Toyota Supra GR OEM Carbon Fiber Mirror Caps

What’s going on guys, it’s Hai and today we are going to fix one of the most annoying things, to me, about my Supra and that is the stock mirror caps.

If you didn’t know, there are three different mirror cap options for the A90 Supras. The 3.0 and 3.0 Premium trims have black mirror caps. The Launch Edition has red mirror caps. Then there are optional $925 carbon fiber mirror caps that can be purchased from the manufacturer.

I’m wasn’t going to blow $925 for mirror caps so I went to see what third parties manufacturers had to offer. After some research, I decided to pick up the Rexpeed carbon fiber mirror caps. Well, let me just tell you that these didn’t work out. The Rexpeed mirror caps are actually stick-ons so they adhere to the OEM mirror caps and do not replace them. This is fine if the fitment was actually correct. My Rexpeed mirror caps arrived with a lot of overhangs and excess material. It was very obvious that there was something there and I can almost guarantee that with them, if I go to do a car wash or something similar, towels, sponges or whatever will snag and pull on them. Over time, this will likely cause the adhesive to lift and that’d be no good. So, the Rexpeed mirror caps were returned.

I went back to trying to find some carbon fiber mirror caps. I went on eBay, just in case, then all of a sudden, I found a listing for some brand new unused OEM mirror caps for $300. I made an offer and after some negotiating, I got the OEM carbon fiber mirror caps for $279. That’s cheaper than many aftermarket options. Needless to say, I lucked out. BIG TIME.

I was worried that these might be fake but you can tell if the mirror cap is OEM or not by looking at the inside. Most mirror caps will be made from one solid piece of backing. The OEM actually has a skeletonized interior structure and we can see through the various cutouts to the carbon itself. As far as I know, this is the only carbon fiber mirror cap that has this design.

These mirror caps look so good but there is one problem with them. The passenger cap arrived with a broken mounting tab. This is where things get crazy. I contacted the seller and he was nice enough to give a full refund and let me keep the OEM mirror caps. Crazy right? $925 OEM mirror caps FOR FREE. Sure one of the tabs was broken but a quick trip to the hardware store and $6 worth of epoxy fixed things real quick.

Let’s go ahead and install the mirror caps. To do this, we first have to remove the mirror. You’ll be needing a trim pry tool or something similar. I would highly advise you to lay down some tape at the bottom edge of the mirror assembly to protect the finish from any scratches made by the pry tool. From here, use the pry tool and pry the mirror outwards. Take your time, prying along the bottom edge of the mirror. Be gentle. You don’t want to crack the mirror. That’ll add a couple extra hundred dollars to the install. Once the mirror is out, we can just let it hang for now. You can wrap it in a towel to prevent it from slipping and damaging the paint or itself.

Now, we’re going to remove the stock mirror cap. It is held in place by three prongs and an array of tabs. To release the mirror cap, we have to lift the safety tab in between the prongs while squeezing and pushing the prongs out. It helps to get in between the mirror cap and mirror assembly towards the top and pry the two apart. If you are going to do this, lay down some more tape along the outer edges and between the gap. I found that the best way to get these prongs out is to lift the safety tab with a right angle picking, squeeze the prongs together with needle nose plyers, then pry the mirror cap from the outside as I push with the needle nose plyers. The needle nose plyers really made the mirror cap removal much easier as the prongs have indentations that seem to fit my pliers perfectly. Pushing with the pliers really gave the leverage that I needed to remove the mirror caps. Once the three prongs are disgaged, wiggle the mirror cap as you pull outwards to release the array of bottom tabs and to completely remove the mirror cap. At this point, it’s just a matter of lining up the new carbon fiber mirror cap with the mirror assembly and pushing it back in place. Make sure that the mirror cap is properly seated with the prongs engaged inside the housing and there are no inappropriate gaps. Lastly, we’re going to reinstall the mirror. That’s it for one side and all there’s left to do is repeat on the other.

And with something as simple as a mirror cap, the look of the Supra is completely changed. I actually had OEM carbon fiber mirror caps on the Renaissance Red 2.0 Supra that I owned and really missed them when I traded it for the Absolute White Supra which came with the black mirror caps. This mod is definitely one that I can recommend. I don’t know if I would recommend you paying retail for the OEM version but there are definitely some cheaper aftermarket options out there. And who knows, maybe you’ll be able to find a crazy deal as I did.

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Zippo vs Thunderbird Butane Lighter Insert

I’ve made a few different reviews for the Vector Thunderbird Butane Lighter Inserts in past:

Breathing new life into an old Zippo

Vector Thunderbird Butane Double Torch Insert

But when I saw that Zippo was making a butane lighter insert of their own, I had to pick one up.

So, which is better?

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Zippo Lighter Inserts https://amzn.to/3dHO0ON
Vector Thunderbird Double Torch Insert https://amzn.to/3aylrBd
Other Vector Thunderbird Lighter Inserts https://amzn.to/2Uv4O3R

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Weather FloorLiner & Cargo/Trunk Liner | Toyota Supra GR MKV A90

As someone who lives in Washington, I personally feel that all-weather rubber floor mats are a must. We get a lot of rain around here and aside from the water, there’s a lot of chance to drag mud inside the car.

So when I bought the GR Supra and saw that it came with the regular carpet floor mats, I knew that I would have to buy some all-weather mats. Unfortunately, Toyota doesn’t currently have an OEM option available. Last I heard from the dealership, they were told that the all-weather mats were still only in development so who knows when they’ll actually be available. This means that I had to go aftermarket.

A quick search resulted in some being available from WeatherTech. A very reputable accessory maker in the auto industry. So, I ordered the FloorLiners and here they are.

These mats are made from a patented High-Density Tri-Extruded material, which is essentially fancy rubber. This material provides rigidity while offering good traction.

In creating the floor mats, WeatherTech laser measured the interior surfaces of the vehicle to get the most accurate fitment.

When buying these floor mats, you get one for either side of the vehicle. The mats are side specific and are pretty hard to inaccurately install. The driver side has a cut out to compensate for the gas pedal.

Installation of these floor mats can be as simple as just slipping them in and calling it a day. It may seem like this is the proper way to install these mats for some because they don’t come with any instructions. It also doesn’t help that some of these mats are shipped with missing parts.

You see, these mats are supposed to come with some anchoring hooks. The hooks keep the mat in place and don’t let them move around like they would without them. If we look at the Supra’s floor liner, we see that there are two circular velcro patches. These connect to the underside of the OEM carpet mats and hold them in place. The WeatherTech mats, on the other hand, have no matching velcro patch but are supposed to come with the anchoring hooks. To install these hooks, we first have to remove the velcro patches on the floor. This is done by using something like a flat head screwdriver, lining it up with the slot in the velcro patch and giving it a quarter turn. The patch can now be removed and replaced by the WeatherTech hook. Place the hook in the space and give it a turn to lock it in place. Remember, the open end of the hook faces towards the driver. From here, it’s just a matter of sliding the mats into place and anchoring them down with the hooks.

Again, make sure that your WeatherTech mats come with these anchoring hooks. If they don’t, you can contact WeatherTech and they’ll ship some out for you.

As you can see, the mats cover a large portion of the carpet and lines the front, sides, and back of the footwell. This is nice because the raised lip helps to keep debris inside the mat.

On the main portions of the mat are channels that help to carry fluid and debris away from shoes to a lower reservoir. These channels are designed to minimize fluid movement while driving.

In my opinion, these floor mats look great in the Supra. Fitment is good for the most part and I’m sure it’s going to provide great protection for the car. But, how can we make it even better? How about adding our own custom logo? I’m sure that some people are going to want that factory look and have to have Toyota Supra branded everything. For these people, seeing the WeatherTech logo every day isn’t going to work. Especially, if it’s installed all lopsided like on mine. That’s why I made these decals. They are meant to replace the stock WeatherTech decal and slip right into the original indention. They actually fit even better than the original. Installation is as simple as peeling the old decal off and replacing it with the new custom one. With a few seconds of work, we completely transform the feel of these floor mats and make them look as if they came directly from Toyota.

So far, I’m enjoying these mats. They look great, especially with the new logos. That being said, I do have some complaints. The first complaint is with the hook anchoring system of the front floor mats. WeatherTech should’ve used the existing velcro hook and loop system. My problem with the hook anchoring system is that it introduces holes in this otherwise sealed one-piece design. This allows small amounts of water to seep through and soak the underlining and reduces the efficiency of the floor mat. Luckily, the hole is pretty small and positioned so that it gets minimum water exposure.

The second complaint is about the overall size of the mats. I think they could be longer. If we look at the driver side mat, we’ll see that towards the seat, the mat is raised to compensate for a bump in the floor liner. Well, if we actually pull the mat back to cover the bump, the front of the mat won’t rest on the dead pedal and leave a gap. So, it comes down to what you’d rather have. Protection up front or in the back. Realistically, if you use the anchoring system, you won’t have a choice as they force the mat to cover the dead pedal and, of course, the mat will leave a gap towards the rear so don’t move your feet back too far.

Along with the front mats, I also decided to pick up the cargo mat or trunk liner. This mat is made from a proprietary custom blended TPE, again, just fancy rubber. This material is advertised as being flexible under extreme temperatures. Between the cargo and the front floor mats, I don’t see a significant difference in terms of material and flexibility. They feel almost identical. In use, the cargo mat does seem to be a bit grippier. This is in part thanks to the textured finish and tread pattern that help to keep cargo in place as you drive around. If I have one complaint about the cargo mat, it would have to be fitment. When first installing it, I actually thought that I was sent the wrong mat because mine seemed overly large. It turns out that the sides arrive flat and have to be folded up to make the sidewalls. This is fine but even after I got everything in place, some corners of the mat didn’t want to stay down. They keep lifting unless I add some weight to that location. Hopefully, after the mat’s been able to sit in the trunk for a while and been exposed to some heat, it’ll hold its form better and stay in place properly.

Again, the cargo mat looks pretty good, but it can be better. Since I did it upfront, I, of course, have to match in the back. I have to replace the original WeatherTech logo with a more factory logo. Now, we have a complete product. Perfectly suited for the GR Supra.

Minor complaints aside, I would say that both mats are great. They do what they’re supposed to and provide lots of protection for the carpet liner. If you’re looking for some high-quality all-weather floor mats, definitely give these WeatherTechs a try. I’ll include links below so make sure to check them out for the most up to date pricing.

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If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Front floor liners part # 4415341 (they are the same as those for the BMW Z4) https://amzn.to/2UJgIY0
Rear cargo/trunk liner part # 401318

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Rexpeed Carbon Fiber Interior Trim Badges | Toyota Supra GR MKV A90

When it comes to the Supra, a few things about the interior annoys me. There are instances of corner-cutting that involves plain plastic parts. Unfortunately, this really detracts from the interior, especially so if you own this vehicle and have to see these things all the time. Well, there is a solution. Check out the video above for some quick and simple mods to spice up the Supra’s interior.

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Nanoskin Ultra Line Super-Charger SiO2 Touchless Spray & Rinse Sealant

When it comes to paint protection coatings, touchless sealants are my absolute favorite to use because they are so easy to apply. You literally spray them on the surface and immediately rinse them off. That’s it. This is why 303 Touchless Sealant has been my go-to for the past 6 months. This is a good product that does what it’s supposed to but at about $20 per 32 oz bottle, it’s a bit expensive. This is why I was quite excited to discover Nanoskin Super-Charger. It is the same type of product but at a much cheaper price. At less than $6 per 16 oz bottle, it is just over half the price of 303 Touchless Sealant and is the cheapest of any touchless sealant that I’ve found. If you buy this product in the one-gallon concentrate, it is even much much cheaper and can make enough usable solutions for you to essentially have a lifetime supply. When I saw the ridiculous value that this product offers, I just had to pick up a bottle and try it for myself. So, in this post, I’m going to tell you the steps that I took to prep the surface of my test vehicle in order to give Super-Charger the best chance to bond with the painted surfaces and, of course, we are going to get a first impression how the product itself performs.

Check out the links below for the most up to date pricing for this product and everything else that I talk about.

Although touchless sealants are advertised as being spray on rinse-off products, there are things that you can do to maximize their performance. The first is, of course, to apply the product on a clean surface. So, the least that you can do is to give the car a wash. Again, this is the least that you can do. After the wash, you can very well just apply the product but depending on the condition of the vehicle, the product may not last very long.

If you want to help the touchless sealant get a better bond with the surface, you’ll need to decontaminate it. The particular vehicle that I was working on was heavily soiled so it needed a thorough two-step decontamination process. This starts with a chemical decontamination via an iron remover. With this, it’s just a matter of spraying the chemical on and waiting for it to do its thing. You can scrub and work the chemical into the paint to try and get a better result but I typically just let it sit. Once the iron remover has been able to sit on the surface for 5 minutes, we just rinse it off. Now we can move on to a mechanical decontamination and this involves claying the vehicle. This process will help to remove any embedded particles that were left behind after the iron remover.

If you really want to take it a step further, polishing the vehicle will give an even better surface to apply the product to as it will eliminate any imperfections. This leaves behind a smooth, blank canvas to work with. I’ve decided to skip this step because it is not something that the owner of the vehicle cares enough about.

At this point, the surface is stripped clean and is ready for paint protection. Typically, when a vehicle has no form of paint protection, water will cling to the surface in a large sheet and move off of it very slowly. My test vehicle actually showed some water beading on the surface. This is due to the Meguiar’s M34 Mirror Glaze Final Inspection that I used for a clay lubricant. If you want to and after claying, you can apply an IPA to remove any remaining substance from the surface. I opted against doing this.

Because Nanoskin Super-Charger needs to be applied to a wet surface, I thoroughly sprayed the vehicle with water in preparation for application. Then, it’s just a matter of misting Nanoskin Super-Charger on the surface. Water will immediately begin to bead and roll off the surface of the vehicle. This product doesn’t need any dwell time. Once it hits the surface of the vehicle, you can immediately begin to rinse it off. This product is water activated so the act of rinsing it off really helps to make it work. Now, areas where the product is applied will bead water much better than before. This shows that this area is now protected and you can move on to protect the rest of the vehicle. It is advised to apply this product out of direct sunlight and in a shaded area. I don’t have this luxury so I’ll just have to work fast. You just don’t want to let this product dry on the surface as it can cause spots and streaks. Work on one panel at a time so that you’re able to properly rinse the product off.

Overall, I would have to say that I’m happy with this product, especially for the price. For $6, I don’t think that it can be beaten. That being said, do I think that it’s as good as some of the competition, particularly 303 Touchless Sealant? Maybe, not. Upon first impressions, I’ve noticed that Super-Charger doesn’t necessarily perform as well. Water beading isn’t as strong or prominent as Touchless Sealant and I’ve also noticed that more product is needed to get adequate performance. In certain places, it seemed like Super-Charger just didn’t want to stick to the panel and there was still some sheeting. I had to do multiple applications to a particular door and it was still just adequate. That being said, one bottle was more than enough for me to get two coats applied to the entire vehicle. Even if I had to buy another bottle and apply more, I’m still only spending about half the price that I would with 303 Touchless Sealant.

As of right now, it is too early to judge the value of this product. I would say that if the coating lasts a month, I would be more than satisfied because, for the price and convenience of application, a month of protection would be good enough for me to buy more and use it again.

That being said, I will be making an update showing how this product is holding up in a month. Make sure that you subscribe to my YouTube channel and sign up for notifications to see that video when it is available.

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If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Nanoskin Ultra Line Super-Charger https://amzn.to/2U4H1q2
303 Touchless Sealant https://amzn.to/2ILlSvM
Adam’s Iron Remover https://amzn.to/31L6acO
Meguiar's C2000 Mild Professional Detailing Clay https://amzn.to/2xAmjH6
Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Final Inspection https://amzn.to/39IWFy1
Chemical Guys Wipe Out Surface Cleanser Spray https://amzn.to/2QeIjO3
All the Auto Detailing Equipment I Use: https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AF43XRPGVOUH2E5CJXQY4FIOGVAQ/3AI3XVAQEMORX?type=explore&ref=idea_cp_vl_ov_d

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