Towel Rail

Next time I buy new tires, they'll be 205/75R15 (slightly taller than stock for my car). OTOH, if they made 7.0x14 snow tires, I'd be all over those. :cool:

Did it idle at 2000 when it was warm? Ideally it should idle under 1000 when fully warmed up. Perhaps there is an intake leak somewhere and the ECU is adding extra fuel to keep it from going lean.

Yeah, it's too bad -- there are at least three different names for what we get in the US.

My family and I have had good experiences with the Goodyear Triple-Treds (and the Aquatreds before that) as an all-season tire. Winterforce tires are cheap and get good reviews, so they may be worth a spin.

I don't know what "PON" is, but 91 RON = 87 AKI (US).

I've never driven a 2.5, but the rip-snortin' 135 HP 2.2L is enough for my needs. I got it up to 90 MPH once! - Scott

I assume he means Consumer Reports.

Perhaps the sound is actually just a noisy lifter, or piston slap... do you have a way to make a sound recording for us when you go check it out?

Bah, that's just what they say when they don't want to special-order little things. I wonder if there are many of these foglights in boneyards. Bulb substitutions could easily be made.

Kind of OT, but the cool thing about the used car market is that used cars are more of a known quantity than new cars. Time has shown whether or not they're reliable, and where their faults lie. So you'll need to fix more things when you buy one, but you already have an idea what to keep an eye on, and about how long it will last if you take care of it. Plus, they're way cheaper than new cars. - Scott

I've read some very interesting articles about how the culture at Toyota (and other Japanese companies) has changed in the last decade or so. Japanese people are much less inclined to work themselves to death for their companies, and the management is struggling to find ways to keep the workers as enthusiastic as they were in the 1970s/1980s. They're also questioning whether the Toyoda family should allow the management and subsidiaries to have more authority. Bad influence from us Americans, I guess.

Do it! Take a pic when you've got them lit up.

I think I can see them too.

Sometimes it's nice to be the only "brain" telling my transmission what to do... :-p - Scott

Could be the battery. Have you tried starting it with a charger hooked up? Also, what weight of oil do you have in the sump?

I've gone to synthetic 0W30 just in case we break our old record of -28°F this winter. :cool:

Toyota has been outgrowing their britches for years now, and it's starting to affect quality. Their customer service seems to be helping them, though. Contrast with VW...

Congrats! It's almost broken in!

Makes sense. I had just changed my oil before starting this thread, but I think I'll use the big filters in the future. :cool:

That doesn't mean you throw out the recommended tire pressures entirely! Running your tires at (or near) their maximum psi is dumb. But then, so is underinflating them. So check your tires often as we approach winter! :cool: - Scott

This is the article that gave me the idea.

Salem, Oregon must be even smaller than I imagined! My car (which also features a sloppy shifter) shifts the same way, more like a 'W' pattern than an 'H'. Both 3rd and 4th are further to the right than I would expect them, but I've adapted. We'll see if replacing the shifter bushings helps... - Scott

I dunno for sure either, but if it works, it works.

Fun with Lucas: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm I've read that ATF doesn't contain as much detergent as it used to, so it doesn't clean quite as well. I might try some Auto-Rx next spring, just for kicks. It's gotten some rave reviews. - Scott

I just found out that both filters share the same thread and O-ring size. Seems like running the larger size could allow more flow, and spend less time in bypass mode, all else being equal. I was surprised at first by how dinky the specified filter is compared the ones I've run on other cars. Thoughts? - Scott