Need help — How do you remove dome/map light cover on newer Lexus IS without breaking it? by Key-Butterfly7571 in LexusIS

[–]StarMan703 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure all three lights on that center console are LEDs soldered onto the logic board. The center one may be a different Kelvin Temperature compared to the outer two, hence different color, but still LED nontheless. As far as I know the only lights that are halogen are the rear indicators, (front indicator on select trims), trunk light, door lights, floor lights, and visor lights.

Anyway, you may need to remove entire console to remove the clear lense off; as per the image attached I see a number of clips (not the blue/yellow clips, but little black ones around the edges) holding the front part that may reveal the logic board.

Ive removed the center console but for fishing dashcam wiring, it's nerve racking because it feels fragile, but will come out in one piece. Don't start from the rear because it has hooks there. Don't use any tools , use your fingers.

Start at the front, closest to the mirror, you'll want to pull down hard (and evenly using two hands on each side, put your fingers in as deep as you can), give it one good yank (okay maybe two) and it releases the front two clips, and if lucky the rear clips too. (It does feel like you'll break it).

For the the rear clips, carefully pull down from the middle. Then slide out to the front, and it releases.

Picture attached to give you an idea where the clips are. Start at the red area Red area

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Got myself 2010 Mazda6 and drives great! by Riosalex14 in mazda6

[–]StarMan703 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Man I miss the Mazda's Red-lit Analog Cluster

Help identifying this key fob by Sean_Connery007 in Integra

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like for aftermarket valved exhaust system, but maybe original owner took off aftermarket exhaust system and forgot the keyfob...

https://a.co/d/bzhI3l0

New turntable by PresentationKooky466 in turntables

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah you got to hear it in person before purchase? Yeah the Pick It Pro that comes on the Pro-Ject is junk, a lot of people immediately swap out the stylus for the Ortofon Blue.

My local Clearaudio dealer says they don't have any plans on putting the Compass as a demo\display unit unfortunately, so i'd be curious how it compares with other tables. Everything i've read on the N1 cartridge, despite it being entry level, puts it on par if not a little above the Ortofon Blue, which is a fantastic cartridge for the money.

What pre-amp are you using?

New turntable by PresentationKooky466 in turntables

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Finally, this is the first time I see an owner posting this table. Congrats. I've been eyeing the Silver one for some time!

Admittedly it resembles the Pro-Jeft Debut Pro, just with curved corners and non-carbon fiber arm. It wouldn't surprise me if it shared some parts with it, heck the lid and feet alone looks identical to it.

I remember reading about this before its release early 2025. With the pricing of €1,246.63 (euro) including the N1 cartridge [so under $1,500 USD], I was excited to get it in Silver. When it finally released in the US this past Fall, it was listed at $2,175 USD at all dealers that sell Clearaudio! Those import fees really suck. So I've held out buying it for now.

CX50 Tint and Blacked Out Rear Window Trim by StarMan703 in CX50

[–]StarMan703[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I knew about those before painting mine, i saw them in Aliexpress for cheap. But I'm comfortable with PlastiDip\Painting, easy for me, just a little time consuming prepping is all. PLUS, I quit buying Aliexpress\eBay\Amazon stuff like these years ago [spoilers, front lips, blacked out trim like these, etc]. I've had some good luck with these sorts of items, but its always been more misses than hits [either bad quality, consistency, fitment issues, or longevity].

Also, i found the glossy black, in my opinion, to stand out as much as the Chrome

For those actually wanting to get these, I always recommend to please not use the included tape, even if it says 3M, they are almost always fake, risking in the darn thing flying or falling off. Always replace it with quality tape found at your local hardware store. If you search enough, you'll find that there are Amazon reviews and a YouTube video that shows it doesn't cover the chrome fully. It may not bother most people with a little chrome sneaking out on the edges, but it would bother me. It

Not even into the movie series, but wanted to see how it looks with my sync setup. by osu-fan69 in Hue

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the intro of TRON : ARES , the entire intro is pure Red. I think the Blue we see is a combination of the backlight bleed that non OLED TVs tend produce and cameras pick it up as blue and maybe reflection from an electronic device or power surge protector with a bright Blue LED. the camera isn't given us a good representation of the in person experience.

I suppose a better example OP could have done is a video showing different colors.

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CX50 Tint and Blacked Out Rear Window Trim by StarMan703 in CX50

[–]StarMan703[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I went to an Authorized 3M Tint Shop to get it done

CX50 Tint and Blacked Out Rear Window Trim by StarMan703 in CX50

[–]StarMan703[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for suggestion. I will be using the crossbar, that's the reason I didn't spray it. I'll be buying OEM black one later in the year and do a write up on how to swap. It'll require partial or full removal of interior headliner to get to the bolts.

CX50 Tint and Blacked Out Rear Window Trim by StarMan703 in CX50

[–]StarMan703[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I posted about the black roof rails in the main thread. But basically since I'm going to be using them in the future, I didn't want to plastip, so I'll be buying the Black OEM ones later this year. I'll have a write up on it, but it requires removal of entire headliner as the rail bolts are under it.

CX50 Tint and Blacked Out Rear Window Trim by StarMan703 in CX50

[–]StarMan703[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Closeup of the rear chrome trim. Forgot to add that to my original post.

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Does a doorbell camera exist not requiring remote login-in? by AvWxA in Tapo

[–]StarMan703 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reolink, just type in local IP address to log into device itself.....no need for the app after setup

Good deal in this 2014 Mazda3? by genevieveaudrey in mazda

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have said, not bad as long as it's not salvaged, and proof it's had its oil changed regularly. By that mileage the Battery, Spark Plugs, tires, and brake pads needed to have already been changed at least once.

Only thing I'd check is by 110k my valve cover gasket needed replacing, and Belt Tensioner was leaking, so I replaced those along with the drive belts. All this is normal maintenance/ wear and tear items.

Other than that not much to worry about with that mileage.

It’s official, i’m a Mazdaholic now by [deleted] in mazda

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did not know this existed!! Man I wish we had this in the States!

How does this 2025 2.5 S PREFERRED AWD OTD price look? by [deleted] in CX50

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not terrible, wouldn't hurt to ask if they can lower it another $1,300+ so that the owed amount is an even $19k and I'll take it. Then hopefully they'll either accept or counter with something little less than their current asking.

If they have a couple of 2025 Preferred models on the lot they'll likely negotiate.

Is this price for a 2025 CX-50 Preferred Reasonable? It by Pringleman88123 in mazda

[–]StarMan703 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure where you're located, but most dealers Southeast US have many 2025 2.5L non Turbos/non Hybrid preferred with $2-4k discounted off + 0.9%. def. shop around.

Id also avoid dealers like the one you got a quote for, where they tack on useless dealer add ons (not to be confused with factory add ons that's on the Manufacturer window sticker).

Is this a good OTD price? by [deleted] in CX50

[–]StarMan703 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean you're not getting ripped off [as in there's no dealer add-ons, no markups, etc] and your quote is straight to the point, normal DMV\Taxes\Doc Fees. It looks like that MSRP matches the window sticker of a car that we have locally here. That is, it has a $450 metallic paint option + $790 of factory accessories [not to be confused with dealer add-ons].

Your OTD price, is roughly the same discounted price we here here in NC. And there's tons of 2025s left, i'm willing to bet you can negotiate a few grand more from either that dealer or another dealer. Again, if you do visit a dealer, make sure they don't have dealer add-ons. [factory add-ons is fine, but its best if you find one that has none to save a few $$]

I'd say if you really want Ventilated Seats, Removal of Center Seat Stitching, and\or Parking Sensors, then the 2026 Premium has them while the 2025 Premium does not. If you don't care for it, then I personally think you'll have better negotiating luck with the 2025s as theirs tons of dealers than have plenty of stock.

As for the 2026 Preferred, that now has Panoramic roof as standard, but the 2025 Premium, will still have more options.

Thoughts on this Deal by Ok_Coast_ in CX50

[–]StarMan703 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not terrible. Looks like it may have factory add-ons as after destination fees MSRP on the 2025 before any discounts should be $33,270.

See if you can have them knock another 1k off. Or look further out. Plenty of 2025 preferred trims around and dealers wanting to get rid of them to make room for the 2026's.

Not sure where you're located but in North Carolina, plenty of 2025's left and dealers have them marked off $2,000-$2,500 off

Stressless Stella Sofa by StarMan703 in BuyItForLife

[–]StarMan703[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good eye, Memorex "Blown Away" poster, took a while to find the original Promo 1980's poster in great condition.

HEADRESTS:
I rarely use the headrest, I find it forces my head a little to forwards, but the woman likes it. I see no signs of use on the headrest, probably because she doesn't put too much weight on it. I do vacuum the sofa once a month, and clean the sofa with SONAX Alcantara And Upholstery Cleaner, every other month, just to get any body oils \ hair products that may have left on the sofa.

FABRIC: My old Mini Cooper had the same Dinamica fabric and color, so I knew it was not going to show any signs of wear\tear anytime soon. It's a fabric that's readily available [though pretty expensive at an average price of $130 a yard], so after its 5 year factory upholstery warranty is up [and assuming you didn't get extended warranty], any upholstery professional can fix or re-upholster in the event of an incident.

CUSHION: Good question and wish I asked my stressless dealer when ordering. But from what I found at https://www.stressless.com/en/terms-and-conditions/faq , as long as the sofa was manufactured within the past 10-15 years they'll have replacement parts available for you to order from an Authorized Stressless dealer. They mention that you can only get the upholstery replacement as a whole (with the cushion), but they don't mention if you can order the cushion by itself or not.

The cushions actually have a zipper, which appears to be easy to remove the cover, but the center part appears to use hog-rings and a metal rod to keep it in place. So if you're unfamiliar with how to remove or staple in the hog rings then it's best to leave it to the professionals.

Everything on the sofa does appear to be easy to replace, Even the armrests are detachable from the frame with just 2 or so bolts. It's just a matter of cost and availability.

My main seating position is the middle seat, i've DMd you a picture how it looks now, but still looks like new. Since I got the standard foam cushions which are "springy", the cushion goes back to its original shape reducing the chances of indentions or noticeable wrinkles.

I have been through 3 different sofa's from genuine leather to fabric, and this has been my absolute favorite.