New England B.S. Thread

When I worked as a service tech I found it soo much easier to use a small pick and push up on the plunger and release the main amount of oil.. then when I unscrewed the filter housing i would clean it out with brake cleaner, and I also used my pick that I stuck in the plunger & used to remove the large o-ring to run around the larger new o-ring (underneath it, to be sure the o-ring did not have any twists in it) wiped it with some oil on my fingers, and then carefully screwed the drain cap onto the housing with its new lubed o-ring, the plastic housing was screwed into place with the new filter installed. never had one leak or cracked one... there is a tang that locks the filter housing cap into place, and the filter housing cap should sit flush, there is no TQ setting for it... the filter housing was done as the oil pan is draining to save time. shouldnt take more than 10 minutes...

before this you should have done your check ride, & 100+ point inspection and advised your service rep of any deficiencies/things to watch & notify the customer about: IE: low brake pads, tire wear issues, upcoming recommended service items, handling issues (vibrations/alignment), etc... at that point the rep notifies the customer of any issues, or upcoming issues for service and replacement, and by the time your oil change, and door lock lube is done the customer has paid & scheduled other repairs/services. you do your tire rotation/ clean rims, check tire pressure & check tire balance) after service checks, and after ride (1-2 miles) then do your post service QC... and place new service sticker on the windshield. start to finnish is about 45minutes to an hour depending on the vehicle... the 100+ inspection took most of the time.... tire rotation/balance, and oil change takes about 20 minutes, provided there are no interuptions.

 

The Toyo's are lighter than the Falkens too, which might or might not be important. I've got the Falkens on my Landcruiser, and they have been great. Impressed offroad and onroad they've been great. Pretty damn good in the snow. Tire noise is avearge for an all terrain tire I would say, but mine have about 40k miles on them now so it's to be expected. I was seriously eying the Toyo's for my next tire since they're like 8# lighter a tire in the size i'm running (275/70/18 i.e. ~33.5").

 

Or just go full...and get MT's for a daily driven vehicle. That's likely what i'll do when these falkens burn out, even though an AT would be far more appropriate for my uses. Because i'm dumb, and MT's are cool.

 

they definitly look cooler with the aggressive tread patterns, and just slightly sticking out past the wheel wells...

 

Not that I offroad a lot, but a few times a year. So obviously I need them. Honestly when I had them on my FJ that thing had so much wind noise as it was that they really didn't make a difference noise wise. And damn they do look good. Also I drive like an old lady generally, so I never had any issues in the winter on the packed snow.

 

I use the Toyota service app and log my stuff there

there is a little nozzle that comes with the filter, that is supposed to be jammed up in or something (only done it once so far) and let that drain before removing the filter housing

 

Oh I know, I've used it. That helps. Still gets oil everywhere, compared to my old twist off cartridge style filters on my mazda. I know some people have adaptors to use other filters, I probably won't go that far, but I only do my oil about 2x/year and that's usually by time rather than by miles. I am usually at or around 10k/year, but might be more with the adventure truck instead of an econobox mazda

Just need to "practice" I guess. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually.

 

I have Duratracs in 265/70/17 now... they did well in the snow, and slush here on the coast, just not sure about deep stuff.. and looking to go with a more aggressive look with the lift on the truck now.. possibly go to a 33" tire.. just worried about my MPG's dropping completely, and regearing/OV tune...the list goes on.... as she sits now on Dobinsons 2.4" MRA's, and full 111 leafpacks..

 

The oil burning was isolated in Impreza/Crosstrek/Forester, and most were resolved with a new shortblock covered by Subaru's wonderful 10yr/100,000 mile warranty extension!

The 2012 Impreza, 2013 Crosstrek, and 2014 Forester had the same motor essentially. The issue was fixed around 2015 or so, production wise.

With these new timing chain motors (2012-ish and up) have realistically no issue with head gaskets. They've definitely come a long way!

Leasing works, I leased my STi to get lower payments for 3 years. I still have a little shy of 5 years to pay it off

That was a nice Outback! I seem to do everyone's clutches haha. I have another buddy dropping off his WRX in a few weeks when I get my pickup bed done!

I'd definitely take the boosted 4Runner though!

The CVT whines a lot. It's very mushy. You step on the pedal and it doesn't really do anything. I'd definitely opt for a 6MT Crosstrek. Had I initially bought the Crosstrek for ME, I would have found a manual and not had to deal with this garbage... BUT I was trying to be a nice guy and help out an ex in need... Surprise!! Winter beater added to my collection

Those rear knuckle bolts are a BITCHHHHHH. That's like 1995-2009 rear suspension designs, until they finally got away from that. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you start cutting and hammering!

Gasket issues went away with the timing chain motors.

I still love the EJ motors more!

 

Big tires look so good though....

In all reality 265's will take you probably 95% of places you want to go.

 

I just ordered the Toyo A/T III, from Tire Warehouse, $250 less then TFT's quote.

 

Nice. When I was looking at them, I see they came out this year, and didn't have too many practical reviews yet. There have been a couple of articles out there that say they are good tires. Real curious to see how they treat you over the winter.

 

Everything I've read is that they are great and better than the previous version, and I think the at2's were some of the best AT on the market.

The big question on any AT IMO is: Snow and Rain. Precipitation seems to be the AT's downfall.

 

I'll be updating on this this thread to keep you informed!

I'm gonna like having a new pair of roller skates this winter.

 

Hasn't stopped my yet. Lol. And I've certainly made it through areas a lot quicker than some guys in 285s.


The line for me is 34s or bust.



I prefer AT as well. I spend far more time on wet rock than I do mud, and would rather have surface area over lug clearing tread.



Happy thirsty Thursday er'body

 

I was obsessed with the BRAT as a kid...Neighbors had one and it seemed like the coolest thing ever to have belted seats in the bed

 

Wife went form a 2010 Forrester to a 2018 Crosstrek...
The crosstrek is LOADED every feature...the Eyesight technology for the smart cruise and breaking is awesome for long rides. Used it on a trip to Niagara falls where you're on I90 for 4+ hours...It has the lane departure warning, heated everythings..and no more oil issue.
We love manual transmission but it wasn't available in the high level trim models because you can't use the Eyesight with a manual!
Now she's spoiled by the automatic...
When I drive I use the paddle shifters especially for engine braking and she looks at me like "What are you doing????" and I'm like "That's what it's for!" she always turns off the A/C when she's entering the Highway because it does struggle sometimes....

 

Anyone have experience with an Automotive locksmith? I friend of mine broke her only key for her CRV. It's the key and FOB as one unit. The dealer might be pricey, and I don't know anyone who's used a locksmith before. The FOB itself can be programmed without any special tools, but need someone with Honda's HDS to program the immobilizer.

 

Don't know if @Boston10Taco knows any, but more than likely you'll have to look around since the equipment is pricey to get into doing those kinds of keys

 

In my GM days, I've used garages that had a Tech2 programmer for some ECU related things. They usually charge a flat rate that was much cheaper than a dealer's labor rates. I haven't done it for keys though.

I already managed to lose the valet key on my 4Runner, and to replace that, which doesn't include the FOB part, isn't cheap.