Proud new owner with noob questions!

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05/06/2006, 10:06 PM
nfpgasmask

Proud new owner with noob questions!

Hi everyone, I am an excited and proud new VX owner and a new VehiCROSS.info member. I have a few questions/concerns, and I would like to ask everyone for some answers/feedback. Thanks to anyone who has the time to answer:

1) I just bought the truck, it is a 2001, Ebony Black VX with only 25,000 miles. Aside from general maintenance (oil change, break check, etc.), are there any other things you would recommend I do right away?

2) The truck has the stock radio/tape deck and the 6 CD changer. I have an awesome JVC KD-DV5100 MP3 DVD head unit that I pulled from my old car. Is there anything I should know about installing it as a replacement for the radio/tape deck? I really have no use for a CD changer since I listen to MP3 DVDs usually, but it would be sweet if my JVC head unit could control the CD changer. I doubt this will work, so I guess I am wondering about DIN installation pockets and if there are any options for the CD changer (like a storage slot or something if I remove it) Any feedback here would be appreciated.

3) One of the few noticeable problems with the truck when I bought it, was the dome light. It does not work. My guess is it�s just a bulb. Anything I should know before I attempt to change it out? Another thread talked about an electrical problem and another about a fuse problem. Should I be concerned that this might be a more significant problem?

4) Also, the left fog lamp is out, I would imagine this is an easy bulb swap too. Anything I should know?

5) I am going to buy new tires and rims very soon. I want all black rims and AT tires as big as I can go without rubbing. Any suggestions here would be great.

6) What type of gas is best for the VX? Premium or just regular?

Sorry for all these noob questions. I would appreciate any answers at all. I really want to baby my new VX!

Thanks in advance!

Bart
05/07/2006, 12:08 AM
transio

Does you rMP3 unit have a separate hard drive to install? You could always put that in place of the CD changer.

Rims and tires... biggest I suggest is 18x9 with positive offset and 285/60 tires. Anything bigger will rub. If you want black, and don't mind a little extra $$$, go look for a set of wheels that appeals to you and have them powdercoated.

Use 87 octane. Higher octane won't give you any better performance or mileage. It won't hurt, but it will cost you more $$$ :)
05/07/2006, 05:10 AM
tomdietrying

Welcome and congratulations. I'll talk about your #4 question.

Go to Home DePot and buy the Malibu 18 watt bulbs. They cost 3 or 4 bucks for two. Open your hood, slide your hand down where the fog light is, quick twist, and it's out. Replace BOTH bulbs because the new ones are brighter than the stock ones.

Peace.
Tom
05/07/2006, 06:50 AM
nfpgasmask

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by transio

Does you rMP3 unit have a separate hard drive to install? You could always put that in place of the CD changer.

Nope, its just a nice head unit with removable face that plays MP3s of DVDrs and CDrs. But, you just have me an idea ;) I can always use the JVC Device I have now, and later when I find a suitable hard drive based MP3 player I can use the CD changer space for it! Thanks for the inspiration and answers to my other ?s!

Thanks!!!! Bart

PS - I am headed out to the garage in 5 minutes :)
05/07/2006, 06:54 AM
nfpgasmask

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomdietrying

Welcome and congratulations. I'll talk about your #4 question.

Go to Home DePot and buy the Malibu 18 watt bulbs. They cost 3 or 4 bucks for two. Open your hood, slide your hand down where the fog light is, quick twist, and it's out. Replace BOTH bulbs because the new ones are brighter than the stock ones.

Peace.
Tom

Sweet, done. Thanks for the quick answer!

Bart
05/07/2006, 07:30 AM
Ldub

Congrats on the new ride & welcome.
There is a storage pocket available out there somewhere that replaces the stock cd player, they are hard to find though. IIRC, it's a trooper part & may require some luck at the salvage yard.(use the search function to find out more)
As far as larger wheels/tires, I run both 265/70 r 16" on stock wheels in winter & 265/50 r 20" for my summer skins. Both are large enough to require minor trimming of the front cladding, but it's really not noticable to anyone but another VX owner & takes about two min. Again, try the search function.

Enjoy the new hot rod, Ldub
05/07/2006, 12:03 PM
Heraclid

Take apart the fog lamp first and check to see if the bulb is really out. I noticed that my left one went out (twice) and just found that the connection was very loose. Bulb was fine though. Seems lke it would take very little jarring to screw it up, but it has been good for a long time now.
05/07/2006, 12:14 PM
Ruflyf

Welcome, whats your plans for the stock 18's when you get new wheels?
05/07/2006, 12:23 PM
ISCE

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldub

...
There is a storage pocket available out there somewhere that replaces the stock cd player, they are hard to find though. ...

Just a quick reply on the storage pocket. When my stock CD changer went up I replaced the head unit at Best Buy and they had a very nice standard pocket that fit in there. I think it cost $13 installed is all. They even had a couple different options, so that might be another place to look for a pocket to replace the CD changer.

Welcome aboard!
05/07/2006, 06:26 PM
nfpgasmask

Sweet, thanks, I will check Best Buy this week!

Bart
05/07/2006, 06:31 PM
nfpgasmask

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruflyf

Welcome, whats your plans for the stock 18's when you get new wheels?

Well, I'm not entirely sure what I am going to do just yet. I would like new black rims, but I was talking to a friend and he said I should just powder coat the stock 18s. I don't know much about doing that, but I am going to find out. (I'll probably post a new thread in the mod section). I am still going to look around for other rims that I might like. If I do switch out the rims, I suppose I could sell the stock rims, or keep them in case I want a change out later, if I get bored XD

I'll let you know if I decide to get rid of the stock rims...

Bart
05/07/2006, 06:33 PM
nfpgasmask

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heraclid

Take apart the fog lamp first and check to see if the bulb is really out. I noticed that my left one went out (twice) and just found that the connection was very loose. Bulb was fine though. Seems lke it would take very little jarring to screw it up, but it has been good for a long time now.

Sounds good, I will check this tommorrow. Thanks. Its funny, I have gotten good feedback on all my questions except for the dome light issue. I am starting to wonder if this is a weird problem 0_O

Bart
05/07/2006, 07:29 PM
etlsport

my guess is the dome light is just a bulb problem, i pulled mine out the other day and when i put it back in the end of the bulb broke off... so theyre not the best bulbs in the world..

tips for changing your dome light.. when you open the door the dome light comes on automatically, by pushing up on the lens (where it says 'push') you can turn it off.. so make sure to do that so you dont short anything out.. other than that the dome light is pretty straight forward, to pull the cover off i just put my key in the small slot on the back of it (towards the rear seats) and twist and that pops the cover right off...

speaking of dome lights.. not that its a huge deal but i figured id share this little tid bit for when you're all workin on your VXs, to keep my dome light from staying on the whole time im working with a door open, a penny is the perfect size to hold the slider in the door jamb in the closed position to make the vx think the door is closed
05/07/2006, 08:20 PM
nfpgasmask

Cool, I will check this too when I go to change the fog lamps. But, how do I know if the dome light is "ON" or "OFF" when it is burned out? Maybe I just need to look closer. So, are you basically saying that when I change the bulb out, I should be sure to have the doors closed? I don't want to short anything over a dome light swap! The shop manual says I should disconnect the battery terminal, is this really necissary?

Also, regarding the penny trick, I think I read somewhere else on this board about clipping a wire somewhere to disable the open door dome light thing. I need to find that too, but maybe I will use the penny trick! It sounds less intrusive!

Thanks - Bart

PS - I'm going to sleep now, and for the first time in many years, I can't wait to get up and drive to work! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by etlsport

my guess is the dome light is just a bulb problem, i pulled mine out the other day and when i put it back in the end of the bulb broke off... so theyre not the best bulbs in the world..

tips for changing your dome light.. when you open the door the dome light comes on automatically, by pushing up on the lens (where it says 'push') you can turn it off.. so make sure to do that so you dont short anything out.. other than that the dome light is pretty straight forward, to pull the cover off i just put my key in the small slot on the back of it (towards the rear seats) and twist and that pops the cover right off...

speaking of dome lights.. not that its a huge deal but i figured id share this little tid bit for when you're all workin on your VXs, to keep my dome light from staying on the whole time im working with a door open, a penny is the perfect size to hold the slider in the door jamb in the closed position to make the vx think the door is closed
05/07/2006, 08:42 PM
etlsport

one way to make sure the dome light is off is to get in, and arm the alarm (but wait about 10 seconds after the alarm is armed because there is a delay for the dome light) or just get in, close the door (or do the penny trick) and press the dome light lens once, this will turn it off

manuals always say to disconnect the battery to be on the safe side, the only things ive really disconnected the battery for so far is replacing my fuel system, if im going to be reaching down towards the fan and when installing audio equip (and thats usually just cause i know im gonna have to disconnect it anyway to run power to the amp) better safe than sorry.. but for replacing bulbs i dont really bother
05/07/2006, 08:49 PM
nfpgasmask

Great, thanks. I just looked at the manual for how to get the radio out. Holy Crizap it looks like I have to take the whole dash assembly out!!!!!

Bart
05/08/2006, 05:14 AM
psychos2

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfpgasmask

Great, thanks. I just looked at the manual for how to get the radio out. Holy Crizap it looks like I have to take the whole dash assembly out!!!!!

Bart

Not the whole dash , just the trim piece oround the gauges and the trim piece around the stereo. As far as the dome light you do not need a penny or need to close the door to turn it off. All you need to do is push it and it will turn off. shawn
05/08/2006, 06:33 AM
nfpgasmask

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychos2

Not the whole dash , just the trim piece oround the gauges and the trim piece around the stereo. As far as the dome light you do not need a penny or need to close the door to turn it off. All you need to do is push it and it will turn off. shawn

Great, thanks. Are there any nice websites that have a "step-by-step" for removing the radio? Or is the manual the best source for this?

Thanks - Bart
05/08/2006, 03:52 PM
nfpgasmask

PHAT! I just opened the manual for my head unit. I looks like all I need is an additional $40 wire adapter and my head unit will control the CD changer! This is a better option than the pocket because now I won't need to pull the factory CD changer, which does look proper where it is....

Bart
05/08/2006, 05:42 PM
Maugan_VX

As far as tires go, I think everyone here will overwhelmingly recommend the Nitto Terra Grapplers.

A/T look and grip while maintaining the on-road manners that we love in the VX.
05/08/2006, 08:18 PM
Ruflyf

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maugan_VX

As far as tires go, I think everyone here will overwhelmingly recommend the Nitto Terra Grapplers.

A/T look and grip while maintaining the on-road manners that we love in the VX.

I dunno, I kinda like my Yokohama AVS/T's pretty well for the street look. For an offroad look though Maugan nailed it.

yoko's

as for the cd changer, it has a known track record for breaking....so you may want to consider how much you spend on keeping it.
05/09/2006, 08:05 AM
nfpgasmask

Yeah, I've been pondering it, and what I think I am going to do is keep 2 sets of rims, my stock rims and a set of rock crawlers. I will put some beefy ATs on the rock crawlers and wear those in the winter and when I go camping, and put some nice street tires on the stock rims and use those in the summer for back and forth to work.

As for the CD changer, I'm just going to hook it up to my JVC head unit with that $40 part from Crutchfield and call it a day. I probably won't ever use the CD changer, but this way I won't have to pull it, keeping the dash as stock as possible (I think it looks nice down there). If I put a cubby in, its only going to tempt me to put stuff in it, and I don't want my VX getting all cluttered with junk like my old Xterra was ;)

This weekend I am going to change out the fog lamps and the dome light. My serpentine belt needs to be swapped too, its pretty cracked up.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions everyone.

Bart