What to bring back from the border?
 

Driving down to NYC for Canadian Turkey murdering weekend. Renting a car of course lol.

What exactly should I be getting over the border that is worthwile? Transmission fluid? Diff fluid? SUSTINAs? Any parts?

I know everything is pretty much cheaper there...

Tires :)


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The summer tires, I should. But it is almost winter already. Don't wanna buy just to store them all year...

Cherry Coke.
Mint M&Ms
Vanilla Coke




I was just in the states. Bought a Go Pro Silver in New Hampshire. Didn't pay duties on it either :)


Just bring back cool stuff.

If you want good oil, hit up a Mazda dealer while you're down there...their high moly 0W20 is one of the best on the market. IIRC, it is made by Idemitsu Kosan in Japan. Sadly, it is not available in Canada. The oil at the Mazda dealers in Canada comes from Petro Canada.

Many things are NOT cheaper in the States, or are taxed heavily when coming in. Shop wisely.

I'm going down for 3 days. 800 bucks allowance should be ok

Are there a bunch of failed Mazda engines in Canada?

No. OP mentioned oil (Sustina in particular), I was just making a suggestion for something that isn't available here. It gets very good reviews over on the BITOG forums. The high moly content oils are fairly sought after and respected.

^So is the standard Toyota oil and it's much easier to get.

Considering most, if not all of you guys drain your oil at 5-8k anyways, having high moly just means your draining it out when it still has high moly. It's a waste and you'll never see the benefits of these oils unless you run extended drains.

We just ran Amsoil OE (rated for 6k) in our 2011 Honda CRZ for 13k. Oil analysis came back perfect with the moly just starting to get to lower levels. It probably had 15k in it easy. But I bet you 99.9% of forum members here will NEVER run their oil out that far. Heck, I run Amsoil SS in my FRS and drain it with less than 8k...but that's because it's my baby :)

So back on topic, I would pick up some of the fine craft beer the USA has to offer. I always grab a case or two of Dogfish Head beer when I'm down. It's not cheap but worth every penny. I'm headed down next weekend and also plan on getting some household storage stuff because it seems they are 50% cheaper just over the border.

I know our bulk stuff is Petro Can. I'll check a quart though when I go in on Monday

If you're a photography guy, B&H photo is the world's best store.

I spent about 3 hours in there

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Absolutely...that's what I use, and the price can't be beat. It was just an alternative suggestion to the OP as he mentioned going to the States and the possibility of picking up some Sustina.



When I first read up on Mazda's high moly oil, I went to my local (Canadian) Mazda dealer and checked out a quart bottle...it's Petro Can...not the same stuff. I wasn't really heartbroken over it though, as the TGMO I've been using is a very good oil, and my OCI is pretty short.

Thanks guys, quite some inputs.

Car related stuff:

My EP needs a MTF change right away. Thinking of picking up some Honda OEM oil, quite a bit cheaper. My BRZ is quite new but I might want to do first oil change at 6k and MTF/Diff oil change at 10. So need to pick some good stuff up:

1. What kind of oil does our local Toyota/Subaru dealers run? Not the high moly goodies as the states either? Might just buy 12pk of that Mazda/Toyota OEM oil as the prices seem pretty friendly for such a highly rated oil.
2. I have the notorious 2nd gear grind at cold too so I want to find a good oil that make that go away. Suggestions?
3. Never owned a car with a diff before. Do we use different fluid in gearbox and diff?

Non-car related: I do think I will hit up a camera store when I am down there. I will keep an eye out for B&H. Thanks.

All those suggestions of cola... I barely drink carbonated drinks, can't stand not being able to gulp down cold drink like a mule LOL.

Bring back full tank of gas.

1. I'm fairly sure (not 100%) That the bottled oil at our local Subi and Toyota dealers is the same as the U.S. versions. The Subaru oil is also made by idemitsu (but a different formula than the Mazda oil), and the Toyota oil (TGMO) is made by Exxon-Mobil. I get my TGMO for about $5/litre for a case of 12 locally, so it is hard to imagine US prices being much less.


2. Pentosin MTF2 fluid. It really helps with the 2nd gear thing in cooler climates. Don't just take my word for it...read through some of the multiple threads in the engine/transmission and fluids threads before you make your decision. I have seen prices as low as $20 and as high as $35 locally for 1 litre, and it is not that easy to find. Someone posted pictures of it on the shelf in the US. It was at one of the big chain stores, but I cant recall if it was Autozone, Pep Boys, or where it was. Something to keep in mind, though, the spec for the transmission is 75W90...Pentosin is 75W80.


3. In most cases, yes...rear diff and trans use a different fluid. A straight up rear diff fluid (GL-5) will contain additives (mainly sulphur, IIRC) that are hard on some metals in the transmission. The actual spec for the rear diff is 75W85 GL-5, with 75W90 as an acceptable substitute. With a Torsen diff like we have in these cars, a limited slip additive isn't necessary, but it wont hurt if it is there. I use Redline 75W85 lightweight gear oil in mine.

This, good thing when I was down there they were closed otherwise I probably would have dropped a few bucks there!

@roddy Would you mind pm'ing me which dealership you go to for TGMO?

Alright guys seems like it's either Mazda in the states or just Toyota local now?