New Econobox? Er... no. '06 CTS-V

[MobilOne]

Congrats on the Caddy. Replace the radiator NOW! I've ruined three engines thru "deferred" radiator maintenance. I wouldn't want you to do the same. Do Rockauto with the discount avail on this site. $140 less 5%.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Daox

Hah, yeah thats the phase I'm at with the Insight too. Fix it!

But I'm sure a grill block will come along quickly as its starting to cool off.

Maybe. I was quite surprised at just how quickly it warms up already, and I am far more adverse to appearance mods on this car than my Civic.

Originally Posted by vskid3

Nice car! GTO is a pain to get in and out of the back, but I had a couple passengers comment that they thought the back seats were more comfortable than the front. I kind of wish I'd gotten a CTS-V instead, it would have been easier to justify keeping a 4 door car. Then I remember the MPG's it (didn't) get and the other costs associated with a performance car. On-ramps sure were fun.

How's the belly? I'm with you on not doing any obvious mods, but an air dam and/or belly pan would be discrete.

Stock front bumper already hangs down about as low as most everything under the car and has a small, built-in splitter.


There is a belly pan that goes back to about the centerline of the front wheels already. Behind that, there really aren't any low hanging parts, so I don't think there is much gain here.

Originally Posted by MobilOne

Congrats on the Caddy. Replace the radiator NOW! I've ruined three engines thru "deferred" radiator maintenance. I wouldn't want you to do the same. Do Rockauto with the discount avail on this site. $140 less 5%.

I will do so promptly... I just want to make sure I fix it in a way I am happy with.

The OEM design uses plastic end tanks that are crimped on. Most aftermarket radiators mimic the same design, and both OEM and aftermarket can fail in as little as 25k miles.

The preferred fix is an all aluminum radiator that is fully welded. It is a drop in replacement with a slightly thicker core. It's modestly priced for what it is... but still 3x the cost of the Rock Auto radiator.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I wouldn't expect you to go deeper into the aeromodding field with this car, but an underbody tray, an air dam and eventually a partial grille block (only after you get the radiator replaced) might not be a bad idea at all.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by darcane

First order of business (well, when I get my garage cleaned out enough I can work in there....) is to address some deferred maintenance items. While it's in good shape overall, there are some things that need attention. Fortunately, I bought it for 25% less than the next cheapest comparable car out there so I can afford to put some money into it.

Known issues that I need to fix:

• Clogged tubes in the sunroof.
• Differential bushing is trashed
• Oil pressure sending unit is giving erroneous readout (always showing 130psi, even with the engine off)
• Radiator leaking.
• No spare tire/jack (actually had one for a different car that doesn't fit)

Well, it's been a tough few months with the car. Addressed most of maintenance issues:

• Clogged tubes in the sunroof. - Still need to fix
• Differential bushing is trashed - Fixed
• Oil pressure sending unit is giving erroneous readout (always showing 130psi, even with the engine off) - Fixed
• Radiator leaking. - Fixed
• No spare tire/jack (actually had one for a different car that doesn't fit) - I have the spare, still need the jack.

The slight ticking sound I noticed when I bought the car progressively got louder and louder until it started missing. After some diagnosis I tracked it down to a bum lifter, likely the result of someone at the dealership taking it for a joyride and over-revving it. Long story short, my initial savings compared to other available cars is now gone.

Oh well, it's all good now and there were lots of things we noticed while tearing down the engine that indicated it has been generally been well taken care of and not abused (other than that lifter). For example, the original clutch at 85k miles had so little wear that I couldn't justify replacing it even though we had the engine separated from the tranny. The soft rubber engine mounts easily tear if abused, and both appeared to be in excellent shape.

In the course of all this I noticed there is a small air dam under the front bumper that is almost completely ripped off. Replacing this may give a slight mpg boost... It's a cheap, soft rubber piece that sells for over $130. I think I'll go to Lowes instead.