG, but I love that 4Runner to death, so smooth and gobs of torque. I currently have 182K miles on her. Bought her brand new in '06 when I traded my '06 50th Anniversary 350Z in when we expected our first child. No sense keeping a 2-seater when 3 people are in the household. We've been everywhere in that truck. I'm never going to sell it, my neighbor keeps asking to sell it to him. It's now detailed inside and out. It's better looking than most newer cars. I was so disappointed when the new 4Runner stop offering a V8. Next weekend I'm going to try to clean the carpet.
What a miracle some Simple Green and 303 Protectant can make. I use Simple Green to clean the wheels, it's brand new again!
I have an 07 Sport V8. I get about the same, 16mpg around town and low 20s on the highway. That V8 is super smooth. I bought it 3 years ago with only 60k miles on it and now it's getting close to 100k. Are you keeping up with the timing belt? I feel that I really need to do mine soon.Other than basic maintenance and greasing up the driveshaft, it requires no attention. My wife wants me to get ride of it because it's not luxurious.
Yes, I've done two timing belts change already. She's well maintained other than a few door dings during the time the wife commute to work with it. Very reliable engine. Only surprise repair I had was last year the alternator died suddenly. On the V8, they had to take a bunch of stuff out to get to it. I did water pump, all the drive belts and alternator at the same time to save on labor costs. She's good for another 100K miles.
I confirmed that I had the faulty network interface module that can cause the battery to die under certain conditions as per this TSB.
Ordered the updated module on eBay for $45 (89100-30181), installed.
I maintain that this is the oddest place to mount this component (thingie with the orange sticker), convinced the location was chosen at close of business on a Friday.
04-19-20, 01:52 PM
Baby's First Bootlegging Run / Roadtrip
- Keep in mind the trunk was weighted down with about 12 cases of refreshing beverage enhancers) It's pretty amazing how much fits in this trunk.
