Stargazer's Garage

RMV - 2004 Sequoia Limited RMV is a Sequoia owner in Colorado who's been kind enough to keep me updated on his stereo upgrade. He sent me this update a while ago and I apologize for being so slow in posting it up. "I finally finished my 2-year audio upgrade project in my Sequoia. No more wondering were are my 10 JBL speakers. LOL Keep in mind this project started when I had my 2003 Sequoia SR5. At the time I simply change the factory radio for my Kenwood DDX 7015. Before Itraded in my SR5 for the Limited last August I re-installed the factory radio. After the upgrade to my 2004 Gray Limited I replace the factory radio againwith my Kenwood added all new Alpine speakers and finally as of this week added my Alpine subwoofer. I have managed to preserve the factory look withall of my audio upgrades. The amps are located under my two front seats, which allow me to have FULL functionality of the truck in the event I need to put my seats down. That does happen on occasion with me when

Snow. Below the line? Wet. This is what I woke up to this morning:

First it was World Rally Blue--I mean if you're going to be driving around with a giant hood scoop worthy of skimming for plankton and a spoiler that bridges the great divide, why not go all the way? World Rally Blue and gold wheels is to Subaru what Ferrari Red is to, well... Ferrari. Long live the WRC--that's why the STI exists. Then I saw some shots of Steel Grey Metallic and suddenly felt the desire to be stealthy. That could be the ticket (to not getting a ticket). Why draw any extra attention than needed? But tonight I think I am in love and desiring something I vowed never to succumb to again: Obsidian Black Pearl. How did it happen? Because of this: Darksti.com

I woke up this morning and saw some blue in the sky so I grabbed my camera just in time to capture the sun rising behind Mount Baker. The cold front is arriving earlier than expected and the weather forecast says we can expect 5-10 cm of snow tonight. I just got back from taking the Sequoia in to replace a broken door trim. It was a part that was ordered in the summer but I just now got around to getting it fixed. On my way over to the dealership, with the beautiful sunshine, I had to use the sun visor. The Sequoia actually has two sun visors for both the driver and passenger--for a total of four, which I thought was cool. Presumably, the Toyota designers gave us that many visors in case you have to use the second visor to block out the sun from the front when you already have the first visor blocking out the side window. Then this occured to me: I can't imagine any situation where I would need to block out the sun from both the front and side windows. I wonder what solar system t

I just found out that my bank has been trying to reach me for the last little while. Judging by the number of messages left on my dad's answering machine (he's been away for the last month and a half), they've been calling about twice a week for the last 4 weeks. Something about reviewing my RSPs with my financial advisor. What peeves me is that I haven't been using that number for the last five years. I've had dealings with her many times including setting up appointments, renewing my mortgage (twice), getting a line of credit, reviewing my investments as recently as this past summer. Why all of the sudden are they using that old number? Why keep calling when I'm obviously not getting the messages? Anyway, I was right about the residue on the Sequoia. I saw a salt truck this afternoon at the 4-way stop a block from our house. I wonder if they put rust protection on scooters?

Vancouver isn't known for cold winters, but living just a block above the snow line gives us more of a chance to see the white stuff when other people just get wet. Today was the first of the season. It won't last (it never does) but maybe we'll get more when the next cold front arrives on Thursday. After breakfast, I took the kids out to the field and we played a little and had some fun. The snow was wet and sticky, but that's what's nice about being young: it doesn't take a lot to be satisfied. When we got back my wife had hot chocolate and warm soup waiting for us. Yesterday I noticed that there looks to be salt residue on the Sequoia from the earlier rains. Could I be near the end of the riding season? Tomorrow it's supposed to warm up, so I'd like to take the Burgman out again. I'll definitely need to give it a good cleaning before I park it for the winter. In contrast, my sister-in-law is in warm, tropical Hawaii. She's getting married toda

The Globe and Mail: Performance key for future collectible cars There's only one sentence that talks specifically about the STi, but it's a nice sentence.

CanadianDriver: Feature - Car of the Year contenders: Sports Sedans The STI wasn't entered in this competition because it doesn't qualify as being significantly new for 2006. The WRX with the larger displacement engine (2.5 vs 2.0 L) and the new front design has enough changes to qualify. The result? The 2006 WRX out performed the Audi A4 3.2 Quattro, the BMW 330i, and the Lexus IS350--cool! It also costs $15,000 less . Wow, the STI must be awesome....

Well, I took another little step towards the 2006 Subaru WRX STI. I just got back from visiting another dealership to check it out. It was the first time my wife had a chance to sit inside it and she was impressed. My biggest concern right now is with the interior space. This dealership offers a 24-hour test drive, but not with the turbos. That's no big deal since the room inside is the same. They're getting '06 Impreza sedans next week so the sales guy is going to give me a call and then I'll be able to try fitting the child seats in the back. One thing I found out about the STI that I hadn't noticed in any other sedans is that the rear outboard seats have have height adjustable seat belts just like the front seats.

The last Japanese accessory I installed was the heated grips. Unlike the other parts, these ones did not come with English instructions. I'm happy to report that the installation was a lot easier than I was anticipating. I finished the install last Sunday and was able to try them on my Monday morning commute. Boy, are they nice! They kept my hands and fingers nice and warm and I was able to enjoy the ride again. We were swamped with a thick fog until just yesterday and the cold air dropped temperatures down to 1 C. The wind chill would have made it -7 C! The heated grips worked well, but they don't help as much in stop-and-go traffic. My finger tips got cold and numb because I had to keep my fingers covering the brakes --I guess I have bad circulation. I think if I were just cruising on open road I wouldn't have this problem because I could just keep my hands on the hot grips. Anyway, details of my install are posted here: http://burgmanusa.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopi

The second thing that I installed was the passenger back rest. I had mixed feelings about it because one of the things I liked most about the Type S was the spoiler--especially the way the pearl red paint glistened in the sun. To install the backrest I had to drill four holes--eek!--and now most of the spoiler is hidden undereath. Oh, well. I guess I just have to get used to the look. My wife will definitely enjoy the extra security. This part also came with English instructions--although it was quite easy to install anyway. The instructions and pictures are here: http://istargazer.ca/suzuki/japan/burgman400s_back_rest.htm

I received the Skywave accessories from Suzuki Japan after my mother-in-law returned from her trip last week. Since the hand guards required no permanent modifications, that was the first thing I installed. I had to order them in "Pearl Nebula Black" since they weren't available in the OEM red. I figured if I didn't like the look I could just have them painted. Luckily enough the parts came with Japanese and English instructions, so it was quite easy to install. I posted the English instructions here: http://istargazer.ca/suzuki/japan/burgman400s_hand_guard.htm Actually, it reminds me more of a matador than a rodent ;0)

Happy Birthday!