What have you done to your car today?

[CyborgGT]

^ Tru'dat. Compared to a lot of other builds, my somewhat dumpy look I'm trying to clear up is still a tad on the ricy side. But thanks nonetheless!

The output on the lights is incredible, it's the main reason I got them at this time. I can see so much further than stock, and the cutoff's real clean. No scatter, no flicker. Just crisp, clean light. The things on the bumper are remote battery terminals. I used to have a small Odyssey battery mounted behind the bumper and that was the first solution that came to mind should I or someone else need a jump. If you saw my last bay shot, they're obviously not hooked up anymore; the Ody died on me. It was either leave them on or have "speed holes"...

Edit - A picture from back when I was mocking up the battery mount:

The yellow-backed lights are the hi-beams, not fogs. The guy I bought the lights from, who did the retrofit, painted them. I love the look, and since I never really use the highs anyway, I haven't bothered hunting down replacement housings. OEM fogs for these cars mount just below the turn signals in the bumper, and are the same shape. I do want those eventually.

 

[Takumi Fujiwara]

I installed the optional armrest/storage compartment on my new Mazda2 today. I was gonna have the dealer do it, but they were busy, so I just spent the money on a new cordless drill (crummy old one died) and used it to do the install. It's visible in this picture:


Mazda 2 Armrest by maximstensel, on Flickr

I haven't posted about them, so I might as well also say that I put in an XM satellite radio receiver last week. I just had the antenna wire routed through the dash, and I'm using the 12v socket and AUX jack for the other connections, so that nothing's actually been modified in the car's wiring. I also threw a new shift knob on there, it's just a cheap leather B&M, but is better than the horrible plastic and rubber one that the car came with. I'll eventually get a Delrin or metal one, but I haven't seen any yet that I'm willing to spend the money on ordering.

They're visible in this shot:

Mazda 2 Interior by maximstensel, on Flickr

Oh, and today marks seven days since getting the car itself.

 

[RVDNuT374]

I found out that my donut spare tire somehow failed just from sitting in the trunk for 13 years. Now tomorrow I have the fun task of trying to hunt down a replacement tire. Remember to check your spare tire even if it has never been used!

Three weeks later, I finally tracked down a used full-sized steel wheel at a local junkyard to use instead of a "donut" replacement. Other places had them, but I was not about to travel 50 miles one way for a $10 wheel. Now all I have to do tomorrow is have a tire mounted. *edit* I got a good used tire to mount on the rim. It actually has more tread left on it than the tires currently on the car. 👍

 

[Punknoodle]

My Speed Flow fittings arrived today, so I just got back in the house after being in the garage playing. I've fitted the adapters up to the rail, filter and regulator so all I need to do is connect the braided hose in to the hose connectors and screw them on.

I thought I might get away with the height of the 90 degree fitting, but I don't - it will block off one of the solid air lines in the air feed heading to the idle control valve. No matter, I have a plan, which involves removing redundant vacuum lines and brackets and just running a new, direct hose straight to the idle control valve. It should tidy up the manifold area a little more, too.

 

[GT5 Level 41]

I locked my keys in mine with the help of a dog which jumped up on my door and pushed it closed.

 

[Eric.]

Pay up!

And did you fail to measure the old ones?

I told him the same thing months ago when he asked me, he said the tie rods were good.

So you were both wrong. Slipping camber bolt(s). Enough of those.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I locked my keys in mine with the help of a dog which jumped up on my door and pushed it closed.

What car do you have?

I have fond memories of breaking into a Mk3 Ford Fiesta to help a mate out. Amazed the police weren't called, we were all in hoodies and it was getting dark

 

[Perfect Balance]

So you were both wrong. Slipping camber bolt(s). Enough of those.

You say this as if the first thing I mentioned wasn't "something is loose".

Not that anyone with some common sense wouldn't say that, but you were convinced everything was tight.

 

[Eric.]

It was tight. I just don't seem to be able to transmit 1200lbs of force on the steering knuckle by hand. I think camber bolts are a poor design choice for anything but daily driving...


No good place to post this...

New cars getting a little bit on the huge side, or is it just me?

 

[Perfect Balance]

It was tight. I just don't seem to be able to transmit 1200lbs of force on the steering knuckle by hand. I think camber bolts are a poor design choice for anything but daily driving...

No, you can't move it by hand, but you can see if they've been sliding by the marks they leave. And who checks how tight bolts are by hand anyway? I assumed you had put a wrench on them and made sure they were tight. Meh.

And yes new cars are massive.

 

[hawkeye122]

Today I seated myself in my Tracker after my dad had driven it to work for a week. Try to put the power down in 3rd gear? It revs like hell and gets exactly no faster. New Clutch time? I think so.. Bummer.

@Homeforsummer
I got a GoPro for Christmas. I've found that since my Mum got me the Adventure Sports pack rather than the Motorsports pack, the head strap works really well. You get a good angle on the Driver action and instrument cluster, but less view on the road. Because I'm cheap, I used gaffer tape on the Mount that comes on the top of the box, and secured it to the Dash. That works fairly well also, as long as it's secure.

 

[Punknoodle]

Today I seated myself in my Tracker after my dad had driven it to work for a week. Try to put the power down in 3rd gear? It revs like hell and gets exactly no faster. New Clutch time? I think so.. Bummer.

Your dad been busy doing burnouts or something?

Today I started the car for the first time in ages, and for the first time since upgrading the fuel system. Reversed it out of the garage, washed it, dried it, and drove it back in the garage. Then I went over it with a good wax and buffed it up. All nice and shiny again

Celebratory shot of the car, clean and out of the garage with its bonnet down for the first time in weeks:

Tomorrow I shall detail the interior, including polishing the inside of the boot, now that it has no carpet covering the floor.

 

[HELLAFLUSH240SX]

Are those Meisters?

 

[GT5 Level 41]

What car do you have?

I have fond memories of breaking into a Mk3 Ford Fiesta to help a mate out. Amazed the police weren't called, we were all in hoodies and it was getting dark

That was a Chevy Malibu (work car). My regular car is a 09 Ford Flex.

 

[Punknoodle]

Are those Meisters?

SSR Professor SP1

 

[CyborgGT]

Friday I did my brakes and wheel bearings.

Of course, as is my luck, everything went swimmingly.

(not shown is a third bolt I had to drill out)

Later that night the ECU fuse blew. Now, as long as my main relay is plugged in, the fuse pops. It actually blew the previous night too after getting back from a canyon session, but I was able to get back on the road after resetting a couple things. It didn't work this time. But such is my current situation.

 

[Antonisbob]

Oil change, & re-attached the muffler with a coat hanger, muffler tape & a tin can... still loud as hell & it sinks like a lawnmower.|

-What a pain, the oil pan plug was on so tight I had to hammer if off, the oil filter was 'heavy duty' (On a 1.7 Liter?!?) & was too long & wouldn't come off for the life of me. The original mounting brackets for the muffler where fused together with rust & had to be hammered off.. +2 hours later I start it up only for it to be nearly as loud as it was before! That and it stunk up the entire garage.

Things I still need to do: Rotate the tires, find replacement C-pillar window, eventually get the transmission fluid changed, change a turn signal light, get a new wiper switch for inside and new wipers...

 

[Findog10]

I Crashed My Car

 

[HELLAFLUSH240SX]

Pictures?

 

[Antonisbob]

Doesn't sound like too good of a day for anyone!

 

[Eric.]

Cleaned up the MR2 for the first time this year and got the Koseis and Direzzas back on, for a meet Saturday night.

 

[Vinyl Scratch]

I stared at it for a while, wishing my dad didn't snap a rocker arm on it a few months ago. My IROC is now dormant until he gets to putting the driver side valve cover back on and replacing the rocker arm on the passenger side. (Which is, unfortunately, a huge pain to do in a third gen Camaro.)

 

[Eric.]

Picked up my Civic from the bodyshop yesterday.

This wheel and tire was still on it (the ones that took part of the impact of the other car)

Turning right onto my street I heard some rubbing at the left rear tire.

I'm not really sure where that fender liner came from in the first place.


Then I checked how the trunk was closing to make sure that wasn't jacked up.

Well if that isn't ****ed up.


Also have a ding on my trunk lid with a dot of red paint transfer, scratches in the paint along the rear glass where it was removed, scratches on my spoiler, and a few places where the new paint wasn't buffed well. Back it goes!


Edit: Its back at the bodyshop. Tire shop to blame for not having mounted the tire (bodyshop WAS billed for it being mounted), glass removal people to blame for basically all the damage. Getting fixed.

 

[Pagey279]

I need a bit of advice, I need to replace the window tinting on the back 3 windows of my civic (its bubbling up on the back window for some reason)
Now I've looked around and I've found a set of 3 window films, the exact fit for the car, along with a fitting kit for £40. I have to fit it myself.
Or I could drive up the road and get it professionally done for £120.
Is it worth the extra £80 to make sure its fitted well and stuff?

 

[Matty]

I need a bit of advice, I need to replace the window tinting on the back 3 windows of my civic (its bubbling up on the back window for some reason)
Now I've looked around and I've found a set of 3 window films, the exact fit for the car, along with a fitting kit for £40. I have to fit it myself.
Or I could drive up the road and get it professionally done for £120.
Is it worth the extra £80 to make sure its fitted well and stuff?

Well IMO only you can choose.

I would rather pay more to have it stay unbubbled, but others don't mind.

So it's basically, how much will it bother you if it's not fitted right?

You could always just take the windows out and do it on a bench (much easier IMO) and save yourself £80, or save yourself the hassle and pressure for £80.

 

[Pagey279]

Yeah good point, I think I will just spend the extra money, much less hassle, stress, time, and a lot less expletives and obscenities along the way.

 

[Eric.]

I've never installed tint, but considering how frustrating putting on things like Zagg Invisible Shields can be, I'd pay to have it tinted. I paid a little over $200to have my Civic's windows tinted and that shop includes a lifetime warranty. I've heard the precut kits are wonderful though, from people who used to buy sheets of tint and cut it.

 

[salikriaz]

Your dad been busy doing burnouts or something?

Today I started the car for the first time in ages, and for the first time since upgrading the fuel system. Reversed it out of the garage, washed it, dried it, and drove it back in the garage. Then I went over it with a good wax and buffed it up. All nice and shiny again

Celebratory shot of the car, clean and out of the garage with its bonnet down for the first time in weeks:

Tomorrow I shall detail the interior, including polishing the inside of the boot, now that it has no carpet covering the floor.

Why don't you drive that?!

 

[CyborgGT]

My fuse issue appears to have been caused by the fuel injector resistor box. One came with my new engine so I had been running that one, and luckily the Accord's was still sitting around. The fuel pump sounds like it's going out though, I should be picking up a new one in the morning and popping it in before work. I've been experiencing some odd stumbles every now and then these last couple days, so hopefully this cures it.

 

[Adamgp]

Haven't done it yet, but when I get home from work I pretty sure I'll be saying good bye to the Grand Prix, or atleast it has seen the road for the last time.

It was fine going to work today. Was going about 45mph and there was a red light ahead, so I let it coast. It got down to about 30 and the light turned green so I hit the gas and nothing. Look down and the oil light is on and the tach read 1000 rpm, then 500, then dead.

Managed to get it into a diner parking lot. Tried to start it, it fires up right away, then there is a loud screeching/grinding noise and it dies within a second.

My dad came and picked me up and took me to work, and the car is being towed back to my house today. It's dead, I will demod it then call the junk yard.