[blackasta]

Well its been a while - and the old lady just drives on. Crossed 133500 miles a few days back. The weather here in Wisconsin is crappy to say the least with rain almost every other day. Once summer (assuming there is a summer in this part of US) sets in properly, i have to take my ride for a nice wash in the gas station across the street (no car washing in this apartment complex), and then maybe do a regular round of wax/seal.
Also - there is a small issue of the gas pedal being stuck on cold mornings during start. A firm push releases that. I guess the throttle body needs cleaning. Planning on that maybe in a couple of weeks.

[SankalpDesai]

hey blackasta,

you mind sharing some more pictures of the car for our visual pleasure? i would love to see pics in the urban landscape with lots of tall buildings and other cars around. and also some interiors snaps. hope i'm not asking too much!!

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by SankalpDesai

hey blackasta,

you mind sharing some more pictures of the car for our visual pleasure? i would love to see pics in the urban landscape with lots of tall buildings and other cars around. and also some interiors snaps. hope i'm not asking too much!!

I would be glad to share pictures - but don't have high hopes regarding tall buildings. I stay in a suburb of Milwaukee and the tallest building I have come across is my 7 storied fat boxy office. But hey - we got a Maserati dealership here!

[blackasta]

Few pictures on the DIY install of front component and rear coaxial speakers:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ask-gu...ml#post2391925

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Well its been a while - and the old lady just drives on. Crossed 133500 miles a few days back. =Once summer (assuming there is a summer in this part of US) sets in properly, i have to take my ride for a nice wash in the gas station across the street (no car washing in this apartment complex), and then maybe do a regular round of wax/seal.

Hey my camry crossed 133500 miles recently too. i am approaching 135000 miles and will do its regular service than. I took my car to a popular car wash and they charged $20 for interior, exterior, underbody, wheel dressing.

Did you get transmission fluid, PS Fluid change anytime soon?

I need to replace my rear speakers, but i don't have the skill to do it myself. Will have to do it outside, so i guess i would be spending $100-$150 for a $50 speaker.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by chevelle

I need to replace my rear speakers, but i don't have the skill to do it myself. Will have to do it outside, so i guess i would be spending $100-$150 for a $50 speaker.

You can buy the speakers & an InstallCard from Crutchfield.

InstallCard: Speaker or Subwoofer Prepaid installation card — for one pair of speakers or a subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

InstallCard for a speaker is $54.

(Not used their installcard though)

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Hey my camry crossed 133500 miles recently too. i am approaching 135000 miles and will do its regular service than. I took my car to a popular car wash and they charged $20 for interior, exterior, underbody, wheel dressing.

Did you get transmission fluid, PS Fluid change anytime soon?

I need to replace my rear speakers, but i don't have the skill to do it myself. Will have to do it outside, so i guess i would be spending $100-$150 for a $50 speaker.

I will get the fluids checked soon - I suspect the PS fluid needs a top up and the brakes need to be checked. It either the brake play, or brake pads or brake fluid which needs to be changed.

Rear speakers are pretty simple to replace and should not take more than half an hour. But if you don't feel confident it's better to go for professional installation.

Originally Posted by carboy

You can buy the speakers & an InstallCard from Crutchfield.

InstallCard: Speaker or Subwoofer Prepaid installation card — for one pair of speakers or a subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

InstallCard for a speaker is $54.

(Not used their installcard though)

Yes that is one good option.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by carboy

You can buy the speakers & an InstallCard from Crutchfield.

InstallCard: Speaker or Subwoofer Prepaid installation card — for one pair of speakers or a subwoofer at Crutchfield.com

InstallCard for a speaker is $54.

(Not used their installcard though)

Thanks for the link. If i am spending $54 on installcard, i can get the pro install done for $60-$70 outside. not a huge difference.

i am gonna search on the web if i can find an install video or guide. May take the plunge and do it myself.

[blackasta]

Time for some more woes - the unavoidable burden of owning a (very) used car.
The passenger side rear door lock creates a buzzing sound when I lock/unclock the car with remote/central lock. Couple of minutes in Google and I am 99% sure that its the motor in the door lock actuator that has gone kaput.
Inevitably the dealer shall try to charge me somewhere in the region of 150-200 and change the whole lock assembly.
I plan to open up the door panel this weekend, check out the actuator (this is a commonly reported failure in Protege as I could make it out from the forums) and be 100% sure. Then have to order the actuator for 50 odd bucks - and replace it on the next weekend.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Time for some more woes - the unavoidable burden of owning a (very) used car.
The passenger side rear door lock creates a buzzing sound when I lock/unclock the car with remote/central lock. Couple of minutes in Google and I am 99% sure that its the motor in the door lock actuator that has gone kaput.
Inevitably the dealer shall try to charge me somewhere in the region of 150-200 and change the whole lock assembly.
I plan to open up the door panel this weekend, check out the actuator (this is a commonly reported failure in Protege as I could make it out from the forums) and be 100% sure. Then have to order the actuator for 50 odd bucks - and replace it on the next weekend.

So took out the door lock actuator this morning so that i can be sure of the part number that I order. The passenger side rear door is now basically a no remote/no central lock door.

The actuator looks like this:

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Also - there is a small issue of the gas pedal being stuck on cold mornings during start. A firm push releases that. I guess the throttle body needs cleaning. Planning on that maybe in a couple of weeks.

At last managed to find some time this weekend to clean the throttle body.
Took out the air intake hose from the throttle body, twitched the cable pulley to fully open the butterfly valve, and sprayed a whole lot of throttle body cleaner in. Cleaned the gunk with a cotton towel , and repeated again.
After satisfactory cleaning, put back the air intake hose, and started the car (which made some noise and idled uneasily while I raced the engine for sometime). After a few miles of driving, the engine note became normal, and I could feel the throttle become more responsive.
No drastic improvements in power, but the throttle response has increased by a bit, and the gas pedal sticking in cold mornings is history.

[blackasta]

Took the car to a local 'Team tires Plus' to get the regular maintenance and servicing done. I would have done the oil/filter change myself, but there were few more things to be done - so got them done all at once.

* 50 point check up
* Changed oil with Kendall GT1 10w30 full synthetic + filter
* Tires rotated
* rear drum brakes tightened and greased
* front disc brake rotors cleaned
* coolant flushed and new coolant filled
* other fluids topped off

I was guessing that they would suggest the brakes or belts to be changed, but to my surprise they advised neither. Only additional suggestion was to change my transmission fluid and battery.

Paid around $200 for the mentioned services + material.
The old one continues to drive like a champ at 140000+ miles.

[blackasta]

Went for another regular service at the beginning of this month - regular visual inspection did not show any red flags.

The old lady drives on at 147K+ kms, and continues to give 28-31 mpg.

Items done as part of regular servicing:

* Changed oil with Kendall GT1 10w30 full synthetic + filter
* Air filter changed

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Time for some more woes - the unavoidable burden of owning a (very) used car.
The passenger side rear door lock creates a buzzing sound when I lock/unclock the car with remote/central lock. Couple of minutes in Google and I am 99% sure that its the motor in the door lock actuator that has gone kaput.
Inevitably the dealer shall try to charge me somewhere in the region of 150-200 and change the whole lock assembly.
I plan to open up the door panel this weekend, check out the actuator (this is a commonly reported failure in Protege as I could make it out from the forums) and be 100% sure. Then have to order the actuator for 50 odd bucks - and replace it on the next weekend.

Originally Posted by blackasta

So took out the door lock actuator this morning so that i can be sure of the part number that I order. The passenger side rear door is now basically a no remote/no central lock door.

The actuator looks like this:

Attachment 610793

Attachment 610794

So after procrastinating for exactly an year - I put a new actuator in place, and the PA side rear door lock works with the remote again.
A DIY task of 30 minutes and $50, put off for one complete year due to my laziness! Car gods will not forgive me.

[blackasta]

Bid goodbye to my Protege today for $2300 as I am to return back to India in a couple of weeks. Drove just more than 2 years and put on 22000+ miles, without any major issues to face. Will miss the super dependable ride for sure.