My beautiful blue daily driver in New England

[Books]

UPDATES:

4. CEL issues (9/10/12)

5. CEL Issue Update (9/17/12)

6. Pre-post CEL Impressions (9/18/12)

7. Post CEL Impressions: (10/8/12)

8. 5K miles and quick update of things to come: (11/30/12)

9. 7k miles and mod updates! (And the world didn't end!) (12/28/12)

10. Hurricane nemo, small debadge, dash wrap, weathertech mats! (And a new tail light)(2/24/13)

11. Nameless overipipe/frontpipe, Hella supertones, and more!

12. First Autocross

13. Fall Mods

14. Spring Mods - Springs and shocks!

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In no particular order, my list of mods: (Updated 7/16/14)
-Airraid Intake
-Nameless 2.5" Axleback. 5" mufflers
-Nameless 2.5" Frontpipe/Overpipe combo. High Flow Cat, Helmholtz Resonator
-Hotchkis front and rear sway bars
-Perrin Front endlinks
-Weathertech Floormats and trunk mat
-Hella Supertones
-Kartboy Lightweight Crank Pulley
-Kartboy short shifter
-Valenti Smoked Tail lights
-Enkei GP5 17x8 wheels
-Koni front and rear shocks/struts
-RCE Tarmac springs
-SPC front camber bolts
-SPC Rear lower control arms
-Kenwood 12" Subwoofer and Amp
-Cusco Front strut bar with Brake Brace
-Innovate Non-IC Supercharger

[/B]------------------------------------------------

On August 17, I was finally a proud owner of an Ultramarine FR-S. I ordered it a few days after July 4th weekend so I didn't really wait that long. Though, waiting for the car felt like forever! I shopped around as much as I could but alas, all the manuals in the area were scooped up by very lucky people.

So a checklist for myself, and anyone else who wants to get one: (and because I was a bit worried about reading all the issues online)

• Check all fluids
• Check for rips in the rear seat
• Check if the car was filled with Premium fuel
• Listen for rattles any loose parts in the trunk
• Inspect the sheet metal in the trunk
• If your trunk buttons are not working, there is a button in the trunk to enable/disable that. To open the trunk, there is a key hole to the right of the license plate facing upwards (very awkward to open)
• Set sound system to FR-S and enable SUB Control
• No dealer wash (for those who are interested in maintaining the car themselves)

And for the break in period, i'm babying my car and keeping it under 4k RPM and 60mph. Shift those gears often and vary your RPM!

Initial impressions:
I remember the day on August 11 when my dealer called me and told me that the car's status changed to 'built'... I was ecstatic. My car arrived with 12 miles on it about 5 days later, pretty much as new as you can get. The handling, the steering, the gear changing, all felt very solid. The seats held me in and going around corners felt immaculate. It was unreal to be sitting inside and OWNING! an FR-S. Bluetooth was easy to set up and the 300W sound system sounds wonderful (after I fixed the settings). The cabin quality was very good and there was a lot of nice soft touch areas and leather (probably fake but still awesome) in a lot of areas, especially the back of the seats. It was a nice touch. In terms of storage space, I knew going in that there wouldn't be enough. The globe box is kinda small and the middle cubby is ok. I need to figure out what to put in that tiny slot in the center console. I'm currently using the back seat as a large shelf, much easier than putting things in the trunk. And lastly, I set my rev indicator to 3500 RPM for the break in. The beep and light is actually one of my favorite features of the car, it makes it very fun.

Here is my baby sitting in the lot after arrival:


A few cool/interesting things: The manual came with a first aid kit complete with scissors and pamphlet for common emergencies, hilarious but useful. I really liked being able to adjust the cabin light brightness. There is a second 12V plug inside the glovebox, great for radars and dashcams. And in the trunk, there were a few surprising extra tools. The included tow hook was very surprising (along with a screw driver). It's painted pink but very cool nonetheless.

SNOW:
So I can't avoid this issue, especially living in New England. Snow WILL be an issue and I will have to deal with all the salt and snow on the road. And eventually all the little dings and scratches from rocks on the road. So I definitely will be getting Blizzaks and possibly some cheap rims. I will update this section when it starts snowing.

1. First tasks:
First thing I did for my car was to get some cleaning materials. I never really cleaned my old car (A 2002 Accord), other than going to the car wash and it's suffered some neglect in the past few years. So this was all new to me but the cleaning section of this forum was very helpful.

Keep in my that I don't have a garage or driveway to clean so I plan on stopping by a friends house or a local manual wash to do that. But for the rest of the cleaning process (wax and stuff), here is my first initial modest cleaning kit:

(Definitely incomplete)

• 9 pack microfiber towels
• 9 sq ft waffle weave drying towel
• wax applicator pads
• Mother's California Gold Pure Brazilian Carnauba Wax Liquid
• Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax
• Meguiar's Hot Shine High Gloss Tire Spray
• Easy Clay 100g clay bar
• Chemical Guys Hybrid V7 Sealant and Detailer
• Stoner's Invisible Glass

Explanation and mini reviews:

I'm new to this and I'm pretty sure somebody out there is going to tell me what I bought or did is wrong, but it's ok. It's going to be lots of trial and error. I also don't plan on getting it Opti-coated, despite the popularity since I plan on waxing it frequently. In the future, I plan on getting and trying some soaps (Glossworkz is one, off the top of my head) and also some different waxes (more chemical guys stuff) and different tire cleaner and sprays. So far, the results have been great (Most of it due to my car being new too). And lastly, the waffle weave drying towel is a must! It was insanely useful in drying my car.

-Waxes: I have not used the Mothers wax yet (I don't think i need to yet) but I have used the Chemical Guys one because it's not really a 'main' wax and my car is already waxed or something (i assume). Also, it smells really nice! I put a layer on my car and two on the hood, looks wonderful. In fact, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Applicator pads are a must, I used a towel before hand and it was not fun. I plan on getting some real wax in the future as I do have access to one of those electric waxer/buffer tools. I'm also considering trying out Mequiar's Ultimate Quick Wax for waxing in between main waxes.

-Sealant/Detailer: So I can't visually see the sealant 'working' but I'm sure it's there. As a detailer, it's been very handy when I find some dusty spots or when I need to clean the bug graveyard that is my front bumper. This also smells nice... what is it with the nice smelling Chemical Guys products?? I like it!

-Stoner's invisible glass: Works great, doesn't streak and makes my windows 'invisible'. One thing though, which I think is my own fault, at night my windows get all foggied up and looks like it's my own wiping marks all over my window. Some spots are pretty clean so I think it's just my technique. Running my wipers fixed the issue and it returned to it's 'invisible' state.

-Tire Spray: This is my favorite so far. It gives my tires a nice glossy "new" black look. This stuff was cheap ($6ish) and looks like you can use it many many times. The gloss that my dealer (or it came like that) used was much shinier, maybe it was some of the silicone crap I hear the detailers on these forums complain about. So I can't complain, it looks great but since it's so cheap I won't mind buying other brands and seeing what looks the best.

I haven't used the clay bar yet but it's not anything special. The microfiber towels work great and the drying towel is super useful.

Future buys: Need a 'real' wax, need some soap and foam, more tire maintenance (spray, brush, etc.), maybe different microfiber towels, more as I go along.

And here are the results, beautiful:





Hood looks insanely shiny!






Sunset


And here it is parked in Boston:


And this is what I get when I drive at night (Pic taken the next morning). There was a bigger bug that went splat right in the middle of my windshield I should have taken a picture of.



2. Some actual minor mods:
So my first 'mods' are pretty minor. I mean, I just got the car and I need to break it in and enjoy it for a bit. I ordered wheel locks (Amazon), mud guards (Amazon), and LEDs for interior and trunk from AutomationLED on these forums. A lot of popular mods seem to be emblem swap, plasti-dip, new shift knob, frosted tail lights, lower rear lights, HIDs and a few others. The Scion logo is fine by me, I actually think it looks better than Toyota and I'd also need to change steering wheel to for a complete swap. In the end, I know it's a Toyota. Tail lights seem to be a lot of work and making them red or black doesn't really match my blue imo. I also like my curent shift know but I may consider changing it. Lower rear lights and HIDs will come in time I think. Those lower rear lights look like a pain in the butt to do though.

Wheel Locks: Pretty easy and self explanatory install. Take one nut from each tire and replace it with a wheel lock. I used the cars own tools but I need a torque wrench in the future.

Mud Guards: I ordered these off of Amazon and installed them by myself. First one was the hardest but once I figured everything out it was a piece of cake. I haven't drilled the holes yet for the rears, but so far it looks great and is holding up. I think they 'complete' the look of the car and I'm glad they weren't the mud flaps.

Cabin/trunk LEDs: Also another easy install. I made a few marks opening the cabin light panel but not a big deal. I ordered the Godzilla lights and boy are these LEDs super bright. There's only one light in the cabin so I figured I needed something bright. These are extremely bright! It looks wonderful at night when you unlock your car and the lights go on. Everyone outside can see everything inside. Trunk light was also easy to install. The hardest part about that was the hot bulb. I used a rubber glove to quickly pull it out and stuck in the LED. It's very bright and I'm considering taking off the light cover to make it brighter. It's already pretty bright.

It's very hard to take a picture of a light, but you can see the cabin light. YES, I know it's off center. I'll fix that when I get the chance.

Future mods:
So far, i'm thinking about getting a Front Tower Bar, a new Exhaust, and anything performance wise but that will be after about 3000 miles or so. I've read that the car gets even smoother after that so I will wait until then. The bar will be a cheap and easy upgrade, So I may get that earlier. And maybe a cold air intake, but I see people posting about problems in which it looks like people need a tune. Other than that, I don't really know what I really want to change. Time will tell. I'm sure there are a few cosmetic things I can get too, like a fuel door, tinted windows, exhaust tips, Plasti-dipping all the things, etc. Maybe i'll get a new air filter, I dunno. And as for the turbo? I plan on keeping my warranty for now but it's definitely something I will consider in the future. This car definitely feels like it could use some more power. And for the interior, maybe I'll get a better sound system and a subwoofer in the trunk. I DEFINITELY need all rubber mats for the cabin and the trunk and I'll be getting those when they're released. I don't want to buy the carpet trunk mat and flip it, I can wait for a real one.


3. Post Break-In period:
My car is around 1300 miles, all broken in. Still need to get to 3K to get everything smoothed out though. I'm finally able to go past 4K RPM and it feels amazing! The first few times the car sounded very... tinny, like a tin can but nowadays it's smoother. I'm sure it'll sound better as time goes by. It seems to easy to get to 80mph and I won't be able to tell unless I look at my speedo. Also, car keeps getting dirty and dusty all the time! Why are you so dirty Mother Nature! And driving at night brings in all the bugs, I think I hate driving at night now. I see moth... I see moth hit my car... I get home and I see moth on bumper along with a few friends... I clean moth and friends off bumper... Rinse and Repeat. It's a vicious cycle.

[Books]

(Now updated with pics)


4. CEL issues: (9/10/12)
OH NO! The check engine light and the traction control light came on. Brought it to the dealer this morning and I was told there was a problem with the camshaft. I know there are a few threads here about the same exact issue. Other than a power reduction, my engine sounded fine. No unexpected random engine crickets or anything. Wish me luck. I have about 1500 miles on it so far and just filled my 4th tank of gas over the weekend. I did get a Camry loaner, eww.

Update: They said they are going to replace the VVT-i gear and the ECU. Parts are coming in from Japan and all this should be fixed in a week or two.

5. CEL Issue Update: (9/17/12)

[CharlieChaos]

Originally Posted by Books

(Now updated with pics)


4. CEL issues: (9/10/12)
OH NO! The check engine light and the traction control light came on. Brought it to the dealer this morning and I was told there was a problem with the camshaft. I know there are a few threads here about the same exact issue. Other than a power reduction, my engine sounded fine. No unexpected random engine crickets or anything. Wish me luck. I have about 1500 miles on it so far and just filled my 4th tank of gas over the weekend. I did get a Camry loaner, eww.

Update: They said they are going to replace the VVT-i gear and the ECU. Parts are coming in from Japan and all this should be fixed in a week or two.

Same problem here but they were only replacing my VVT-I gear hope you get it back soon.

We should get all the NE people together hit up scikotics as well

[Books]

5. CEL Issue Update: (9/17/12)

Well, got the call that my car is ready to go. They ended up not replacing the camshaft and just flashing the ECU, I have no idea if they just reset it or put an actual update. I am very worried that it's going to come back up again but instead end up grenading...

I guess it's nice thing is they gave me a free loaner and detailing. In terms of service, my service rep has been keeping me updated this whole time. I've been very happy with their service. The only thing this whole thing is going to cost is my time, not bad.

6. Pre-post CEL Impressions: (9/18/12)

[jesperswe]

You are not the only one who got a new ECU flash. I might actually be bad software in the ECU causing the problems.

[PFunk]

Nice ride!

I am under the impression that this engine "break in" period you are speaking of is really a non-issue in today's engines.

I was given some convincing reasons but forget what they are, and am not much of a mechanically inclined guy.

thoughts?

[Books]

Originally Posted by jesperswe

You are not the only one who got a new ECU flash. I might actually be bad software in the ECU causing the problems.

I hope so! I'll definitely be keep everyone updated.

Originally Posted by PFunk

Nice ride!

I am under the impression that this engine "break in" period you are speaking of is really a non-issue in today's engines.

I was given some convincing reasons but forget what they are, and am not much of a mechanically inclined guy.

thoughts?

Well, my CEL issues happened around 1500 miles so it was technically "broken in". I don't really care about the break-in conspiracy theories, I babied mine up until 1k miles and it wasn't a big deal to do so, but to each their own. The manual says that you should be under 4k RPM and under 60mph for the first 1k miles. I'm sure breaking the break-in period won't do any harm (short term at least imo) since on the track, engines are rebuilt quite often and they run just fine. I prefer the "better safe then sorry" ideology.

[dtrop]

Where in MA are you? I live like 8 minutes south of nashua, NH in MA

[Books]

Originally Posted by dtrop

Where in MA are you? I live like 8 minutes south of nashua, NH in MA

If you lived close enough, you would recognize where I took my pics

[Books]

6. Pre-post CEL Impressions: (9/18/12)

Why "Pre"? Because all it takes is one week in an automatic Camry to desensitize myself! The moment I sat back in my own FR-S, it felt like the "first" time again. I felt like I was sitting way too low, the windshield view felt cramped, the clutch felt SO heavy, and the shifter just felt... weird. The first 30 minutes felt like riding a bicycle or swimming for the first time in 10 years. Shifting and reversing was very wobbly and I got really close to stalling but I compensated by giving more gas first (between 2-3k RPM). So for the CEL issues, I got a free loaner and free detail. I don't want to complain about the detailing, they did a nice job on the interior... but the exterior looks great only from afar. It is when you get closer you will see smudges in a few random spots and the windows... oh dear the windows were full of streaks. In the evening in the sunset, all the smudges and streaks showed up and I couldn't see out the window. I don't mind the rest of the car getting dusty and bird poo but the windows... I look through them! So they need to be maintained often. I will take care of all that after work today for sure. Yes, I know i'm really picky. But it's my car and I will clean it as often as I please. They did use a nice tire gloss again, maybe it was some silicone stuff but whatever they use it's super slick, I like it. I don't know where the ECU is but I took a quick peek under the hood and it looked fine.

Chirping- So I finally paid attention and I hear it now. I'm sure they were there before but I don't really remember. I have to conclude that my engine is fine and the chirping is fine. What I get is a quiet constant high pitched chirping noise (a spinning wheel, slightly lubricated metal on metal I assume) and the ticks every now and then (one of the wheels starting and stopping). The stereo system will easily drown out the noise and even the wind noise too. I'm sure most people complaining about chirping are actually fine, i'm thinking it's mainly a cosmetic thing but it's entirely reasonable to complain about it because I'm sure it can get annoying to some people. I've seen some videos where the chirping is really loud and those are definitely issues.

Idle Dip- I've had this 'issue' beforehand and I still have it now. It's when i'm coming to a stop, I go into neutral and my RPM dips down to maybe 500-700 RPM for a split second. Short enough to hear my engine almost stall out. I never really minded that and I assumed it was part of the pseudo start/stop technology we have that will probably be smoothed out in time. I believe it was something along the lines of stopping the combustion when you downshift and when you do a combination of gas and then braking (or vice versa, I don't remember). Maybe it is a problem, but so far my car has been running fine. My experience is from an old manual Honda Accord where there were plenty of chirps, ticks, and idle dips... which is why a lot of these things seem 'normal' to me. Sure it's a new car, but it's not a luxury car and don't forget we're literally using explosions and tons of mechanical moving parts working together to go places. EDIT: Ok, I take this back. Apparently this really is an issue: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=476

More to come as I adjust back to my car. Hopefully in the next few days so I can do a real analysis. And also, forgot to mention that i've driven about 40 miles so far.

7. Post CEL Impressions: (10/8/12)

[Books]

7. Post CEL Impressions: (10/8/12)

Almost 900 miles post fix... So I wanted to give an update a bit earlier but I wanted to make sure my findings were correct before I made a post. My initial impressions were that I was getting crappier mpgs but after filling up two more tanks, it proved to be wrong. I ended up getting around 28mpg for the next two fillups... Keeping in mind that I am a spirited driver and also a part-time redlight hero. This car is just fun to drive.

So I am happy and sad to report that post CEL, absolutely nothing changed as far as I can tell. I'm happy that everything felt great and worked as expected. I'm sad that Toyota didn't sneak in some extra horsepower, but that was never going to happen anyways. I haven't seen (if any) other reports about post-CEL but I imagine that they will be pretty uneventful. Car drives wonderfully and I hope it stays that way for the next several years.

8. 5K miles and quick update of things to come: (11/30/12)

[Turbowned]

Glad to head you got it sorted! Toyota's usually pretty good about finding a fix quickly.

[cdo221]

I was just surfing random threads and saw that you didn't drill the extra hole for each mud guard. Are they still holding up well without that extra mount?

[Books]

8. 5K miles and quick update of things to come: (11/30/12)

Haven't posted in a while so I figured i'll make a quick update of things to come:

Oil Change: I got it changed around 3.5k miles. Mentally I feel my car is healther. Physically, I think the car a bit more refined.

Mud guards: They're holding up even though I haven't drilled the last hole for the rears. Over the Fall there were chunks of leaves stuck in between but they were easy to clean. I'm sure they'll be fine in the snow because I think the last hole just prevents it from moving side to side. The snow is coming up from the bottom, which the guards are stable. We will have to see.

Mods: Gimmick Motorsports Hood Dampers, Airraid intake, grimmspeed brake brace, and Nameless offset axleback Exhaust. Reviews are already all over the forum but I'll make a big post later. Exhaust literally arrives today.

Snow: A day after Sandy, I drove in about 1 inch of snow. On stock tires... Nope, I could barely stay in line. I just didn't feel safe at all. Any sudden acceleration and deceleration caused my back end to swing into the zig zag of death. Surprisingly, while at a red light on a hill I was able to actually move.. albeit a ton of slip but I got moving and was on my merry way. As a last resort, sure the car can get me somewhere in a pinch if I really need to be there. Which brings me to...

New shoes: I decided to designate my stock rims as my snow rims. I got a set of 4 Blizzak WS70s. I think i've lost some traction, but it's more fun. And even better with snow. These tires haven't seen snow yet but i'm no longer worried.

This is just a summary of what's to come! And of course pictures!

9. 7k miles and mod updates! (And the world didn't end!) (12/28/12)