cali_axela
New member
What's up, I just picked up a sweet 04 V8 4WD model with only 56k miles on it. Really really clean, but got a awesome deal because it needs a couple things done which I plan to do myself (new tires, one foglight housing is cracked, etc... mostly little easy stuff).
That said, first on my list to tackle are new tires...the light duty freeway touring crap on there a) totally suck and b) are nearly bald anyways. I will be taking the beast to Tahoe very frequently in the winter, and towing a track car frequently in the summer. So, I need something with great unplowed snow traction, but not too aggressive for an occasional long freeway trip with a pretty heavy trailer in tow. I'm big on doing my own research and have a few in mind, but really would love some input based on actual experience you guys have had.
Secondly, any cheap places to look besides eBay for a new driver's side foglight housing? It's not a huge deal, I had a burnt out foglight on my last car for years heh, so I figure I'll just wait till I snag a good deal on one to fix this guy.
Lastly, the car came with what looks to be an OEM weight-distributing hitch setup, just the part on the car though. Which is awesome because it's exactly what I need for my track car trailer (and why I sprung for the V8). I'd love to see some examples of peoples towing setups and trailers for small track cars. I'm currently just borrowing one from another friend who tracks his car at different events whenever he doesn't use it, but obviously want/need my own eventually. Also may want to add a trans cooler much later on if I start towing more weight or more frequently, but only if it's actually needed.
As far as general maintenance (which I do myself whenever possible), hopefully this is it for now and nothing unexpected pops up needing repair, but you never know with a 6 year old user car, right? The engine oil looks good and was recently changed, but since it's an auto (the first automatic I've ever owned in 11 years, so I literally know nothing about maintaining them or checking their health myself) I'd love pointers to some walkthroughs, or general advice, on the correct trans fluid / tcase maintenance / diff fluid maintenance and preferred products. Can most work on this car be done without jacking it up? I'm a fairly small dude and don't mind getting dirty.
That turned out pretty long, but I'm excited to learn more about this beast, and plan to keep it for a long time and hopefully get to know some people on here. If you have some extra time and want some interesting reading and crazy pics/vids of the aftermath of an exploded turbo and oil fire, you can get to know me a little more by checking out what happened to my last car on the track, heh: cali_axela :: the boosted build thread of pure WIN
Also I'll have some pics of the 'runner this weekend :bluejump:
That said, first on my list to tackle are new tires...the light duty freeway touring crap on there a) totally suck and b) are nearly bald anyways. I will be taking the beast to Tahoe very frequently in the winter, and towing a track car frequently in the summer. So, I need something with great unplowed snow traction, but not too aggressive for an occasional long freeway trip with a pretty heavy trailer in tow. I'm big on doing my own research and have a few in mind, but really would love some input based on actual experience you guys have had.
Secondly, any cheap places to look besides eBay for a new driver's side foglight housing? It's not a huge deal, I had a burnt out foglight on my last car for years heh, so I figure I'll just wait till I snag a good deal on one to fix this guy.
Lastly, the car came with what looks to be an OEM weight-distributing hitch setup, just the part on the car though. Which is awesome because it's exactly what I need for my track car trailer (and why I sprung for the V8). I'd love to see some examples of peoples towing setups and trailers for small track cars. I'm currently just borrowing one from another friend who tracks his car at different events whenever he doesn't use it, but obviously want/need my own eventually. Also may want to add a trans cooler much later on if I start towing more weight or more frequently, but only if it's actually needed.
As far as general maintenance (which I do myself whenever possible), hopefully this is it for now and nothing unexpected pops up needing repair, but you never know with a 6 year old user car, right? The engine oil looks good and was recently changed, but since it's an auto (the first automatic I've ever owned in 11 years, so I literally know nothing about maintaining them or checking their health myself) I'd love pointers to some walkthroughs, or general advice, on the correct trans fluid / tcase maintenance / diff fluid maintenance and preferred products. Can most work on this car be done without jacking it up? I'm a fairly small dude and don't mind getting dirty.
That turned out pretty long, but I'm excited to learn more about this beast, and plan to keep it for a long time and hopefully get to know some people on here. If you have some extra time and want some interesting reading and crazy pics/vids of the aftermath of an exploded turbo and oil fire, you can get to know me a little more by checking out what happened to my last car on the track, heh: cali_axela :: the boosted build thread of pure WIN
Also I'll have some pics of the 'runner this weekend :bluejump:
