about a few things I wanted to ask/tell you guys to get your input if possible.

Specs:
- 2004 SSM
- 5AT
- 98,035 miles
- 2nd owner (3 months so far)

1) Why in the hell does my MPG suck so bad? It's averaging 14mpg right now with an average speed of 18mph. The best it's ever been was 16mpg with an average speed of 23mph and this was with highway cruising i.e 50-60mph right around or below 2k RPM's. I don't have a lead foot 95% of the time. I rarely push the car anymore. I run mid-grade from AM-PM. And I've tried resetting the MID, it just always end up back on 14-15mpg.

2) Would it look good for me to paint my stock rims Gun-metal? I've thought about it and I think that if I paint my rims gun-metal and paint my emblems and possibly even my grill gun-metal it would look pretty legit. SSM with stock red tails and Gunmetal rims/grill/emblems. Opinions? And is there a DIY for this? And finally if I don't like it, can I paint them back to almost the original color?

3) My MID reads that my oil is below >15% . But, when my dad and I checked the engine and transmission oil 2 days ago, he said they looked fine. What's going on here? Dad was nice enough to do a oil change and all that business just a 1,000 miles ago when I first got the car.

4) My cousin gave me 2 mufflers/canisters (just the mufflers, not the full exhaust yet) that he took off his '07 TL. I'm gonna' get them welded on tomorrow hopefully. I know they're aftermarket, but they don't have a brand name on them? How can I find out what they are? And how do I clean them, like with what? Just a basic water and a towel clean..?

5) My gauges/center console lights go dim when I turn my headlights on..? And some buttons don't light up at all, with or without the headlights on.

6) Ok, last one I think. lol . My headlights have spots inside of them..I don't know how to describe it exactly. It looks light fog/mist is built up inside the light or something.

Thanks in advance!

- D

 

1) clean injectors with a fluid. Use a better gas if you aren't.

2) I would powdercoat them black. Check out my avitar, if you like those rims PM me.

3) you can reset the guage look in your manual.

4) There is many cleaners you can buy depending on what material they are.

5) That is normal, You can hit the button to the left top on the guage cluster and it turns them to max brightness. That is also a problem with mine since some are out I would try to fix them yourself.

6) Did you mod them at all? seems to me lke moisture.

Your also up for the 100k service, look into that. NEED THAT.

 

mid grade from am/pm is that acro? Because mid grade and ethanol will f your mpg up. Also this car is pretty bad on mpg. I get 21-22 mpg in city driving with a 6spd and I coast a lot but I do push the car. I get 30mpg on the highway at 70mph, it's really built for cruising.

 

1) Well around here, Arco/AMPM is the cheapest. Is Chevron any better? That's right up the street and only a few cents more..

2) I actually want those really bad, but I'm broke right now. Just enough money for gas to make it to school and back. But those are pretty dope! Why you selling man?

3) Unfortunately, the car came with no manual. And if I reset the gauge, will it go back to 100% or will it adjust to the actual amount of oil in the engine. I.e. - reset to 100% and then it knows to set itself to the actual amount?

4) Unfortunately, I don't know what kind of material it is. Sorry. And I don't even know what brand it is.

5) Alright, I'll try that. Thanks. And yeah, I guess I'll just do a DIY on the steering wheel.

6) and how do I clean that?

 

You have to run at least a 91 octane gas regardless of brand. Chevron/Shell has the cleanest gas, but you still have to have 91 octane. When you reset the MID, it will reset it to the life of oil you have now.

You aren't broke if you have a TL. You'll go broke when you mod the TL.

 

To reset oil life to 100% after an oil change

1) Select "Oil Life" on MID.
2) Press & keep holding top small button.
3) Keep holding even after "Maint Due" appears.
4) When asked to Confirm, release top small button and push again.

 

OP, Correct me if i'm wrong..but it sounds like you are interpretting the oil life read out on the MID as how much oil is in the engine..The MID is actually monitoring how much longer you should you go before you change the oil. Not the oil level. I normally change my oil every 5,000 (Mobile 1 full syn) and disregard the MID. I'm betting someone on the forum could explain the "oil life" read out better...I just wanted to make sure you knew what it actually meant. As far as it being at 15% and you just changed the oil 1,000 miles ago...You need to reset the gauge everytime you change the oil. I'm assuming you didn't after the last time.

 

*EDIT*: Thanks to whoever moved this to the proper section.

- Okay, the gauges/radio display light dimming when I turn on my headlights has now been figured out. Thanks AckTL05.

- TheChamp531: haha I've got just enough money to make insurance payments and gas. Okay, I thought 89 would suffice but I'll start running 91 for sure now! Will this help with mpg?

- How do I clean the moisture in/on my lights?

- I'll see if I can find a DIY on how to paint the rims.

D.

 

Okay well here's an update. Thanks for the help with all my questions everyone. I started pumping 91 from chevron now and I'm averaging 18-22mpg city and 27-30mpg Hwy. Thank God!

I just have two more questions, I'm getting the mufflers installed either today or this weekend and 1) I still don't know what brand they are? and 2) Will I still pass smog with the new mufflers?

Thanks again guys,
David.