This post is a bit off our Chevy Tracker, Geo Tracker topic, but so pervasive right now that I couldn’t resist a quick comment.

As anyone who hasn’t been hiding under a rock knows, Toyota has had to recall some of their models (roughly 9 million cars worldwide) due to a defect in the accelerator system. Cases of problems may not be all that prevalent, but when the problem does hit, it can be serious and there are investigations into accidents and deaths related to the problem.

One thing is interesting here and that is that Toyota has maintained an image of superior quality over the years. According to some industry stats tracking organizations, this image has been more a victory of Toyota’s PR people than the actual stats on reliability and repair. There have reportedly been concerns for some time now at certain levels within the company that starting as far back as 1996 it was focusing too much on sales growth and profits and not enough on product quality.

Some Toyota fans have pointed to the fact that the company has reacted quickly to the problem by ordering a recall and suspending sales of certain models. Not so sure about that!

Others have said that the problem isn’t Toyota’s, but rather that of the sub-contractor/supplier.

Both very interesting points, but lets look at reality:

First, which cars have the problem? The models that will be recalled or subject to a sales suspension include:

• RAV4 (2009-10 models)
• Corolla (2009-10)
• Camry (2007-10)
• Matrix hatchback (2009-10)
• Avalon large sedan (2005-10)
• Highlander crossover (2010)
• Tundra pickup (2007-10)
• Sequoia large SUV (2008-10)

Lets talk about the supplier first. Suppliers usually build parts to the specifications of the manufacturer so, unless it is clearly shown that the supplier deviated from Toyota’s specifications, then we can hardly accuse it of any responsibility.

Even so, lets suppose for a second, and I stress that there is nothing to suggest this is the case at this time, but lets suppose, anyway that the problem could be traced to faulty manufacturing.

Where was Toyota’s vaunted quality control department? Irrespective of possible problems at the supplier, the quality control department should have caught it. They obviously didn’t (surely they wouldn’t have tried to shovel something that dangerous under the rug now would they???????) which begs the question – just how good is Toyota’s quality control function anyway?

Now, just how quickly did Toyota react? Again, not so sure. Take a look at the model list and what do we see?

Sure, some models are only ‘09 – ‘10 but, and this is a big but ………..

The problems go back to ‘07 in the case of the Camry (one of the company’s best sellers), back to ‘05 for the Avalon, ‘07 for the Tundra and ‘08 for the Sequoia.

Some of the problems date back 3 to 5 years and on vehicles that have sold tons of models.

One has to wonder how Toyota could have gone so long in total ignorance of the problem or,

is it possible that it knew before now? Hmmmmm!

I for one hope that cooler heads don’t get blinded by PR smoke screens and spin doctors and that this problem and Toyota’s practices will be the subject of a full, in-depth investigation.

Welcome to reality!

Make it a Great Day!

MarcL

As I mentioned in my last post, the wheels of my Chevy Tracker were the first things I was going to tackle.

So, off I go to check out various options, pricing and what not.

Naturally, like most people I turned to the search engines – Google, in this instance.

Boy, what a jungle! Search engines are great, but wading through everything they throw back at you is one hell of a job and frankly, a pain in the a**. I wound up ………

• going round and round in circles,
• far too often on pages that I’d already seen due to multiple listings
• trying to find pages I’d already seen but couldn’t figure out how to get back to
  and,
• going off on tangents to follow interesting threads that distracted me.

So, although I did ultimately find the information I was looking for, time after time I wound up frustrated at wasting way too much time getting it.

Ever clicked on a link in a search engine and thought:

• this page isn’t what I was looking for?
  or,
• this page is junk – how did I wind up here?
  or,
• hey, how did I wind up back here again?

Well, although the search engines do their best to give you relevant results, savvy marketers use search engine optimization techniques and keyword stuffing strategies to trick the engines into showing their page, sometimes multiple times. In these cases, the search is less relevant and, often almost worthless.

Well, I managed to sort through all this pollution and find what I was looking for.

I’ll get back on track and talk more specifically about my Chevy Tracker wheels renewal project in subsequent posts, but for now, I’ve decided to try and simplify the parts search experience for any visitors to this site who might at some point be looking for Chevy Tracker parts or other favorite wheels.

ChevyTrackerParts.com:

I’ve decided to set up ChevyTrackerParts.com to help anyone searching for new or used parts and hopefully saving them time, effort and frustration.

The site will list major parts sources – both new and used that I found to be the most complete and helpful, at least to me. While I will be looking specifically at the availability of of Chevy Tracker parts, most of these will also offer parts for most other vehicles.

If you’re looking for parts, now or in the future, by all means take a look at  this site.

Hopefully the footwork that I put in will save you time, frustration and make the process a little more pleasant.

Make It a Great Day!

MarcL

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve started thinking about sprucing up the Chevy Tracker for the Spring and Summer season. It’s super mild up here today (just a bit above freezing) and I’m getting itchy to drop the top and ride.

To my mind, one area which can have the most visual impact is the wheels. Grungy wheels = Grungy Car.

Here’s a shot of my tracker taken last summer just after I picked it up.

Gotta do something about those wheels, man!

It’s a bit hard to get a good look at the wheels, so here’s a shot of the wheel itself.

Oh, Yuck! Makes the Tracker look like a rust bucket.

Kind of shabby, but it`s not just the wheels though, a closer look shows that the wheel nuts are kind of rusty as are the rear wheel hubs. I don`t show them here, but the front brake pad calipers are also that nice red rust color.

On top of that, the Tracker came with Uniroyal Tigerpaws and those things squealed when turning corners at 10 to 20 mph on suburb streets even though they have a good amount of tread left. It’s so embarrassing when people wheel around and stare at you like you’re! They`ve got to go as well.

This is going to be a fun little project, and there are a few options.

Things that are sort of no brainers or carved in stone are:

1. New Tires
2. New Wheel Nuts

As far as the wheels themselves are concerned though, there are a few options.

1. Buy new alloy or chrome wheels
2. refinish the ones that I currently haveand, an option that I just discovered,
3. Wheel Skins!

Now, no matter what route I go for the wheels themselves, refinish or new, they’re not going to look great with all those rusty parts peeking through (like the rear drums and front calipers). I sure don’t want to replace perfectly good working parts just for appearances sake, so I had to  come up with something. After a prolonged search I came across ……

4. Brake Dust Shields.

Brake dust shields fit inside your wheels and serve two purposes. The main purpose t is to protect your wheels from brake dust caused by the braking action, which is very hard on the finish. At the same time, they just happen to cover the rusty brake parts. They’re usually sold in pairs and are way cheaper than replacing all the rusty, but working wheel parts.

Okay, so that’s the overview, more to follow once I actually get to doing the project – which will depend to a large extent on mother nature.

Make it a Great Day!

MarcL

It’s time to get ready for spring!!!

Okay, some people are probably going to think I’m nuts, ’cause as I write this we haven’t even hit mid-January, it’s still freezing, there’s a ton of snow on the ground and the cars are covered with dried salt, slush and dirt.

What kind of screwball thinks about modding a car in mid-winter in the Great White North?

Well, what I mean by “time to plan” is that spring will be here in a couple of months ….. okay, make that more like 3 months and there are so many options for dressing up a tracker that a bit of pre-planning isn’t a bad idea.

Here’s what I have to work with:

All Natural Tracker

So, where to start, where can I find Chevy Tracker Parts and at the best price since I don’t have unlimited resources to commit to this. As a matter of fact, I’m probably like most people – Working on a strict budget.

I don’t have any hard stats to substantiate this, but I get the feeling that the most popular mods, fall into two categories:

1. Appearance and,

2. Performance

In the appearance category, it seems to me that the ones having the most visual impact are the wheels, tubular front bumpers – grille guards, bull or push bars or whatever else they’re called – with light kits and rock rails.

In terms of performance, lift kits have to rank right up there with locker kits and, of course various equipment to increase engine power.

I’ll be looking at what I want to do in the next few weeks. Actually, I already took a look at a few items and …. wow, there’s certainly no lack of options.

Think that I’ll start looking at wheels and perhaps grille guards and we’ll see where this little adventure will lead us.

More to come.

Make it a Great Day!

MarcL

I knew that the Chevy Tracker was basically a Suzuki Sidekick that was built in Canada by Cami – a joint venture manufacturing operation between Suzuki and GM, but didn’t know how much of the Tracker was of Suzuki origin.

Well, yesterday I popped the hood open to add some windshield washer solution to cope with our usual winter muck and slush. I’ve been under the hood before, but really didn’t pay too much attention to what was in there.

This time, I took the time to look around and lo and behold, I saw the name Suzuki on several parts in the motor compartment.

It certainly looks as if there are more Suzuki OEM parts than I imagined.

Does anyone out there know if all parts, except perhaps for the distinctive body parts, are interchangeable with the Suzuki Sidekicker or, if there is some kind of parts reference manual where interchangeability can be checked? If so, please leave me a note.

This could be very handy when it comes to replacing parts on the Tracker.

With the price of new parts skyrocketing, having access to a larger parts base though Suzuki Sidekick interchangeability would be a great help.

Make it a Great Day!

Marc L

Winter came in with a bang a couple of weeks back, up here in the “great white north”.

We’ve had a lot of snow and since I live in an area where main thoroughfares are sanded and salted, but smaller residential streets aren’t we been treated to everything from tons of slush and slop that cars sometimes slide on, to black ice and hard packed snow that acts pretty much like ice as well.

I’ve never had a 4wd, nor have I driven in winter in a rear wheel drive in more years than I care to count. I really just didn’t know what to expect. Got 4 winter tires and figured that I could always add studs if necessary to keep from skating all over.

Boy, I was in for a really pleasant surprise. By default, I two wheel it and in rear wheel drive that gave me a couple of thrills (read sliding turns and stops) as I made the adjustment from front wheel drive.

When we had our 1st  major storm and several inches of snow, I was unable to get out of the parking spot in 2 wheel mode because of the bank of snow that had been built up behind me by a passing plow – I swear the plow drivers get sadistic pleasure out of plugging up driveways and snowing in cars.

Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to shovel that stuff, so I slapped the thing into 4 wheel drive and …….. Voila! I just plowed through that stuff as if it were the middle of summer. I could tell I was gonna love this.

Out on our roads, the Tracker in 4 wheel mode cut back on the sliding stops and seriously straightened out the curves.

As I thought back to my initial intention to get a sports car (which have all been scared into hiding for the winter), I couldn’t help but think what a genius I was choosing a Tracker-Sidekick convertible.

Not only do I get a super little drop top to tool around in during the nice weather, but as a bonus, I get a rugged snow eater for the winter.

This really is the best of both worlds!

Later,

Make it a great day!

MarcL

I’m into my third month of owning my Chevy Tracker and it’s turning out to be even more of a blast than I expected.

One reason is that I have a stick shift again. I had to forsake that for an automatic when we bought the family sedan because, my wife did not want to drive a standard.

It’s not the smoothest or fastest transmission I’ve ever tried, but hey, this is a small truck, not a Ferrari.

Aside from that though I bought the Tracker just as the summer turned nice (we had had a cloudy and rainy one until then). We’ve already put a couple of thousand clicks on it and it’s been a real blast tooling along the secondary roads with the top down, admiring the scenery and discovering places we didn’t know existed right here in our own back yard so to speak.

Truckin' on a summer day! Nope, it's not a traffic jam, we're on a ferry crossing the St-Lawrence River.

It rides a bit rougher than the family sedan, but with the comfortable seats, it’s still pleasant. Actually, this is part of the Tracker’s appeal for me.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the 2.0 litre engine / 5 speed manual transmission match up. It’s more responsive than I had expected and just fine for keeping up with city or freeway traffic.

Here’s the icing on the cake though. My wife really likes the fact that I don’t go blasting around corners; that she can’t see the underside of 18 wheelers and that we don’t have everyone’s exhaust pipe right in our faces.

The one thing that first worried me was my impression that you needed a PhD in engineering to drop and raise the top on this thing.

The previous owner explained how to do it, but my mind went numb and my eyes glassed over after the 2^nd sentence. It actually turned out the way simpler than I expected once you just get down to doing it.

All in all, I’m thrilled with the Tracker and hope to be able to enjoy it for many years. It’s not the Tracker that I’m worried about – these things are reported to be like the Energizer Bunny – it’s me – at my age, you just never know.

There is one thing that worries me bit though.

My son, who’s just qualified for his learner’s permit ( step one in getting his license), has been looking at the thing with a sort of starry-eyed look in his eye. Sort of the “I can see myself with my girlfriend and friends heading out to the beach in this thing” kind of look.

Better start hiding the keys!

And now, here it comes – that “How can I dress this thing up a bit” phase.

Well, with winter coming, I’ll just have to wait until spring to get around to that sort of thing, but that’s okay ‘cause that’ll give me time to think about it.

Okay, enough for now,

Make it a great day!

MarcL

Surprisingly, some tracker-sidekick purists contacted me after my previous post stating that the ’03 Chevy Tracker – isn’t a “true” off-road 4 x 4.

In addition to those comments, I’ve also read online reviews, articles and opinions, that mention that the earlier models were easier to mod and that the rack & pinion steering on the later models was more subject to breakage and more costly to repair.

You know what? I don’t disagree with that at all.

That’s one of the beauties of the Geo/ Chevy Trackers and Suzuki Sidekicks. They have something for everyone – well, almost!

Looking for a fun car to drop the top and tool around the country roads or bring the gang to the beach? Got that!

Looking for one to have some fun and catch some rays while driving the family around? Got that too!

Looking for something that’ll wade through rivers and mud; drive through forests, up and down dunes; or climb over rocks or up mountains? Got that too!

Looking for something that feels right at home in suburbia? Got that too!

Looking for something that you can race on the street or elsewhere, or burn rubber to vent some macho frustration or show off your ummmmmm, virility? Nope, sorry – ain’t got that!

Basically, these little gems are so versatile that you can configure them in just about every flavor you like and that’s the main element that led to their popularity.

Whether you off-road or not, it’s okay to be proud of your wheels and this site is for you.

We’d love to see and hear about your Sidekick, Vitara or Tracker and any stories that you’d like to share.

Feel free to register and post.  I’m still looking for a plugin that’ll allow visitors to post photos so please bear with me on that score – and,

Make it a great day,

MarcL

Hi, and welcome back. If you just tuned in, you might want to read the previous post. It’s short and gives you the beginning of this story.

Okay, now picture this – 65 year old dude seeks “fun car” that he can tool around town and country with his wife on weekends and short trips.

The key here is that I’m looking for something both of us can enjoy and therein lies the challenge:

My definition of “Fun Car”: Convertible – something low that I can blast around corners on windy roads. I have visions of me speed shifting and having a blast with my better half beside me. A sports car just seems to be the perfect answer.

My wife’s definition of a “Fun Car”: Convertible – something high off the ground that she won’t be looking at the underside of 18 wheelers or getting exhaust fumes right in the face when we’re stopped at a light; Something that she can sit back in and enjoy the scenery as we laze along back roads. Into speed and blasting around corners she is not.

Now if we look at the two definitions, we see that the only common ground is – convertible. That’s where it ends!

Before going further, here’re a few facts that’ll provide background for some of my comments and decisions.

Now, my wife is definitely a good sport and she tells me that it’s my car so get what I want, and I know that she’ll try her best to humor me when it’s time to go out on the road. So, I start looking, but in the back of my mind, I also know that if I take her out blasting around country roads, she’ll make the effort, but ultimately she will be more and more reluctant to come. And, my object of this whole exercise is to have good times together.

So, here’s a bit more background:

1. I’ve owned two vintage British sports cars at various times in the past – one a ’62 Austin Healey and the other, a ‘70s Triumph Spitfire.I’m not saying this to brag, but rather to show that I know how they handle and what they’re like to keep up and repair. I also know what these things perform like in 2 feet of snow.

1. I live in Canada – the Great White North – Salt and slush capital of the world! That means deep snow, freezing cold and, that you can hear your car rusting out from under you due to the salt and slush.

Okay, fast forward to the summer of ’09 and I’ve got the urge.

I start looking at British Sports cars – Healey’s and the like but quickly realize (or remember) a couple of things:

a)      These cars have gone up in price tremendously in the last few years and I don’t really feel like shelling out those kind of bucks just for a weekend fun car, much less having to shell out for maintenance to keep it on the road.

b)      These vintage models can be a blast to drive, but the motor, transmission and road noise coupled with the solid ride (to be polite and not use the term bone-jarring) means that you’ve gotta be an enthusiast to love them.

c)      They’re built so low that you can see the underside of 18 wheelers (which can be intimidating for those who don’t share the dream) and in our city of seemingly endless traffic jams, you usually have everyone’s exhaust right in your face.

You definitely don’t want to take deep breaths.

Aside from everything else, I can’t see my wife finding trips – other than to the grocery store as very pleasant, so out goes that dream.

Okay, so now what?

Well, remember, I don’t want to re-mortgage the house. This is supposed to be fun, so I start looking at more recent reasonably priced sports cars (or as a vintage British sports car lover might say – cut down street sedans) – like the Mazda Miata, Mistubishi Eclipse and Porsche Boxsters.

I try a few, but can’t quite get my brain wrapped around a Miata since (my apologies to Miata owners) I always considered them to be a ladies’ car and a poor imitation of a real sports car.

The Boxster, well it’s a cute car, but it’s also a mid-engine job and everything, except perhaps checking and adding oil, has do be done from underneath the vehicle. I can just see the repair bills if I have to get even the most simple maintenance done – and I don’t even want to think about the cost of parts.

As for the Mitsubishis, I hear that they make great little cars with a lot of bang for the buck, but I’m looking for a car with soul and for me, the eclipse is really a cut down sedan.

Still and all, I think maybe I’m just prejudiced so I decide to get another opinion  and bring my wife along and test drive another Miata.

One sure sign of your getting old is when you look at a sports car’s trunk and think:

-         My wife’s hair dryer and cosmetics just might fit in there, but where would the rest go?

-         Where am I going to put the dog?

-         This thing isn’t going to cut it in the Canadian winter, so I’ll have to spend about $100/month to store it for the 6 months of the year that I won’t be able to drive it.

I ask my wife’s opinion and she again says it’s my call, but she does mention, not surprisingly, that she does find them awfully low and really doesn’t like to be able to see the underside of 18 wheelers while she’s sitting in the car.

As for the corners, I can still the finger imprints where she clung onto the arm rests.

Okay, well there goes that option!

I’m just about giving up on my dream when I do one final analysis:

Okay, what exactly is it that I want?

-         A convertible that’ll be fun for me and my wife to go on trips with

-         Enough room to be able to handle a lady’s luggage.

-         Something that won’t have her looking at the underside of 18 wheelers

-         Something where neither of us will be getting exhaust directly in the face

-         Something I can use all year round

-         Something that lasts, doesn’t cost a fortune to repair, and

-         Has room for the dog and my son  – even if he only rarely follows us any more

All of a sudden the lights go on:

Hmmmmm – Convertible? Fun? Roomy? Higher off the ground? Year Round?

Hey!!!!!!!! What about that fun thing we had in Fuerteventura?

It was all that and more? Do we have them up here in Canada?

Well, yes we do! Take your pick!

We have a bewildering choice of Suzuki Sidekicks, Geo Trackers, Chevy Trackers, GMC Trackers, Asuna and Pontiac Sunrunners and as a bargain, most of them are 4×4s, which means not only won’t I have to store the things, but it’ll actually be better than the family sedan during snow storms.

The idea grows on me to the point where I lose all interest in having a sports car.

The search is now on in earnest for one of these little gems and a few test drives just served to reinforce my decision.

Then,  I come across a super clean ’03 Chevy tracker.

I snap it up and there starts the love affair! Here’re a couple of shots of “The Toy”

Tracker Pride

Another Angle

Well, that’s enough for now; I’m calling it a day.

Make it a great one and I hope to see you back real soon!

MarcL

I have to credit my wife for my first exposure to the Geo/Chevy Tracker – Suzuki Sidekick breed.

We were on holiday in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and wanted to tour the island so, she suggested that I rent a “Jeep”. Being from North America, we thought that everything square and 4×4 was a jeep.  Wrong!

I ambled down to the hotel desk and rented what turned out to be a Suzuki Jimny. The weather was fantastic and the island has some very good roads and others that are pretty windy and bumpy. Great stuff for trying one of these out.

The model I had was an automatic so you had to work like crazy to work up any kind of steam, but my wife hates speed, so that’s okay. Man, that thing was a blast to drive, with the sunroof back and the top down, it was just great. I could almost hear the Beach Boys singing, see the surfboards sticking out the back and the surf!

Even though it only really takes a day to get around the island, I rented the Jimny for an extra day, just to buzz around in it.

Then, came the end of the vacation and the Suzuki was replaced by the family Mazda, becoming just a fond vacation memory like so many others. You know, the ones that you only remember when you pull out the pictures and then think “Hey, that thing was fun!”

That was back in 2002.

Tune in to the next post to see how I wound up with an ’03 Chevy Tracker as my ’09 fun car!

It’s a strange roundabout journey.

In the meantime, enjoy yourself and,

Make it a great day!

MarcL