[serialk11r]

Okay, just removed the noise tube, but I can't get a good photo at night time so whatever. Used a 1.5" rubber cap from Lowes, but it seems a little sketchy since the intake pipe is also rubber and it's very easy to pop the cap off...but it seems to work for many people so whatever. I think the engine sounds a lot better now that there's no strange raspy sound coming through the tube.

Had the worst experience trying to remove the tint though. I tried using a steamer, which left tons of glue on the glass, so I switched to a blowdryer, which didn't do any better, so I decided to pull the film off and remove the glue afterwards.

That glue is a b**** to remove! I first tried putting alcohol on paper towel and rubbing it off, but there was so much that it would gum up. Then I tried window cleaner, which was only good for dissolving a small amount at a time. Then I bought Goof Off and tried that, and from the sheer quantity of glue that was gumming together I realized I should probably try scraping it first.

I didn't have a proper razor so I broke 2 segments off a utility knife and scraped with that. After like half an hour of diligent scraping I managed to get most of both windows clean. Then I went to clean up the residue with Goof Off and went through another pile of towels. I probably got brain damage from all the fumes, and there's still a little left at the bottom and front edge of the windows...:mad0602: I hope the people in the tint shop won't charge me too much to scrape the little bit that's left off, because I'm done with this BS.

On another note, I went to the Toyota dealer today to see if they could get rid of the weird rattle. I scheduled an appointment to get it checked out, then it suddenly dawned on me that it might be coming from the seat. Sure enough, the passenger seat adjustment bar thingy at the bottom made the exact same rattle when I gave it a flick. Whatever the mechanism down there is, it didn't have enough friction on the passenger seat to hold the bar steady. I pulled it a few times and moved the seat around, and the sound went away temporarily, but I'm sure it'll be back.

Then I discovered the source of the rattle coming from the door: the freaking window switches. The window switch assembly wiggles in its socket! I'll take care of that when I go to get the windows tinted next week, since they'll have the doors off.

Just bought a Magnaflow SS Universal muffler, which supposedly flows pretty well and quiets things down considerably. On a Mustang some magazine found a 6dB reduction from a straight pipe, which sounds pretty good. LEDs and some other goodies when I get back from Vegas. Stupid Citibank is taking forever to ship my new credit card.