Advice/Critiscism/Encouragement Wanted

[ncarnegis]

hey guys, wanted to introduce myself and my car to the forum and get some feedback on it. i bought a black 2000 grand am gt1 coupe less than 2 months ago and i've already put a little work into it. it has 115k miles on it but runs pretty good.

wat i've done so far:
18" rvm 702 wheels black w/ machined lip wrapped in 225/40/r18 kumho ecsta asx tires
ebc slotted and dimpled front rotors
tyc chrome tail lights
replaced stock speakers w/ pioneer 6x9s and 4x6s
painted interior accents black
replaced interior lights w/ red bulbs to match speedo and center console

wat needs to be repaired (that i know of ;crap):
lim gasket is leaking anti freeze (but not in the oil yet)
rear caliper pistons aren't fully retracting causing brake noise and friction
at least 1 tie rod end
power steering leak (stop leak fluid slowed it down a ton)
climate control 1&2 not working
lower part in the center of the front bumper split
passenger front fender dented
spoiler paint is badly sun damaged
passlock constantly goes off
doors can be unlocked electrically but door locks and keyless wont lock it
driver pw doesnt always work

wat i want to do:
black headlight housings
customgrandam.com cai
window tint
new headunit
upgraded struts and lowering springs
rear rotors to match the fronts
black tails
pair of 10" subs
pontiac centercaps for the rims

thanks for checkin me out and let me hear watever you reactions are
if you wanna see pics of it check out my cardomain

[Bryan]

Welcome, looks like you have a pretty nice start on your GA. Not a huge fan of those tails, but your future plans look good..however I'd take care of those repairs before anymore modding.

[zukiracer19]

Nice ga, i love black on black with chrome lip, sick dude.

[lastryghts]

Get a MP Racing CAI instead.

[stewartfn18]

Get a MP Racing CAI instead.

x2

[bigbenSC]

Fix the basics before you put any more money into mods.

[Mike Jung]

Get a MP Racing CAI instead.
& don't forget the PCM tune by MP Racing ;) :D


But...
Fix the basics before you put any more money into mods.
x2

[eve]

I like your car for some reason and I don't know why......maybe 'cause it's BLACKKKKKKKK. Yeah man.
And luckily those aren't some major fixings, you'll be alright.

[Mike Jung]

...And luckily those aren't some major fixings, you'll be alright.
What are you talking about ?

...

wat needs to be repaired (that i know of ;crap):
lim gasket is leaking anti freeze (but not in the oil yet)
rear caliper pistons aren't fully retracting causing brake noise and friction
at least 1 tie rod end
power steering leak (stop leak fluid slowed it down a ton)
climate control 1&2 not working
lower part in the center of the front bumper split
passenger front fender dented
spoiler paint is badly sun damaged
passlock constantly goes off
doors can be unlocked electrically but door locks and keyless wont lock it
driver pw doesnt always work...
LIM gasket
Rear brake caliper
Tie Rod

LIM gasket change is not exactly cheap.


I wouldn't want to ride in his car.

A seized/not functioning rear brakes is not good.

Tie Rod going/breaking while driving is bad news.
I saw one break on an Audi A4 on a freeway. Not good, they crashed into the vehicle next to them.

[eve]

What are you talking about ?

Kid, I meant easy as in they do not take long to fix;...drawn out processes;...timely endeavors, you understand? To elaborate further, say--waiting time at mechanics: you won't be waiting a month and a year to get the car up and running etc. Comprende?
And I never said the car was or wasn't drivable.
Get your head out of Sik's ass.

[Mike Jung]

Kid, I meant easy as in they do not take long to fix;...drawn out processes;...timely endeavors, you understand? To elaborate further, say--waiting time at mechanics: you won't be waiting a month and a year to get the car up and running etc. Comprende?
And I never said the car was or wasn't drivable.
Get your head out of Sik's ass.
Must be something in the water in FL.

Because I am not telepathic; & can't read your mind.

Don't you know...Sik doesn't like Canadians or the cold !
lol

[eve]

Must be something in the water in FL.

Because I am not telepathic; & can't read your mind.

Don't you know...Sik doesn't like Canadians or the cold !
lol

Damn it, and I thought all this time you were omniscient...lol It's all good.

[PhantomLover007]

doors can be unlocked electrically but door locks and keyless wont lock it


Check out this thread....

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63706&highlight=door+locks

[zukiracer19]

Lim gasket kit is only like 130$... idk what your smoking... just takes time to do... thats what Me and my Girlfriends dad are doing right now...

[ncarnegis]

as far as the gasket leak reapair goes, i'm thinkin about sacrificing the luxury of havin the chrome techs as winter tires and sellin them to get some cash for that.

not too worried about the rear brakes cuz my dad actually was one of the engineers that designed them at delphi, so he knows a thing or 2 about them.

i know i need to make repairs but i am a college student so money aint just sittin around. most of the mods i have now i transfered from my old se, so its not like ive been blowin my load goin mod crazy.

thanks for the input guys i appreciate it, keep it comin!

[DrFabulous]

lol sell the chrometechs for $500 and go rock steelies for $100

[AaronGTR]

Nice lookin' car man, and it looks like you're off to a good start. I pretty much agree with everyone else here. Definitely get the maintenance stuff taken care of before anything else, and as soon as possible. With the LIM, just because it doesn't look like the coolant's getting in the oil doesn't mean it isn't or that it might not cause other issues. Need to fix that ASAP, as well as the brake calipers and tie rod end. Those are slightly less time consuming than the LIM fix. Just make sure to have the steering alignment checked afterward. You might want to check into fixing the power steering leak while you're at it. I don't really trust those stop-leak additives. They're just a band-aid and might hurt the pump over the long run. Fix the leak and then change that fluid out for fresh! For the HVAC fan speeds 1&2, you probably have a burned up fan speed resistor. It was pretty common on early cars (I had to replace mine). A new revised part is like $10-15 and takes about 10 minutes to install. That's about all I can think of right now. Good luck with the car. :thumbs:

[ncarnegis]

tried to see how much i could get for the chrome techs from the place that repaired my bent rim, $200 for the set and tires (2 tires were practically new) haha yeah right, i'm keepin them for winter tires

i gotta free oil change and car wash at the stealership tomorow so i'm gonna get some estimates on these repairs just so i can get a ball park idea of wat the labor and parts are gonna run me before i move back to college this weekend

[DrFabulous]

tried to see how much i could get for the chrome techs from the place that repaired my bent rim, $200 for the set and tires (2 tires were practically new) haha yeah right, i'm keepin them for winter tires

i gotta free oil change and car wash at the stealership tomorow so i'm gonna get some estimates on these repairs just so i can get a ball park idea of wat the labor and parts are gonna run me before i move back to college this weekend

Sell them on ebay or craigslist

[GregFarz78]

Just do the repairs and keep up with maintenance no sense in modding a car with high miles

[ncarnegis]

Update: Just got the car back from the dealership a couple days ago. Had the LIM gasket, thermostat, water pump, coolant flush, and oil change done. They also did a bumper to bumper inspection and told me everything looks good. Set me back $966, but at least i don't have to be worried about my car now and i can just enjoy it.

Also, bought a pair of the black headlight housings w/ the clear corners and a set of black chrome on black pontiac centercaps for the 18"s.

[PhantomLover007]

Wooo. That's a good bit of money.. Damn dealership charges are ridiculous. ;crap