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About John Cleveland

After years of experience working for the dealerships, owner John Cleveland set out to start a new kind of shop for Toyota, Lexus and Scion owners unlike any in Minnesota – one that offers a competitive price point, technical prowess, honesty and environmentally friendly practices.

Replacing a seized sensor – DIY thread repair (P0158)

By |December 8th, 2014|

CARspec had a 2007 Lexus RX350 with a check engine light on today, Code P0158. Diagnosed as a failing Bank 2 Air/Fuel ration sensor, the technician went to replace the failed unit only to discover the sensor seized into the exhaust manifold.
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Toyota/Lexus transmission fluid replacement – T-IV vs. WS

By |December 2nd, 2014|

Replacing your Lexus or Toyota's differential and transfer case fluid: when it is required and when we recommend doing it.
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2004 RX330 Valve Cover Gaskets

By |November 25th, 2014|

The 3.3 liter V6 for 2004-2007 Toyota and Lexus vehicles is growing older, and with age comes a higher likelihood of leaks. When in for an oil change, the technician noted an oil leak on this particular RX330 from the valve covers gaskets, leaking down onto the exhaust manifold.
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Coolant leaks and corrosion – a unique challenge on an older vehicle (1996 T100)

By |November 20th, 2014|

CARspec recently replaced the timing belt and water pump on a 1996 T100. During this service, we encountered corrosion typical of a 20 year old MN owned vehicle and wanted to share a bit of expertise on dealing with corrosion and rust, specific to cooling systems and when rust may cause leaks. The following are the leaks we repaired during the process and how we repaired this Toyota.
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DIY 2010+ Prius oil change

By |November 12th, 2014|

Adventurous? You can change your 2010+ Prii's oil fairly easily. You'll need 5 quarts of synthetic 0w20 oil, an oil filter (we recommend Toyota OEM), a 14mm wrench, a small screwdriver, a special tool to remove the oil filter housing, a drain pan, a jack, jackstands and a DIY spirit.
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Toyota Sienna radiator replacement

By |November 5th, 2014|

For 2004-2005 Sienna owners, a leaking radiator is a common problem. An aluminum core radiator, the attachment point between the radiator fins and the side tanks of the radiator slowly leaks coolant, resulting in a pinkish buildup from coolant drying around the area.
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P2195 – a failing Air/Fuel ratio sensor and how we diagnose it

By |October 30th, 2014|

The check engine light can mean many things, from a loose gas cap to complete engine failure. In this post we explore one failure in particular - an Air/Fuel ratio sensor failure.
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Prius Rattle, P0A0F and P030X – new updates and new fixes

By |October 27th, 2014|

Toyota just released T-TT-0310-14, a notice to technicians to stop any diagnosis of Prius misfire rattles with a P0301,P0302, P0303 or P0304.
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1992 SC400 timing belt

By |October 23rd, 2014|

We had the pleasure of replacing the Lexus SC400's 22 year old timing belt and took a few photos along the way.
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Induction cleaning for direct injection Lexus engines

By |October 21st, 2014|

Since their introduction in 2006, the Lexus series of direct injection engines have become known for fouling intake valves with carbon deposits, leading to misfires, check engine lights and a rough idle.
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