Toyota Supra AMS Performance Anti-Wind Buffeting Kit

June 24, 2020 in Automotive, Review

One of the most complained about things that I’ve seen with the new A90 Supra is the wind buffeting issue. If you’re unaware, when driving the Supra with the windows down and depending on the speed, wind will enter the cabin and will very noticeably buffet. This creates a very bad user experience and was a huge oversight on Toyota and BMW’s part.

Because this is such a prominent issue, a few different companies have introduced solutions that basically revolve around the same concept and that is to stick something on the side mirror plates to deflect the oncoming wind.

Today, we are specifically looking at AMS Performance’s MKV Supra Anti-Wind Buffeting Kit. The particular version that I went with has a gloss finish but this particular model is also available in matte carbon and a black ABS plastic version coming soon.

Installation for this product is as easy as can be. The kit comes with preinstalled with double-sided tape and this is used to stick the deflectors on to the mirror plates. That being said, there are some steps that we can take to prep the surface and help to promote better adhesion.

I’m going to start off by washing the area. For this task, I’m specifically using Chemical Guys Mr. Pink. This is a plain car shampoo with no additional additives. You don’t want to use something like a wash and wax because it leaves behind a thin layer of the additive and this can prevent the double-sided tape from adhering properly.

Next, I’m going to do chemical decontamination by using Adam’s Iron Remover. This product adheres to and dissolves iron particles that may have embedded themselves into the surface.

Next, I’m going to mechanically decontaminant the surface with a Meguiar’s Professional clay bar and Mirror Glaze Final Inspection. This process will pick up any remaining contaminants that may be on the surface.

Finally, I’m going to hit the surface with Chemical Guys Wipe Out. This is an isopropyl alcohol mixture that will strip the surface of any oils and residues. This will leave the surface completely bare and ready for the installation of the defectors.

Now, I know some of you may be watching this video and think that I really went the extra mile in preparing the surface. Some people may just stick the deflectors on and call it a day. You can very well do that but the main thing that I want to point out is that because the deflectors are something that we’re going to stick on and likely will not be taking off any time soon, anything that’s on the mirror plate surface will be trapped under the deflectors. They will be protected from any cleaning and depending on the contaminant, can spread and possibly cause damage. I would rather spend some time from the get-go and save myself possible future headaches.

Again, the deflectors come with two strips of double-sided tape preinstalled. I went ahead and added my own tape to create a solid barrier. Without this, there were noticeable gaps where contaminants could seep in and completely defeats the purpose of all the prep that I previously did.

If you think that I’m exaggerating, take a look at this picture of my rear spoiler during the pollen season. It’s completely caked all around the edges. Had I not properly sealed off the edges, all of that will be sitting between the tape, inside the spoiler.

So, for the wind deflectors, I tried to make one solid perimeter of tape. Contaminants will still be able to sit along the outer edges but so can water and that can potentially push the contaminants out rather than having a chunk of empty space in the middle where everything can collect.

Prior to sticking the deflectors onto the mirror plates, peel off a small section of tape’s backing. Crease the backing so that it hangs over the side. Doing this will allow us to position the deflectors without them fully sticking in place and still be able to remove the backing once everything is positioned. When you’re happy with the placement, slowly peel the rest of the backing off. Apply firm pressure to all the taped surface.

One side is complete. Repeat on the other and you’re good to go.

Overall, I would say that I like this product a lot. They do what they’re supposed to and don’t look half bad but I would like to note some quality control issues. This product was originally introduced in a matte finish and the added clear coat finish shown here only recently became available. The clear coat on my deflectors looks pretty good for the most part but there are some inconsistencies. This is mainly on the edges where sections don’t even have clear coat and there’s some apparent pitting. Again, this is on the edge where no one will see so I don’t really mind. However, after installation, I noticed that there were some white lines on the driver’s side deflector. I’m not saying that it is, but upon closer inspection, it looks like there’s a big white water spot about a one and a half inches wide. This spot is definitely under the clear coat and cannot be cleaned off. I have no idea how I missed this and it kind of sucks. It’s just one of those things that once you know it’s there, you’ll never unsee it. I’m currently in contact with AMS and the reseller. Hopefully, they’ll be able to help me out with this issue. Take my situation as a learning experience. If you’re buying these AMS deflectors, make sure to fully inspect them. If you’re worried about damages like I had, just skip the AMS altogether because there are other companies that produce the same thing.

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Meguiar's M3401 Final Inspection https://amzn.to/2V0ccn3

Chemical Guys Wipe Out https://amzn.to/3dTt4V3

All the Auto Detailing Equipment I Use: https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AF43XRPGVOUH2E5CJXQY4FIOGVAQ/3AI3XVAQEMORX?type=explore&ref=idea_cp_vl_ov_d

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Ethos Car Care Wheel Cleaner

June 21, 2020 in Automotive, Review

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The Rag Company Cyclone Microfiber Wash Mitts https://amzn.to/3cSFjPY

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Mess free Oil Changes with an Oil Extractor

June 17, 2020 in Automotive, Review

I recently came across the topic of doing an oil change with an oil extractor. This essentially allows you to suck the oil out of an engine through the dipstick channel. As a result, there is less chance of making a mess and if you have easy access to the oil filter, you don’t even have to lift the car and this makes the entire process safer.

Most of the extractors that I’ve seen are manual in the sense that you have to use a hand pump to create a vacuum that sucks the oil out. Electronic extractors are available but they are generally more expensive. Well, after some looking around, I found an electronic extractor that only costs about $20.

My particular extractor is listed under the name YaeTek but it seems like this product is sold wholesale and various vendors just buy and resell them under whatever name they feel like. I bought this YaeTek extractor because it was the cheapest version that I could find. If you’re interested in this particular device, I’ll include a link below that leads to this exact one but if you find something that looks similar and is cheaper, just go with that because they’re all the same.

When you buy this product it comes dissembled. We get the extractor itself with the attached battery terminal leads. We also get two clear hoses and hose clamps. The hoses attach to either side of the extractor and are held in place by the hose clamps.

For the initial trial, I tested the extractor out on my lawnmower. I was actually pretty excited about this because if you’ve never changed a push lawn mower’s oil before, this typically requires you to turn the entire lawnmower on its side and drain the oil through the oil filler neck. The whole process is just kind of a pain so if I can get the oil out and have the lawnmower sit normally, that’ll be great.

With an oil extractor, the idea is that oil is sucked through one end and out the other. So to use the extractor, we just have to put the suction hose into the dipstick channel or in my case the oil filler neck and the other hose into the container that will hold the old used oil. Then just turn the extractor on and watch the oil come out. Make sure that the suction hose reaches the bottom of the oil pan.

Remember, warm oil is going to flow faster than cold oil so it’s a good idea to run the engine and let it warm up prior to doing an oil change. How fast the oil extractor empties out an engine is largely going to depend on the oil capacity. On my lawnmower that holds less than one-third of a quart, the process took less than 2 minutes. When using an oil extractor, you know that the job is complete when you hear gurgling from the suction tube, like when you suck liquid through a straw and there’s only a few droplets at the bottom. When this happens, you can try pulling and pushing on the tube a few times to see try and get anything that’s leftover.

For my test, I used an external battery. This is because the oil extractor requires 12V power. The extractor is intended to be used with the battery in the vehicle that you’re doing an oil change on but my lawnmower doesn’t have a battery so I needed an external source of power. But realistically, I would still use a spare battery to not put any excess stress on my car’s battery when it’s powered off.

And there you have it, a very simple, easy, and mess-free approach to doing an oil change. I personally really like the idea of doing an oil change like this because it makes the chances of making mess go way down. Also, if you have a car that has a top-mounted oil filter or just one that’s easily accessible, you won’t even have to lift the car and put it on jack stands. The whole process is just much simpler.

The main argument that I’ve seen against using an extractor is the possibility of it leaving some oil behind in the pan. I personally feel that some oil is going to be left behind no matter how you change the oil. Some oil pans are just poorly designed and will leave oil behind even when the car is on stands and oil is drained through the drain plug. At the end of the day, it just comes down to what you’re comfortable with. It’s your car, do what you want with it. I for sure will continue to use the extractor on my lawnmower and will experiment with my cars in the future when the time comes for an oil change.

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Rhino Arc II Slider System

June 14, 2020 in Review

I recently bought into the Rhino slider system and I would like to share my experiences with this system and some things I think potential buyers should be aware of.

My purchase consisted of the Arc II, the High-Speed Slider Motor, and the 24” carbon fiber slider. I also have the Focus, carrying case, and some minor other accessories but we won’t be getting into that. I fully invested in this system for a total of $2910 before taxes. No doubt a major investment.

Well, at that price point I expected a certain level of quality and care. Let me just tell you that I had to exchange some of these things out multiple times. I first ordered the Arc II and there were a few issues. First of all, it arrived with some damage. There were noticeable scratches and scuffs on the main body. Some portions of it even looked as if someone had been prying on the pieces. It doesn’t help that there’s a lot of plastic so things get damaged quite easily. The display also had a bunch of scratches and I can even see contaminants under the screen from assembly. On top of this, the Arc II just seemed to be making a lot of noise when in use. This product is advertised as having a 15 lbs load capacity. Well, the setup that I tried with the Arc II was a Sony A7RIII with a 24-70mm f/2.8 GM and this combo weighs less than 5 lbs. Even at only a third of the max payload, when I used the Arc II to tilt up and down, it would make a very audible vibrating sound. Because of all this, I contacted customer support and got an exchange.

The second Arc II came along with everything else and again there were issues. The Arc II again arrived with some cosmetic damage. I was willing to look past the stuff on the main body but then I saw the screen, it had even more scratches, a noticeable gouge, and a pretty noticeable piece of contaminant under the screen.

Then when I went to look at the Slider Motor, it was pretty obvious that someone else had mounted it and tried it out considering that there were paint chips at the mounting locations. I tried to look past this because at this point, it’s already been weeks since I made the original order and just wanted to use the stuff I ordered. So, I set everything up and did some initial test runs. Right away, something was up with the slider motor. It was making a lot of noise. Whenever the carriage moved away from the motor, the motor would make an audible scraping sound. When the carriage moved towards the slider motor, it makes a clicking sound. So there was no winning. It always made noises. The weird thing is, these noises corresponded to the speed of the slides. If it was a slow slide, there would be slow scrapes or slow clicks. If it’s a fast slide then I’d hear those scraps and clicks louder and faster.

The worst part is that if this slider is set to fast speed, the slider motor would stop the carriage at about the half point. Sometimes I would have to backtrack and it’ll let me advance a bit more but not all the way to the other end. So, my 24” slider essentially became a 12” slider. I tried recalibrating but this didn’t help at all.

At this point, I have to say that I’m pretty disappointed in this system. At around $3000, you’d think that this would be it, especially with all those high praise reviews on YouTube. Who knows, maybe I just happened to receive multiple bad units in a row. I really don’t care about the reasoning. I’m just glad that I’m within the 90 day return period so these things are going back.

If you’re interested in the Rhino slider system, I’m not going to tell you not to buy it. It’s your money, do whatever you want with it. Just know that there’s a chance that it may not live up to the hype. As I said, the stuff I ordered is going back and I will not be purchasing another Rhino product. Hopefully, I’ll be able to show you another slider system soon. One that works properly.

https://rhinocameragear.com/?rfsn=2000975.85be338

If you do decide to invest in this system, I would highly suggest to purchase the various parts individually and not buy everything at once. Buy the Arc II first. See if its build quality and function is up to your standards. This is a major part of the system and for me, was a point of failure. Then move on to the slider and slide motor. Make sure these things work. Again, just purchase in small chunks. This may take more time but if you buy all at once like I did and something goes wrong, the return process is a much bigger headache and there will be more money on the line.

At the end of the day, Rhino Camera Gear does offer returns. Just realize that you'll be out the shipping fees but if you're good with that, you'll be able to try the system out for yourself. Opinions are great but nothing is going to beat your own personal experience.

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Covercraft UVS100 Premier Series Custom Sunscreen for the Toyota Supra MKV

June 11, 2020 in Automotive, Review

I park my car outside so it constantly gets beat by the sun’s UV rays. I apply interior protectant but one thing that I really like to have is a sunscreen. It’s a simple accessory that’s quite effective.

When I had my Tacomas, I used a Covercraft UVS100 Premier Series sunscreen. The overall experience was good. The Covercraft sunscreen fit the Tacoma well and it looked pretty good so when it was time to buy one for the Supra, going with Covercraft again was an easy decision.

The specific sunshade that I purchased is the UVS100 Premier Series in the chrome camouflage finish part number UV11657EC. This is listed at $83. There is a normal UVS100 sunshade for $70 and from what I understand, the main differences between the two is that the Premier Series has a black binding whereas the standard has grey, the Premier Series has some more premium color options, and the Premier Series comes with the optional storage bag which costs $14. I really like the chrome camouflage finish so the Premier Series was the obvious option.

These Covercraft sunscreens are advertised as being “Custom Patterned for a Perfect Fit”. I would say that the overall fitment is pretty good. However, the sunscreen that I received does seem to be a bit short on the sides. This is interesting because it was actually a bit difficult to get the sides positioned because they felt too long at first. But when I got them in place, there is a small gap on either side. This is expected to be able to make the screen fit but the gap just seems to be larger than my Tacoma’s sunscreen.

Getting the sunscreen in place was somewhat difficult in general. This is because I had to work around the Supra’s infotainment system and the HUD projector. The infotainment system sticks up right in the middle of the dash so I had to maneuver around it in an interior that’s not all the big to start with. Then the HUD projector creates a bump in the dash that causes the sunscreen to be more snug on the driver’s side than the passenger’s. These things made positioning the sunscreen a bit annoying but I’m sure that with some experience, the process will go by more quickly.

If I had to complain about something, it would have to be quality control. My sunscreen arrived with a few issues. First, it looks like the adhesive that they used for the interior lining is not holding in place properly and is wrinkling. Second, the side that faces out looks like someone dropped a strip of adhesive on it. I’ll be contacting Covercraft about these things to see what they say about the situation.

Overall, I’m enjoying this purchase. At the end of the day, the Covercraft sunscreen will help to protect my Supra’s interior and that’s all I care about.