Today I dropped my car off at the service place where I got the car. On Saturday, I put my window down, and when putting it back up, it stopped. It would take a few pulls on the window-up-button before it would go back up. I made it happen a few times, so I figured I'd get it looked at before the window got stuck when it was about to rain or snow :-)

They just called and said there appeared to be a small piece of a plastic bag which got down into the window cavity, and would get stuck and stop the motor. Then he said "We didn't spend much time on it, and didn't really fix anything.. so no need to pay." WOW! No min-hour charge, no nothing.

Now that's a good way to do business, and get repeat business.

This just annoys me. As I said in my other entry, I had to leave my car overnight. So I picked it up this morning, new seals, new power seat memory, etc... Just went out for an errand, and the CEL is on. Pisses me off.. now I have to go down there again "at my convenience". Just what I need, to drive an hour and a half round-trip and sit there while they figure out what hose, or whatever, is loose. You'd think they would diagnose a car they just worked on the turbos for before it left the shop.

There is a VAG-COM for Audi (and VW). You can buy some software (only Windows, blah) and a connector so you can do your own diagnoses and change things in the computer. May be a good investment for those times the CEL comes on when I HAVEN'T just taken it to the dealer. PITA.

Dropped my car off at Audi yesterday to get some new cam seals, seat memory module and some new recall thing fixed. When we dropped the car off yesterday, Kyla went right to the TT in the showroom and said she wanted it, but in pink. We also took Kyla over to Chuck E Cheeze for a while, since it's around the corner from there.

I was a little ticked off because they said the car would be done at 5. So I got there at 4:45, for them to tell me it wouldn't be done until this morning. A real PITA, since they are down in Latham. Luckily, my dad to the rescue and will be taking me down this morning.

I took my car down to Audi today to have them do a regular service and check out a few other things. Since it's still under factory warranty for a little longer, I figured it was a good time to do it.

I told them to look at a few things, and they did! And, all covered under warranty! I got new brakes, new rotors, and I'll be going back to have a new seat memory controller and seals. Gotta figure that I may as well get everything I can get fixed for free.. fixed for free :-)

Today I returned the Lexus. It's a sad thing, and was a little choked up. The drive down was my last hoorah, and took it up to 100 for a bit to enjoy it. Now I just get to wait for the bill for anything that is wrong with it (shouldn't be much but the tires). If anyone wants a TRD Free Flow air filter only used for about 15k miles, I'll sell it cheap!

To make myself feel better, I stopped in at the Audi dealer (right up the road) and got some OEM A6 floor mats. Also picked up the accessory catalog. Suzy was all up for me getting new rims until she saw the prices :-) Of course, the OEM rims are more expensive than some of the third party ones. I'll be going back there on Friday for a servicing (may as well use the free service while still under warranty) and poke around the lot.

Anyways.. farewell IS300, you killed many a Honda and ricer. You gave me great joy on the back roads. You sucked in the snow. You turned heads, and were always fun to drive. I'll miss you.

APR - High Performance Development for Audi Vehicles

This chip, $600 (but saw for less on eBay.. probably doesn't happen often) will add another 68HP to my car (for total of 318HP/382lb-ft). $350 for the one on eBay. But, I need to be practical!! If anyone wants to get me a belated birthday gift, this wouldn't be a bad one :-) Seems like decent bang/buck ratio on this one.

C'mon SlowGrandCherokee.. you know you want to get me this.

Picked up the A6 2.7T today. So far, so good. Very nice to drive. Comfy, and great pickup. Of course, much different ride than the IS. In the IS you can feel every stone on the road.. very tight suspension. The A6 is much smoother, which will take some getting used to. The original sticker for the car was in the owners manual, here are the original stats (what looks like options, not standards):

Automatic 5-Speed w/Tiptronic
Melange Metallic (exterior.. looks tan to me)
Melange Ambiente Interior
Cold Weather Package
- Heated Front/Rear seats and Ski Sack
Preferred Luxury Package
- Glass sunroof w/power, tilt, slide
- Homelink
- Leather seats
- Seat/mirror position memory
Quattro All Wheel Drive

Total for car new: $43,500
Total for me: Less than half that

Things I'll need to get for it:
Window tint
All weather mats
CD Changer

So, looks like I'll be getting this car. An '01 Audi A6 2.7T. Drove it today, and was great. The cost is actually below what's on that page, which is thousands less than KBB and Edmunds for that car. It's nice and comfy inside, and it quite peppy with the 250HP twin-turbo. I can probably do a few mods and make it a real sleeper.

I was sort of hoping to get a car with less miles than this, but Audi's can run and run, and hold their value. Actually, according to Edmunds, if this car had 90k miles on it, it would still have a higher TMV than I'll be paying. Of course, I'm getting an extended full warranty with it, so if something breaks it will get fixed. But, it will be great if I can just drive this thing into the ground over the years.

Why not a new car? Well, the least expensive new car I want is a WRX. And, that will end up being about 5-6k more (then the added tax on top of that), which means a higher payment. So, all about money. Subaru doesn't have a 0% financing deal right now, and I'll be getting 3.85% on the Audi.

They'll be checking the car out in the morning to catch anything which is wrong (I noticed a fog light out), then give me a call. So, unless I change my mind... the car will be mine tomorrow sometime.

Yesterday began the start of my new car shopping. I went down to one place last night (I went late so I knew I couldn't start test driving a bunch of stuff), to get some brochures. This place has Dodge, Ford, Subaru, Mazda and Toyota cars. For Dodge, I looked at the Magnum. It's pretty nice, available with a Hemi... but will not have an AWD option until Fall. Too late for me, since Fall is not this month.

Then I saw the sales guy I have spoken with before over at the Subaru/Mazda section. I've spoken with him before, and my dad got a (used) Outback from him. He also knows he can't BS me about cars, and that I use Edmunds TMV for what I expect to pay for a car. I took brochures for the Mazda-3, Mazda-6, Mazda Tribute, Subaru Outback and Subaru Legacy. They didn't have the one for the '05 WRX, but I know enough about it that I didn't really need it now.

Suzy doesn't really want to look at any autos with no AWD/4WD. Makes sense, and I mainly agree. At least, no more RWD cars!! Not with the snow that's up here. That basically cuts out the Mazda-3 and Mazda-6. I'll still drive them, though, to check them out. The 3 only has 160HP, but is light and geared for getting off the line. The 6 can come with 220HP, which is more respectable. But, no AWD. I've driven the Tribute before (which is 4WD) and liked it. It's an option if I decide on a truck and not a car. It's a V6, so won't suck on gas like the V8 Durango I have.

There is a new Outback options this year. The 3.0R which is a V6 with 250HP. This is compared to the 168HP of the other models (up 3HP this year). The interior has changed, and is even nicer. The Outback really is, and has been, a nice car. I took one (not the 3.0R) out for a quick drive, and was very comy and nice. I need to drive the 3.0R though.

The Legacy also comes with a turbo, and seems pretty zippy as well. Will need to drive it.

And, the Impreza WRX. The cost of the Imprezza is actually lower this year. The WRX is roughly the same, but not bad at all. Unfortunately, I won't drive a standard and there are no autos on the lot right now. And, no wagons on the lot. I think I'd prefer a wagon, because I do like the space.

These aren't the only cars I'll be looking at, but was a start for last night. Sometime over the next week I'll go in and drive all these cars.

So, prices. I like to use Edmonds.com as my main price-checking place. They give a True Market Value price, which I have always used as a guide when getting a car. Here are the prices I got from them after adding some options to cars (you'll need to go to Edmunds to see what the "Popular Equipment Groups" are):

Subaru Impreza WRX AWD 4dr Sport Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 4A)
Total with Options
MSRP: $26,937
Invoice: $24,709
TMV: $25,800

Optionals: Popular Equipment Group 2A, Turbo Boost Gauge, Popular Equip. Group 3, Acrylic Hood Protector, All Weather Mats, Wheel Locks.

Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5A)
Total with Options
MSRP: $32,705
Invoice: $29,714
TMV: $31,213

Options: Outdoor Rec Group 2, Popular Equip Group 1, Security System Upgrade, Air Filtration System, All Weather Mats, Wheel Locks.

Subaru Legacy 2.5i AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
Total with Options
MSRP: $25,114
Invoice: $22,761
TMV: $23,998

Options: Outdoor Recreation Group 2, Fog Lamps, Popular Equipment Group 1, Air Filtration System All Weather Mats, Rear Cargo Net, Wheel Locks.

Mazda 3 s 4dr Hatchback (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
MSRP: $23,665
Invoice: $21,599
TMV: $23,112

Let me first say the Mazda 3 has a base price of $16,895. Which, at first, you go "Wow!!", then you see that a lot of things you want are options... suddenly $23k... which isn't much less than the AWD/Turbo WRX.

Options: DVD Navigation System (Ok, so I probably don't need this.. but the DVD itself would be nice to have), 4-Speed Sport A/T, ABS/SAB/SAC Package, Xenon & TPMS Package, Appearance Package 1, In-Dash 6-Disk CD Changer, Electrochromatic Rearview Mirror w/Homelink, Interior Trim Package, Electrochromatic Rearview Mirror (oops, that one is also above, so can subtract $218 from the TMV price), All Weather Mats, Moonroof Deflector, Cargo Net, Wheel Locks.

Mazda 6 s 4dr Sport Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
MSRP: $27,980
Invoice: $25,277
TMV: $26,080

Options: 5-Speed Sport AT, Sport Package, Power Moonroof, Bose Audio Package, In-Dash 6-Disc CD, Side Air Bags and Side Curtains, Rear Roof Spoiler, Compass/AutoDim Mirror with Homelink, Fog Lights, Cargo Tray and Organizer (Probably don't need this.. -$132), ULEV Emissions Equip, All Weather Mats, Alarm Shock Sensor Upgrade, Cargo Net, Moonroof Wind Deflector, Wheel Locks.

I believe, all the '05 Subarus now have side curtain bags standard... at least the Outback does now. But, so far, add/remove a few options here and there and the WRX seems like the best buy thus far (Turbo, cost, safety, modability).

What other cars/trucks do people think I should look at? I'm keeping away from BMW (never liked them, aside the 7-series), Benz (don't need another car I'm afraid to get dirty once in a while) and Lexus (bad in snow, RWD). I still like Audi, though. I thought of maybe a Grand Cherokee.. but I have read some reviews where people seem to have problems with it.

I have about 3 weeks to shop around before I want to get something, and need to plan out where to go for some test drives.

When I had my Bronco, year back, the switch for the brights was on the floor, by your left foot. This was great, since your foot was always right there and it was easy to turn off and on. I wonder why more (non-stick) vehicles don't do this. I think it was a great design. I thought about this as I was driving back from downtown. We have no street lights, winding roads and deer. So, having the brights on is essential, but when cars are coming you need to turn them off.. then back on when they pass. Much more user friendly when it's at your foot.

TLC :: Rides -- Rods

This Tuesday at 9pm, "Rides" on TLC will show the making of the "IS430". A stock IS300 with a V8 dropped into it. Rod Millen does this transformation, which was/is actually being used as the prototype for the IS430 (which we've heard about for years now).

I'm not thinking the Lexus is the most practical car for the North Country. Low profile tires, rear wheel drive.. not a great mix in the weather. I'll likey wait out this Winter with it, but then get something a little more practical. I love the Lexus, I really do. And, people up here love it as well. There is not a single other IS in the area. People stare at my car every time I'm out with it, and are always commenting on it. After all, that's a reason you get a nice car... for people to notice it. When I originally got the car, that happened a lot in FL.

But, the IS was new and I got it. It was really between the Audi and Lexus, but I chose the Lexus.

So, now I'm wondering (even though it will be a few months) what I'd like next. Debating the pros and cons. First, and Dan will probably give me some ribbing about this, but I like the WRX. I still think it's kind of a fugly car, but I'm a fugly guy so it's growing on me. Also, it's all wheel drive. The WRX Sedan is cheaper, but I like the WRX STi Sedan. I sat in one at the dealership. After I got past the "What? The radio is an OPTION?" issue, I liked the 300HP Turbo. Not only that, but it comes with an ironing board attached to the trunk!! ;-) I'd probably go for a used WRX to save some money, and have some to spare for some mods. All the other Subarus are pretty weak in HP.

Then, Dodge. I already have a Durango, but the '04 Durango has a nice new look (finally!!). But, I'd probably wait until we swap out the current Durango for another truck. I like having one truck and one car (or crossover vehicle). I used to have a Stratus, and really like the car. The newer Stratus are also nice. 200HP, which is a minimum. So, not super fast. Dodge really needs to put a turbo or supercharger in the Stratus. I haven't checked the aftermarket part market for them, and if a turbo or supercharger is possible I may go for it. They aren't expensive, and are decent vehicles. Dodge, in my opinion, made the mistake of turning the Neon into the SR-4 instead of the Stratus.

VW. We have the Passats. These are decent cars, and I actually like them. I think VW has been getting better over the years (aside from the Beetle.. I hate the new Beetle). The Passat W8 is nice. It's a 4L V8 with 270HP and AWD. However, the MSRP is around $39k, and you can get the 300HP STi (with a radio) for less than that. Not sure I see the value here... which may be why I don't see any W8 on the road. Every one is doing as the name says and waiting (*rim shot*). I'll probably skip the Passats. I recall when I drove them before I didn't mind the higher end ones, but they were too expensive. They are luxary car prices, but not luxary car parts. The cheaper ones are V4 turbos with 170HP. Would have some pep with the turbo, but is kinda pricey for what you get. If I could find a used W8 for a decent price, then maybe. Or, even a 2.8L GLX (190HP V6). With a 190HP V6 you can get well over 200 for cheap. The VW Touareg is a nice SUV, but the V8 is over $40k. A nice Durango is much cheaper. Sorry VW, I don't see where your pricing is. You aren't luxury vehicles, but you have luxury prices. Maybe I'm wrong about VW nowadays.

The Mazda RX-8. Very nice looking. Would be a great weekend type of car, and is less than $30k for 238HP. Would be fun to drive in the mountains with.. but not practicle. I don't think I'd get a Mazda because of the whole "zoom zoom" thing. I'd hear that in my head all the time.

Nissan. They seem to have a crapload of cars. The 250Z is nice, but not sure I'd actually want it. The rear seat is very small. The Altima has been getting more powerful. The 3.5L SE has 245HP, and is reasonably priced. I'd have to look, but if there is a good intake and exhaust combo for it it could be decent. The new Maxima is 265HP, for less than $30k (higher with options). The Murano and Xterra are also in the mix. I'll need to go to a Nissan dealer and drive some of these vehicles. Also sit in them. When performance seems high, and price is low... I always wonder how cheap the interior parts are.

Anyways.. just sort of thinking out loud here. It will be some months before I get new cars, but car shopping is fun so may as well start now!

So, I took my car in for service the other day. Scheduled service, plus an alignment and complimentary painting of my brake drums. I picked my car up in the evening and didn't get a good look at it. But, it seems that someone painted my rear drivers side caliper silver. Not all the calipers, not both the rear ones... just 1. I noticed that other calipers seemed to have paint on them, sort of splattered. This is just so unacceptable. I sent an email to my service guy about it, no response. Now, I have to call tomorrow to bring it up. I'd rather have them just paint them all silver (which would look nice), but there is no reason for me to have a single silver caliper. Other than that, the car seems fine.

I have yet to have a single smooth experience with JM Lexus.

I ordered a TRU ALU dash kit from IPT Dashkits a few weeks ago. Actually, I will have the first one for an IS300. They gave me a great deal in exchange for taking some pictures of it installed for their website. And, having the first one is also kinda cool.

Anyways, I was putting it on a few weekends ago, and the pieces for the stereo/AC area didn't fit right, so I took it off. Let me tell ya, the folks at IPT are FANTASTIC. They are incredibly responsive (aside from when they were at SEMA, understandably), and helpful. They email, call and keep contact. They found out there was a mechanical issue during a short run, and my kit happened to be in that run. They are now cutting some new pieces to send out to me.

If you are in the market for a dash kit, I highly suggest them. Everyone I speak with says their product is top-quality, and I can attest to wonderful customer service. Of course, when the new pieces arrive and are installed, I'll post some pics.

So, last night I'm driving home as usual. There must be some Camaro get-together going on because there were 5 Camaros in sort of a group on the road. I didn't really pay attention to them, or which styles the cars were, aside from working my way in front of them (they seemed to be playing with eachother, and I like to avoid jackass drivers). Anyways, I get past them, and to the next red light. On my left, one of the black Camaros pulls up next to me. He must have been pumped up from playing with his buddies (which were right behind us) and starts reving and edging up on me. I look over at him with a "sure, whatever.. let's do it" look. Figured if he burned me, no biggie. The next light (~1/2 mile away) is my turn anyways.

So, I rev, he revs, light turns green and either I got a great take off, or he got a really bad one (or both) because I was suddenly about 2 lengths ahead of him. When it came time for me to slow down to make my turn, I put the hazards on, slowed down.. then he passed. I'm sure this is a kill of luck, but I'm sure his buddies will be ragging on him for a while :-) If anything, he has to be embarassed.

It could have been a V6 Camaro, which is beatable. If it was a V8, the dude either couldn't drive, messed up his launch, or whatever. Either way, his buddies probably ragged on him all night, and I got another kill :)

You know I love my car, and cars with nice non-ricey mods... but, this guys is the shit! Stylin body kit, and don't forget to go through all the pages, or you will miss is supa-dope NOS! This is still cracking me up.

For more laughs, go to the main page of cardomain.com and look at what people are doing to their Kia.

My TRD High Flow Air Filter arrived yesterday. Threw it in, and took a drive. I actually notice the difference. A similar filter, TOMs, dyno'd at 5HP gain, and TRD is supposed to be comparable to that. The gears seemed to shift a little smoother, and I felt a little more power. Quick way to gain a few HP, and save money on air filters, since this one is washable/reusable. I got it off of PartzNet, who I found to be the cheapest ($61 vs. $80+).

Why the TRD and not TOMs? Well, 2 reasons. First, I saw some people mention that they thought TOMs was TOO high flow, and was letting things past the filter. Second, TRD is Toyota Racing Development... I have a Lexus... may as well keep it in the family :)

I'm so unhappy with JM Lexus. From the process of buying my car from them, to not being given a loaner for a 3 hour job (they are supposed to give a loaner for anything over 1.5 hours), to the crappy job they do cleaning the interior of my car. Now, I have another issue to stack on.

I've been looking for a TRD (Toyota Racing Dev.) free flow air filter. So, I call the local Toyota place, but they didn't have it. I called JM, since they should have it, or be able to give me the part number so I can order it. I called, I sat on hold for 10 minutes... then the girl comes on the phone and says they have it, for $93. Basically, I don't feel like being wallet-raped, when I know it should only cost $60-$75, so I asked for the part number. She wouldn't give it to me. I was like "What??" and she said her boss said not to give me the part number. I mean really, I buy a $32k car from them.. I expect to get a part number from them. I was livid. I called TRD directly for the part number, and got it.

Later that night I decided to go in to JM. If they have it in stock, as she said they did. I figured when they said it was $93 I would argue until I got it for a more reasonable price (everyone seems to get it around $70 on the message boards). Turns out the part number I gave them from TRD isn't what they have, and they don't have it. But, they would happily order it for me. I really don't want to buy from them now, unless it is a last resort. I will just order from the internet somewhere.

Am I wrong at being pissed? This isn't the first time they have treated me, as I see it, as second class. I pay you $32k.. I call for a part number.. you give it to me. Is that so wrong? I don't think it is wrong, or unreasonable. So, Monday morning I will be crafting an email to send to the JM Lexus management, JM Family management, and Lexus itself about my complete dissatisfaction with how I have been treated by them from day 1.

I complained about the bait-and-switch they tried pulling on me, Lexus called me about it, but no one ever did anything to try to satisfy me about how I was treated. Not a free tune-up, or even a free oil change. I think that is bad business, and I will rattle a few more cages until I get satisfaction.

If you are looking for a Lexus, I suggest not going to JM Lexus.

Coming into work this morning some dudes in a 2001 Integra pulled next to me. I heard them coming because I could hear the lawnmower exhaust sound, even over my blasting of Eminem. They looked at me, I looked at them. We were going about 40 on a 'safe' part of the road (just over the bridge, where cops sometimes sit). He pointed forward and laid on it.. so I did too. Next thing I know, he is in my rearview mirror, and I passed through the next light well in front. Good rush for the morning commute.

At some point I need to do some mods to my car, so I need a shopping list. Of course, anyone can feel free to pay for these things for me :)

First, I need a little more HP:
The SRT IS300 HFI intake will do. That should give me around 22 more HP and better response.

Next, I would like to change the interior a little. I have ivory seats, with a black dash. So, a new dash kit would look nice. I think the real airbrushed titanium kit would look nice (and match my TiBook!).

For the exterior, I really like the Blitz body kit. I hope it can be painted graphite, since that is the color of my car.

Also, I wouldn't mind a new exhaust to go with the intake. But, I don't know which exhaust I like yet.

That's it for now! Feel free to drop me a line if you want to purchase anything for me ;-)