Recent Posts

Installing a Battery Kill Switch in the Toyota 4Runner

On the 2008 Toyota 4Runner Limited, I have a weird problem of the security alarm going off at random times during the day or night. This disturbs neighbors and annoys the hell out of me. So I took it to the dealership sometime in January 2025, and they said I had an aftermarket alarm system and removed it. The dealership blamed it on that.

A few months later, the random beeping was back. I searched on the internet forums and decided that maybe it is the sunroof drains not draining. So I purchased some weed whacker string and cleaned the sunroof drains, following this video.

It is now November 2025, and the random beeping alarm is back. I got tired of disconnecting the battery before traveling for work, so I purchased and installed a battery kill switch. This post describes how to perform this install. It is really easy to do and can be done in 5 minutes with simple hand tools for $20.

Oil Change on 2012 Subaru WRX

I sold the Infiniti G35 and replaced it with a 2012 Subaru WRX in February 2025. The Infiniti had just too many issues and had left me stranded a few times already, so I sold it to another enthusiast and bought a WRX. In May of this year, I also sold my Porsche Boxster. It was in great shape but I just needed one lesser car, so I stuck with the WRX since it was a 5-speed manual.

The WRX has a 5 speed manual with a short-shifter, had a tune from Cobb, Invidia headers and a Cobb intake. I have not researched the details of these modifications yet but I will and note them down in another post in the future.

I had driven it about 2500 miles and the oil change was now necessary to do. So this post describes how to do it. Sadly, I was in a rush and did not take enough pictures, but I have some as you will see.

Replacing PCV and Purge Valves

I described the Miata’s valve cover gasket replacement earlier. At the time I had not replaced the PCV valve, however, now that the car has aged further and received a code P0106, I chose to change both the PCV valve and the purge valve. This post describes the changes. I chose not to change the boost solenoid, which is also recommended for fixing the P0106 code.

Fixing A Bad Ground Cable

Over the past one year, I have been stranded several times during the rain where the car does not start up and I need a jump start.

At first I thought it was the battery but the battery was fine as per the auto-parts store and I could recharge it fully using a trickle charger.

However, turns out the negative battery cable was loose each time, and the jump starter clamps would make it tight and it would start.

This is the problem referred to as bad ground in various forums, and it just means that you need to replace your negative battery cable with a new one.

This post describes how to and the OEM part numbers.

Center Console Lid Re-Upholstered

In the previous post, I installed aftermarket seats in the 2005 G35 coupe.

However, the center console lid was still a faded beige color, so I purchased a red cover for the center console lid (Figure 5) from eBay for about $25.

This post describes how to re-upholster or install that red cover permanently to your center console lid to match the seats color.