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A lot of that dealer-installed stuff is pretty easy to remove. It’s also lazily installed. Look for T-taps, excess electrical tape/zip ties, or things that don’t look factory. Start underneath the instrument cluster, beneath the driver’s carpet, look at the wiring in the steering column...

If it was me, Delco thought it might be Chinesium or Korean(Mando/Yura/Hanshin). Then OE supplier(Denso/Bosch/Hitachi/Mando). And if it’s between white box Chinesium(or Standard/Wells/Delphi) or FLAPS branded, I’d go FLAPS. You’ll need that warranty.

Just drive it. The Toyota hybrid transaxles have proven to be very reliable and durable. So many of them get abused as Ubers and taxis and still keep on ticking.

IIRC, don’t they sell foam tires for OPE? If it was me before improvising with Great Stuff, I’d buy regular inner tubes and bike tubeless sealant like Stan’s or Orange Seal. No Slime. That stuff’s meh.

I wouldn’t trust those on anything beyond a Prius(despite the fact Bridgestone did target it with the Ecopia EP100/200/422 as OE) - and even so. We had them as OE on the RXh - they rode quiet and that’s about it. A friend had them on her Subaru as OE, I told her you have similar tires as a Prius...

We had Defender LTXs on your Highlander’s sister, a Lexus RX450h. My parents said they rode firm. The ride with the CC2s is fine but not near the silk-like ride of the Pirelli Scorpion AS 3 Plus. Now that this car is no longer an Uber, they’ll be “normal” as far as treadlife and duty cycle goes...

Ditto. If you can install aftermarket, stick to Pioneer, Kenwood/JVC or Alpine. Mazda was nice enough to allow eligible models to upgrade to CarPlay/Android Auto for a fee. Toyota/Lexus is doing the same for certain 2018-2021 models.

If you have any leftover asphalt roofing cement, I’d use that around the battery post before installing the terminal. Else, I’d epoxy it and call it a day.

As long as you have the new GM OE or aftermarket steel/Viton IMGs, it’s fine. Dex-Cool did attack the nylon/silicone gaskets, and almost all universal coolants are Dex-Cool based.

Yea, I think 2-EHA and sebacic acid(sodium neodecoanate) are interchangeable. I’ll avoid 2-EHA as much as as I can since it is aggressive towards silicone, and Toyota loves using RTV instead of a formed FKM/Viton gasket. But, I have Prestone in an older Toyota van, the valley plate was...

I have a hunch unless EBC can get the backing plates from Europe, they are likely using NRS plates. NRS is one of the major aftermarket suppliers of brake backing plates and shims. Japanese and Korean calipers are known for pad clunk if the pads don’t fit as precise as the OEM(Advics, Akebono...

Composite head gaskets were a graphite/fiberglass(or asbestos) material with metal fire rings and sealing elements. The new MLS gaskets are all steel with FKM/silicone sealing beads, embossed fire rings and a PTFE/FKM coating overall. Many modern engines since the 1990s come with MLS as OE.

Toyota calls for plugs in the 2GR-FKS/FXS/FSE/FXE every 60K, Subaru does the same. TGDI is harder on plugs.

OEM. Keep in mind Mercedes has two lines now - the regular “warranty” which will be made in Europe by Pagid/Textar, Jurid or Ferodo and their cheaper StarParts line. The StarParts pads are made in India by MAT Holdings(Dan-Blok) - the same company who makes Carquest Blue/Platinum for AAP and...

The local transit agency is using those in their MCI and Prevost commuter coaches. They look to be decent tires but they are a taxpayer subsidized(via regional grants and BART feeder bus subsidies) operator, and they should be using American-made tires. But they’re also cheaper than running...

I think Toyota used a hydraulic tensioner on those. The UZ/UR and GR engines used a mechanical tension with a coil torsion spring.

FWIW, I’ve installed a Chinese WP in an 4.0L Explorer. No issues, this was 10 years ago. It still works. If it’s Chinesium, it’s worth paying the FLAPS premium for the “warranty”.

There was a ContiTech line years ago - and Conti Germany/Portugal made belts as OEM for Mercedes and BMW. The current Conti belts are similar to the former Goodyear lineup. I think Optibelt is Italian, and also OEM for the Europeans. I do know Bando belts for the aftermarket use a smooth...

I’d stick to M1 EP/Hybrid or Edge Extended(the Mercedes approval is icing on the cake). I think keeping receipts and records is more important than what oil is used. The T24A turbo hybrid is more of a parallel hybrid like the new iForce Max setup in the Tacoma/Tundra/Sequoia. The engine won’t...

Leave the OEM filter in place - it’s made by Filtran/Toyo Roki/Mahle out of a polyester density “felt”. They don’t plug unless there’s a catastrophic transmission failure from internal parts failing(like the sun gear in a 4L60 shattering). Even Allison transmissions used in buses and beer...