Topic: What did you do to your car today?

[PJungnitsch]

Was at the Lexus dealer today picking up some replacement rubbers for the wiper blades on the GS-350 and they had no cars in the showroom and lot was empty.  Mentioned this to the parts guy and he said they don't expect anything in until well into 2023.  Felt like a morgue in there. 

Oth, this was the first time I've replaced the rubbers and likely the first time they've ever been replaced.  I noticed a few months ago that the driver's side was starting to tear toward the end but kept forgetting to pick up new ones.  Car has well over 160k on it now so got good life out of them if they're original.  Car had only 42k when I bought it and I highly doubt the dealer changed them out before putting it for sale.

From what I understand that's a really good thing to do with Lexus products (maybe Toyota too), going to the dealer for wiper refills. I changed the blades themselves on the RX, and from the Costco Michelins being slightly too long and binding on the pillar to half the ones I tried at CT not fitting the mount, changing out the refill on the stock blades would have been a nice simple fix

[blur911]

PowerStops are really quite nice, fair price too, and available through CTC (just sayin.....). I installed them on a CTC truck that we built back in 2017, the truck is still around, and the brakes still look new (probably <10K on them, but they've been in the weather year-round).

Strange, just tried checking the CTC price for the Z36 kit I bought from RA but can't get past drive type in the selection criteria.  Sup with that?

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/power-stop-z36-truck-tow-brake-kit-1162800p.html?loc=plp

I tried putting my truck in as a Frontier, same problem as  you.  I put it in as a Suzuki and it actually has it.

Power Stop Z36 Truck & Tow Brake Kit
#216-1217-8|Part #K4062-36
$717.99
Position: Front and Rear
296mm Front Rotor Dia.; 285.5mm Rear Rotor Dia.
Drive Type: 4WD~Drive Type: RWD

Wow, that's pretty good if shipping is included.  Can't find my RA bill right now but I remember it was slightly over $900 all in.

They're out of stock, but shipping to Kingston would have been $110, plus taxes of course

[ArticSteve]

What did you do to your car today?

Nothing, but Nissan is replacing all 4 rotors and pads due to major warping and uneven wear.  Parts are on order.

My take is the that the brakes are undersized for a 6000 lb vehicle.  Plus the steel they use doesn't hold up to road salt.

The pic below is crap so you can't see how rusty the connection is on the hydraulic leveling system which works great.

Pics of the new brakes pending. I betya it's over a grand. 

[ArticSteve]

I should add that the Armada been on the road, highway only, for 14 months and 30K km.

[Firm]

PowerStops are really quite nice, fair price too, and available through CTC (just sayin.....). I installed them on a CTC truck that we built back in 2017, the truck is still around, and the brakes still look new (probably <10K on them, but they've been in the weather year-round).

Strange, just tried checking the CTC price for the Z36 kit I bought from RA but can't get past drive type in the selection criteria.  Sup with that?

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/power-stop-z36-truck-tow-brake-kit-1162800p.html?loc=plp

I tried putting my truck in as a Frontier, same problem as  you.  I put it in as a Suzuki and it actually has it.

Power Stop Z36 Truck & Tow Brake Kit
#216-1217-8|Part #K4062-36
$717.99
Position: Front and Rear
296mm Front Rotor Dia.; 285.5mm Rear Rotor Dia.
Drive Type: 4WD~Drive Type: RWD

Wow, that's pretty good if shipping is included.  Can't find my RA bill right now but I remember it was slightly over $900 all in.

They're out of stock, but shipping to Kingston would have been $110, plus taxes of course

Pickup at your local store (any of them) should be free....Just need to put in an online order and wait for it to come in at the store. If you want it shipped to your house, that piece is actually managed by the individual local CT dealers, so maybe some are charging for it...iunno.

[Blueprint]

Swapped the wheels on the Crossrek on Sunday - we're having our first snow today. I'm WFH, daughter took it to work so I'll experience how it behaves in the white stuff on another day.

First issue: height. My Dad's hand-me-down floor jack doesn't go high enough for the high sills, even with the pinch weld "hockey puck" gizmo. I tried resting the jack on long, stable 4x4's - still not high enough, and it loaded unevenly so I wasn't sure about the safety of this approach. Ended up using the car's scissor jack for lack of a better option. When the Ody gets swapped for an SUV, I'll be getting a new floor jack.

Second issue: stuck rear wheels. All nuts were appropriately torqued at the factory, easy to remove, but the rear wheels would not budge. The 4x4's came handy again as I needed to beat up on the tires with a small sledge hammer to get them off. No rust at all  Guessing factory-warm finishes created a "weld" of some sort.

The aggressive-looking replica wheels and the Blizzaks give the Crossie quite the "butch" look 

[valuator]

Blueprint, I absolutely love those wheels!  Well done on the winter setup.

[Blueprint]

Blueprint, I absolutely love those wheels!  Well done on the winter setup.

Thanks! 

[Firm]

That does look good. For some reason, I don't see many silver CrossTreks around here...

[Blueprint]

That does look good. For some reason, I don't see many silver CrossTreks around here...

I see quite a few around here, but spread out accross the various model years. When thinking "Crosstrek", we mostly "see" the "fun", short-lived colours like kaki, orange and the current slate-blue. But a lot of them are black, deep blue or deep gray.

Speaking of paint, a second Polestar 2 appeared on my street, and it's in the new no-charge paint for 2023 - a chalky grey/white - and I still hate it.

[PJungnitsch]

I think your daughter will like it in the snow. Has been lots here the last two weeks and the Crossie has been fun. Despite the high ground clearance (bad for your jack) the car to me feels low, plus wide and stable, light but with great grip. Wife too just loves driving it in these crappy conditions

My BIL has the first gen Venza, and this feels like a like a mini me version, similar 'chopped' SUV design I guess

[KD]

Was at the Lexus dealer today picking up some replacement rubbers for the wiper blades on the GS-350 and they had no cars in the showroom and lot was empty.  Mentioned this to the parts guy and he said they don't expect anything in until well into 2023.  Felt like a morgue in there. 

Oth, this was the first time I've replaced the rubbers and likely the first time they've ever been replaced.  I noticed a few months ago that the driver's side was starting to tear toward the end but kept forgetting to pick up new ones.  Car has well over 160k on it now so got good life out of them if they're original.  Car had only 42k when I bought it and I highly doubt the dealer changed them out before putting it for sale.

From what I understand that's a really good thing to do with Lexus products (maybe Toyota too), going to the dealer for wiper refills. I changed the blades themselves on the RX, and from the Costco Michelins being slightly too long and binding on the pillar to half the ones I tried at CT not fitting the mount, changing out the refill on the stock blades would have been a nice simple fix

First time for me but it's a no brainer imo.  The refills were only $30.  The wiper blade assemblies are nice beefy things too and articulated to allow a nice tight fit to the windshield.  Really impressed with the quality components Lexus uses. 

[Dante]

What did you do to your car today?

Nothing, but Nissan is replacing all 4 rotors and pads due to major warping and uneven wear.  Parts are on order.

My take is the that the brakes are undersized for a 6000 lb vehicle.  Plus the steel they use doesn't hold up to road salt.

The pic below is crap so you can't see how rusty the connection is on the hydraulic leveling system which works great.

Pics of the new brakes pending. I betya it's over a grand. 

I'd be curious where the OEM rotors are made and by whom... but I guess you won't see the box. 

[bridgecity]

Was at the Lexus dealer today picking up some replacement rubbers for the wiper blades on the GS-350 and they had no cars in the showroom and lot was empty.  Mentioned this to the parts guy and he said they don't expect anything in until well into 2023.  Felt like a morgue in there. 

Oth, this was the first time I've replaced the rubbers and likely the first time they've ever been replaced.  I noticed a few months ago that the driver's side was starting to tear toward the end but kept forgetting to pick up new ones.  Car has well over 160k on it now so got good life out of them if they're original.  Car had only 42k when I bought it and I highly doubt the dealer changed them out before putting it for sale.

From what I understand that's a really good thing to do with Lexus products (maybe Toyota too), going to the dealer for wiper refills. I changed the blades themselves on the RX, and from the Costco Michelins being slightly too long and binding on the pillar to half the ones I tried at CT not fitting the mount, changing out the refill on the stock blades would have been a nice simple fix

First time for me but it's a no brainer imo.  The refills were only $30.  The wiper blade assemblies are nice beefy things too and articulated to allow a nice tight fit to the windshield.  Really impressed with the quality components Lexus uses.

Honda/Acura also has wiper refills. It’s a great idea.

[Blueprint]

... and the tire swaps are done  The van is my least favourite job. Tires are heavy, van is heavy and wheels are inset a lot so my torque wrench just clears the fenders despite using a fairly long socket. The oem LX steelies require a complete different set of lug nuts to secure the oem LX wheel covers, and these are in the way of my fingers when placing the nuts. Now 10 years old, this set will be ready for its very first paint job in the spring - yearly waxing helped a lot!

[BWII]

Got the driver side door glass on the Sonic replaced because some asshat with a crowbar (in the dorm parking lot) figured there must be treasure in there.  Facker...car is empty for a reason.    Just LOOK you fool. 
Then have/had to order a new rear wheel hub (?) as the ABS/Stab/TC don't work.  Guessing it was from when the kid took it to Banff with his friends and they hit a piece of roadkill.  Ripped a wire or something.
Glass was free...hub and labour will be over $500.    Could've gotten an aftermarket piece for the same price as GM but only 1 yr warranty vs 3 - so I figured I could wait a week or two.  Just get to have fun with the handbrake now! 

[PJungnitsch]

Got the driver side door glass on the Sonic replaced because some asshat with a crowbar (in the dorm parking lot) figured there must be treasure in there.  Facker...car is empty for a reason.    Just LOOK you fool. 

Same thing happened to me when I was going to school in Saskatoon. Of course there was nothing inside and of course it was -20 that week. No insurance so I got the glass from a wrecker and fitted it when it finally warmed up. Kept finding pieces of glass in that truck for years!

[PJungnitsch]

The Michelin X-Ice North4 tires for the RX arrived from Blackcircles.ca arrived yesterday. Ordered late on the 10th just before Remembrance day, came all the way from Quebec to Alberta. Free shipping too, can't complain

[PJungnitsch]

What did you do to your car today?

Nothing, but Nissan is replacing all 4 rotors and pads due to major warping and uneven wear.  Parts are on order.

My take is the that the brakes are undersized for a 6000 lb vehicle.  Plus the steel they use doesn't hold up to road salt.

The pic below is crap so you can't see how rusty the connection is on the hydraulic leveling system which works great.

Pics of the new brakes pending. I betya it's over a grand. 

Hasn't the Patrol/QX56/QX80 based bones of this Armada been around for over ten years now? Seems odd the brakes have not been sorted out

[Blueprint]

What did you do to your car today?

Nothing, but Nissan is replacing all 4 rotors and pads due to major warping and uneven wear.  Parts are on order.

My take is the that the brakes are undersized for a 6000 lb vehicle.  Plus the steel they use doesn't hold up to road salt.

The pic below is crap so you can't see how rusty the connection is on the hydraulic leveling system which works great.

Pics of the new brakes pending. I betya it's over a grand. 

Hasn't the Patrol/QX56/QX80 based bones of this Armada been around for over ten years now? Seems odd the brakes have not been sorted out

Nissan and brakes have a troubled history...