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Archive for the Maintenance Category

Quarantine Log: Desk Inventory, Legend Literature Download, Scrapbook Excerpts

Posted in Blog, House, Integra, Maintenance, Vigor on April 1, 2020 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Vigor): 114,933

Day “I don’t know.” It’s Groundhog Day around here, and I feel like Bill Murray hitting the snooze button on the alarm each day wondering if something will be different. Well, a few things have been different. There’s a lot less traffic whizzing by on the street outside. Solitude and seclusion are the norm – and will continue to be for another 4 weeks at least, since as of yesterday evening the state of Arizona is on a ‘formal’ lockdown of non-essential travel.

So my cars will sit but my mind and body will keep moving as best they’re able to. The good news is that I’ve found miraculous ways to keep busy. What started out as organizing my top desk drawer for the first time in about 5 years ended up in complete, comprehensive Spring Cleaning that purged 3 huge boxes of stuff from my closets.

And like any analytical person would insist on doing, I took inventory of what was inside my desk drawer so I could share it with you all. I know, seriously. Has quarantine gotten to me that badly? Here you go.

Desk Inventory March 2020:

19 pens

18 sharpie markers

2 scotch tapes

2 sheets of stamps

3 calculators

3 hole punches

4 post-it pads

5 highlighters

7 checkbooks

8 chap sticks

8 flashlights

9 mechanical pencils

9 USB drives / storage mediums

binder clips box

box of business cards

extra go pro battery

notepad

paper clips box

pocketknife

ruler

safety pins box

scissors

staple remover

stapler

thumb tacks box

I don’t know why I needed that many flashlights. I don’t even think I need a single one. My phone has that built-in. Same with the calculators. Man, how stuff has just become obsolete overnight!

Thanks in large part to the Legend video that I shared with you all on the last blog post (17,000 views and counting in the last 4 days), I will likely be hitting 6,000 subscribers sometime tonight. It’s hard to believe, but I only had 4,000 around the first of the year. So a 2,000 subscriber bump in just the first quarter of 2020? I’ll ride that wave as long as it’ll carry me. I think I can attribute some of the traffic to the fact that I’ve been diligent about publishing a video about once per week consistently. Here’s my channel if you aren’t already subscribed.

Since Throwback Thursday starts in a couple of hours, here are some photos of a 1996 scrapbook that I unearthed out of a box the other day while looking for something else. This Chrismasy-colored page has to do with when my mom bought a 1990 Integra GS sedan – the car, in a sense, that started my entire Acura-ddiction.

Here’s a page where I listed out my “Dream Cars” at age 15. The Ford Expedition had just come out, so I loved that. A few oddballs are on the list including a Toyota Camry. And I had a lot of domestic cars, and only 1 German. The photo at the bottom of the page is me with my great-aunt’s 1993 Grand Cherokee Limited that we used to detail for her. I loved that 5.2L V8.

Another oldie, this shot of me being picked up from middle school. I can tell my mom was driving the red Integra when she took this. Also, was I wearing socks with sandles? Let’s bring that style back in 2021.

When was the last time you saw an Acura Legend advertised “under factory warranty”? Funny thing about this ad clipping that I saved: Just a couple of weeks ago, a Legend coupe sold for $25,800. So would you say that Legend prices have come back to 1996 levels after being discontinued for 25 years?

Before our lockdown hit, I took the chance to get the Vigor out for fresh air and deliver something to my former roommate James who bought a place of his own. This skeleton was part of our Halloween decor for the last couple of years. I got a lot of odd looks from people while I drove him to his new place. Seat belted in, of course.

One of the projects I’d been wanting to do for a contribution to the Acura Legend enthusiast community was to assemble a comprehensive media archive of all available / known magazine articles on the car. It took about 20 years to collect all the magazines that I needed (and a still probably missed a few). But, the result was worth the effort and I ended up with a massive library that came out to:

47 articles encompassing both generations 1 and 2
247 pages of material
150 megabytes of info

PDF download link is here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sWMbabCdCIVe9bt3Z9OLU-NX-SVQmWv7

And here’s the list of what all is in that, if you want to click & read. Mark, I’m completely ashamed that I forgot to include “High Mileage Heroes” in the mix! I had it in a special / separate drawer and spaced it. Next volume.

Catching up on maintenance – again, before we were chained to our homes. Vigor first (it had been 13 months since an oil change, yikes).

And green GS-R, which only saw a few hundred miles last year, I think.

You all saw my drive-thru window (AKA my bedroom window) on my last blog post. Well, I think I took things a step too far. I found a $28 ‘open sign’ kit on Amazon and ordered it. Here, we have the open sign, business hours, and a “closed” sign if I need it. Yes, I put my work attire and badge on for this.

I think it’s also the first time I’ve done my hair in 2.5 weeks. A friend commented on my instagram post about this, “You’re doing it all wrong. Working from home doesn’t require wearing pants.” He has a good point, but this isn’t that kind of blog. We are a family friendly environment over here at Drive to Five.

Last bit of news, I have to give a shout-out to David in Florida who bought my old Integra sedan. He sent me this picture this week – the car safely tucked away! He rolled 75,000 miles on his drive to Florida earlier this year.

Glad you’re enjoying it, David!

Have a good / safe / healthy week, everyone.

23 Comments »

Legend Coupe 17-Year Anniversary Video & Justin’s High Mileage Accord

Posted in Accord, Legend, Maintenance, Milestones, Spy Shots on March 27, 2020 by tysonhugie

Odometer (1992 Integra GS-R): 251,430

I’m making the most of my time in isolation! This is just a quick “Happy Friday,” to you all.

A friend rode his bike past the window in my bedroom that looks out to the street out front. I call it my drive-thru window. I moved my desk so that I could look out of it while working from home during quarantine.

My work team held a ‘virtual’ happy hour by way of a smartphone app called House Party. Connectivity was glitchy at best with 8 people trying to stream video and chime in at the same time, but it was fun to see everyone.

Introducing, Banner Health Regulatory Team! Bunch of all-stars right here.

I snuck out of the house yesterday in the SLX for a trip to the drive-thru because I was craving Taco Bell. The safari sunroof let in a lot of fresh air which was good for my mental well-being!

Yesterday, March 26, also marked 17 years since the day I flew to San Jose and picked up my Legend coupe, and it’s hard to believe that much time has already passed. I fulfilled the wishes of one blog reader in particular (ahem – Tim!) who’d requested a current walkaround of the car in modern day. I also took the opportunity to assemble a collection of other memories from over the years including a couple clips from the Alaska trip in 2006, a few segments from National Acura Legend Meets, and an alphabetical sequence of my state line photographs.

Here’s the video link.

Along with that, Tim sent me some follow-up questions that I’ll answer here.

1. I can’t tell that it has mismatched paint – I’m color-blind, so maybe that’s why (although gold/silver usually isn’t a problem for me). It looks really good through video.

In some lighting it’s less noticeable than in others, but you can really see the blends from the front fenders into the doors sometimes. The roof, trunk top, and rear bumper have also been resprayed at some point (clear coat failure got the best of them).

2. What are the two levers on the passenger side seat? One is to make the seat flip forward (as a long-time owner of several coupes, I’m very familiar with that feature!), but what is the upper one?

That top one is a pretty innovative seat-access solution. It’s a switch that activates a motorized forward & back seat adjustment so you can get out from the back seat without having to put forth a ton of effort or reach for the lower one.

3. When you tally your maintenance, do you include bodywork? For my own maintenance spreadsheet, when I tally cost per mile, I’m uncertain whether to include or exclude the new wheel I had to purchase after a pothole, the rust repairs on the rear quarter panel, etc. I’ve kept those in so far, but I’m not sure if that should be in a different spreadsheet.

No, the maintenance is strictly ongoing items like mechanical service and repairs. It has some tires, but not all (since I had so many sets of aftermarket wheels & tires that I was swapping out all the time). It also does not include the cost of registration, insurance, or fuel.

4. I love that there is no evidence of oil, coolant, or soot coming out of the tailpipe when it drives by. 572,000 miles, and the exhaust still looks clean.

It actually does burn some oil so I’ve started keeping an eye on that. Higher-mile Legends develop issues with the valve stem seals so that’s something on the checklist long-term. If I sit at a stop light or let the car idle quite a while, then take off, I’ll see some blue smoke.

5. Do you do the hydraulic tensioner with every timing belt and water pump, or do you just do that “as needed”?

Yes, as far as I know the tensioner has been changed each time I’ve had a timing belt / water pump service.

6. I know a lot of 2nd gen Legends have had head gasket issues – any tricks for avoiding that problem, or is it just “luck of the draw”?

Good question – that’s where the EGR maintenance comes into play. It’s a widely accepted notion that the carbon buildup in the EGR system is what causes the timing in the C32A to be off, contributing to a lack of cooling on one of the rear cylinders where the head gasket is prone to failure. It’s a tell-tale story that we’ve heard many times on the Legend forums and Facebook groups. Of course, it goes without saying that the rest of the cooling system also has to be kept in very proper working order – radiator, hoses, fans, and relays.

7. Any drawbacks to putting the original stereo head back into the car? Personally, if I didn’t have iPhone/iPod connectivity and Sirius XM with all the driving I do, I’d go bananas on long drives.

I agree – the only reason I haven’t swapped the Bose back in is because I need the iPod connectivity for now. If and when the car is retired to a ‘show’ piece only, the Bose will need to go back in for originality’s sake.

8. The Katzkin kit is holding up really well. If I keep my Accord long enough to need to replace the leather, I’d definitely give that company a look.

I neglected to zoom in on the driver side outboard seat bolster, which is actually showing a fair amount of wear. The Katzkin kit (at least the one I used) uses vinyl on the non-seating surfaces, and it’s pretty cracked. If I were to do it all over again, I’d get a “full leather” kit.

And speaking of Accords, I want to take this moment to introduce a fellow high-miler who reached out via email this week. This is Justin’s 2003 Accord coupe from Texas, with 627,551 miles on the odometer.

Justin says he drives currently upwards of 100k miles per year.

Here’s the latest “spy shot” video I put together, in case you hadn’t seen it on my YouTube. Keep the submissions coming.

Have a great (and safe) weekend, all.

16 Comments »

NALM AZ 2020 Registration is Live, Integra & SLX Updates, Visitors in Town

Posted in Detailing, Integra, Legend, Maintenance, NALM, NSX, SLX on March 6, 2020 by tysonhugie

Odometer (SLX): 141,046

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Arizona, I’ll give you a reason. This year’s 16th annual National Acura Legend Meet is now open for registration as of this past Sunday. In the first 5 days, 13 vehicles have already signed up. We could be on track to witness the largest meet of its kind since 2014 in Los Angeles which saw about 30. Come be a part of history.

Link to Registration Instructions

In other news, my blogging time has been limited lately because I’ve put a little more effort into my YouTube channel which is nearing 6,000 subscribers. I invite you to join me there for a few updates on automotive projects and other activities. I usually post a new episode (or more) each Sunday. I’ll post 5 of them here to catch you up. Some are still ‘unlisted’ so I can stagger them out over the next few weeks. Get your popcorn ready.

Integra Part 4

Integra Part 5

Integra Part 6

SLX Video 10 – The Project that Never Ends!

Do you want to test-drive 10 cool cars in 5 minutes? Then I have just the video for you. Last Saturday, I had a really unique experience of helping my friend Greg (the same guy who I wrote about with all the Japanese RHD cars) document the driving experience for a collection of cars that he’ll be auctioning off on Bring a Trailer website later this month. Among them was this exceptionally rare 1989 Pontiac ASC-McLaren Turbo Grand Prix with only 5,500 miles on it.

Check out that tech!

Here was the list of cars, in order of appearance in the below video:

1989 Pontiac Turbo Grand Prix
2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG
1989 Dodge Lancer Shelby 5MT
2000 BMW M5 6MT
1989 Honda Prelude Si 4WS 5MT
2000 Honda S2000 6MT
1992 Toyota Aristo (RHD)
1992 Jeep Wrangler Renegade 5MT
1990 Nissan 300ZX TT 5MT
1992 Autozam AZ-1 (RHD) 5MT

Which was my favorite? Honestly, and this might get me in trouble with my Honda friends, I fell in love with the BMW M5. The sturdy shift feel, the power, the growl, and the utility of a ‘sportscar’ 4-door sedan with a manual really made that one check all the boxes for me.

And speaking of Bring a Trailer auctions, you might have missed this so I’ll share it here. A record-setting sale took place this week when a 1994 Legend LS coupe 6-speed sold for over $25,000. Here’s the link.

Maybe my own collection will be worth a dollar or two someday as well? I guess time will tell.

As Spring Training baseball games get underway here in Arizona, we are soaking up our last few weeks of very enjoyable weather and I’ve been spending quite a bit of time working on the never-ending list of “to-do” items. The latest 1999 Integra, which started out with a laundry list of 50 “needs” that I listed in an Excel document, has already been through half. So in two months’ time, it’s come a really long way.

One of the major milestones for that car was a comprehensive ‘professional’ detail, for which I engaged the help and services of a friend named Travis who helped not only with the interior & paint, but with removal of the hodge-podge of aftermarket stereo & alarm spaghetti wiring that was strung throughout the car. It was strangled.

The results speak for themselves. This paint was rough, and it came out brilliantly.

The NSX doesn’t get a video this time around, but I took it to the experts at Science of Speed for a regular checkup and it’s doing great at 116,000 miles.

I had a few special guests in February including folks from Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Detroit, and Seattle. The guest book is nearing page 50 and I’ve already purchased a second volume because pages are running out.

Here’s Tim:

Jaysen and his sister Tavali

Brad and Richard

Dave

Finally, I had to share some new wallhangings in the garage. I loved this anniversary 1986-1996 photo enough to frame and hang it up.

And the one in the middle here – I have to show you that a little more closely.

It contains the 6 Acura models from 1997.

The paragraph suggests that you pick whichever one fits “your definition of luxury.”

Except, the punchline suggests you should just buy a big garage and own all 6 (highlighted above).

Does that remind me of anyone else you know? This is the ad that goes along with it.

Have a great weekend!

10 Comments »

NALM 2020 Location Announcement, Visitors, and Integra/RL Updates

Posted in Blog, Integra, Maintenance, NALM, RL on February 7, 2020 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 572,466

Hear ye, hear ye. This just in:

After 15 years of driving all around the country for the National Acura Legend Meet, to 13 different states, my trip to the 2020 annual event will require me driving… guess how far? Just 25 miles from my house to the host hotel! That’s because NALM is finally coming to my own backyard, and I’ll be co-hosting the event here in Phoenix, Arizona along with a few other volunteers.

The dates will be October 7-11, and without getting into too many details – I’ll save those announcements for some future blog posts – there will be some great venues and some great times for all to enjoy. Here is the announcement post on the forums.

Prior event locations are here:

Year	City	State
2005	Dallas	Texas
2006	Tulsa	Oklahoma
2007	Las Vegas	Nevada
2008	Chattanooga	Tennessee
2009	Branson	Missouri
2010	Salt Lake City	Utah
2011	Morristown	New Jersey
2012	Milwaukee	Wisconsin
2013	Asheville	North Carolina
2014	Los Angeles	California
2015	Houston	Texas
2016	Atlanta	Georgia
2017	Sacramento	California
2018	Colorado Springs	Colorado
2019	Daytona Beach	Florida

I’ve created a NALM account on Instagram called @nationalacuralegendmeet where you can follow along for regular updates as we unveil some of the exciting aspects of the itinerary. Maybe I’ll bring out a different car from the garage for each NALM day. And one of the events – of course – is a behind the scenes visit at my house. I might be crazy for opening my doors to an anticipated 25 cars and 50 people, but I’ve said it before: These people are like family to me and I look forward to hosting them as best I can.

Speaking of hosting: Occupancy rates at the house have been running high so far in 2020. Ever since the festivities for Barrett-Jackson, I’ve had company every weekend and enjoyed playing host. My friends Derek, Jay, Nick, and Chris all stopped by. Here they are in that order.

Derek, before I took him to his brother’s place.

Jay, passing through town with his gorgeous new Sherwood Green Legend LS 6-speed.

Nick, at right, here from Key West for a weekend in the desert.

And Chris, visiting from CA and about to take the NSX for a spin with his buddy Tony.

I also managed to squeeze in a few automotive updates in video form, so if you get time, tune in for the recent videos on my YouTube channel. The 1999 Integra is at Hon-Man in Tempe for a laundry list of issues, but I’ve replaced the front emblem, shift knob, license plate bumper plugs, and owner’s manual. I also got those nasty exhaust tips shined up thanks to a product from Mother’s called Mag & Aluminum Polish.

Check that before & after!

And another before & after! All about the details.

The RL received some paintless dent removal, new tint, a new windshield, and some touch-up paint.

I finally got my library of car maintenance binders in order, thanks to some new cabinets my dad and stepmom installed in my laundry room recently.

The two biggest blue binders are BOTH for the Legend coupe. Volumes 1 & 2.

We also installed a flat screen TV in the garage that is looping 148 Acura commercials from 1986 through 1999. It’s 1 hour 47 minutes of runtime. Seriously. I turn it on when guests are visiting.

I’m writing weekly now for ClassicCars.com in the “Pick of the Day” section. Basically, every Thursday I have an article about a vehicle of my choosing that is selected from the 40,000+ listed for sale on the site. The write-ups are short and sweet, but maybe you’ll be interested in taking a look to see if any of the cars I spotlight interest you.

Some of my recent articles are these:

Thanks for coming along!

13 Comments »

February News: NALM 2019 Announcement, ILX M/T Stats, & More Guests

Posted in ILX, Legend, Maintenance, NALM, NSXPO, SLX on February 18, 2019 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 565,101

A friend sent me a snapshot of an article with a “then and now” comparison. It talked about how the average cost of a car in 1982 was $5,967. His comment was, “You still pay that price.” He’s not wrong! Haha. I love my garage full of $5k oldies.

I recently got my hands on some pretty sweet data recently regarding the breakout of ILX automatics to manuals. My fellow Acura geeks won’t need this history lesson, but for the benefit of everyone else: The ILX entry level Acura sedan launched in mid-2012 as a 2013 model, slotted below the TSX in the hierarchy. There were three available drivetrains: a 2-liter automatic, a 1.5-liter hybrid with a continuously-variable transmission (CVT), and a 2.4 liter with a 6-speed manual transmission. I ordered my ILX as a manual and took delivery on June 12, 2012 with 16 miles on the odometer. It was #00082 on the production line. The rest is history.

In the years following the ILX launch, “take rate” on the 6-speed manuals was never very good. Some surmised that it might be as low as 3-5% of overall sales. To nobody’s surprise (but much to my own disappointment), the manual option was dropped when the car was first refreshed for the 2016 model year. Newly-released information from Acura indicates that over the 2013 + 2014 + 2015 model years, only 2,786 cars were sold with a manual transmission. That works out to about 4% of the overall volume, which was right in line with predictions.

What does it all mean? Nothing, really, other than the fact that I can feel sort of exclusive in driving a “rare” model. The vast majority of car buyers today don’t want to be troubled with a third pedal. Chew on that data for a little while.

I had a couple of action-packed recent weeks, with my dad being here in Phoenix for a trade show, travels to southern Utah for a birthday party, and some out-of-town guests. Keeping you up to speed on current & upcoming events:

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual “NSX WestFest” event in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be held April 11-14 and promises to be one of the best NSX events of the year aside from the annual NSXPO. This year’s NSXPO is slated for October in Washington D.C. More to come on whether I’ll be able to make that cross-country drive / flight / teleportation.

It’s also been announced that this year’s 15th annual National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) will be held in October as well and headquartered in beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida. Here’s the official posting from the AcuraLegend.org forums with the latest information. Lodging and registration details will be posted on March 1. I’m looking forward to the journey – I haven’t missed a NALM since the event started in 2005. This will be one of the longest trips in the history of my 1994 LS coupe, at roughly 4,500 miles round trip. I’m even thinking of starting the drive from San Diego, California so I can make it a true “Pacific to Atlantic” adventure.

It would be the car’s longest trip since Alaska in 2006.

Daytona looks beautiful!

Here are some assorted pics from over the last few weeks. This is my friend Mitch from Indiana. He is a long-time fellow Honda & Acura enthusiast who was recently featured last month in an article by Hagerty about his restoration process of a rare Zanardi NSX.

I had dad’s MDX in town for a couple of weeks. Tech has come a long way since the 1997 SLX!

Sedan out to dinner.

And a couple other random beauty shots on my way to work.

Legend sighting at the parking structure of the Phoenix Convention Center. Name that color!

I finally sourced some “bumper plugs” for my 1992 Integra sedan. Here in Arizona, we don’t have front license plates, so I needed something to cover up the unsightly holes where the bracket would attach in other states.

Helping dad set up his booth at the convention center – before.

And after.

Went and saw the latest LEGO movie, courtesy of Chevrolet, with James and Abigail. Go check it out!

Legend coupe in for an oil change.

And a fairly clean bill of health – just leaks noted for the power steering & oil. I already knew about those.

Check out my “safari sunroof.”

Got Branson’s Legend out for a little spin.

Road trip back to Utah in dad’s MDX.

Visiting niece Ava Mae. Beckam had blue hair that day.

And celebrating grandpa’s 88th birthday.

Late night meet-up with my friend James who has a Moroccan Red 2007 TL-S 6-speed.

Little bit of EGR carbon clean-out in the Legend, courtesy of my friend Shaun who paid me a visit from SLC.

Shaun at the wheel of the GS.

And doing a little junkyarding. We pulled the center console vent trim out of this 1991 LS.

Donald stopped by to join the party in his Vortex Blue 2009 TSX.

My 1990 Honda Accord EX, recently sold on Bring a Trailer, (finally) goes away tonight and is headed to Dallas, Texas tomorrow!

More to come on that soon!

18 Comments »

The New 1992 Integra GS Sedan 5-Speed, Part 2: Drive Home & Initial Cleanup

Posted in Integra, Maintenance, Nevada, Road Trip on June 2, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 560,985

Alas, my adventure from the purchase of this 71,215-mile Integra was not over yet. This new (old) Integra GS wasn’t quite ready to break free from the cobwebs of long term storage: Just as I started getting comfortable on my return trip to Phoenix, roughly 100 miles into my trip, the motor started cutting out intermittently on the interstate.

At first it didn’t interfere with my ability to keep momentum, but eventually, even with my foot on the accelerator at full engagement, I was dropping speed – and quickly. I was about 20 miles north of Las Vegas on I-15, in about 100 degree temperatures, on the shoulder.

I was able to re-start the car a couple of times and limp along southbound in the emergency line, but meanwhile I was doing my research and figuring out next steps. I HAD to get back to Phoenix somehow that night, still over 300 miles away, for important work meetings the following day.

So, was my best option to tow the Integra home somehow, rent another car, or try and catch a flight out of Vegas? I got the car to a Love’s gas station and bought a bottled water while waiting for a neon green tow truck, so I had a few minutes to do my research and collect my thoughts. Look at this call history!

Not how I thought the day would go!

What I discovered was that rental car agencies are not friendly to work with on the phone – and that’s if you can even get someone on the phone at all. Many were closed at 6:00 p.m. One wanted to charge me a $300 one-way drop-off fee if I picked up a car in Vegas and drove it to Phoenix. Another refused to rent to me at all without a round trip flight ticket. WTH? I met one slammed door after another.

Southwest Airlines came through for me. Luckily, there are about 8 departures per day between LAS & PHX. I was able to snag a seat on the last flight out for the day – departing around 10:30 p.m. – and make my way to the airport after leaving the Integra at the Acura dealership on Sahara Avenue. My nerves were shot when I got home around midnight. But by gosh by golly, I made it to those work meetings.

Description of the problem that I wrote on the envelope with the key when I night-dropped the car.

Flying home!

Meanwhile, the Integra GS sat for a week at the dealership, 300 miles away from my home. Its diagnosis? A bad fuel pump and a leaking fuel filler line, which of course was discontinued. It’s a good thing I have friends in high places. My friend Hy found a used part on Ebay which I promptly ordered and had shipped to the dealership.

I received word on Tuesday that the part had arrived and would work, then awaited an ETA on the car’s roadworthiness. On Wednesday, I learned they had the wrong fuel pump and a new one would be arriving the next day. Thursday, they got the right part. And Friday, it was tested and confirmed good.

After what seemed like forever, I was able to fly back to Las Vegas and retrieve the car. I took a 7:05 a.m. flight on Southwest on Saturday (really racking up those Rapid Rewards loyalty points!) and was on the ground a little after 8:00, picked up by my friend Dane in his Lincoln – Starbucks in hand for me. Bless his heart.

We headed directly to the dealership on Sahara and I met up with a friend who works there, Louie, as well as my service advisor, Mitch. It was a relief to (again) be heading out in my new car and I was optimistic about this latest fix taking care of the issues. I grabbed breakfast with my Dane and Brandon at the Egg & I before hitting the road.

FOOD!

And smooth sailing it was – I kept things really easy on the car, low RPM, easy acceleration, kind of holding my breath that nothing else would happen in the 300 miles that remained. When I finally got to my house at 3:00 p.m., I breathed a sigh of relief.

So here’s how the overall purchase timeline worked out.

April 27: Notified of the car being for sale by Jeff
April 30: Cody test drove
May 1: Made offer, which was accepted, booked flight
May 2: Scheduled 90k maintenance with Honda dealer
May 7: Flew to Utah
May 8: Picked up car, had maintenance, started driving home, broke down, towed to dealer
May 9: Identified issue
May 10: Found discontinued / used part, ordered on Ebay
May 15: Part arrived
May 16: Notified of incorrect fuel pump
May 17: New pump installed
May 18: Fuel system passed testing
May 19: Returned to Las Vegas & drove the car home

After getting the car home, I spent dug in and started getting things cleaned up in the same fashion that I did it with my LS. In fact, it was deja vu. (I just spent 5 minutes looking at the etymology of that phrase. Turns out it’s French, and it means “already seen.” You’re welcome!). Even the local emissions check station agents looked at me a little funny as I arrived in a new Integra. “Weren’t you already here?” they asked me. “Where do you keep finding these cars?!” was the next question.

So here I am, one Integra sold, one purchased, and taking a break from running a used car dealership for a little while now. Here are a few episodes on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Get lots of popcorn ready.

Part 2: Transport Home

Part 3: Cleanup

Part 4: Engine Cleaning

Home and part of the family!

That front plate was the first thing to go.

And of course – the next day – a few pics in the backyard.

Engine bay – before

Engine bay – after

Thanks for following along on yet another of my crazy automotive adventures!

28 Comments »

NSX 110,000-Mile Mark, Integra Tint & Engine Detail; Upcoming “WestFest” in Las Vegas

Posted in Detailing, Integra, Maintenance, Milestones, NSX, Running on April 22, 2018 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe):

Odometer (Integra Sedan): 117,737

Milestone!

The NSX has been a great car for the 30,000 miles that I’ve put on it. It received a new right axle and a 10W30 Castrol GTX oil change in preparation for this week’s upcoming trip to WestFest in Las Vegas, Nevada. The original axle had flung a bunch of grease on the undercarriage and I started getting a ‘clicking’ sound consistent with speed, so it was time. Science of Speed in Chandler, Arizona worked to squeeze in the car in the nick of time.

Thanks to Chris & his team for their help!

WestFest is slated to be one of the biggest NSX Club of America regional club events this year, anticipating 45 vehicles and upwards of 70 attendees. Here’s a post from where I scouted out the proposed WestFest group drive earlier this year, and a write-up from last year’s program. We will be in Vegas from Thursday through Sunday.

The Integra has been getting some more attention. I had Desert Shield Window Tinting give it a new set of shades. It’s a necessary update when you live in an area that has 300 days of sunshine per year.

You can see here how the clear rear window showed those faded rear headrests.

Little better here, especially to preserve the interior from further deterioration.

I have had Desert Shield work on 5 or 6 of my cars in the past, but I honestly cannot say I recommend them any longer. I specifically asked for the side windows to be all the same shade, but the technician installed limo tint on the rear side windows. I had it stripped and redone. Then 3 days later, there was peeling tint from the left rear door. It will be fixed under warranty next week. But I’m tired of taking trips back there.

I spent an evening earlier in the week getting the engine bay cleaned up. It wasn’t really bad to begin with, but just in case I end up showing this car at any events, I want things to be ready. There’s a video below.

In other noteworthy news, my friend Vlad stopped by this week. He drives an RLX that I featured in a Reader’s Ride last year. It was great to catch up with him.

And yesterday, a friend and I joined 28,000 other runners in the 14th annual “Pat’s Run,” in Tempe, Arizona. It’s a 4.2-mile race in recognition of our armed forces, past and present, named in honor of Pat Tillman who was a professional football player killed in the line of duty in 2002. It was a well-organized event and served a good cause.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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Birthday #35 and New Year 2017 Celebrations

Posted in Blog, ILX, Maintenance on January 7, 2017 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 550,089

Trip Distance: 232 Miles

Welcome back to the start of a new year and a few more miles to be driven!

Here’s how my last few years have gone.

2014: 128 blog posts, 115,740 views and 41,008 visitors
2015: 95 blog posts, 113,438 views and 39,165 visitors
2016: 84 blog posts, 107,955 views and 40,495 visitors

Clearly I’m posting less frequently and it looks like that also translates into fewer views overall, though somehow “visitors” remains steady. Today’s post is just a quickie as I’m out the door (and in the air) at 7:05 a.m. tomorrow morning for my annual trip to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan.

Here was a fun 2016 annual mileage summary that I put together a few days ago with some notes at the bottom if you’d like to geek out with me.

We need to have a moment of silence for a newly-departed 2001 MDX that reader “Russell” emailed me about. After 15 reliable years of service, his MDX succumbed to a rusty frame and had to be retired at 525,609 miles on the odometer.

Russell’s email stated:

Tyson, the harsh chemicals used to treat Connecticut roads took out my car today. The part of the body that bolts to rear axle was destroyed by the salts. Done at 525k. Picked up a certified RDX today w 55k.

Best of luck with your RDX, my friend!

Winter’s weather wrath is something we don’t really have to deal with here in the Grand Canyon State. My backyard, in fact, is still green and I had to mow it the other day – even if only to pick up a few fallen leaves from the tree back there.

I celebrated a milestone of my own last week by hitting 35 years on my odometer a couple of weeks ago.

It was a memorable occasion for many reasons. One of them was a visit from my friend Paul who’s based in Honolulu but happened to be passing through town with his mother and his girlfriend.

Later that evening, some of my friends took me out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants.

I pulled the Integra out on the grass for a couple of evening photographs.

One of the buildings in Tempe has windows that can be used to spell things out. When the Super Bowl was in town a couple of years ago, it said XLIX. Last week it simply said “2017.”

Speaking of XLIX, and ILX, I had a 190,000-mile oil change (they call it a “B1” service) and tire rotation last week. The technician noted a few maintenance items that may need to be addressed in the near future. Among them:

Rear brake pad replacement
Leaking rear shock replacement
Air and cabin filter replacement
Serpentine belt replacement
Brake fluid flush
Clutch fluid flush

Guess it’s time to blow the dust off the old wallet (I learned that phrase from Josh) the next time I go in for service.

My friends and I took a drive to Tucson, Arizona for our New Year festivities.

My friend James let us stay overnight in his historic 1914 home near the University of Arizona.

On my drive home, I received a picture of myself from another friend who wasn’t traveling with us but who happened to come up behind me on Interstate 10 westbound just outside Phoenix. The world is too small.

This morning I cruised down to Chandler, Arizona for an annual New Year Meet at Science of Speed, an NSX & S2000 specialty shop that I use for some of my maintenance needs. There was a really nice turnout – probably 30 to 40 cars. One of them was this unassuming 1992 Formula Red that looks a lot like mine.

Until you peek at the odometer: 347,216. Wow! The owner said he’d owned it for 14 years and the car is still on its original engine and transmission.

Have a great rest of your weekend! I’ll be freezing my buns off in Michigan but seeing some hot cars (hopefully) at the auto show.

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Quick Trip to Los Angeles: Historic Honda Roots & Dinner in West Hollywood

Posted in California, Car Show, ILX, Integra, Maintenance, NSX, Road Trip on November 20, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 548,869

Odometer (ILX): 185,579

Trip Distance: 758 Miles

Would you believe that American Honda, the powerhouse that sold a record 1.5 million vehicles across the Honda and Acura brands in 2015, got its humble roots selling just motorcycles out of this small office space in Los Angeles? Some 57 years ago, here at 4077 W. Pico Boulevard, the company first took root in the United States, but it has forever since changed the landscape of the powersports and automotive industries.

Today, that same office space has changed hands probably more times than one could count, and is currently leased by an acupuncture & wellness facility. Sadly the condition has deteriorated substantially and the neighborhood isn’t all that great. I happened to be in the area yesterday morning so I stopped by for a pre-sunrise photo. The building is available for lease, and it would sure be a lot of fun to move in and create a museum or replica of the way things used to be. Dreams.

Looking westward down Pico Boulevard. The roads were surprisingly quiet at this hour.

Thanks to the lady selling tamales on the street next door for taking this quick shot of me.

Last Sunday, I met up with a few fellow second-generation Acura Integra drivers at a park in Tempe, Arizona for a little meet & greet. Now 26 years old, this bodystyle has aged pretty well and the few that survive are in the hands of enthusiasts like the handful of guys I met that day. It seems most people consider the Integra a blank canvas upon which to express his or her own sense of style, but I’ve decided to keep mine original to its 1992 factory configuration.

It’s always fun to meet with other car-nuts at events like these. Especially in cases, like this one, where the host brought out Dunkin Donuts to share with everyone. Thanks to German for that!

For years I’ve waited for the right opportunity to take a photo of my “Vig” at “The Vig.” The Vig is a restaurant on 16th Street in central Phoenix that has some of the best brunch in the valley.

The 1992 NSX has been under the knife for the past week or so, getting a completely refreshed Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) to rectify a warning light that’s been showing up for a long time. Braking performance under normal circumstances have been unaffected, but the ABS is deactivated when the light is on. This is a very common issue for the early NSX models like mine, and luckily Science of Speed offers an upgrade kit designed specifically for this application. It involves retrofitting the later model year (2002-05) NSX components.

I’m picking up the car the first part of this coming week. SOS did also recommend a few other maintenance items that will wait until my next major “90K” service coming up in 4 years. The timing belt and water pump were changed in January 2011 under the previous owner’s ownership, so they aren’t quite due yet. That was a $2,200 service at the time.

For having driven the NSX 26,000 miles in the 5 years I’ve had it, it’s actually been relatively inexpensive to own & maintain. GEICO did just raise my 6-month premium to $179 because the street address at which I now reside is higher risk. Interestingly enough, the NSX is still far cheaper to insure with full coverage than the 2013 ILX (which comes in at over $300) even though the NSX is certainly worth much more.

This weekend’s travels took me to California on Thursday afternoon. The Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off last week with Media Days being held on Wednesday and Thursday. Typically, I would have been there as a journalist with the Redline Reviews team to cover the event’s new car reveals, but my work time-off situation wouldn’t quite allow for it.

Still, I was determined to participate in the after-hours stuff so I set out in the afternoon for what should have been a six-hour drive to Hollywood for a dinner engagement with about 30 other people. Lucky for me, I also gained an hour due to time zones because that drive in reality ended up taking over 8 hours. Construction zones in multiple places on Interstate 10 and the expected LA rush-hour traffic made for slow going.

‘

My Garmin Nuvi GPS unit crept up its ‘delay’ timer the closer I got to my destination.

At least red is a pretty color!

I did finally make it to the venue at “Tortilla Republic,” though, and just 15 minutes before it started. Here, I’m pictured with Sofyan, Aaron, Rob, and Peace who are the backbone of the Redline media group. I’m hoping to partner with them in two months at the Detroit Auto Show if I can play my cards right with the time-off request. Cross your fingers!

Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” is home to 2,500 stars like this in the ground. It was walking distance from my motel and I happened to snag a picture of one of the stars, Mariah Carey’s, while en route to breakfast on Friday morning.

Sunrise in downtown Los Angeles

I made one major pit stop on the way home, to see some friends in Palm Springs. Scott & Sandy are a couple who I’ve featured on the blog previously. Their ever-evolving automotive collection spans a wide variety of tastes, from their 1992 NSX to a 1980s Mercury Bobcat (rebadged Pinto), to their latest: a 1964 Mercury Park Lane which they just had brought over on a transport truck from Houston. It’s waiting for some brake work so we didn’t take it for a spin, but those guys sure have some great taste in cars!

I took a spin in their 41,000-mile (!) 1976 Cadillac Seville which rode like it was on a cloud.

Also checked out Scott’s latest toy: a 1991 Civic “RealTime 4WD” wagon that he’s going to restore.

Many thanks to Scott and Sandy once again for their hospitality.

Finally today – I’d like to make a quick introduction to my friend Melissa, who has launched her own blog. It’s called “Working from Home.” In today’s workplace, thanks to the advances in telecommuting, you can be in virtually any part of the world and still be connected to your day job. I’ve participated in conference calls from the road, logged into my email from airplanes and hotel rooms, and been on Skype meetings while in another state. It’s starting to matter less and less that you’re seated in desk 4S018 at Phoenix Plaza Corporate Office staring at 4 cubicle walls.

Case in point: I worked with Melissa on a daily basis for over 4 years, but I never met her. She was over 2,500 miles away at our Rhode Island office and I was based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Did the geographic distance make us any less productive as coworkers? I honestly don’t think so. And herein was born the opportunity for Melissa to create an outlet where she could share some of her learnings over the many months of working from home.

Be sure to check out the article “Are You On Mute?” under the “Real Work” section. It’s one of my faves.

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

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New Domain Name, Some Integra Maintenance, & A Visitor from Oregon

Posted in Integra, Legend, Maintenance on July 26, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 544,040

Odometer (Legend Sedan): 150,439

Odometer (ILX): 176,539

I’m all grown up now. After over 5 years on a free WordPress account, I’d reached about 85% of my allowed media capacity and kept getting warnings about going over. I’ve shared 14,541 photos on the blog and they take up 2.6 gigabytes worth of space. So, it was time to upgrade, and along with a paid registration came the opportunity to become an official “dot-commer.” You can now find this page by typing in simply “drivetofive.com.” Celebrate good times (c’mon!).

Today’s updates fall into the “hodge podge” category. Surprise: I didn’t go anywhere this past weekend. I’ve had too many other things going on house wise, career wise, and otherwise. But I did get to enjoy spending time with a visiting friend from Oregon, beat the heat at a Sunday matinee, and attend a planning call with the NSX Club of America (NSXCA) about current events and activities.

The NSXCA, by the way, is sporting a new website of its own. Check it out. I can assure you the internal member page is pretty slick – including downloadable copies of the Club’s quarterly magazine, NSX Driver. Worth the $40 membership annually if you’re an owner or even just an enthusiast.

We even occasionally get “insider” deals on stuff like, say, the new NSX. Berlina Black, anyone?

Also in the cool car category is this stellar-looking 1982 DMC DeLorean. Believe it or not, my boss drives this car and she’s the original owner! She was proud to show it off last Friday at the office and the next time we get the chance, we’re taking it for a spin. Maybe I can even get some time behind the wheel. Unfortunately Shea Blvd doesn’t have anywhere we could safely get up to 88 miles per hour, so maybe another time we could try that.

My friend Kyle and I did an overnight car swap which was a nice change of pace. He borrowed the ILX and I got the keys to his 400-hp 2005 Pontiac GTO 6-speed. It has just a little over 101,000 miles on the odometer but looks showroom fresh inside & out thanks to Kyle’s attention to detail. I was a little paranoid to even drive the thing, but I greatly enjoyed my commute home on Friday afternoon. The GTO is a car that demands brute force to drive. The clutch is heavy, the gear shift takes effort, and the doors close with a resounding thud. There is nothing delicate or dainty about this car. Not to mention the fact that the exhaust note will awaken anyone within earshot – a mile away.

The Integra came back into service after a couple-week hiatus. Tait Johnson, better known as “Hon-Man” of Tempe, Arizona, went through the old 1992 GS-R and gave it a real thorough once-over.

The main service item he addressed was a timing belt & water pump change. This is a routine maintenance item in most 1990s Honda cars, due every eight (?) years or 90,000 miles. In the Legend, I routinely hit the mileage limit before the time limit over the years. Additionally, I had Tait address a couple of suspension/braking concerns and install a new catalytic converter. Some of you may recall that this car failed emissions last month when I tried getting it registered for the first time here in Arizona. Now she’s passed with flying colors.

List of completed maintenance items

Emissions report – success!

And Arizona’s newest resident! “Action Auto Title,” by the way – shown in the background – is a third-party DMV agent that I’m trying out for the first time. Do you hate going to the DMV as much as I do? This place was a breeze! I was assisted immediately. The plate was cozy and smelled of a scented candle. And the rates are only a fraction more expensive than the DMV. $55 for two year tags – you just can’t beat that.

I whizzed out to Tonopah on Saturday in the Legend to get its fluids up and moving. This car won’t be seeing much action until the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) in Atlanta this coming September.

I polished tips on both the sedan & the Integra.

Later that evening, I stopped by the weekly “Pavilions” car show in Scottsdale. My friend Michael was attending in his black 2006 Acura TL that he wanted me to check out. It’s in great shape for being 10 years old!

My friend Justin made his arrival from Roseburg, Oregon on Sunday afternoon. He’s a fellow car nut who I’ve followed on Instagram for some time now. And for whatever reason, he decided to leave his beautiful, green state and subject himself to summer’s wrath here in Phoenix during the hottest time of the year.

His 2010 Audi A3 TDI wagon got him around in style, though.

Speaking of Oregonians, congratulations are going out to my buddy Ira in Portland who took delivery of a 2016 TLX in Crystal Black Pearl on Monday. His new ride is outfitted with the complete Sport Underbody Kit and the accessory wheels. Instead of a key handoff, his drive-away was accompanied by a (very) “high five.”

And lastly, I don’t know how my buddy Alex does it, but he has a way with capturing odometer readings. Check this one out. Rolling over 95,000 miles, with a 95-degree external temperature, driving 59 miles per hour.

Thanks for sharing, Alex! I can’t compete with that!

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