baadhabit

iTrader: (2)

doing a diy clean up and paint is cheaper. but if youre looking for a set painted already check ebay. ive seen OEM replicas that are black. supposedly the fitment is good but i hear the clear plastic isnt as thick. i would still get the 3m film to protect them.

DexIS300

So here's a little update on my IS300. First off when I got the car the factory cd player didn't work. I'm the kind of person that doesn't like most of the music on the radio, that's what my iPod is for. I also noticed that the rear speakers were close to going out, so I decided it was time for a nice stereo upgrade. I went with all Alpine products and picked up a set of component speakers, rear deck speakers, an amp to power them and a new headunit with iPod hook up. After a weekend of installation everything works and sounds great.




Now onto the latest issue that I had to deal with earlier this week.

I ws on my way to work Wednesday morning when I noticed that my right front tire was flat. I pulled over in a dark parking lot and managed to get my spare on. After stopping at the local Sheetz I noticed that my spare wasalso flat. I proceeded to fill the spare and all my other tires with air and noticed that I had 3 different brand of tires on my car. This wasn't going to work for me, so I took my car to my local Sears Auto Center cause they had some good sales on tires.

I ended up getting a set of Falken 912's and also asked them to check my allignment. I dropped the car off with them at 9:30 am. After almost 2 hours I checked back to see how everything was progressing. This is where the problems started. They snapped a bolt in my right lower control arm. They found the bolt at a local Lexus dealership and I gave them the OK to replace it. 5:00pm rolls around and they finally call me to say that they won't have my car done till the next day. I told them that I needed my car to go to work, and they decided to set me up with a rental at their expense. They also told me that if they couldn't get the bolt out they would have to replace my whole control arm, and I'd have to pay for the parts since they don't cover parts that break. This ticked me off, but I went along with it at the time.

Image of one of my new tires.


The next day they called me while I was at work to say that my car was done. I dropped the rental off, and went to get my car back. The good news was they got the bolt out without having to replace the control arm. I had to eat the cost of the new bolt though.

With all that said, the car handles great with all new tires and an allignment. I'm happy with the new tires, I just wasn't happy with the customer service I got from Sears. Granted they didn't have to set me up with a rental, but I believe that since they broke the bolt, they should've paid to replace it.

Sorry for the long read. I'll get some pictures added to break up the long story.

03LexIS300

I somewhat agree with you on the bolt situation. However, it does all depend on the condition of the bolt, if it broke due to rust and etc that is not Sears fault because they did not put the rust there. However, if it was a bolt that should have came off with no issues and broke due to the technicians mistake then yes it should be covered by them which this is probably the case but who knows.

Cazper

iTrader: (2)

Nice rides... I had a buddy that did some crazy mods to a ZX2 Escort... I would have never thought to mod an Escort before seeing his, but it made me a believer! Look forward to seeing and hearing more of your ride... I'm a new IS 300 owner myself!

DexIS300

Thanks, I guess I'll keep this thread updated with things I do to the car. I still need to replace an O2 sensor, and I'm sticking with the Denzo replacement, not the Bosch.

You can do anything to any car, the hard part is not going overboard with junk parts.

DexIS300

Here are two more pictures I took yesterday of my IS. Please don't mind the dirty wheels, the whole car needs a good bath. One other issue I'm having. The right side fog light went out on me. When I first got the car it was out. I replaced the bulbs in both, and now the same one is out again. I'm thinking it could be a short in the wiring, but I haven't had the time to check. Any thoughts?

IanHen

Check the contacts.
I dont know what type of bulb this is, but based on my experience below this could be your issue.
I had an issue when my center stop light went out. It was clearly Old, prob original.
I put in a new one and the warning light came back on immediately when I drove it next.
took apart again, tested bulb, good, worked Ok, then reassembled, then didnt work !!!

I had to tighten the contacts on the side of the bulb, the new bulb was a bit thinner.

DexIS300

THe fog light bulbs are H3 if I remember correctly. I'll have to find time to take it apart and look at hte contacts. Thanks for the info.

baadhabit

iTrader: (2)

make sure not to touch the actual bulb with your hands. a lot of people dont know that your natural skin oils can kill a bulb early

id also check for condensation. the moisture in the housing will make the bulb go out.

DexIS300

Yea, I know not to touch those bulbs. No worries there.

03LexIS300

they are h3 bulbs, make sure the contacts are good and also make sure the fog light connector is plugged completely in, if you tap the fog light will it come on?