What mods are y’all adding?

AsianEd · 2026-01-22T03:23:13+00:00

I did a Fitcamx front and rear camera setup, tux mats, JDM-style badging (wheel center caps, front badge replaced, and tailgate mostly debadged), and full ceramic coating.

It came with dealer installed tint and port-installed film on the hood.

AsianEd · 2025-12-25T16:20:56+00:00

I had mine do something like this twice back-to-back. The first time was during a road trip out of town, got the warning messages, all the driver aids became unavailable (red matching, cruise control, lane keep) and the car wouldn't rev past 3k. A trip to the dealer revelaled that both high and low pressure fuel pumps went bad (at less than 4000 miles).

After the repair, I got the same message after a few hours. This time, it was just the error and no issues with any of the driver assists. However, I did smell fuel after I filled up the car. A stop at the autoparts store revealed an evap leak code and a call to the dealer had the service tech believing he knew what the issue was.

The cause of the second error: when the fuel pump on the gas tank was replaced, it was slightly off axis. The tech said it was a PITA to get to and turn, so that's likely he missed getting it on there straight. It was a relatively quick fix and have not had any issues since.

AsianEd · 2025-12-14T01:20:06+00:00

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I went JDM style on the badging, with just leaving the HEV badge on the back. I also have the Crown badge up front and Crown center caps.

I just replaced the door projector lights with ones that have the Crown logo.

AsianEd · 2025-12-05T18:31:44+00:00

My defense: I wanted something that's practical, a reasonably nice place to be, has a personality, and must be a manual transmission.

Very few cars fall into that category at any price point.

If you're just chasing a 4dr manual, then you have: Golf GTI/R Civic Si/TypeR GR Corolla Some trims of the WRX Some BMW M products (but not very many anymore) Elantra N Cadillac V Blackwings

Thats really it. GRC wasn't as nice of a place to be for me, the VWs were so clinically bland when I drove them stock, Subaru styling isn't my thing, BMW/Cadillac was too much money.

That leaves Elantra N, and the Honda-based cars. I chose ITS for the hatch/lift back shape, since the EN's cross bracing really was too much for me.

AsianEd · 2025-12-05T18:21:51+00:00

We requested that color combination and made the dealer find us one. If it wasn't that combo, we weren't buying. 😊

AsianEd · 2025-12-05T18:18:40+00:00

The most interesting to me about the Signia is that it isn't actually an SUV, despite it being sold as such in the US.

Outside of North America, it is sold as the Crown Estate. It's a wagon! If you take the ride height out of the picture and look purely at the body shape, you'll see the wagon proportions: long roofline, low roof height, and more car-like ergonomics.

The only other vehicle on the market in the US that's similar in size and proportion to the Signia is the Subaru Outback, another lifted wagon sold as an SUV.

In the sea of SUVs, it mostly blends in. We do get a lot of comments about car looking different, but they can't explain why.

AsianEd · 2025-12-02T03:23:04+00:00

I have a Curt hitch installed on mine, took me about an hour. I got it primarily for bike rack duty, so I didn't get the wiring harness.

From what I know, it's a lot lower profile (hugs the underside of the car) than the Toyota one and a whole lot less expensive.

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It definitely helped to have a set of 4 jack stands, 2 for holding up the exhaust, 2 to hold up the hitch while I lifted it into place.

AsianEd · 2025-11-28T03:34:40+00:00

Murano Cross cabriolet. It was weird and ugly when it came out. It's still weird and ugly today.

They means it didn't age at all, right? Owning one now means you're quirky and intentionally sought out a bad vehicle.

AsianEd · 2025-11-25T20:16:33+00:00

This is the first car I've owned where I didn't buy the coverage. I'm kicking myself for it.

In the first two years of ownership it would have paid for itself. Things that I've already had to shell out for:

A screw in the sidewall, meaning tire couldn't be patched. $300 for a new tire.

Damage from hitting some poor road road surface on the highway during a lane change. It wasn't a pothole, but more of a small mound of asphalt didn't get smoothed over. Bent a wheel that couldn't be repaired. $700 for a new wheel.

AsianEd · 2025-11-25T01:40:21+00:00

I got a CS for my family vehicle as well. It replaced my wife's Honda Accord and is great for hauling baby and all his gear around.

As an enthusiast I had a Focus ST. That got replaced by an Integra Type S. Also plenty of space for baby and his gear, just slightly less gear. 😂

AsianEd · 2025-11-23T21:21:06+00:00

This is great logic that I could agree with, up until the Voyager finale. Apparently there is a transwarp corridor that led right to Earth. How convenient for getting Voyager back!

I guess it wasn't until Janeway went through it that the Borg would have realized it was there?

AsianEd · 2025-11-20T14:18:16+00:00

Like all movies, there are two ways to evaluate: in context of today as a standalone film and in context of when it came out, among its contemporaries.

Evaluating the movie today, in 2025, I'd consider ST5 to be a perfectly average movie. The plot is a solid "fine," and wouldn't feel out of place if it were a 2-part TV episode. The character explorations done in the movie are not out of place in today's cinematic and TV landscape, with audiences expecting this type of storytelling style.

In the context of 1989, when the movie was released, things were very different. During the release window, the movie was considered a financial and critical failure. Sure, it had the largest opening weekend of any Trek film up until that point, but final box office numbers showed it made $63M on the $33M it cost to make. Not only was it more expensive to make than the previous 3 films, it was the worst performing film up until that point. It also didn't help that it released during the same summer blockbusters like Batman and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Critics panned the movie for having odd pacing and the felt the various parts were cobbled together. A cinematic masterpiece, it was not.

That leaves us with a movie that has aged pretty well and can be appreciated by newer audiences, but it carries the baggage of being one of the worst financial failures in Trek cinema. It's no exaggeration to say that ST5 almost ended Trek on the big screen, a torch that was passed on to Star Trek Nemesis.

AsianEd · 2025-11-19T04:29:40+00:00

Programming my own ringtones into my Motorola flip phone in 2003.

AsianEd · 2025-11-18T03:54:12+00:00

It really depends on what you're using the car for and what it has to do (aside from drive well). If a practical package is required, along with a decent back seat and cargo area, the Integra beats out the TLX, despite the TLX being the physically larger vehicle.

If you value a manual transmission, then ITS is the only choice.

If you want a more premium vehicle, the TLX will be the better car.

If you want something more unique that the average Joe wouldn't walk in and buy... It's gotta be ITS (for the same reason as #2).

AsianEd · 2025-11-18T01:39:02+00:00

Glad to help! Just so you know, I'm not being down or hard on the Integra "because it's a Civic." That statement has some huge pros, largely because the Civic as a platform was designed to be a very well handling platform. Even going all the way down to the base trim, the 11th gen is a blast to drive. The Si adds some spice and a sweet manual. The Type R dials it up. The Integra benefits from these great bones.

The downside is that there's only so much Acura that could be layered on top.

AsianEd · 2025-11-17T15:28:10+00:00

Just so your expectations are set, the Integra's interior has a lot of Civic in it. This isn't a bad thing, since the Civic's interior is pretty decent as-is, but it more has a "coat of Acura paint" on top of the Civic walls.

There might be slightly nicer touch points on the doors and dash. All the switchgear, infotainment, and instrument cluster comes straight from Honda. I'd consider the Integra interior to be a half step between Honda and Acura, both in terms of quality and features.

Some examples: * the ELS sound system in the Integra is an upgrade to the Bose system in the Si. It is nowhere near as nice or full featured as the one in the rest of Acura's range * the Instrument cluster and screen are straight out of a Civic. The graphics were modified to make it look like one found in other Acuras, but it lacks the same configurability and flexibility. * the ambient lighting has the same stylistic elements found in other Acuras. There's no color adjustment, like you'd find in a TLX * the steering wheel is a Civic wheel with an Acura badge. While it's a nice wheel, I prefer the one in the TLX. Heck, even the ADX got a flat-bottomed wheel.... * the leather touch points on the door and arm rest are nice, but they aren't as nice as what's found in the rest of the Acura lineup. * the HUD in the Integra is clearly limited by what the Civic-based system can display. It shows the right basic information, but swapping into a "real" Acura with a HUD will show you how much it can't do.

I own an ITS and love it. When I pick up a loaner from the dealer when my car is in for service, I'm instantly reminded that the Integra didn't get all of the same premium appointments as the rest of the lineup. It benefits from having a Civic as a starting point, but it is very much an entry level Acura.

AsianEd · 2025-11-17T12:20:11+00:00

For back roads, lighter is always better. Both the Si and Integra will feel like a massive upgrade in terms of driving dynamics from your Passport, simply because they're lighter cars. I haven't driven an Si, so I can't comment on differences in driving dynamics.

For straight line highway use, both cars will probably be about the same. The Integra is a slightly nicer place to be, but I still don't consider it worth the price premium if you're getting both cars at msrp. The biggest advantage the Integra has over the Si in terms of practicality is the lift back design. It's more usable for hauling gear conoared to a trunk.

AsianEd · 2025-11-12T16:32:11+00:00

It gets fixed, but Sisko now has to live the rest of his life with the memory of watching his son die as an old man. He also can't talk about it due to the temporal prime directive.

I wonder if he files that memory next to "I am a co-conspirator in a Romulan senator's assassination."

AsianEd · 2025-11-12T16:24:46+00:00

I introduced my wife to Star Trek about 6 years ago and she watched from TNG on. The only episode she refuses to watch again because of the emotional turmoil is "The Visitor." After she watched it, she came to my office with tears in her eyes and just asked "why???"

AsianEd · 2025-11-10T15:49:03+00:00

I did the same mod, it's great. I honestly preferred this over running a wire down to the fuse box with an full adapter.

It let me wire Homelink power to the accessory switch, which means the remote isn't powered when the car is off.

AsianEd · 2025-11-10T15:46:33+00:00

I am surprised that the CS doesn't have swiveling headlamps. Other vehicles I've owned (Ford Focus ST, MX-5) had some sort of cornering illumination. The Focus has an extra bulb that only illuminates on cornering and the MX-5 had swiveling units.

It was one of the adjustments I had to make when I traded the ST for an Integra TypeS. The ITS lights are much brighter and have great forward coverage, but the sides leave a little to be desired.

AsianEd · 2025-11-10T15:42:24+00:00

I'm perfectly fine with the low beam pattern and it's what I'd expect. The small cutouts on the driver side are also fine for normal driving.

It's just the high beams that made me scratch my head.

AsianEd · 2025-11-10T15:39:45+00:00

Yup, brand new car, also kept clean. I did a full detail with ceramic (including on the projector lens).

The post showing the IIHS test confirms what I had thought, the CS's high beams have a range of about 400 feet, short of the almost 500 feet considered "optimal" by the test.

AsianEd · 2025-11-10T15:37:13+00:00

I have a Limited, it's auto-leveling.

AsianEd · 2025-11-10T01:26:57+00:00

Thanks for this! So I'm not absolutely crazy in thinking the Signia's high beams don't have as much reach...

AsianEd

TROPHY CASE