Recent content by nthach

The current ones are made in Mexico by Pylon. The older ones were Chinesium or Vietnamese. Some Chinese-made blades are OK - see Bosch, but were better when they were made in Europe. Bosch now makes their Icon/Focus and another blade in Serbia. I have a set of the Costco Michelins on a...

Uber was a big driver behind that. Personally, if I was Hertz, I’d fly over to Toyota USA HQ in Plano and try to negotiate a big Prius and RAV4 Hybrid order - after all, the Prius is the car for gig work. Toyota brokers a deal with the stipulation they’ll be sold back to TFS, with the cars in...

They look like NWBs - the codes on the hook attachment are a tip-off. How much are refills? Toyota, if you can match the equivalent can get you refills.

The Techron has a USA symbol on it, but since CVX owns a stake in Caltex and GS, wouldn’t it made more sense to ship it from Australia or Korea?

Old coworker has almost 170K on a 06 Fit on nothing but 0W-20 and 5W-20. Hondas regularly hit 100K and above on 0W-20, so do many Toyotas as an anecdote. On an engine made for “thin” oils, a bit more attention has to made to the bearing surfaces. Which is why I have no problem using 0W-20 on a...

A jug of M1 ESP 5W-30 STP S8A-XL, just so I can get the $50 oil and filters deal at AutoZone.

Those are a solidly decent but meh tire. And even so, a tire shop would push a “better” Chinese tire(Sailun, Milestar, WestLake) over these for price. Compared to a a Chinesium tire, at least they are made in the US or Mexico and don’t look like they are hazardous when wet. Many Chinesium...

Yep, the Denso plugs on almost all the Toyota 2GR-FSE/FXS/FKS, as well as the smaller variant in the Lexus IS250(4GR-FSE IIRC) and 1UR-FSE/2UR-GSE/2UR-FSE only have Pt on the center ground strap and not the side straps. 60K life. It’s done so if the main strap is carbon fouled, a spark can still...

Toyota wants plugs changed at 60K on the 2GR-FSE/FXS/FKS, 4GR-FSE, 1UR-FSE and 2UR-GSE/FSE in many Lexus and newer V6 Camry/Sienna and Tacomas. They use a tri-ground electrode plug to handle direct injection and are hard on plugs. Subaru wants 60K as well on their newer engines. Funny enough...

NGK’s OE Laser plugs are double precious metal tipped, and meant for longer life - OE recommended replacement if the car was OE with double platinum/iridium-platinum plugs. Notable exceptions are Subarus and V6/V8 Toyota D4-S engines in Lexus models or the later Camry/Sienna/Highlander/Tacoma...

Quick lubes here use Service Champ or Prime Guard. The PG ones look nicely made.

Duralast Gold is made in India - same deal with BrakeBest Select in the yellow/gold box and ImportDirect at OR as well as Carquest Premium/Platinum at AA/Carquest. MAT Roulunds, aka Dan-Blok makes them, and Mercedes Star Parts as well as Volvo uses them as a supplier too. Bendix pads are now...

Those PerfectStops are pretty decent pads. One of the local parts houses carries them as an Auto Value affiliate. Around here, I see more AutoZone drivers than O’Reilly - especially at the mom and pops and Firestone shops.

And the Japanese also had their suppliers come here or formed joint ventures with existing domestic suppliers so they can play by their rules and adopt JIT. One example is interiors - Toyota has their own interiors/safety supplier, Tokai Rika. Tokai Rika setup joint ventures with the then...

I wouldn’t fret over a Honda HR-V or Subaru Forester - both are compact with CVTs, made in Japan. Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to spot a difference between a Japanese and Canadian built RAV4 or a CR-V made in Japan/Ohio/Canada/Mexico. The Japanese are much better at consistency and having...