drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  516,358

Odometer (ILX):  17,284

Twenty three years ago, Drive to Five looked a little different.  I was writing about cars at age 8, but my entries were a bit shorter. This old 2nd grade notebook surfaced the other night.

Some things never change.  It makes me feel a little better about my obsession with Acura when I interact with other folks who are just as crazy as I am.

It was high time the local Arizona Legend-ers got together for a meet-up since the last time this happened was in April 2011.  This past weekend I attended a lunch gathering in Tempe with some fellow enthusiasts.  It just so happened that everyone who showed up was driving a 2nd Generation (1991-1995) Legend coupe.

Left to right in the above picture:

• Gabriel:  1992 Legend LS coupe 5-speed, 3.5 Liter
• Spencer:  1994 Legend LS coupe 6-speed, 3.2 Liter Type II
• Chuck:  1993 Legend LS coupe 6-speed, 3.2 Liter Type II
• Jason:  1994 Legend LS coupe 6-speed, 3.2 Liter Type II
• Jordan:  1991 Legend L coupe automatic, 3.2 Liter Type I
• Tyson:  1994 Legend LS coupe 6-speed, 3.2 Liter Type II

Gabriel’s interior

Stock 500k miler here!

Jordan shows some of his custom work under the hood.

Gabriel’s motor was transplanted from a 2006 Acura 3.5 RL

The mileage on Chuck’s Sirius White Pearl coupe is just over 30,000.  Remarkable for a 19-year-old vehicle!  He and I definitely had today’s records locked down for lowest and highest mileage at a single Legend meet.

Over the weekend I also visited my friend Ari.  He knows every nut and bolt of a Legend, and he recently picked up a project car.  This Milano Red 1993 LS coupe 6-speed only has a little over 200,000 miles on the odometer, but it appears to have lived a pretty rough life!

Brace yourselves for a look at the interior!

A little bit of leather conditioner ought to have those looking brand new again.

Remarkably, it still starts and runs great – and the A/C is ice cold!

Brake Work

I’ve had some amazing luck with my old Legend when it comes to brakes.  Miraculously I was able to squeeze over 200k out of a set of pads thanks to careful driving and nearly all highway travel.  Here is everything that’s been done to the car related to brakes:

• 5/15/1997 – 34,832 miles – Machine front rotors
• 1/7/1999 – 54,400 miles – Replace brake master cylinder cap & switch
• 9/2/1999 – 62,675 miles – Replace rear brake pads
• 7/25/2001 – 80,000 miles – Replace brake master cylinder
• 5/7/2005 – 169,155 miles – Replace front and rear brake pads
• 8/3/2006 – 237,592 miles – Replace front and rear brake pads
• 10/5/2010 – 443,245 miles – Brake fluid flush including ABS
• 11/20/2010 – 449,904 miles – Replace front brake pads
• 12/7/2010 – 452,466 miles – Replace rear brake pads
• 9/21/2011 – 495,693 miles – Machine front rotors
• 10/23/2012 – 516,346 miles – Replace front brake pads & rotors

Fresh OEM rotors and pads thanks to my friend Wes at Highline Import Auto in Mesa, Arizona.

At my request, Wes also saved the original rotors that lasted 516,346 miles.  They were well worn out. I got a lot of vibration and feedback through the steering wheel when braking at speed.  They’d been refinished twice and there was no way they could’ve been refinished a third time.

Side 1

Side 2

Here’s a summary of what ALL my post-500k maintenance has included (screen shot from my maintenance spreadsheet):

Finally, I decided it was time to ditch the worn out original key to the car.  It’s so smooth that it’s difficult to turn in the ignition sometimes unless you get it just right.  I had a brand new OEM key that works perfectly, so I replaced the old one.  Compare the new and the old!

Acura Style Magazine Feature

“Inspiration for the way ahead” is the tagline under the title of this publication that’s been around since almost as long as the Acura brand itself.  I remember reading the magazine when it was called Acura Driver back in the 1990’s (and still have a handful of issues from that era).  The Fall/Winter 2012 issue’s “Insider” section on page 60 features an article about my Acura addiction and a picture of my ILX and the Legend coupe.

Upcoming Travels

Next week I’ll be heading to the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas, Nevada.  It’s all about cars!  Each year’s show is all about showcasing the latest trends in the automotive aftermarket industry.  I learned that the Acura ILX race cars will be on display there so I look forward to getting a close look!  I’ve been following the build of these cars since they were announced earlier this year by Team Honda Racing-West.

Now THAT looks like a fun ride.  But for now, I’m perfectly content with my bone-stock ILX!

Even used my seat heaters for the first time today during a chilly (for us Arizonans!) 55 degree morning commute.

Over and out!

This entry was posted on October 25, 2012 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Legend, Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.