just a reminder

Toyota deal: Here comes the sludge judge

by Mark Rechtin

Automotive News / January 8, 2007 - 1:00 am

"Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. has quietly settled a class-action lawsuit that covers about 3.5 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles that may have been damaged by engine oil sludge."

"This settlement breathes life into claims that have been dead for years," said Gary Gambel, a lawyer for plaintiffs who sued Toyota.

"Toyotas at risk:About 3.3 million Toyota vehicles are susceptible to oil sludge, which can cause thousands of dollars in damage and require replacement of the engine. Here are the vehicles included in the settlement.

VEHICLE MODEL YEARS
Camry 4 cyl. 1997-2001
Camry 6 cyl. 1997-2002
Camry Solara 4 cyl. 1999-2001
Camry Solara 6 cyl. 1999-2002
Sienna 6 cyl. 1998-2002
Avalon 6 cyl. 1997-2002
Celica 4 cyl. 1997-1999
Highlander 6 cyl. 2001-2002
Lexus ES 300 1997-2002
Lexus RX 300 1999-2002"

i frequently have to remind people that all cars have issues and that the old idea that imports are superior to us-branded cars is just that...an old, outdated idea.

it seems that there is a reverse patriotism when it comes to products made here in the united states.

sometimes it takes reminding that some of our own relatives work at us auto facilities and that many, many of americans depend on the auto industry for their living. knowing this, i think we need to look past the hype of anything foreign made and realize that just repeating a mantra like "foreign cars good, american cars bad" is quite self-destructive.

need more reminding?

1. toyota leads the auto industry in recalls for 2006.
2. toyota quietly avoids recalls by calling them service bulletins...add service bulletins to recalls and suddenly it looks like toyota is the worst brand on the market.
3. honda has an issue with CR-V's catching fire due to a faulty oil filter design, but denies the problem and blames mechanics who change the oil. CR-V flambe, anyone?
4. honda has an issue with automatic transmissions failing, even in it's luxury branded acura's, yet continues to use the same transmission year after year.
5. the honda odessey minivan has had 11 recalls in it's lifetme.
6. the newly launched honda civic has had 3 major recalls in it's fist year. by comparison, the ford fusion has had NONE.

remember these things the next time you get into a discussion about what car to buy next. it's better to be well informed with the truth about the auto industry rather than parrot a tired, out of date idea.

night at the movies

we took the whole fam damily to the movies last night. we started out trying to see happy feet, but it just wasn't showing at a convenient time. the next choice was 'night at the museum' with all kinds of stars in it. ben stiller was hillarious, of course, but so was dick van dyke and robin williams. we laughed out loud quite a few times. poops slept through the last half of the movie, but was up half the night. go figure. hanna had been to see it already, so she kept warning me of the scary parts coming up. tyson drank a large sierra mist by himself, and took the requisite number of pottie brakes. ah, family night at the movies.
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speaking of movies, over the christmas break the beautiful mrs k and i caught a funny one, bruce almighty, with jim carey. not only was it funny, it had a powerful message. no, not that being God can be fun....i'm sure it can be....the scene where bruce finally just gives in and tells God that he only wants the love of his life to be happy, with him or without him. i'm guessing that it must be an epiphany that many guys get hit with at some point in their lives. i'm rarely disappointed by jim carey movies, and this was one of my favorites, right along with ace ventura.

weekend happenings

poops and i are just so darn happy that sissy is staying with us this weekend, we don't know what to do with ourselves. poops loves sissy.

meanwhile, rosco is still a little angry from the grooming ordeal. here, he exhibits position #909...this doesn't qualify as comfy. you can tell he's pouting. he is a handsome little devil, isn't he??

sorry guys

yes, this is rosco.

and this is rudy. we had them groomed this morning, and they weren't given the most dignified haircuts. but, what're ya gonna do? at least they didn't come home with bows on their heads.

bedtime story

hanna was very happy that i was going to read her a bedtime story. the bat jamborie is a popular one, but last night we chose the pokey puppy. we're very lucky that she has always been willing to go to bed quite willingly, and sleeps like a ROCK.

it takes a steady hand

tyson is buzzing away at operation while hanna looks on laughing. it seems like no matter how hard they try, they hit the sides. it's going to take practice.

they got the wild idea that maybe two sets of hands are steadier than one. BUUUUZZZZ! better luck next time, kids!

ridiculous orbea

this is anthony's bike. he threw the bora ultra's on the bike to compliment the rest of the record hardware on this beautiful orca. it sports a zipp stem and bar, look keo cro-mo pedals, slr saddle, and the rest is record. i don't call him gold card for nothing.

yep, that says 14.85lbs. that's the lightest roadbike i have ever personally witnessed. and, oh yes, that's WITH bottle cages! it has room to lose weight, too.

ridiculous!

EBAY

NEED SOME STUFF?
dan b, when do you want your mussette??

not a carpenter, but i can pretend

after sitting in some kind of time warp traffic jam on 270 this morning, i finally made it to work....late. ug. i hate being late. and i hate it more when i'm in dead stop traffic in the mustang, being a manual transmission and all....ease out clutch, brake. repeat. repeat. repeat. leg hurts. repeat....you get the picture.

i brought along my trusty circular saw so i could finally make the tire racks i've been thinking about for months. gold card and i had gotten the wood for the project last week, and it was time to act. of course, i hit myself in the eye with a block of wood, and naturally that didn't feel good. i'm not particularly proud of it, but i usually hurt myself in some kind of way when i embark upon a project. on the plus side, the tire racks work well and only cost $9 in wood.

trapped

you're supposed to be on THIS side of the gate, rudy. poor guy is just too slow to keep up with the ups and downs of the day.

a lot of mechanics around here

the air hockey table needed puting together, and the beautiful mrs k decided she wasn't going to wait for me to get home. actually, tyson decided she wasn't waiting for me. it was put together quite well, and she even took out the box and the associated trash. not a bad deal for me at all. here, you see her determination, as well as the stylish 'life is good' shirt bought for her by your truly.

volvo C30

i don't often gush much about small cars. but, i have to say i love this little thing!

love this shot

of the Lincoln MKR concept. oooooh, i just love it. i'd like to have one of these and one Interceptor in the driveway and call it a day. well, i guess we could use a Fairlane, too, since we have a gaggle of us in the family now.

i can dream, can't i??

grease monkey returns

i should've been at the new years day ride at the ranch with all the cool guys. but, it was cold this morning, and without much sleep lately i just didn't have the motivation. so i had promised myself that if i didn't ride, i'd put the new mid-pipe for my exhaust in the mustang. here we see the ol' girl up on jackstands.

here you see the old mid-pipe (called an h-pipe) on the floor. i couldn't really use the brand new creeper that gold card got for me, because even on jackstands, the mustang was too low. i guess i need a better jack and jackstands, because my shoulder blades are bruised and sore, along with my neck.

a better view of the h-pipe. it weighs about 60lbs, so it was a bit of a wrestling match between me and the pipe. you can see that the oxygen sensors are still attached. you have to disconnect them from their inserts, rather than unthread them because you don't have the room to get a wrench on them when the pipe is still on the car.

this is the new mid-pipe, called an x pipe. not only is it 3" diameter instead of the stock pipes 2 1/2", but it's all mandrel bent, which smooths the flow of the exhaust gases. the x shape keeps the pressure exchange between the cylinder banks even at higher rpm, something the h shape can't do. it also only weighs about 25lbs., being thin gauge metal.

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the whole task took 3 1/2 hours. besides having to stop and go to ace hardware for nuts and bolts that weren't included, the oxygen sensors, as always on mustangs, proved to be challenging. i guess being one guy doing all this didn't help timewise. it seemed i always needed to be on the other side of the car. but trying to attach the sensors to their wiring harnesses is really hard when the aftermarket exhaust business drills the holes just an extra 1/2" away. they all do it. i have no idea why. that means one of two things: get extension harnesses or find a way to make them reach. i unhooked the wiring harness from the next stop along the fire wall and it brought them down JUST where i needed them to be.

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install went well. sounds good, power is certainly there, and i have bruised shoulder blades once again!

New Years Eve 2006 pictorial