Life and Leisure. Tech and Toys. » cars

05′ Toyota Matrix Check Engine Light

thaichaiguy — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:44:00 +0000

So my car’s check engine light went on yesterday. I’ve never owned a car before this one. I always used to drive my dad’s car when I lived at home. Never had to deal with car issues so I’m a noob. So after work I turned on my car and as I reverse to exit the parking structure I notice the check engine light in the HUD lit up orange as it usually does but never went away.

I was hungry so I hit up a Jack in the Box drive through. “Two tacos and a chicken sandwich please. Oh and can I get some butter milk sauce with that.” I had to meet with some friends to go over a project so I had to eat quick. While munching on my semi soy taco (yes, I just found out the truth too. They are partly soy.) I pulled out my manual from the glove box. Flipping through the manual getting redirected by the “Please read on page…” I found the page that talked about the check engine light. In short, the cap to your fuel tank is loose or your car needs help ASAP. I jumped out and checked my fuel cap. Nothing out of the ordinary. The manual also says even if you tightened a loose fuel cap you wouldn’t know if this solved the problem. Great, so I gotta take it in anyway.

I drop of my car at the nearest Toyota dealership, the service rep tells me the problem could also be due to rats chewing on your engine wiring to avoid the bitter California cold. Yea believe it or not it’s relatively cold this week. I leave the car over night since it’s like 7:30pm. Next morning gotta get a ride to work, surprisingly get there earlier than I usually do on a Friday. I should do this more often!

Service rep gives me a ring around lunch time says the check engine light went off because of a faulty gasket cap. Also informs me I have a pet rodent living in my car because of signs of droppings and foot prints. So it was a fuel cap problem and a rat problem. He said the rat didn’t harm any internals but that I should put a pan of bleach under my car because they don’t like the smell. Well that’s my story… Fortunately it was nothing serious and covered under warranty. Yay Toyota!

A New Style of Supra

thaichaiguy — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 17:46:00 +0000

More than a few years ago the Toyota Supra lineage was cut off to give way for their smaller cheaper sports car, the Celica. Now the Celica has gone away but fear not it might take the same route as the Supra and reappear in about 6 years. Unless of course in their minds the Scion TC has taken over that market. It isn’t official what the new Supra will look like but Toyota has pretty much put their foot down in the shape of a new sleek Supra. We should be expecting a V6 and a V8 model boasting around 300hp and 350hp. The Supra will also be a rear wheel drive car for superior drift handling. The Supra has always been considered a powerful car with less handling than desired but lets see if Toyota can show us some steering to go along with that speed. Below is a picture of a concept vehicle taken from a recent Japanese magazine. Could this be the shadow of the new Supra? If so it is definitely sporting some Honda S2000 tail lights but upfront it looks pretty sexy.

Also, look for Lexus to put out a higher end sports vehicle as well.

Baby Got a Brand New Whip

thaichaiguy — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 01:24:00 +0000

That’s a brand new Audi A4! Not the top of the line but a serious competitor with other vehicles in it’s class. Unlike a BMW 3 series you won’t see as many of these on the road. This car beats the competition in safety as well.

Pros:
Style, Handling, Trunk Space, Turbo, 10 Speaker Sound System

Cons:
Didn’t get the Sport Body Kit, No 115V auxiliary power outlet, AWD or FWD only