bramfrank

Nothing higher than 4300K for anything I have them on . . . and I will never rework factory headlights - too easy for a patrolman to write up an equipment violation as a reward for spending money on extra lighting that doesn't meet the federal sttatutes.

The horn relay delay is REALLY annoying - it is hard to just give a 'quick toot' because of it - I suspect that they did it to save a wire in the clockspring, though my old LHS that the kids drive just had the clockspring fail and lost all of the functions (and the airbag too), suggesting that they multiplexed horn signals back in 2000 - and that has no delays. In any case, it would be nice to have more direct control of the horn.

If you are not happy with the dealer, find another. Many will make great deals over the internet because they save the commissions. You don't say what model, but I assume it's either a AVP or SE based on the pricing.

No rush before buying the extended warranty. You have 20,000 km and 12 months before you would need to pay a surcharge to buy one. We have a local dealer that hosted a group buy who is willing to continue the discount pricing when you decide - you can PM me for their contact details when you are ready.

With all the ethanol in gas today you don't need seafoam (or any other detergent additive) for the fuel system. Even if your car is designed for and you run 'super', which often has no ethanol, running a half tank of mid grade gas every 10 or so fillups will clean out the fuel system, injectors (and carbs) and valves. And if you change your oil regularly there's no point in using anything for your oil either because your engine won't 'sludge up'. Chrysler's old 2.7s used to sludge, but only if you regularly let the interval between changes run long.

I haven't lost mine yet, but the left one did come off. I cleaned the rear and the metal and stuck both on with RTV. Haven't moved since.

OK, I'll qualify my statement. There are no demonstrable benefits for the typical car owner, over the first 200,000-300,000 miles to using Synthetic oil if you change the oil according to the manufacturer's recommendation. Dyno is just fine unless you live in the Antarctic or in a blazing hot desert and used your vehicle to go to the corner and back, never letting the engine warm up. Sludge buildup? Not if you change your oil.

The one I ride most (and the one in question) is a Yamaha FJR1300.

No. But I am a very curious person and very tenacious - so whatever I run into I tend to study up on and then drive it to a conclusion. When one of my Motorcycles developed a problem, I discovered that I was not alone and the defect was outright dangerous - so I drove IC and the NHTSA to force a recall. I learned a lot about the process - and garnered the hatred of the manufacturer. Strangely, the recall has not yet been applied to my machine after 18 months. The parts never seem to ever arrive at my dealer (and I have excellent relations with him). Not a problem. I'm an electrical engineer by training and I've installed a work-around, so the delay isn't an issue for me.

There is no demonstrated benefit to using synthetic oils (except, perhaps to the manufacturers and retailers) as long as you change your oil regularly. Oil doesn't break down as fast as it picks up particulates - and it is the particulates that cause the trouble. SO putting in synthetic and letting it run in your engine for 10,000 miles is not a good idea. And running it for 3-5K is simply that much more expensive than dino. Always use a high quality filter. Believe it or not, the OEM filter does a MUCH better job straining our particulates than the cheapo things that oil change places sell..

Fair question, I suppose, but there'd need to be some intelligence in the system to differentiate between a persistent difference and one that originates with a wheel slip I suppose. Perhaps a note to the manufacturer making the suggestion would actually get some attention . . . . no. . . . Really!!!

The idea of the spare is to get you to the nearest service station so you can get the old tire repaired and reinstalled. Driving around with mismatched tires on an AWD DJ is an invitation for disaster with the drive train. Note that if your tires have any significant wear and one of them fails and needs to be replaced, you are well advised to change the other 3 at the same time. So it doesn't matter whether it is the same diameter or not, because even the difference between a new and partly used tire is enough to mess up the vehicle. Also - make sure you rotate your tires regularly - all the more important with AWD.

Bear in mind that all the NHTSA cares about are safety related defects that can result in unforeseen catastrophic results (crashes, fires and such). So many (likely most) of the complaints they receive are posted, but quickly discarded as not the type of issue they are concerned with, though the complaints will still be there for the reading. They do NOT publish the status of any investigations because of commercial implications and legal liabilities associated with the potential impact of unverified rumours. The Buel stator issue is an example of something that they don't care about - because a dead stator results in a gradual degradation of performance as do such issues such as brakes that wear out quickly, gas gauges that are pessimistic and door locks that won't unlock the door from the outside. On the other hand, the 'keys would cause the ignition to switch itself off' recall that Dodge/Chrysler went through a couple of years ago would have vehicles spontaneously switch off while underway. A design issue where a door lock might not release a door from the inside - which has implications for life safety after an accident or a defect that could cause unanticipated acceleration (a bad OEM floor mat design that could press the accelerator - think Toyota - are the types of things they investigate. The solution for something like the FOBIT recall COULD have been as simple as them providing a sticker that said not to put your FOBIT on a keychain - since what was happening was that the weight of other keys was sometimes enough to turn the FOBIT to the accessory position from 'run'. The delivered solution apparently increased the amount of tension required to turn the FOBIT.

The NHTSA doesn't do follow ups with complainants - I spearheaded a recall with them (and with Industry Canada up here) for a serious defect on one of Yamaha's high end motorcycles - Yamaha doesn't like me anymore - they had to replace the electical harnesses on some 13000 motorcycles because they had their heads up their rear ends - but through all of it the NHTSA (according to my rep there) 'declined to pursue the matter' until I got IC to kick serious butt in Canada - there's a reciprocal agreement in place, so if Canada orders a recall, the US has to follow if the model is the same.. The NHTSA was like a black hole - they suck in the data, but never show their hands. Unless it is a Toyota - 3 defects reported in a million vehicles and they push the company to do a massive recall . . . go figure.

Every complaint filed with the NHTSA can be viewed. Why ask here, where perhaps .001% of users congregate? Just read them yourself.

Technically, no.

Denny; Can you provide details of the kit? Part numbers, MSRP and perhaps a scan of the installation documents?

My understanding was that there will be no 2014 DJ - we're supposed to get something designed out of Italy to replace it (heaven help us all).

Indeed - ANY modification of factory lighting makes one subject to receiving a ticket - you likely can 'get away with it' if it doesn't bother anyone, but that doesn't make it legal. Like I wrote earlier in the thread, if an officer is looking to fill quota you can be tagged for an equipment violation. And if your state does inspections, a modified headlight can cause the vehicle to fail. Note that states DO have the right to individually regulate auxiliary (add on) lighting - there are different rules as to how many lights, what colors they can be, where they can be mounted and how bright they can be and even when they can be used.

It is illegal everywhere - the statutes are federal. States can only tighten up on federal statutes, they can't allow them to be bypassed.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has successfully retrofitted the Bluetooth feature into the vehicle - too many undocumented parts are required. I just hung a Garmin navigator with voice command and Bluetooth functionality above the rear view mirror.

Stop being a troll. I simply pointed out that there were legality issues. And be aware that your projectors are just as illegal - ANY modification is illegal. That doesn't stop people from executing them - just look in a mirror. I also offered input as to a legal alternative (HIR bulbs) and said that if he insisted on an HID conversion what a more appropriate color temperature might be and then, after you commented, why.

The opinions of law enforcement officers is not the defining element as to what's legal, only what THEY know and what THEY might charge you with. I ran into a situation a while ago where a number of law enforcement officers thought it would be perfectly legal to buy and own property that was removed from stolen vehicles as long as it couldn't be identified. They were wrong, of course and their morals obviously suspect. That they are cops doesn't mean they're right. If you are stopped by an officer who actually knows what the law is and if he wants to ticket you and has nothing else to write you up for (or if he is just being mean and wants to max out his revenue for the stop), rest assured you will be driving away with a ticket for an equipment violation that you will not be able to challenge. So to correct your statement; You are speaking from experience - you have had no issues. You may NEVER have issues. But that doesn't mean that what you are doing is legal. For example, if you are driving along 5 over the limit, because 'they always let you go 5 over' and you get pulled over, that excuse isn't going to work. 5 over is 5 over and if they want, you will be issued a ticket. It is the same with equipment violations. The intent of the OP is to improve his lighting - If he wants to install HID lighting then he should know what the potential downside is before doing so, so he can make an informed decision.

A plastic cover? Like a hub cap? Chrome is a plating process where the shiny chromium metal is deposited on top of the base metal - it can certainly peel away if the surface is improperly prepared or if there is a hole where moisture can get between the two surfaces. http://www.answers.com/guides/what-is-chrome-plating My old 2000 LHS has chrome wheels (actually I have 2.25 sets of them, one with all season tires and the other with my snows - the summers have TPS sensors) and the big problem is that the well where the TPS sensor/valve is installed corrodes and needs to be ground and grease coated every so often or else the wheel starts leaking - all 8 wheels (of the 9 - the spare is also chrome, but it's never been out of the trunk) have done this.

Davidlb; True enough about bulb selection - the DJ uses dedicated bulbs for low and for high beam which makes it an interesting vehicle because you can leave both on for high beam operation - you MIGHT not want to convert the highs because of the warm-up delay when switching HIDs bulbs on. But ANY conversion to headlights is not road legal unless you recertify the assembly after the conversion because the headlights are approved under federal statutes as an assembly and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. Depending on where you live you could find yourself failing your annual inspection. Just because you haven't been cited doesn't make it legal. Annd if you've done a conversion and a police officer is feeling his oats, it is an easy ticket for him to write as an equipment violation. As to the color temps, 4300K is what OEM manufacturers provide - 3000K is the color of a halogen beam, so 4300K is already trending toward 'whiter' and is definitely headed toward 'bluish' at 5000K. Note too that as HIDs age their color temperatures rise. If you'd care to do some reading on the topic Daniel Stern is a noted expert in the field: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html