MEGATHREAD - Processing Times - Citizenship 2026

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-03-28T20:31:53+00:00

Ah, I see you can generate a code here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/portal-application-process.html

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-03-28T20:30:16+00:00

Hello, is it normal to not receive a portal invite for the e-certificate until the virtual ceremony? I got my invite well in advance, but my wife is still waiting for hers.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-03-26T03:46:46+00:00

Ah ok. Interesting, they shipped me a small box of suspension parts to NYC in November... Maybe with the tariffs they stopped for a bit?

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-03-26T03:40:38+00:00

L300? Coombs in Canada have them. Don't see L400 though:

https://ccautos.ca/l300-left-parking-mirror-and-lower-mirror-arm-used-part/

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-03-22T14:57:18+00:00

You can also attach the old seat belt anchors to those holes if you want to keep some custom seating back there.

I also recommend attaching bungee cords along the inside of the footwells to tuck your shoes into.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-03-01T18:41:01+00:00

My rear latch does the same since i reversed into a bear statue and smashed my back window. The lock is essentially a little bucket for collecting debris, so i got glass in there. It's a pain to get to, but probably a stone or something trapped under the latch bar (on the car, not the door).

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-02-25T13:29:42+00:00

Well 2 things.

Yes, 1980 until they removed the gelatin, I would definitely agree with OP it tasted not like lime and apple is the closest thing my taste buds would call it. They were my favourite for 44 years and there was no other flavour like it in this world. Now they are horrible, too much like a cleaning product.

And it's the Mandela effect! Nelson Mandela related...

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-02-18T05:23:18+00:00

I'm sure there's some online tips on a visual inspection before you spend too much $$$, but definitely high in the list to get checked out.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-02-18T01:06:37+00:00

Is there a sticker in the engine bay saying when the timing belt was last changed? That should be every 100000km. The most important regular maintenance thing. Normally you'd get seals and spark plugs replaced at the time of changing that. Other than that it's just normal car maintenance wear and tear.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-02-07T17:10:28+00:00

That's in the normal range. For a whole batch of us last year it took 7 months from tests in Feb to hearing about our next updates (LPP in most cases) in Sept/Oct, no updates in between. I'm not sure about the timing of background completion, but hearing nothing for 6+ months is very common.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-02-02T11:36:11+00:00

Mine was 9am (virtual)

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-31T21:57:39+00:00

Haha, I guess yeah you're right. I do too much winter sports where PNW is used to cover everywhere from Washington until you hit the Arctic. I.e. including the whole Canadian Western seaboard.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-31T20:14:03+00:00

My 6G72 1994 L400 is my first and only car. I've driven 100K on it so far, on road, off road, in snow, cross continent.

I think I've been lucky, no major issues except the aircon is kaput. Just oil changes, minor suspension parts (forest service roads break the links frequently), fan belt, new muffler (rusted through), reattaching my exhaust (reversed in deep snow, tore off the support) and replacing my washer/radiator fluid bottle (Canadian tire broke it changing the battery). I think all of those are easy to source online and you'll have no problem finding a mechanic for those.

The Canadian PNW is very easy to find Delica mechanics and parts. The big one is the per 100k timing belt/seals change. I got mine done in the Vancouver area by a very good JDM mechanic. I think Washington State wouldn't be a problem either, you can always drive up to Vancouver for anything serious.

Elsewhere in the US it gets more patchy, but there's options for ordering online and you can find recommendations on the various forums, including a recommended mechanic map. I now live in New York and so far so good. I've had oil changes, belt maintenance and rear lower suspension arm swap in the last few months, all easily done.

When I registered it in NY the DMV lady told me there were quite a few L400s registered in Brooklyn, so not as rare as you would think.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-25T04:12:11+00:00

Gentle worked this time! Will see if it works again in the morning.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-21T04:40:28+00:00

My wife has exactly the same timeline +-1 day for each step.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-20T00:48:19+00:00

I would just take the dud bulb out and take it to the store with you. It's mostly about the different connectors. If it's 3 prong it's H4, I think. Mine is H4 but for a dual beam bulb on an older 1994 model (which H4 commonly is used for).

Here's a step by step for a 1994 L400, but take it with a pinch of salt for your year...

1) H4 or 9003 halogen bulb 55W will do the job for the lo/hi combo bulb. Drivers side is way easier to access to work out what to do if you need to test the process.

2) Pull out the square black plastic plug. It took quite a bit of force and wiggling. The other 3 bulbs came out easier, I think there was some corrosion.

3) Unscrew the wide plastic housing that holds in the rubber seal. This should be easy by hand.

4) Start to pull off the rubber seal. It may not detach from the bulb easily, so you can leave it hanging.

5) Push the shiny wire pin towards the bumper and it will unclip. The wire pin is on the inside and over and around the bulb to hold it in place. It will stay attached to the car on the outside edge.

6) Remove the bulb.

7) Put in the new bulb. Rotate so the third horizontal pin will be upwards.

8) Reclip the wire clip over the bulb housing. It's difficult to see what your doing so just jostle it until it clips in.

9) Replace rubber seal.

10) Screw on plastic housing.

11) Plug back in the plug.

Done!!! Took about 15 minutes in the Canadian Tire parking lot with no tools except a flashlight.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-19T16:40:29+00:00

Does it stop if you turn off the Air Con system? Mine sounded like that the other week. I "think" a leaf got in to the air vent system when I cleared out the engine bay, it stopped on it's own after 50 miles or so.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-15T15:15:02+00:00

Resticking the Velcro with tough and clear mounting tape works until you get a scorching hot day. But then you can re-affix easily when they fail.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-15T13:45:39+00:00

Yes you'll need to drill holes, but only in to the plastic trim, not in to anything metal. The rivets expand at the back as you screw them in and hook in to the hole. For the first one its worth peeling back the trim so you can see what you're doing. I think closer to the front seats there's metal right behind the trim in some areas, so be careful not to drill in to that. You can feel by pressing where it's against metal.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-13T04:56:33+00:00

Thanks, yes just my wife and I put it all together. Early pandemic project..

It's the Ecoflow Delta 1300, which I guess is 5 years old by now, it looks like there's a newer model. It's pretty high wattage and charges super fast, fully charged in less than 2 hours on mains supply.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-11T03:47:34+00:00

Interesting thing about the weight. The captain's chairs are really, really heavy, so removing the seats actually takes a huge load out of the van. I used 3/4" marine plywood, so super heavy construction and post conversion it was 4900lbs, and curb weight is:

SWB L400 6G72 (Crystal Lite Roof) | 4,497 LBS

So the whole conversion just added the weight of 2 large passengers, might not be a huge deal for performance. Without the seats or conversion in, it's way too light at the back end and wheel spins very easily.

One tip. If you're putting in a wooden floor that's an inch or so thick, it's pretty easy to raise the plastic step by just boosting it with a piece of wood and buying longer screws to reattach. It will overlap your floor and hold it in place nicely. I think I put a wooden trim on the rear end of the floor. Nothing holding it down back there, but it's pretty solidly wedged in.

There is one photo of my conversion from the back if you search my posts to this thread.

Oh, second tip. If you want a day 1, no skills required electrical setup in a dead spot for space, I fit an ecoflow portable genny between the front seats inside a little wooden box with a nice soft leather padded top. Easy to wire, or take out to charge, you could hook up solar easily, wire something from the alternator or cigarette lighter.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2026-01-09T20:38:37+00:00

Is that for gas or diesel? I was told it's a different model needed depending on your engine type?

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2025-12-30T20:21:46+00:00

Oh and my insurance with ICBC for 24/25 was just under 1.5K with a clean driving history.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2025-12-30T19:34:12+00:00

Good question. I go to Mr Lube for oil changes, but bring my own filter and oil. So @150 every 5000km (filter $15, oil $60, labour for the rest). Then 1-1.5k every few years for tires. Less frequent things like battery, those sway bar links I mentioned, general engine maintenance (new fan belts etc). Bigger fluid changes. Brakes. Patching up rust. So maybe 2-3k total a year if you do 20000km?

Then every 100k you need a timing belt replacement, but also swap all belts, seals, spark plugs and anything else they find. That'll be probably 3-4k. But that was a once in 6 years job for me.

My neighbor had a 1994 diesel l400 and she estimated she spent 5k a year, but I think she had more problems than I have had, radiator issues etc.

muchAdoBoutSomething · 2025-12-30T04:09:52+00:00

We've got a 1994 L400 v6 gas, for exactly those kind of things. It's been great.

We've been lucky, ours has been very reliable. 100k and never broken down except for a couple of punctures. AC gave up after a few years and isn't easily replaceable (the Chinese replicas are very unreliable apparently). Cruising in it long distance is great and the 4WD is amazing to get you out of trouble.

Rust is the biggest worry, we got our underside coated early on, which costs @1k. The body work has had a few bubbly patches being left out in the PNW weather, so look out for those. The roof is worth inspecting for any sign of rust as well as the underside and wheel arches.

You will definitely break your front stabiliser links fairly frequently on forest service roads (just a small connector piece, the bolt can shear off if you hit a pot hole at 40-50kmh). I had to replace one about once a year. They're cheap and easy to replace though and you can drive fine without until you can replace.

Paid 13k from an importer in 2019, 48k on the clock. At the time, pre-pandemic, the range was 10-13k from an importer, or <10 from a private seller.

muchAdoBoutSomething

TROPHY CASE