Recent content by DLong

I have the used upper center console (part number 58804-60132) that I replaced from my 2004 Land Cruiser. When I purchased the truck the console was in rough cosmetic shape as the previous owner had allowed something to sit on the center painted section that ate through the paint to the...

Put on parts to (try to) remedy some issues present since purchase. Not pictured: DS door-mounted weather stripping, failed to fix the wind leak right next to my head. I should actually bother to diagnose the source of the leak before ordering more parts... Replaced my only "ok" repainted...

For those of you wanting to get into polishing / paint correction I highly recommend the videos put up by AMMO NYC, now with /DRIVE, for basics and an idea of what you are getting into. There are also dozens of forums out there that specialize in automotive detailing including autopia and...

My truck's windshield was replaced by the scummy dealership we purchased it from and, possibly as a result, I had a wobbly rearview mirror like the OP, annoying as the Lexus IS350 we had traded in had a cronically vibrating mirror (well known issue with that uninspiring vehicle). The difference...

I used the OEM Toyota kit (two aerosol cans, one big can of foam, one small air freshener can: ~$25 at a dealership). For clarification the nipple you're looking for for the front condenser is, on USDM vehicles, on the passenger side to the outbound side of the header. It should puke out foam...

Replaced these with the linked amazon.com brass Ts a while back. The only thing I'll add is that the brass Ts have three equal-sized outlets vice the OEM Ts that have a smaller diameter lower outlet necessitating for me the utilization of a screw-type hose clamp on that outlet instead of...

Two weeks later, and two days before leaving for a vacation, I started the PS axle. I supported the lower ball joint with a jack, undid the upper ball joint retaining castle nut, applied a two-arm puller, loosened, but did not remove the ball joint shaft, and lowered the jack. While the...

Hopefully my self-induced misery helps someone out there. I set out to replace both CV axles' boots in one weekend due to a leaking PS inboard boot: Started with the DS (because I'm an idiot and it was closer to the door to the garage). Following the directions in this post it was difficult...

It seems like everyone is hitting the same things I've been hitting lately; I'm just willing to bet mine have all been more of a chore as Murphy has been having his/her/its way with me vehicle maintenance-wise over the last few weeks. Cleaning the throttle body and front AC condenser...

After a year of complaining about the "detailing" that the dealer's "detailer" did I spent a full day washing, clay baring, rubbing compounding, waxing, and sealing the exterior and vacuuming, leather cleaning, leather conditioning, console cleaning, and carpet cleaning the interior. All of...

A heat gun and patience got it up & off; Goo Gone, a fingernail, and patience got rid of the two-sided padded tape that held it all on. Sadly it seems like every USDM truck had either the grey or brown plastic wood from the factory or dealer meaning even a good salvage part likely will need it...

This is what the shifter surround ended up looking like: The paint is a shade or two too bright and my prep work sucked, but it looks better than it did. If a cheap one in good shape pops up I'll probably replace it.

The door card was an eBay find (~$120) from a California salvage company that required some subcomponent swapping to marry up the best parts of the old & "new" door cards. The plastic wood was just pulled off with the shifter surround area of the center console getting a coat of almost matching...

By "this week" I mean the past 12 months, but... Brought it home: 2004, 105K, southwest-only truck, dealer paid for a full detail and timing belt. Once I re-detailed it I began to fix the assorted nit-noid crap that bugged me. Fake wood, satellite radio receiver, and ruined paint all...