Thursday, January 24, 2019

27.8 MPG

304.7mi, 10.981 gal @ $3.299 = 27.8 MPG

144,006 total miles. 76 on Leigh at Southwest Expressway.

Friday, December 28, 2018

29.75 MPG

403.1mi, 13.551 gal @ $3.499 = 29.75 MPG

143,701 total miles. 76 on Leigh at Southwest Expressway.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Passed smog check.

143,362 total miles.

As expected, the vehicle passed the bi-annual smog check for CA registration.

Added brake fluid.

143,361 total miles.

Well, here we are again. Just 5k miles after I last added brake fluid the warning light and chime are again complaining. This time I put in the full 12oz can of Prestone Dot 3 (which was all of $6.00 at O'Reilly Auto). We'll see how long it is until the next brake fluid warning.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

30.71 MPG

375.4mi, 12.225 gal @ $3.319 = 30.71 MPG

143,298 total miles. Mobil on Union at Foxworthy.

Monday, November 26, 2018

New Headlight Bulbs.

143,284 miles.

Over the Thanksgiving long weekend I noticed that the driver side headlight had gone out. I have never changed these bulbs, so I assume these were the original headlights. They lasted 10 years and over 140k miles.

In searching for a replacement I wanted something slightly brighter than stock, but still with a decent lifespan. I considered moving to LED headlights, but the good ones all looked a bit too complicated and more expensive than I wanted to mess with. By way of the excellent website bulbfacts.com, I selected the Philips Vision Plus 9008/H13 halogen bulbs (with "up to +60% more vision"!), and ordered a set for $30.50 from Amazon.com.

Installation was relatively quick but far more difficult than the online videos make it seem. The original bulbs were very tough to remove! They were really stuck in there and I could not rotate them by hand. I had to use a set of vise-grips to break them loose. Once that was done, the swap was straightforward. The passenger side bulb is easier to get your hands on, but I was able to replace the driver side without removing or disconnecting the battery.

Here's a photo showing the old Sylvania bulb next to the Philips replacement:



Saturday, November 3, 2018

32.74 MPG

434.4mi, 13.269 gal @ $3.799 = 32.74 MPG

142,922 total miles. Shell on Bascom and Campbell Ave.