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New Tint

May 22nd, 2008

So I had my 25th birthday a few weeks ago, and it was mostly a low-key affair (much to my liking ). Before my birthday, though, Jess got in contact with my family and organized a large joint gift from them. Everyone contributed towards giving me gift cards so I could get my car windows tinted!

I was quite excited and happy with that gift! Getting them tinted was something I had been talking about doing ever since I got the Jetta over 5 years ago; I just never took the time nor spent the money to get it done. With this gift, I had absolutely no reason not to get it done.

So about a week and a half after my birthday, at the recommendation of several friends on SoCalEuro I called up Expert Window Tinting Plus and set up an appointment. Their location is literally just down the street from Michael and Gaile, so we set up a day that was convenient for Michael and Jess and I went down and dropped the car off. Michael had followed me to Expert Window Tinting and after dropping the car off, we went back to their house.

While waiting for the car to be finished (I was quoted 2.5 hours, which turned out to be 100% accurate), Jess and I got to spend quite a bit of time playing with Keira.

We were so pleased to get to spend some time playing with Keira and she seemed to enjoy us quite a bit too. After coming home, Michael told me that Keira said, “John and Jess are fun!”

We dropped my car off at 1:30, and exactly 2.5 hours later, my car was ready for pickup at 4:00. Michael took me down and we walked to the back and my car looked great!

I can’t say enough nice things about Andy and the crew at Expert Window Tinting Plus! They did an excellent job and I could not be any happier. Andy is a very friendly, affable guy, and the work is impeccable. Andy made sure I got the best-available product and look I was going for.

I know from now on, I doubt I will go anywhere in San Diego if I need any cars tinted and I will be sure to send friends and family down there as well.

Anyway, see below for the pictures.

By the way, both photos above were taken using the High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography technique. I personally am not a fan of the blown-out “comicy” look of many HDR photos that are popular these days; I like the look of a well-balanced and more natural-looking photograph.

New Tools

April 7th, 2008

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I’ve been neglecting the Jetta quite a bit lately and I think it’s time I give it a bit of much-needed TLC. Coming home from Disneyland a couple months ago, I got my first-ever “Check Engine Light” on the Jetta. It only took me about 65,000 miles and 5 years, but I got one. I scanned it with my VAG-COM, and found that the problem was a thermostat that’s stuck open. The only real problem is the car takes a little longer to warm up from cold, and if it’s cold enough out, the temp my go down a little bit. But with the mild temperatures that we enjoy out here in San Diego, it’s not that big an issue. I asked myself, “Why stop with just the thermostat? While I’m in there, why don’t I just replace the timing belt and water pump?” The 1.8T motor uses a rubber timing belt instead of a chain, so it’s not as durable as a timing chain, and even though VW recommends changing it at 105,000 miles, I’d rather not chance it. The 1.8T is an interference design, so the pistons will slam into the valves if the timing belt breaks, causing major damage. Also, another weak point of the 1.8T is the stock water pump. It uses a plastic impeller which is prone to shattering or separating from the shaft, causing the engine to overheat. It’s driven by the timing belt, so it only makes sense to replace it at the same time as the timing belt with a new water pump that’s built with a metal impeller. I’ve also noticed it running a little rough at times or dropping power and it definitely feels like it’s misfiring. I scanned it again using the VAG-COM and the computer is reporting random misfires in the number 1 and 3 cylinders. I went ahead and ordered a set of new spark plugs and two new coilpacks, as they may be the problem as well. I figured I’d at the very least replace all the spark plugs and check all the coilpacks and if any looked bad, I’d replace them. If they all looked good and the car still ran well, then I would just keep them in the car as spares in case one ever went bad. Now that you have all that backstory, I can tell you that my dad and I have decided we’d tackle this big project on Saturday. I was reading a DIY guide about changing the timing belt on a 1.8T today, and it listed the tools needed to perform the job. I was taking stock of my tools and realized I was missing quite a few of the tools needed for the job (not to mention things like a spark plug socket and whatnot). I pulled up Sears.com and started looking for the tools that I would need. I quickly realized by the time I bought all the tools and pieces I needed, it would cost nearly as much as a whole new set. So I thought maybe I could find a decent tool set on sale or something. I didn’t have to look long because, lo and behold, Sears had a sale on a 260-piece Craftsman Mechanics Toolset! They already had $70 off as it was, and I found a promotion code for an additional $15 off. So all in all I got the toolset for $85 off it’s original price! I’m quite pleased and excited and am very much looking forward to breaking them in this weekend!

Racer Factory – Day 1

April 8th, 2006

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Well, I’m done with my first day of thrashing my car around the track and I surprised myself, my car performed a lot better than I expected, and I was able to pick things up pretty well and was doing a fairly good job out on the track (at least that’s what the instructor told me).

The day started at about 8:15 when I arrived at the track. I taped up my headlights because I didn’t want them getting damaged because things can get kicked up on the track and hit and damage the lights. At 8:30 they called us into the tent and we had an hour-long beginner’s course. It was basically “here’s what to expect from your car out on the track and here’s how to control things”. So after the class, we were paired up and assigned instructors. My instructor drove my car first, to show me the track and the best way to drive my car around it, and then after a few laps we pulled into the pits and he went into the other guy’s car and I followed them for a few more laps.

We came back in, had some more classroom time and then went back out. This time the instructor was riding shotgun and teaching me how to drive as I drove it around the track. After that run, we had lunch and then we all went solo. The third run we did was when I began to really push my car. I had those tires squealing around corners and was going as fast as I thought I could through them. But as the day wore on, I got a better feel of the car and was more able to push it even further.

We did a total of 5, 25-minute runs throughout the day. During the last half of the 4th run I had my instructor ride with me to see if I could improve more or if I had bad habits I had to get rid up. He told me that I was hitting my lines really well (that’s a good thing), which basically means I had my car in the right spot during the turns. But there was one turn that was giving me trouble, and he gave me some pointers about how to get through it faster. Overall though, I was getting a very good feel of the track and how my car reacts to the input I give it.

By the end of the day, I was beat. All the adrenaline rushes while I was on the track took their toll on me and I just felt like passing out when I got back here to the hotel room. I had an absolute blast out there today and I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow. I have a better understanding of how my car works and I actually underestimated its potential. I have plenty of pictures (around 350) that I’ll eventually post up; I’m on dial-up right now and I’m not about to go through and just try to upload a ton of pictures right now.

I may blog more tonight, we’ll see how I feel though. We’re all going out to a restaurant for dinner, and then I’m planning on just coming back and crashing. It’s been a long, intense day and I have loved every minute of it.

Brian’s Accident

December 14th, 2005

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So this past Friday, December 9th, my roommate Brian was driving home in his 2002 Jaguar X-Type. He was in the left lane doing about 50 in a 45 zone, when an older-model Honda Accord passed him on the right at a high rate of speed, cut him off, nearly clipping him. He tried to veer to the left to get out of the way of the Honda, and in doing so he hit the median curb, went up the embankment, hit a tree, rolled the car, sideswiped a truck and came to rest in oncoming traffic.

He walked away from the accident with a bruised nose, a few cuts on his left arm, and a sore elbow; otherwise, he’s fine. Doctors checked him out and they just cleaned and dressed the wounds.

Brian’s car after the accident

Notice the imprint on the car’s trunk …

… matches this tree trunk?

Interior of the car

The accident basically took off the front of the car

Passenger side

The driver’s front wheel where the accident happened. This was probably 50 feet from where the car finally rested.

As you can see, he’s pretty lucky to be alive, let alone escaping with just minor injuries.

Sway bar

August 16th, 2004

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Well, Richard and I spent about 3 hours today installing my new sway bar. The damn rear brackets just wouldn’t line up the holes so we couldn’t bolt it in. Well, we finally got it far enough in to bolt in on. After that it was just a piece of cake. We went on a test drive through PQ and DAMN does the car handle a lot better. It corners much better than it used to, I can take turns a lot faster now and I have new confidence in it. So yeah, YAY! (I’ll put up pics soon)

I also got the memory card for my phone. A whopping 64MB of removable memory; w00t! So that means now I can have free ringtones and wallpaper and a free and easy way to copy pictures and videos off of my phone. Cool huh?

Well that’s really all that was exciting that happened today. Maybe I’ll blog more later if I feel like it.

Car mods are a comin …

August 14th, 2004

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Alritey folks … it’s been a full 3 months since my last entry (which seems to be my usual cycle). And away we go …!

The biggest exciting thing for me is I’m getting some modifications for my car. I’m putting in a whole new suspension on the car which should make my car a bit sportier. It’s going to end up about an inch and a half lower than it is now, and a little stiffer of a ride; so my car should handle a lot better. I’m also installing a new rear anti-sway bar. What that does is it kinda stiffens up the rear of my car and allows it to corner better. So overall, my car should handle much better than it used to. So that’s cool.

Tonight, Erica threw a BBQ as a last-hoorah for Robin and Jacki because they take off for Michigan on Monday to go to school. Overall it was a good evening, had some fun and good food; but it was quite sad saying good-bye because we’ve all had some great times together and it’s very saddening to see it end. I don’t really want to go too deep into it because I’m going to miss them quite a bit …

I also got a new cell phone: the Motorola v710. Yeah, that’s right, go ahead and be jealous. =o) I’ve been waiting for this phone for quite a while, and it’s pretty awesome. It’s great to have a pretty reliable phone once again.

Work has been pretty hectic for me this summer. We have a big project that we’re working on and we’re going to develop it the “correct” way by documenting everything and holding meetings often. I’ve been appointed the testing lead, so that means I have to develop a plan of how I’m going to test the software, administer the test, record the results, and file any change requests needed. It’s a bit more complicated and time-consuming than it sounds; but in the end I think it’s going to be a good experience.

Halo 2 comes out November 9th, you better believe I’m going to be quite preoccupied for quite some time after it comes out. The more I read about it, the more excited I get; can’t wait!

School starts up again in two weeks. I’m only taking two classes this semester, and they’re both on Mondays and Wednesdays, so it’s like I have a 5-day weekend every week. =oD It’ll be nice because I’ll be able to work more when I’m not in school, and you know that means more money!

Welp, I think that’s it for now. Look for more to come as I might have some more free time coming up when I’m not playing Doom 3 or working or messing with my car.

The life of John

December 12th, 2003

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Well … here we are, the middle of December, and I’m finally writing in here again. See, the thing is, my life is so routine anymore, that it’s not even worthy to post up for you all to read. But there have been some recent events, so I’ll write about those.

Let’s see, the last I left off was about 6 weeks ago when the fires were raging on. Well, I’m happy to report the fires are out, and we’re all safe. All in all, I think I heard something like 350 homes had burned down. Thankfully no one I personally know had their house badly damaged.

On Halloween, Erica, Robin, Jacki, and I spent the day at Disneyland. It was great, no real crowds or anything. Then for dinner, we met up with Brian and Courtney and had some good Italian food in Downtown Disney. After dinner, we all did a couple more rides and then watched Fantasmic. It was great, just as I remembered it. =o)

Nothing major happened in between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Well, except I put new headlight housings on my car. The new ones are European-spec and have a nicer beam pattern. And these new ones also have the foglights in the housings (my old ones didn’t). There are pics up of the install in the “Jetta” album in my Photos.

Oh yeah, and Evan left for boot camp the week before Thanksgiving. We all threw him a good-bye bash full of food and Xbox fun. It was sad to see him go, but we’ll get to see him again for Christmas. Even though, it’s still not going to be the same without him around. He brought a certain “flare” to us all and it will be sorely missed.

Then came Thanksgiving. For the first time in several years, our whole family was together for the holiday. My parents, Michael, Gaile, and I all flew up to my sister’s house in Sacramento and had dinner with her and my brother-in-law Mikee. It was a BLAST up there and we all had so much fun. I got to try some interesting alcoholic concoctions. The food was GREAT and the family fun was even better. It’s great to see we can all still get along and have fun together. (You can see photos of the whole week in the “Thanksgiving 2003″ album). The most interesting part of the whole trip was when Michael and Gaile made sushi for us. It’s surprisingly simple, and it tasted pretty damn good. Two-thumbs-up in my book. =o)

Then, let’s see, the last two weeks have pretty much just been me working, schooling, and preparing for finals. I only have 2 finals, so that’s helpful, but I have at least 1 test in every class next week, whether they’re finals or just chapter tests. I’m not stressing TOO much, but enough that I’m a little worried and am studying.

Oh yah, and last weekend, I spent the whole weekend putting lights up on the house, and I’m still not done (got some cleanup work to do).

Possibly going Christmas shopping tonight with Erica and Robin, or maybe tomorrow with Erica. We’ll see how it pans out. Going to Robin’s polo game this afternoon. My first polo game (whoah). This should be interesting, to say the least. Bunch of girls in skimpy outfits beating each other up? Sounds like my kind of sport! Lol … just messin.

K … well I’ll try to make an effort at getting more blog entries posted in the future. I’ve promised that before, and it hasn’t faired too well. Ahh well.

I finally have it!

February 19th, 2003

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WOO WOO! My Jetta is finally here! There’s not much I can really say except that I love it and it’s everything I’ve dreamt about, and more. I’ve spent the whole day driving people around and showing off the car.

Expect pictures soon.

so stoked

February 15th, 2003

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I am SOOO stoked! … okay so it’s Friday night/Saturday morning right now, I should have my brand new Jetta in less than 72 hours. I was on the phone all day today with people, it was crazy! I had gotten about 7 calls from the VW dealer trying to find my car in the configuration that I wanted. So to make a long story short, he found the Jetta I want. It’s a 2003 Platinum Gray Jetta GLS 1.8T 5-speed with Gray velour interior and Monsoon sound system with 6-disc CD changer. I am soooo stoked about getting this car. But yeah, the dealer is sending a guy up to LA to pick up my car and drive it back to SD so I can pick it up. I dunno if I’ll be able to wait that long, I’m going to be so anxious and antsy. AHH!

Anway, hope everyone had a good Valentine’s Day. Mine was fine, took my mom to the airport at 7:00 AM. Helped Ryan with his V-Day present for Grace. Had lunch with Brian and Keith, got a haircut, played some Xbox and set up Brian and Courtney’s new phones. Erica and I went to Souplantation and then watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding back at her house. It’s a good movie, I enjoyed it. I left her house around 10:30 and met up with Brian at Courtney’s and we hung out for a couple hours. So here I am now, having been up 19 hours, writing in my blog. I am sooo tired but I can’t sleep, I’m too excited! =o)

Okay, I know, it’s just a car, but it’s MY car and my first car that I am buying myself. So I have reason to be excited. I’ll keep posting as I see fit, look for pictures on Tuesday or Wednesday of my new car.

What a Time

January 15th, 2003

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Wow, so sorry for the COMPLETE lack of updates. But with the past couple of months being so distracting, I haven’t really had any motivation to post anything new.

As I’m sure most of you know, Erica and I broke up almost 2 months ago. I won’t go into too much detail here, so if you want to know more you can IM me or call me. But just know we’re still really good friends and hang out together and still have fun with each other.

Other than that, nothing MAJOR has occurred. We had Thanksgiving up at my sister’s in Sacramento. Did some sight-seeing and I took plenty of pictures. I’ll post those rather soon. You’ll also see pictures of my sister’s drunken cat. Seems her cat has developed a liking to alcohol, and can even drink it through a straw. It was quite humorous to watch. You’ll just have to wait for the pics to see for yourself.

Hmm, not much really happened in December, except for finals and the end of this school semester. I got 2 A’s and a B in my three classes, so I’m pretty happy about that.

Then Christmas came and it was better than I expected. I was a little afraid actually that I might end up feeling lonely, but it wasn’t bad at all. I got some cool stuff, mainly DVDs, but that’s mainly what I asked for this year so I guess you could say I made out pretty well.

My sister came home for New Years and her visit was really nice. I like it when my sister comes home, it really livens up the house around here.

Went to the Auto Show with Erica and Dan. I tried calling Evan because he had wanted to go with us, but I dunno if his phone wasn’t on or he wasn’t getting signal or what, but whenever I tried calling him, the call went straight into voicemail.

But yeah, saw a lot of cars. Sat in quite a few cars that I have been thinking about or considering, and I still settle on the Jetta. Overall it’s just a great car, especially the value for the money. I won’t get all obsessive and start naming off everything that’s great about it (like I did with the xbox) =o)

Oh yeah, my cell decided it would be cool if it just started acting up again. It was the 5th (yeah that’s right FIFTH) phone that I had gotten. The other 4 were glitchy too and I had to go into Verizon and they would swap the phones for me. So in getting fed up with the phone I decided to replace it with a more reliable one. Soooo, I got a Motorola T720. It’s a pretty sweet phone. It’s a flip phone with a color screen and everything else lights up white. I never thought I would be one to go for flip phones, but this one just appealed to me and it’s a great phone. Color screen, downloadable games, polyphonic ringtones; it’s got it all.

And yeah, I’m supposed to go report for Jury duty tomorrow . Just something about sitting in a room for 7 hours waiting to be called just doesn’t appeal to me. Maybe it’s just me. I was actually scheduled to report on the 6th, but since you can go any day within 2 weeks of your scheduled date, I tried to go last Wednesday. But on the way down there, I got stuck in traffic and ended up walking into the “Jury Room” at like 8:20 and the woman there said that they had already started orientation and that I was too late. So I had to go back home and I had nothing to do.

I think that’s about it for now. I’ll try to post things as I think of them.