I got this in my inbox today:
Hello IT Nerd. I’ve read about your trials and tribulations with your Toyota Matrix. I’m thinking of buying one that was made between 2009 and 2013 for my son to go to university. Can you tell me about yours? What should I be looking for? What should I avoid?
Thanks for the question. Other than the electrical issues that I’ve documented, I’ve had not much go wrong on it. I have over 138,000 KM’s on it and I recently had to have the oil pan resealed because it was leaking. That was almost $500. You should check the oil pan to make sure that you do or don’t need to do that. Also, make sure that the brakes have been done recently. I’ve needed the fronts done every 60,000 KM’s and the rears done once after 120,000 KM’s. It’s about $250 to get the front or rear brakes done.
Things to look for are:
- The cloth on the seats are prone to be stained easily. Make sure that you get them cleaned and then Scotchguarded.
- Check for oil consumption in the 2.4L engine version of the Matrix. Toyota clams that 1 litre per 1000 KM’s is “normal.” In my Matrix, I am consuming just under half that per 1000 KM’s. Anything over 1 litre per 1000 KM’s may require a very expensive engine repair that is documented in technical service bulletin T-SB-0094-11. My dealer quoted $3000 for it so this is something that you need to avoid. As an aside, this can happen to the 1.8L engine as well, but it is common in the 2.4L engines up until the 2010 model year. This also affected many other Toyota vehicles that use the 2.4L engine.
- Check for proof that all the recalls have been done on the Matrix that you’re interested in. Here’s a list with the model years they apply to:
| 2012338 | Toyota | MATRIX | 2009 |
| 2009251 | Toyota | MATRIX | 2009-2010 |
| 2009290 | Toyota | MATRIX | 2009-2010 |
| 2010012 | Toyota | MATRIX | 2009-2010 |
| 2014124 | Toyota | MATRIX | 2009-2010 |
| 2013462 | Toyota | MATRIX | 2014 |
Of course, all the usual rules apply. Make sure to get all the service records and have it looked at by a mechanic before you put down your money.
Hope that helps!
RHINOSHIELD: Crash Guard: Slim impact Bumper for iPhone5/6/6+ Now On Kickstarter
Posted in Commentary with tags Rhinoshield on October 13, 2014 by itnerdMost iPhone cases that provide a lot of protection are on the bulky side. That’s about to change with the RHINOSHIELD: Crash Guard: Slim impact Bumper for iPhone5/6/6+. The case is unique because it offers extreme protection without any bulk. With a minimal design approach, the Crash Guard bumper- style case allows for as much exposure of your device and Apple’s original design as possible.
The bumper uses hard and soft polymer construction to perfectly fit and wrap around your iPhone. The design team paid special attention to ensure all the buttons (power, volume, etc.) are fully accessible and that all the ports have sufficient openings so they are easily accessible and compatible with headphones (including Beats by Dr. Dre) and third-party charging accessories.
Product features:
The Rhino Shield Crash Guard is packed with new technologies. There are two levels of innovation in the bumper case design. The most important is the Egg Drop material, which provides more than 90% of its impact absorbing capability.
The bumper used with the RHINOSHIELD screen protector provides the same level of impact protection as many leading brands or any other brick-like case product, plus it adds almost ZERO bulk. The polymer used in the manufacture of the bumper differentiates from everything else currently on the market. Funded in less than 4 hours on Kickstarter (at this moment RHINOSHIELD is 823% funded with 25 days to go), early backers can get the case and screen protector starting at ₤21.
RHINOSHIELD pushes the impact protection boundary even further by utilizing an innovation in structure, the “Honeycomb Structure” within the inner lining of the bumper. This will add an additional 10%-15% of overall impact absorbency to that of just the materials alone.
This property has been known to have an excellent stiffness-to-weight ratio, which helps to improve the overall effectiveness of the material by spreading the area of impact across a larger physical area, in effect reducing the force at any given point (the actual point of impact).
One additional feature. The Rhino Shield Crash Guard offers protection against bending for your iPhone. When properly installed (and the install isn’t rocket science), the Crash Guard bumper can protect your device against more than 225 pounds (or close to 100Kg) of pressure. This will protect you from any “bendgate” moments.
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