while his views are decent. his views are slanted too much toward his opinion on Hondas being a Honda dealer tech. I work and an independent and love seeing and fixing all cars. and it challenges me everyday. the challenge is what the job enjoyable
I agree with you, good vid but too biased. One thing that is quite sad is seeing so many similar cars on the road, its nice to see different cars and things being done. :)
Right back atcha bro. My car is stock and to be honest its a limited edition model so it looks sweet and stands out, dont even need to bang new wheels on er, but she is tuned and sounds like a beast, a sleeper if you will. Its a diesel with about 170 - 180 bhp, but when that turbo kicks in, jesus. Its a family wagon and i like her that way and i havent seen a limited model like her on the road yet. Would i modify it if i wasnt happy? Hell yes, too much talk about depreciation etc nowadays, almost as if the car isnt actually yours to do with as you wish and you just drive about like a mindless drone with about 5 of the same cars infront until its time to get rid of it then you get the latest model everyone else has and blah blah. People slowly but surely are conforming to convention, i cant believe how many people i talk to wouldnt ever attempt to fix their own cars, these people carry tampons.
It's not hard. Just find a trusted brand that sells the product and stay away from any suspension parts sold on eBay that don't have a common brand labeled
Cheapest, most cost effective performance modification is always going to be reducing weight. Take out everything you don't need (back seats/headliner/trunk liner/spare tire/etc). Store it somewhere safe. Now your car is both faster, handles better, and gets better gas mileage - plus you can restore it to original condition when it's time.
One day someone wanted my old truck badly enough to make me a cash offer I couldn't refuse. That left me needing a vehicle, so I bought a Honda Civic from the junk yard that had been heavily modified and then beat on and totally neglected. It barely ran and had the check engine light on. I pulled all that aftermarket junk off of it and replaced everything with factory parts. I only planned on having the car for a couple months but we ended up keeping it for 4 years driving it almost every day. The only thing we didn't change was the exhaust, and only because we got such a kick out of laughing at that cackle coming out of a bone stock civic. Revving it at stop lights never got old. I only sold it because we were moving out of state, I sold it to a kid that wanted to modify it. And in the end I got more for it than I had put in to it, plus I drove it for 4 years!!!!
@@GreatBirdOfHope LOL, what? Maybe you completely misunderstood my comment, or just a troll. I don't care how fast a car is, any car, doesn't matter to me. Many slow cars are pretty cool, many fast cars are not cool at all. My V8 sounds pretty awesome, but it's not that fast and I will be the first person to admit it. Maybe it would win in a race but I've never raced it. Not what I built it for.
I replaced my stock "warm" air intake which sucks cool air from the wheel well with a "cool" air intake which sucks warm air from the engine bay, saw 50hp gains.
Get some brake line and make a long skinny U out of it. Bolt it to the exhaust (not the catalytic converter) and route your fuel line post-fuel-filter to it before going to the fuel rail. You'll need to use high temperature silicon hose to be on the safe side. You will have to use a tube bending tool to flair the ports out away from the exhaust to attach the hose. Wrap with exhaust wrap to retain heat in the metal portion of the lines. Prepare to get a lot more boom in your vroom, most especially if you have a colder air intake. Hot fuel vaporizes much easier for a more complete combustion. I routed the lines to my radiator hose which gets to 190 but the lines themselves are still only around 110-120 because the FPR keeps the fuel constantly recirculating. I think you would be lucky to get just over 200 degrees on the outside of the line at the exhaust which is probably around 300-400 degrees. I watch a video where a guy got the idea to wrap his catalytic converter from a retiree at Nasa that was spraying fuel directly onto 700-800 degree heated stainless steel surfaces at atmospheric pressure to generate a more powerful fuel vapor that turned into a white foggy looking gas. He's had the mod on his engine for over 25 years successfully.
Haha! So True :D SO SO True. I was thinking that myself, like really what I'm doing is not good? Hang on, Polybush all round. better anti roll bars. Forged engine. Nah that's all good surely lmao. But then that's all the work I have done. Never a garage. True.
Calum A Not entirely true, I am a "true car enthusiast" as you state (your words) however the times I take it to a mec shop is when I don't have the tool for the job (say a two post lift or some obscure tool that is really hard to acquire/expensive that I know I don't need to buy because its a one time deal that I will need it) I will go to the shop that knows me personally and that I trust, of course I do the work usually my self or have the tech work with me to assist (say dropping an axle or something like that).
No, true. By the fact that you say 'know and trust' where I was agreeing about the fact I'd never take it to a 'random' garage. My mates a mechanic and I would use him, maybe. He is a bit rough so perhaps not.
at the gym a few years ago , I watched a lowered Mitsubishi , tear off its front and rear bumpers at the shopping centre across the road at it pulled out .
Wait - so all the dropped chipped channeled slammed bass-box subs amped 20"wheeled stretched-tire rolled-fendered K&N HKS plasti-dipped carbon-fiber-taped-hooded '94 Honda Civics with a NOS Sticker and neon undercarriage lights that sit on the BuySell for 9 months with a new "PRICE REDUCED!!!" tag on them every 2 months are there because nobody wants them and the seller thinks his car is worth $16,000??? Stay gold.
Yeah Eric, I used to supe up VW motors and get more power... Then I'd have to put all of the stock stuff back on to get it smogged (California).... so I could re-register it, every year or two. After a few years I built a special motor just for smogging my bugs (I had 7). Well, It was a great smog motor. So good that my dad's auto shop used it to smog other bugs that wouldn't pass the smog test. It was 100% stock, all freshly rebuilt, clean, stock paint, yada yada. Only used it to smog. My regular motor was a 1915cc, Dual Weber 48IDA..... fun motor!
supping up a VW is like putting a lit match behind a slug, ya it will go a little faster but not much. not saying i wouldn't like one. my dad had a 73 for a while but never got put together.
678friedbed Yeah, it's like putting a Cobra motor in a Pinto: a waste of time. I learned my lesson. The early bugs, Ghias and transporters are neat cars, that is it. They are not "race" cars. I was lost with no direction or mentors....
678friedbed if you know what to build and how to build they can be just as reliable as the stock vw's were. been there and done that. love those cars. when you can bring 300 hp out of a 250 pound engine...well you are there.
Bradley Campbell I started out just trying to keep my VW junkers on the road. They were 21-30 years old when I got my hands on them, so everything was worn out: brakes, steering, rubber, lights, bearings, seals..... Once I got them to a reliable status, I began souping up the motors. Eventually, I built a few motors and climaxed on a 1915 with dual IDAs.... Yeah, they are very reliable. Like you said, if done properly, they can be daily drivers... all the way up to 2.6L +++ . Actually, the race parts are more durable, stronger, longer lasting... than the stock stuff. I would like a Ghia someday. Put a stroker in it with FI and hydraulic lifters. Not race it, but have 2x stock HP, reliable, and drive 'till I die.
I wish you great future success sir, because I respect you trying to help people and give out tips and information that has taken you years of experience, effort and money to compile. Like a customer told me once when they had me diagnose their car: "Why are you charging me a fee; it only took you two minutes to figure it out?" To which I replied: "No it took me fifteen years to learn how to do it in two minutes".
Me personally, as a newer mechanic, I don't mind modded cars DONE RIGHT. Something refreshing to the constant droll can be a nice contrast to what you're used to. Sure, some are nothing more than chaotic crapness brought forth from a void of stupidity (slammers, stancers and ricers, looking at you) but a well aligned, small drop, or subtle body change, or perhaps a well thought out addition to the engine bay will, sure maybe increase the work time, but will, most likely, make you scratch your head once or twice then have a new experience that you might not of had with a stock vehicle.
This was the third video of yours that I watched, an I have to admit that you hit the nail on the head on every single topic you cover. I've worked at a Ford dealer, CDJ dealer, an independent, a hot hod shop, and now reside at a transmission shop. I got licensed in 1991. It has been interesting to see the differences. The rod shop meant one day you were setting points and idle speed on flathead, the next day mapping a PCS trans controller for a dune buggy. Lots of pressure to hurry up. At the trans shop it's all about getting it accurately diagnosed, and fixed right the first time. You don't want to miss that bearing behind the planet, causing you build/repair to be back on your hoist, with your margin in the negative. Great vid.
I wouldn't go that far, I was working on a dodge pickup I had gotten from a guy, an old 72, and after cutting out the extension cords and seeing what was under the dashboard... yeah if I met him I'd slapped him.... not everyone just ruins Hondas... morons can ruin anything if you leave them alone to their own devices....
It is hard for those outside of a trend to distinguish between different segments of that trend and I get that. A Civic that looks like something out of "Lowrider Euro" does not become "JDM" because it has a lip spoiler. Just like a 4 cyl Pinto with slicks or a 94 Caviler with hood vents and stick on louvers are not muscle cars. At the same time a B16 EF on coilovers will hold its value as well as any 302 Foxbody with a nine inch rearend... "Hellaflush/camber and tire stretching" is lowrider/mini truck culture crossing over to civics and 240's... it is not JDM
This has to be the best video for anyone wanting to modify their vehicle and don't know where to start! Vehicle specific forums are the best source by far.
I currently drive a slammed DA9, though I always said I'd never have a slammed car so far its alright. I bought it this way and its going to be raised eventually. If you can over look wheels rubbing or if you can fix that (rolled fenders etc) and don't mind having to slow right down for speed bumps, then its alright. I'm enjoying the attention as a person whos been an introvert and stayed far away from attention his entire life. That said, the ride is shithouse and its a complete pain to drive in rural areas or if the roads are bad where you live.
+Nilk Narf well I think a better thing to have said would be slammed cars are dumb for a daily driver. and I honestly believe that was the intention with this comment.
Usually "Service Vehicle Soon" light is for maintenance as it's not a Check Engine Light that fails inspection. If you did not get any codes, assuming the ECU is woking as it should, check your owner's or service manual for Maintenance Schedules according to the mileage. The light is on because something like coolant flush, oil change, etc.
Definitely a lot of valid points here. As someone who modifies, I definitely agree with the idea of sticking with OEM for a lot of parts. There was a time when I did many things on the cheap. I learned from the mistakes I made during that time. I'm a big fan of performing upgrades the proper way. If I can't afford the parts I want right away, I don't jump to the next cheap alternative, I wait until I can afford to do it right.
VWs since the late 1990s at least have kevlar braided brake lights - steel is actually softer! I've been into the VW TDI diesels for some time now. The early ones responded very well to simple tuning - a chip and a few other changes would up the power from 90 to 120 hp, 155 to 250 ftlbs. New TDIs are so simple though, like you said the newer models are much more integrated and there are big concerns when you try to start changing things.
Hey compu85, I have a 1999 VW Golf Cabrio but since I live in Greece and Greece is in Europe I have the European one with the 1.6l 8v AFT petrol engine. I was thinking about chipping the car. What is you opinion on that thought?
From my experience racing autocross, there two biggest improvements you can do to a car are driver skill and tires. How much grip the car can get and how well that grip is used have demonstrated to be what decides the winner within most Street classes.
So I'd like to ask, how you view what are essentially better versions of stock parts, such as replacing the stock bushings with polyurethane bushings, or upgrading from die press or stamp steel body braces to tube steel braces, or upgrading from a stock sway bar to a thicker one? Essentially these up grades don't change the engineering, but rather get rid of compromises that the manufacturer made for cost cutting purposes.
Most cars are built with the cheapest components available so rubber instead of steel braided brake lines, cheap rubber bushings instead of polyurethane etc. But there's a limit. For example, a thicker sway bar may improve handling but if the rest of the suspension isn't set up to take advantage of it you're not gaining anything and may actually make things worse. Think about it as a system that has to work together instead of just upgrading parts of it. You want a symphony not a jam session when you're done.
MJorgy5 Actually you're agreeing with me. A sway bar will change the engineering but if the rest of your suspension is crap it can actually be worse rather than better. Stick a 1" thick sway bar on the rear end of a car with crap springs and shocks and things are not going to get better. Now your transferring load to components that can't handle it. I love suspension upgrades but I don't believe in doing them half-assed.
Quite a few FWD cars will benefit tremendously with a thicker sway bar, if they have them available for your car. Factory spec tends to lean heavily into understeer to ensure the mass public with zero driving skills don't lose control of their vehicle by going too fast. It will make your ride stiffer but reduction in body roll will be immediately evident. Only you can decide whether a 50% less smooth ride is worth a 500% increase in handling ability - on a daily driver in a pot-hole ridden city it may not be worth it at all.
Great speech ETCG. This can explain the beauty of car culture itself. You really can judge a person based on what they drive and what they do to it. Truthfully speaking, the majority of people lack appreciation for the engineering principles that goes into the design of a vehicle but hey, can't be called an enthusiast for no reason.
Eban Pedigo Don't go into the auto REPAIR industry. I'ts very physically demanding and at the end of day will leave you without any desire to work on your car or even any of your families cars. Your gonna be working on other peoples cars all day and the last thing your gonna wanna do when you get home is touch another car. theirs a saying, "The shoemaker doesn't were shoes." trust me, go into another field and keep the cars for the weekends.
Greg25RS fuck me you make such a good point i just want to quit school imidiatelly :/ well its the choice i made and so far i love it but i guess im going to have to bite the dust sooner in life xD
Eric I have watched many of your vids over the past few years but this has got to be the best yet its 100% right. As a fellow technician but in the UK I dread any vehicle with mods, they never work right and are 9 times out 10 total toss. I have seen so many dangerous things done by people who haven't got a clue from cutting coil springs to wiring in amps with speaker wire or running main power leads off the batt + without a in line fuse.
I once got on the topic of modifications with a mechanic whom I still go to till this day. He is a qualified Honda NSX mechanic of the first generation NSX. A little bit of back ground behind the NSX mechanics on the first generation. They were hand picked by Honda amongst the whole of their staff globally, forming a group of the highest trained, skilled and experienced mechanics and engineers the manufacturer has ever gathered for a production vehicle. His response was ... We at Honda R&D have developed the design and specifications to the Nth degree with many calculations, testing and development at the expense of millions of dollars and people in an instant change the specs with what amounts to little else than guessing and looks and no clue to it's flow on effects.
The bit about NSX mechanics isn't necessarily true. I've worked on several and I was not 'hand picked' by Honda. ua-cam.com/video/TGEnxVeDfzQ/v-deo.html
Finally somebody that agree's with me :) Sometimes the extra stuff you do to your car will hurt it and break it down fast!!!! Best advice is leave it as is(from the factory) and enjoy it as drive it to work or the store or where ever you like to but leave it factory. Cause the factory spec for the car your driving was properly made to the car your driving and ANY CHANGE OF THAT WILL WEAR IT OUT BEFORE THE NORMAL LIFE.
Becuase, going to side of the road mechanics they lie they mess up things on purpose to get you to come back, I seen and herd the stories of how the game works.
I definitely understand his point of view with cars. I've seen tons of horribly done modifications from people who had no idea what they were doing. I've been upgrading my 20 year old truck, but I primarily use brand-new factory components from other newer vehicles within the same brand. I've replaced my rear axle with an Explorer axle, cooling fan from a Ford Taurus, interior components from an Explorer, etc. I try to follow the factory wiring color scheme for wires. Any relay box has a listing inside of which lists what wire color goes where. I also keep a spreadsheet of any non-factory parts I've added, along with factory part numbers, wiring diagrams for custom additions, etc. It takes a lot longer to do modifications that way, but everything looks and acts factory and if anything fails I can easily replace the failed part. I have high standards when it comes to modifications.
+ETCG1 I don't believe we were discussing the application though were we Eric. If you, like me, own a road car that gets occasional competition or track use then it's an important consideration. How many performance cars roll off the production line with even rear drums these days? Almost none. Next...
I've heard people who race vintage 240zs say that while the drums can get mal-adjusted slightly by heat expansion they are otherwise highly reliable. Once you know that by lap X rear braking is going to decrease by X amount you can adjust your expectations and braking points. Its a money/effect equation that mostly favors leaving it alone.
There are older production cars that even still today can hold to racing and street, 87 Grand National, my 79 Berlinetta Camaro with frame rail connectors ladder bars wrapped around the loop bar between the frame rail connectors then wrapped around the rear end with 8.5" rear end with 4.56 gear with mini spool was drum brakes rear, oversized brakes front, and it was a consistent 13.5 second car in the quarter mile, and I know a lot of people will scoff at that but yet don't realize how much it takes to make a car that fast, I was using bone yard motors, stock cam, not bored Weiand 3" high rise and 600 dual feed Holley, 350 turbo trans 3500 stall with shift kit and headers, and was pulling 13.5 where a 5.0 production mustang only pulled a 14.96. All my money was spent in suspension and traction and gearing planting my 300 horses to the rear wheels, not spinning them off. I know the question was brakes but when your going about 100 miles an hour you want to stop it and I never had a problem with drum brakes either, nor ever overheating them, not even doing burn outs, or brake torques
With the right upgrades, including a brake balance controller/distribution block replacement, you will absolutely get better stopping power from a drum-to-disc replacement... it just takes more work than most people are willing to do. If I was going to go this far, I'd replace the lines with higher quality components as well, of course, and probably a bigger master cylinder while you are at it. I replaced my rear drums on my 1995 Grand Am and front discs with vented/drilled rotors and dual-piston calipers and got an incredible difference in stopping power. It's also important to use the right pads when you do this, as your standard high-metal pads ain't gonna cut it with vented/drilled nitrile rotors, you should absolutely go for ceramics at that rate. The problem I see with car mods time and time again is that the mod is bolted on, and they don't manage any of the subsystems that lead up to that part (ie: bolting a turbo charger to a car when they read that it's just a simple 'bandaid' to install.). You have to run the numbers, you have to design the rest of the car's systems around the upgrades, otherwise something along the line will not be able to keep up with the modification.
Preaching the gospel brother. So much truth....sorry all the Paul Walker wanna bees will have thier feelings hurt. If you cant drive to mcdonalds without a disaster...its wasnt worth it. Some engineer spent years producing something your going to fuk up in minutes with your jcwhitney bolt on junk.
7 years ago I was driving a built 2000 Honda si and that got me to work with my father at Aamco transmission and I remember he told me to not get into this automotive industry and I did and I hate all fucken cars haha once again I did not listen to my old man
Great points Eric, I definitely agree with you. When looking for a used car, I always run away from ones that are modified, and I can see what poorly done modifications can do when you go to work on them.
I usually thought modifications were cool af F**K... Then i started working on cars.... ANd trust me, they're a pain in the ass... Lowering your car will also change the angle of the driveshafts ect.. And that will mess up a lot of stuff....
Stuck slotted rotors in the front, awesome mod for a car, no fade, I can clamp the brakes on and know it'll shave 30kmh off the speedo in a second or less. Braided lines are next after dropping it a little(30mm). LSD over conventional diff, makes the rear end feel so much better. Aftermarket springs are stiffer than originals, handles nicely with them(keeps the rear end upright in corners). Urethane in the front, rubber in the rear, the rear has more travel so needs more dampening which urethane doesn't provide. Changing old z-bar bushes also improve braking, urethane might be better because of it's stiffness. Upgrading stock parts usually gets you a better car, perhaps more how the designer had envisioned and would have made if the budget had permitted. If there is a "luxury" model of your car, see what parts on them you can swap over to yours then go to a wreckers and swap them around. Usually there are only a few minor differences in trim(and maybe cruise control, digital climate control etc) which can be bolted right in provided you have all the computers and such.
I totally agree. I often try to explain to people that cut springs, cheap lowering springs, and cheap coil overs don't make sense. Generally the manufacturer has spent a lot of money on R&D designing suspension geometry, spring rates, and damper valving. Generally if you do suspension mods you need to know about alignments, roll center, bump steer, geometry, etc. I've built race cars. None of which were slammed. As a matter of fact my most aggressive race car I built was only lowered a half inch-ish. For instance coilovers aren't specifically for lowering. They are for corner balancing. Following that up you will also need a bump steer kit, sway bar end - links that you can adjust. Just make sure you aren't wasting money on parts that require other parts to make it a successful upgrade and safe. Sorry about the rant. Cheers!
Hey Eric, I couldn't have said it any better than you. I love working on my cars. Over the years, I have worked on 4 of my past cars, keeping everything stock, Until my second to last car (At the Moment). My grandmother gave me a 2003 Subaru Outback Wagon. When I first got the car, used with 91k miles, I found it needed a new exhaust system. Every flange was rusted together except for the Exhaust Headers to Catalytic Converters flange. At the time, the replacement parts to replace the Exhaust System would have been between 2500 and 3k dollars. Since I didn't have 3k dollars at the time and had a leak in the exhaust system. I had to have aftermarket exhaust put on my car. My total bill was 850 dollars and I had a nice sporty exhaust system, which also happen to be louder than the stock car exhaust system. So for that car, I had to modify that car because of the cost was too high to put stock parts back on that car. The car I currently have, Subaru does not make a turbo anymore for the outbacks. So now I have to keep that car going, until Subaru comes back out with another Turbo Outback. I completely understand that I am narrowing the parts for my cars. I am completely understand that whomever I have work on that car, I may have to pay them more money to figure out the aftermarket features I installed or had installed. Thanks for your videos.
I have seen so many pickups ruined from lowering . Eric, I couldn't agree with you any more. When I worked at the dealership doing auto electrical it used to piss me off when a car came in with every electrical toy installed by the customer and on the work order says " Customer states so & so is inop " DUHHHHHHH.....
lowering your car or truck an inch or 2 is not bad it does help with improving steering in corners. raising any car is very bad bc if its windy or just hard cornering can tip or flip or spin out the car.
+Robert Perrigo yeah, i have a friend who loves the slammed look and she (somehow) found people who slammed the same SUV i have, and i absolutely hate how it looks
One of the worst things that i see people do that almost everyone thinks is a good idea is the k&n filters. The only time I will use them is on carb'd vehicles such as my motorcycles. On the newer vehicles they get the air flow they need, the air filter is just going to let more particulate through. Aftermarket filters (even non-oem paper filters) cause a lot of problems, especially on diesels. It peppers your turbo with sand and grit and ruins it.
Your car will go much faster not lowered. If you want improvement go with bigger sway bars and Billstein struts. The manufacturer dosent spend 2 million in R&D for nothing, and then some kid throws Flea Market suspension kits in and completely throws off all the complicated suspension geometry because the car looks cool sitting on the ground. It makes no sense and it makes the car un-drivable.
ChrisHallett83 Well, I've had three different fastbacks, and I know firsthand the difference lowering the car makes. It's not appropriate for everywhere, but the 240SX has great handling when at stock height... and _ridiculously good_ handling when lowered on good equipment, like the Koni Yellows and Eibach FRS that I had under my car. I had factory LSD also, but swapped from a Z32 NA. Same diff. And 11lb TSWs
My ride doesn't use coil overs lol, the Bilsteins I have are shocks only. My ride has torsion bars in the front and leafs in the back, thanks for the suggestion though man!
The only modifications I ever did to my 88 Cutlass Supreme is I lowered it. But I did it the right way. I bought lowered springs that were made for that car. I didn't heat up the factory springs. After installing the springs, I aligned it. All the bushing and ball joints were in good condition. The second modification I did to that car was remove the factory radio and installed an after market radio. I also put in amplifiers, subwoofers, capacitor and after market speakers. The radio and speakers used a wiring kit that didn't require cutting of the factory wiring. That car never gave me any suspension or electrical issues. I also repainted it. When I did, again I did it the right way by sanding, repairing the dents, priming, paint coat, pearl coat and clear. The reason I got rid of it was because it was wrecked, the insurance would not cover the pearl paint and the damage was more than what the car was worth.
blech..... I despise overly lowered 'slammed' cars to the point of obscene negative camber. Probably the dumbest shit yet . Oh and don't forget your fluorescent tow hook!
I lowered my Camaro but only 1inch and kept the stock paint and stock body. I also upgraded the suspension. I dislike most body kits. I agree with you on the "crazy paint jobs" kept the paint clean looking. other than that my camaro is pushing 643hp at the wheels :) And i do know i will never get my money back from the car if i sell it.
+Vanboneio \ | commentary gaming channel | / Correction: Ricers be like: I got ma new under glow! :D Technicians/mechanics and all car enthuisiasts be like: Facepalm O_O
Fantastic Discussion Mate. This vid consists of key knowledge and certainly shed some proper guidance towards the Do's & Dont's in car Modifications. Thanks Eric
***** Yeah Australia sounds so god damn boring. They don't let anyone have any fun. Same as California and their stupid bullshit like roadside dyno's for emissions. Fuck that shit.
thinkpad411 Oh wow that's a bitch, well in Australia you have to have yearly checks by a mechanic on your car to make sure its road worthy and passes all the road laws (tints, heigh, etc) so if you have too much tint you fail and can't register your car -.- apparently you don't have that there, but you can still modify it, to an extend.
***** Well i'm in Canada, we have the regular "safeties" as we call them here, but the leniency for mods really varies depending on the shop and mechanic who is safety'ing it. If you are friends with the mechanic and he knows it stops, is structurally sound, and nothing's going to fall off it and kill someone, generally even with lowering and stuff like that, it's going to pass. The problem with safeties is they are essentially a risk to the entire company/shop that does it. If they sign off on the safety and a month later something falls off your car and kills someone or causes an accident, the person doing the safety and by extension the whole shop is held accountable, if it can be proven by the MTO that it was a safety issue which caused the injury/death or accident. So really it's based on how much risk that mechanic/shop is willing to take on your car. It also depends on how/where the car is driven, if it's just an old lady driving around town that never goes above 60 (km/h), there's going to be alot less risk than someone who drives on the freeways every single day. There's alot of stupid gaps in the official safety guidelines here in Canada too. You can have shocks that are leaking but they can't be rusted through, you can have a max of 3 out of 5 lug nuts missing per hub and it'll still pass a safety. So there's alot of holes in the safety inspection system...
there is a small margin between a stock and race car, is very important to research and know your goal before buying performance parts; Eric is right, you never gonna see that money back and if you are under budget its going to hurt your wallet alot, so be smart how you expend your money because there is no cheap way when it come to modded cars. Nice video Eric
WOW you can say this about very job out there.............. It' not that parts cost more at dealership vs parts store. Both have mouths to feed but dealership part goes through far more testing. Most parts store crap is just that crap can claim there better but yet they fail faster.
Motorcraft belt for my car = expensive as hell at dealership compared to Dayco belt I can get at Vato Zone. Only needed one Motorcraft belt for 80K miles before it started showing signs of needing replacement. I do less than 11K miles a year, and I've replaced my Dayco belt at least once every year. The cracking is insane on them despite the claim that they are OEM equivalent, and they start slipping about 5 months into use. Sometimes the more expensive dealer/OEM part is as expensive as it is for a reason, and that reason is the quality difference.
With my vehicles , the modifications are specifically for the make of my car , as in GM parts for performance , GM bodykits ,GM suspension upgrades , and all work carried out by GM technicians
One exception, perhaps, to your good advice, Eric, is something I did to my all-wheel drive 2001 Expedition. To decrease fuel consumption i decided to eliminate the contribution of the front drive train but in such a way that I could easily restore the 4 wheel option should it snow heavily. Rather than cutting the solenoid energizing input ( by installing a dash-mounted switch, for example) I merely pulled the fuse for that component and voila, 3 mpg improvement in mpg, longer tire life, and all with no obvious loss of stability, braking, steering/handling, etc.,
DEVALUE, key word kids. You wan't to impress other's, here's how it's done kids. Keep your engine compartment as clean as possible (No aftermarket anything under there. If anything is rusty then rattle-can it semi-gloss black, silver or whatever the OEM color was.) I can't tell you how many complements I got for that while I was checking the oil at the gas station for my four cylinder. However that's not the proper reason for keep your engine clean.
TheTarrMan Or you could do it right and build it? Why keep your car stock just to keep resale high. *face palm* It's not eating food just to keep the pantry full. See my point?
If you want to have fun and race and shit, sure, mod the car. But then you must know you'll have to run that car into the ground and get every last penny out of it via using it, or sell it heavily under price. If you're at all interested in re-selling the car, keep it stock.
My car is modified, blue book value $13gs, being modified as it sits now, I get $18gs. Car is tuned in suspension for no roll over, grip, breaking quicker. No body kit. Engine is tuned for quicker and smoother throttle and it doesn't burned gas but it actually get 10 miles more than before, car is lowered 1 inch with wider rims and tires, alignment upgrade so I can align everything, steel braided lines, carbon rotors, carbon break pads, shocks are adjustable damping.
Obviously technicians are lazy and don't like the extra challenge of working on an individual engineering project to gain performance of a vehicle haha. They'd rather just work on a monotonous long assembly line of the exact same thing one after another Zzzzzzz.
Just keep the car stock. That’s the dumbest shit I read all day! It doesn’t devalue a car. I love how you people try to preach about shit you have no experience in
This was a really good video. I have modified my car a little bit (1.2 inch drop, k&n intake which didn't do much but sounded better, and some other internal mods) and with everything I replaced I kept in my closet so if I do sell it I can put everything back on and sell it as stock.
Related to what you said about getting your money back from mods when you sale: All you have to do is look at some of the big TV auctions; like when they sale Resto-Mods. They will usually tell you what was invested dollar wise and they never bring enough to cover for them. Mods are truly a personal labor of love for you and you only dollar wise.
Honda's are for ignorant losers who try to act like they're in to cars. Uh hello you bought a honda...no respect for those bitches thinking they're fast in a farty ass 4 cylinder
I swapped the drums out of my cherokee for explorer disks and made an insane amount of difference. Given its 4wheel on 39.5" boggers, but the downhill grab is a 110% improvement. But I agree with you on the junk mod stuff like pod gauges, body kits, 2 foot spoilers, cheap homemade hot air (wannabe cold are dragging hot bay heat right into the intake) and all that kind of trash.. but at the end of the day it helps get a deal when a kid fresh from highschool decides he wants something else. I'll gladly spend a day unbolting your trash to save a chunk. Hey man, to each they're own!
I'm not gonna say that anything I drive is stock by a longshot, but the ways I have them all set up makes them easy to work on. My wife doesn't like the amounts of money I spend on my small fleet ither, but when she started dating me it was because every other guy showed up to her sister's wedding in a ordinary chariot. I showed up in a international scout I had lifted and 35" Maxxis Buckshots under... It's like I tell her... You gotta pay to play baby.
I work at a Honda dealer and although myself and another guy there have modified cars I don't care to work on them because most DIY'ers hack the car up and it makes it a pain to work on. My advice to anyone that asks about modifying a car I tell them, if you aren't capable of fixing EVERYTHING on that car you have NO BUSINESS modifying it.
Alex Ball shut up. You're just a little Honda bitch. Mod away if you want. Mechanics are clueless fucks anyways. Uh uh no code comes up. Of course...ill fix it my damn self!
Specifically for my 1992 Mercedes Benz 190E, the stock suspension setup is great for what it was designed for -- luxury first, then performance. Some aftermarket parts for this specific vehicle are more oriented towards performance, with stiffer springs and struts, as well as custom-made polyeurathane bushings, camber arms, even to upsized brake calipers and wheels in order to reduce brake fade on the track. These modifications, when properly installed, make huge gains on stock vehicles, as they were properly engineered for a specific desired outcome. I think one specific thing to keep in mind, as far as the DIY/performance community is involved, is to have knowledge of how the car was engineered to be used, as that will be what it is best at at the stock level. In order to change that, proper engineering thought at an absolute minimum needs to go into part selection. There are stock parts, aftermarket parts that may degrade vehicle characteristics, or just simply not last as long, and 'upgrade' parts. Each of these categories have their place, and that kind of thought needs to go into part selection, specifically for cars that one may intend to keep for an extended period of time.
On the primer, I was not aware that the heavy zinc etching primer absorbed water. My '72 Charger has been sitting outdoors for over six years in etching primer, with high fill sanding primer over that and the only rust spots I have (subject of an upcoming video) are where the tarp rubbed through all of the primer or POR-15 areas over the years.
We have very strict and confusing rules for modding cars, where im from. If a car is build and modified right, and has been though the various checks and tests like smog, then that particular car is okay to drive on the street. Thats fine in theory, the problem is the huge amount of money it takes to get those tests done, which in almost all cases will be more than you spend on the car + the mods. So in reality you can increase the horsepower of the particular engine by 20% max, or you can drop in a more powerful engine, but only if that engine is already being used in another car, build on the same platform. Forced induction like turbocharging or kompresser/supercharging is illegal, and will always count as above 20%, even if its not.
Totally agree with your point on modifying decreasing the value. Even if you think "oh well my shit's tastefully done and everybody wants: 'this, that and the otherthing'." Anyone who's into that stuff, generally wants to do the modifications themselves. I know I look for a stock car as a blank canvas.
Once when I was working at a Sears auto center I had someone come in complaining about how sluggish and bad handling their hopped up Civic was. After thirty minutes I gave the car back to them and told them to take it for a test drive and they exclaimed how much peppier it felt and asked what we did. I took them to the door to the shop and the over 400lbs of crap we'd taken out of the back of the car. Three tireless rims, bags of litter, a flat pack end table he'd never put together. Priceless.
The mods I did to my 2006 Nissan sentra SE-R Spec V 1.full exhaust (header, high flow cat, resonator, high flow muffler) 2.long tube intake (placed somewhere beneficial, in wheel well) 3. Lightweight pulleys for power steering and crank shaft. You'd be amazed at just how much more you can feel out of an engine that can breathe easier. The pulleys are just an easy swap that nets 6-8whp.
Exhaust barely adds any power for the price and all it truly does is let the engine roar with the lovely sound it rings. Intake can actually hinder a car from performing better and lower hp (I don't see how the wheel well is beneficial, you want the intake to be towards the front where all the air is rushing to not the side) again it depends on the car. Finally pulleys are great so you are right on that, i need to do that for my g35
I have a 2jracing v2 side exit, a NISMO header with a stock midpipe, you can feel the difference in power substantially over stock, its just math, 2.25 inch pipe is less efficient than 3inch, and the huge stock muffler gone helps too. And as for the header that eliminates the pre cat. and yes an intake will hinder it if placed improperly however mine is tucked in the wheel well directly getting cold air through a straight 3inch tube. All of my parts come from 2j racing which specializes in my cars platform. And yes the pulleys help it rev way quicker.
asquaredtheking I suppose you get a little bit more top end hp, but you lose torque on the low end with less back pressure from exaust, and thats what you use the most for daily driving. Also POD filters don't filter that well, and your motor isn't going to take advantage of the unrestricted air flow since the stock filter and airbox(also like CAI) are already designed to provide more than enough air that the motor can take in. I can't really say anything bad about the pulley's, unless the manufacturer deliberately put heavier ones for durability reasons.
I Agree, the mod scene is Style And Power and if you have money both. I'm in a 5 year project, but it's being done right. Power, Reliability & Cost - Pick Two! DIY modders only get value back if a project is finished and hits a good niche.
Never touch the engine. All the mods I did was reducing cabin noise. Did a two layer silence kit throughout the body panels plus foamed the chassis. It feels very solid now and quiet.
Eric I agree with you. Recently my 04 Grand Cherokee, would crank over, no start up and none of the electrics worked. Well turned out the computer was fried( my mechanic and I bought believe it was from the remote start system). It was "professionally installed" The pushed a 12v constant into the OBD2 port. Back fed to the computer. $737 repair bill.. Never will install an aftermarker remote start ever again.
Original exterior, interior & suspension, upgraded brake discs (high carbon) and brakepads, brakefluid, engine oil, iginition, tyres. Worth every penny, 200.000 km and total reliability :) driven hard every day.
Application plays a big part in modifications. For example the 2002 to 2006 Nissan Altima has an issue with the rear sway bar breaking in half. Now living in California with mountains everywhere you need that sway bar. Progressive makes on that will not break, and the car handles much better. I feel much more safe with my Eibach springs, progressive sway bars,strut tower brace, and BFG Sport Comp II tires driving down the mountain from Lake Arrow head in Southern California.
Depends on what type of cars, most turbo subaru and evos have a lot of room for performance upgrades without issues (ECU, dp, exhaust, intercooler...etc). Most gain quite a bit of power and torque. But beyond that, it's engine/tranny rebuild upgrade.
About the worst thing that I've ever encountered with fixing rear drums was finding that the backing nails rotted out and broke, causing most of the mousetrap contraption inside of the drum to pretty much just do whatever as the drum turned. Other than that, its mostly just thoroughly worn out shoes/hardware and drums, and the occasional leaky wheel cylinder. Nobody really likes pulling a high mileage drum off of a vehicle, but once you eventually get that off, its usually smooth sailing.
Best upgrades in my opinion...Breaks and lines, exhaust system, strut bar, light weight wheels and some good tires, also good constant maintenance, and a technician to install it all appropriately. Also someone told me the lower the offset on the wheels the better stability you will have. Also keep all the OEM parts to reinstall on resale.
Great vid. As a retired tech now working at an auto parts store I see crappy mods at least 3-5 times a week. You know , the $1000 car w/ $6000 worth of wheels ,tires , stereo ,engine "performance" parts etc, and blowing blue-black smoke going down the road. In 2011 I bought my 2000 S10 2.2 L 4 cyl for $500 w/ 74k and a cracked engine.The former owner knew nothing about maintenance. After a new G.M. crate engine (among other new parts) and new paint she runs and drives like new. The ONLY mods are a K&N intake and Magnaflow exhaust which gave me a MARGINAL increase in performance . However , city MPGs are up by 1-1/2 and highway MPGs are up by 3 and NO check engine light(s). Which is good because I actually use the truck as a truck ( moving furniture,hauling trash, tailgating--Y'know-- truck stuff) Other than that the truck is bone stock and that's how I want it. People often ask me "Why would you put $10,000 into a truck with a street value of $6500?" Answer. "Where else could I find an almost new truck for $10,000?" I'll only lose money if I sell it. I've driven this truck from Ocala Florida to Rochester New York and back. Eric , you're 9 million% right! Pick and choose your mods CAREFULLY! And if you don't know what you're doing , leave it alone or take it to a pro!
Boy this has been some years (like about 13) customer (friend of someone in parts or some other place in the Dealership brought in an exhaust system (this was at a Honda Dealer). The system did not fit so nice and (pipe was too low and the routing was odd) everyone was sure that it was my install but no one could even get it to fit all all unless they put it on like I had it. I took some heat at first but things got real quiet (like I did not hear another word) when the customer and the employee could not get it to install any other way. Either the pipes were bent wrong or it was the wrong part, just a poorly fitting,real low exhaust system. I was told to install it and it went on one way, not my fault that one was was not really so cool. A "hooked up"customer should not be allowed to throw a aftermarket part installation job in the normal dispatch lineup thinking "he will make it work because that is all the work he will be dispatched until I like the way the job turns out" In fact I believe the Service Manager or Shop Foreman ought to check with the mechanics and find out who (if anyone) wants to take on these aftermarket parts installs. I have said it before that I think as flat rate mechanics we should be able to turn down such jobs (without retaliation) if we do not think that the customer has cooked up a good plan. Just let me bail on these jobs and do my other warranty work and go home.
Hey Erik, one point I have with the rear disk swap. I wouldn't necessarily say it's all "looks" or "performance" (But I do believe there is a slight increase of stopping power if you change the proportioning valve as well.) but for me it was a swap I did to make working on my car, easier for me. I am not a mechanic, but I do love cars, I love modifying them and I love fixing them. I have gotten fairly deep in a few cars and I do "know my stuff" but I still lack true mechanic skills, knowledge and experience, so for me, a rear disk swap was for ease of service. When it comes down to the rear brakes needing a service, I'm much more happy with sliding a rotor off and replacing the pads, lubing a few things and calling it a day. Sitting there and fumbling around with brake drum shoes, adjuster springs and easy to lose retaining clips is not something I'm really fond of doing and I have much less confidence with them.
Talking about modding cars, a couple of years ago a friend and I took a vw golf mk1 and replaced the engine with a vr6 and then put a turbo charger on it. Was really fun when we fired it up for the first time and found out that the engine produced 732Kw at the wheels. Needless to say, the diff broke and we had to replace everything in order to make it run. Instead of keeping it front wheel drive we set ut a new axel to go to the rear tiers. When we sold it we made about $1000 profit. So modding cars can pay off too.
I agree with you Eric 100%. Personally if I was going modify and most likely will in the future, it would be a car I was going keep maybe pass down to future kid or nephew. keep up the great videos.
if you're going to tune ect. to a car try not to add new parts to a stock engine, I tuned my 350z to pull 526HP and it had no issues till this day and that's because I had a engine made to handle upgrades. wear I live young adult think they can just add turbo and exhaust and don't realize there is more that comes into play to make it work rright
It wont harm your box,you'll just feel more in the steering wheel if anything. you good to go man! Like,gm they had leather type material on the main shafts,which over time caused loose steering. alot of people use steering shafts out of jeeps etc that has u joints and never have issues.
a car is an high engeneering product so before attempting to modify it, it is necessary to plan exactly the final product desired and proceed methodically you shoud consider the order of mods done in an order to preserve the safety of the car under the new operation conditions It is required to cover all roadability aspects before attempting to increase the power as it is easy to reunite conditions to make an accident
Im glad i bought the car I did, a 1990 eage talon tsi awd turbo, with the mitubishi 4G63 engine. One of the easiest four cylinder engines to modify, and they are good stock reliably up to about 400 whp. The car came with dsmlink when i bought it and a whole lot of other mods, but the thing with dsmlink is that you can tune your car with a laptop at any time so when I do get more mods and put a bigger turbo on it all I have to do is take it to a tuner and get them to tune the car for the new mods and it will drive like new!
I hate working on modded cars too, unless it's something I've modded. If you're gonna modify something, be ready to fix it. And don't expect a dealer to.
I realize that modifications overall are terrible. But I do my modifications for me. I plan on driving my car into the ground. My mods on my car, at the very least in my opinion, are tasteful. Just some lowering springs, new wheels, a slight ECU tune and that's really it.
Some perspective: Eric was a Honda mechanic years ago. Shortly after the first "The Fast and the Furious movie" came out, everyone with a Civic or Accord suddenly thought they owned a racecar. This resulted in a lot of (usually poorly-done) modifications to various parts of these cars. I don't envy him having to work on these types of cars during that strange era, lol.
The best comment in the ENTIRE video IMO is that you MOD your car and its AWESOME FOR YOU. you wont necessarily get any more money out of the same car than you put into it. Ive modded several cars, mild to wild and I cannot begin to fathom the money Ive put out into my cars that i never got back. Now dont get me wrong, I love to customize cars, still do it when i can afford to do so or find something i just cannot do without, but i think you should only do so for YOU. dont do it bc the guys at school, or the gas station guy thinks its kool. do it because you love it and dont expect to get the money back... if you do so great but be prepared.
this guy is REAL. we need more mechanics and technicians like him
while his views are decent. his views are slanted too much toward his opinion on Hondas being a Honda dealer tech. I work and an independent and love seeing and fixing all cars. and it challenges me everyday. the challenge is what the job enjoyable
Derek Williamson you must know some sneaky ones out there that would rip the customer off, warn everyone of those hoodlums!
I agree with you, good vid but too biased. One thing that is quite sad is seeing so many similar cars on the road, its nice to see different cars and things being done. :)
Steve Edwards Now that, I defiantly agree with.
Right back atcha bro. My car is stock and to be honest its a limited edition model so it looks sweet and stands out, dont even need to bang new wheels on er, but she is tuned and sounds like a beast, a sleeper if you will. Its a diesel with about 170 - 180 bhp, but when that turbo kicks in, jesus. Its a family wagon and i like her that way and i havent seen a limited model like her on the road yet. Would i modify it if i wasnt happy? Hell yes, too much talk about depreciation etc nowadays, almost as if the car isnt actually yours to do with as you wish and you just drive about like a mindless drone with about 5 of the same cars infront until its time to get rid of it then you get the latest model everyone else has and blah blah. People slowly but surely are conforming to convention, i cant believe how many people i talk to wouldnt ever attempt to fix their own cars, these people carry tampons.
New series: how to do aftermarket CORRECTLY, from a technicians point of view. Make it happen please!
+Necrodox Check out Tom's Turbo Garage for exactly that.
+Bren L Thanks for the tip, gonna go check it out now.
+Bren L cool channel, thx 4 sharing mate
***** Been watching them for a couple years, great channel! Great production value.
It's not hard. Just find a trusted brand that sells the product and stay away from any suspension parts sold on eBay that don't have a common brand labeled
Cheapest, most cost effective performance modification is always going to be reducing weight. Take out everything you don't need (back seats/headliner/trunk liner/spare tire/etc). Store it somewhere safe. Now your car is both faster, handles better, and gets better gas mileage - plus you can restore it to original condition when it's time.
+Kendig JL Probably one of the best, most reasonable comments yet. Thank you.
+EricTheCarGuy I usually don't make comments on UA-cam, but I've watched so many of your videos that it was bound to happen eventually. Nice work!
Do not forget floor mats and carpet! That is heavy too!
yea and in europe its illegal to drive without rear seats
Eric The Cool Guy.
One day someone wanted my old truck badly enough to make me a cash offer I couldn't refuse. That left me needing a vehicle, so I bought a Honda Civic from the junk yard that had been heavily modified and then beat on and totally neglected. It barely ran and had the check engine light on. I pulled all that aftermarket junk off of it and replaced everything with factory parts. I only planned on having the car for a couple months but we ended up keeping it for 4 years driving it almost every day. The only thing we didn't change was the exhaust, and only because we got such a kick out of laughing at that cackle coming out of a bone stock civic. Revving it at stop lights never got old. I only sold it because we were moving out of state, I sold it to a kid that wanted to modify it. And in the end I got more for it than I had put in to it, plus I drove it for 4 years!!!!
Yea lol it's all fun and games until a swapped or boosted Honda rolls up on you with your v8 and blows the doors of ya.
@@GreatBirdOfHope LOL, what? Maybe you completely misunderstood my comment, or just a troll. I don't care how fast a car is, any car, doesn't matter to me. Many slow cars are pretty cool, many fast cars are not cool at all. My V8 sounds pretty awesome, but it's not that fast and I will be the first person to admit it. Maybe it would win in a race but I've never raced it. Not what I built it for.
@@outcast9486 oh ok my fault misunderstood
I replaced my stock "warm" air intake which sucks cool air from the wheel well with a "cool" air intake which sucks warm air from the engine bay, saw 50hp gains.
Ok, that's kind of backwards. Warm air is....Oh hell forget it, Has to be a joke.
***** Yes it was lol. I have seen too many people do this and I just don't understand it.
Get some brake line and make a long skinny U out of it. Bolt it to the exhaust (not the catalytic converter) and route your fuel line post-fuel-filter to it before going to the fuel rail. You'll need to use high temperature silicon hose to be on the safe side. You will have to use a tube bending tool to flair the ports out away from the exhaust to attach the hose. Wrap with exhaust wrap to retain heat in the metal portion of the lines. Prepare to get a lot more boom in your vroom, most especially if you have a colder air intake. Hot fuel vaporizes much easier for a more complete combustion. I routed the lines to my radiator hose which gets to 190 but the lines themselves are still only around 110-120 because the FPR keeps the fuel constantly recirculating. I think you would be lucky to get just over 200 degrees on the outside of the line at the exhaust which is probably around 300-400 degrees. I watch a video where a guy got the idea to wrap his catalytic converter from a retiree at Nasa that was spraying fuel directly onto 700-800 degree heated stainless steel surfaces at atmospheric pressure to generate a more powerful fuel vapor that turned into a white foggy looking gas. He's had the mod on his engine for over 25 years successfully.
Technicians only work on the improperly modified cars. A real auto enthusiast would never, ever allow a random mech or tech to touch his vehicle.
Haha! So True :D SO SO True. I was thinking that myself, like really what I'm doing is not good? Hang on, Polybush all round. better anti roll bars. Forged engine. Nah that's all good surely lmao. But then that's all the work I have done. Never a garage. True.
Nothing like working on your car after work or the weekend. Only when I'm lazy I'll take it for an oil change.... Lol
Calum A Not entirely true, I am a "true car enthusiast" as you state (your words) however the times I take it to a mec shop is when I don't have the tool for the job (say a two post lift or some obscure tool that is really hard to acquire/expensive that I know I don't need to buy because its a one time deal that I will need it) I will go to the shop that knows me personally and that I trust, of course I do the work usually my self or have the tech work with me to assist (say dropping an axle or something like that).
No, true. By the fact that you say 'know and trust' where I was agreeing about the fact I'd never take it to a 'random' garage. My mates a mechanic and I would use him, maybe. He is a bit rough so perhaps not.
***** You said it, now I don't have to.
best video regarding cars on the internet, completely parallels my thinking regarding cars throughout my entire life. thank you!
friend of mine got stuck on a speed bump.funniest thing I've ever seen
haha thats why i would never lower my car that low
at the gym a few years ago , I watched a lowered Mitsubishi , tear off its front and rear bumpers at the shopping centre across the road at it pulled out .
dang
Haha I could see lowering cars for the track but roads are too uneven and then it just rips your car apart
I lowered my car only 1.5 - 2 inches and I have a hard time not scraping my damn oil pan. It's a pain in the ass man
Wait - so all the dropped chipped channeled slammed bass-box subs amped 20"wheeled stretched-tire rolled-fendered K&N HKS plasti-dipped carbon-fiber-taped-hooded '94 Honda Civics with a NOS Sticker and neon undercarriage lights that sit on the BuySell for 9 months with a new "PRICE REDUCED!!!" tag on them every 2 months are there because nobody wants them and the seller thinks his car is worth $16,000??? Stay gold.
Yeah Eric, I used to supe up VW motors and get more power... Then I'd have to put all of the stock stuff back on to get it smogged (California).... so I could re-register it, every year or two. After a few years I built a special motor just for smogging my bugs (I had 7). Well, It was a great smog motor. So good that my dad's auto shop used it to smog other bugs that wouldn't pass the smog test. It was 100% stock, all freshly rebuilt, clean, stock paint, yada yada. Only used it to smog. My regular motor was a 1915cc, Dual Weber 48IDA..... fun motor!
supping up a VW is like putting a lit match behind a slug, ya it will go a little faster but not much. not saying i wouldn't like one. my dad had a 73 for a while but never got put together.
678friedbed Yeah, it's like putting a Cobra motor in a Pinto: a waste of time. I learned my lesson. The early bugs, Ghias and transporters are neat cars, that is it. They are not "race" cars. I was lost with no direction or mentors....
678friedbed
if you know what to build and how to build they can be just as reliable as the stock vw's were. been there and done that. love those cars. when you can bring 300 hp out of a 250 pound engine...well you are there.
Bradley Campbell I started out just trying to keep my VW junkers on the road. They were 21-30 years old when I got my hands on them, so everything was worn out: brakes, steering, rubber, lights, bearings, seals..... Once I got them to a reliable status, I began souping up the motors. Eventually, I built a few motors and climaxed on a 1915 with dual IDAs.... Yeah, they are very reliable. Like you said, if done properly, they can be daily drivers... all the way up to 2.6L +++ . Actually, the race parts are more durable, stronger, longer lasting... than the stock stuff. I would like a Ghia someday. Put a stroker in it with FI and hydraulic lifters. Not race it, but have 2x stock HP, reliable, and drive 'till I die.
+WAVETUBE84 I sure hope you wiped that 1915 off "afterward."
I wish you great future success sir, because I respect you trying to help people and give out tips and information that has taken you years of experience, effort and money to compile. Like a customer told me once when they had me diagnose their car: "Why are you charging me a fee; it only took you two minutes to figure it out?" To which I replied: "No it took me fifteen years to learn how to do it in two minutes".
Me personally, as a newer mechanic, I don't mind modded cars DONE RIGHT. Something refreshing to the constant droll can be a nice contrast to what you're used to. Sure, some are nothing more than chaotic crapness brought forth from a void of stupidity (slammers, stancers and ricers, looking at you) but a well aligned, small drop, or subtle body change, or perhaps a well thought out addition to the engine bay will, sure maybe increase the work time, but will, most likely, make you scratch your head once or twice then have a new experience that you might not of had with a stock vehicle.
This was the third video of yours that I watched, an I have to admit that you hit the nail on the head on every single topic you cover. I've worked at a Ford dealer, CDJ dealer, an independent, a hot hod shop, and now reside at a transmission
shop. I got licensed in 1991. It has been interesting to see the differences. The rod shop meant one day you were setting points and idle speed on flathead, the next day mapping a PCS trans controller for a dune buggy. Lots of pressure to hurry up. At the trans shop it's all about getting it accurately diagnosed, and fixed right the first time. You don't want to miss that bearing behind the planet, causing you build/repair to be back on your hoist, with your margin in the negative. Great vid.
Eric, you're used to people with hondas. The rest of the world uses sensible mods.
very true dude
I wouldn't go that far, I was working on a dodge pickup I had gotten from a guy, an old 72, and after cutting out the extension cords and seeing what was under the dashboard... yeah if I met him I'd slapped him.... not everyone just ruins Hondas... morons can ruin anything if you leave them alone to their own devices....
It is hard for those outside of a trend to distinguish between different segments of that trend and I get that. A Civic that looks like something out of "Lowrider Euro" does not become "JDM" because it has a lip spoiler. Just like a 4 cyl Pinto with slicks or a 94 Caviler with hood vents and stick on louvers are not muscle cars.
At the same time a B16 EF on coilovers will hold its value as well as any 302 Foxbody with a nine inch rearend...
"Hellaflush/camber and tire stretching" is lowrider/mini truck culture crossing over to civics and 240's... it is not JDM
***** stance it, stretch it, and slam it.... ive transcended into the dark world of tuners recently... help me D:
I've worked on too many 4x4 abortions to buy that line, and then there are donks.....
This has to be the best video for anyone wanting to modify their vehicle and don't know where to start! Vehicle specific forums are the best source by far.
I don't mind cars lowering to handling height. Slammed cars are dumb, personal opinion.
I completely agree, and that's coming from someone with a daily on race springs (~2.5" drop) which some think is too low.
+Cody T same here. my Miata is lowered 40mm because coilovers.
I currently drive a slammed DA9, though I always said I'd never have a slammed car so far its alright. I bought it this way and its going to be raised eventually. If you can over look wheels rubbing or if you can fix that (rolled fenders etc) and don't mind having to slow right down for speed bumps, then its alright. I'm enjoying the attention as a person whos been an introvert and stayed far away from attention his entire life. That said, the ride is shithouse and its a complete pain to drive in rural areas or if the roads are bad where you live.
its your personal opinion but its also true
+Nilk Narf well I think a better thing to have said would be slammed cars are dumb for a daily driver. and I honestly believe that was the intention with this comment.
Usually "Service Vehicle Soon" light is for maintenance as it's not a Check Engine Light that fails inspection. If you did not get any codes, assuming the ECU is woking as it should, check your owner's or service manual for Maintenance Schedules according to the mileage. The light is on because something like coolant flush, oil change, etc.
have a racecar and a daily. simple as that.
forgot the money part
Randomsongs Yes! That is the Perfect Setup!
Definitely a lot of valid points here. As someone who modifies, I definitely agree with the idea of sticking with OEM for a lot of parts. There was a time when I did many things on the cheap. I learned from the mistakes I made during that time. I'm a big fan of performing upgrades the proper way. If I can't afford the parts I want right away, I don't jump to the next cheap alternative, I wait until I can afford to do it right.
VWs since the late 1990s at least have kevlar braided brake lights - steel is actually softer!
I've been into the VW TDI diesels for some time now. The early ones responded very well to simple tuning - a chip and a few other changes would up the power from 90 to 120 hp, 155 to 250 ftlbs. New TDIs are so simple though, like you said the newer models are much more integrated and there are big concerns when you try to start changing things.
Hey compu85, I have a 1999 VW Golf Cabrio but since I live in Greece and Greece is in Europe I have the European one with the 1.6l 8v AFT petrol engine. I was thinking about chipping the car. What is you opinion on that thought?
From my experience racing autocross, there two biggest improvements you can do to a car are driver skill and tires. How much grip the car can get and how well that grip is used have demonstrated to be what decides the winner within most Street classes.
So I'd like to ask, how you view what are essentially better versions of stock parts, such as replacing the stock bushings with polyurethane bushings, or upgrading from die press or stamp steel body braces to tube steel braces, or upgrading from a stock sway bar to a thicker one? Essentially these up grades don't change the engineering, but rather get rid of compromises that the manufacturer made for cost cutting purposes.
+Dani Kimbro Yeah he's mostly ranting about cheap parts installed incorrectly rather than high quality parts installed correctly
Most cars are built with the cheapest components available so rubber instead of steel braided brake lines, cheap rubber bushings instead of polyurethane etc. But there's a limit. For example, a thicker sway bar may improve handling but if the rest of the suspension isn't set up to take advantage of it you're not gaining anything and may actually make things worse. Think about it as a system that has to work together instead of just upgrading parts of it. You want a symphony not a jam session when you're done.
If you don't think sway bar swaps "change the engineering," you might be in for a rough ride...
MJorgy5
Actually you're agreeing with me. A sway bar will change the engineering but if the rest of your suspension is crap it can actually be worse rather than better. Stick a 1" thick sway bar on the rear end of a car with crap springs and shocks and things are not going to get better. Now your transferring load to components that can't handle it. I love suspension upgrades but I don't believe in doing them half-assed.
Quite a few FWD cars will benefit tremendously with a thicker sway bar, if they have them available for your car. Factory spec tends to lean heavily into understeer to ensure the mass public with zero driving skills don't lose control of their vehicle by going too fast. It will make your ride stiffer but reduction in body roll will be immediately evident. Only you can decide whether a 50% less smooth ride is worth a 500% increase in handling ability - on a daily driver in a pot-hole ridden city it may not be worth it at all.
Great speech ETCG. This can explain the beauty of car culture itself. You really can judge a person based on what they drive and what they do to it. Truthfully speaking, the majority of people lack appreciation for the engineering principles that goes into the design of a vehicle but hey, can't be called an enthusiast for no reason.
DON'T GO INTO THE AUTO REPAIR INDUSTRY! If you like cars, keep it hobby.
thats true
Why? I love working on cars and plan on making it my full time job. (Im im high school)
Eban Pedigo Don't go into the auto REPAIR industry. I'ts very physically demanding and at the end of day will leave you without any desire to work on your car or even any of your families cars. Your gonna be working on other peoples cars all day and the last thing your gonna wanna do when you get home is touch another car. theirs a saying, "The shoemaker doesn't were shoes." trust me, go into another field and keep the cars for the weekends.
Greg25RS fuck me you make such a good point i just want to quit school imidiatelly :/ well its the choice i made and so far i love it but i guess im going to have to bite the dust sooner in life xD
diesel is where the money is
Eric I have watched many of your vids over the past few years but this has got to be the best yet its 100% right. As a fellow technician but in the UK I dread any vehicle with mods, they never work right and are 9 times out 10 total toss. I have seen so many dangerous things done by people who haven't got a clue from cutting coil springs to wiring in amps with speaker wire or running main power leads off the batt + without a in line fuse.
Thanks for putting a synopsis in the description
Thanks for reading it!
I once got on the topic of modifications with a mechanic whom I still go to till this day.
He is a qualified Honda NSX mechanic of the first generation NSX. A little bit of back ground behind the NSX mechanics on the first generation. They were hand picked by Honda amongst the whole of their staff globally, forming a group of the highest trained, skilled and experienced mechanics and engineers the manufacturer has ever gathered for a production vehicle.
His response was ... We at Honda R&D have developed the design and specifications to the Nth degree with many calculations, testing and development at the expense of millions of dollars and people in an instant change the specs with what amounts to little else than guessing and looks and no clue to it's flow on effects.
The bit about NSX mechanics isn't necessarily true. I've worked on several and I was not 'hand picked' by Honda. ua-cam.com/video/TGEnxVeDfzQ/v-deo.html
(every frame needs an LS1)
I hope you're joking XD
Of course he's joking, you're better off with an LS3
+Alex Dalziel do you think I don't know that
DJ Moon no he means an ls1 but it was a joke so it doesn't matter anyways
Finally somebody that agree's with me :) Sometimes the extra stuff you do to your car will hurt it and break it down fast!!!! Best advice is leave it as is(from the factory) and enjoy it as drive it to work or the store or where ever you like to but leave it factory. Cause the factory spec for the car your driving was properly made to the car your driving and ANY CHANGE OF THAT WILL WEAR IT OUT BEFORE THE NORMAL LIFE.
I do my own mods, therefore there is no technician involved.
As you have, I escaped western New York. Congratulations!
I though dealers blame aftermarket mods so they can weasel out of doing warranty work.
If you modify it and your modification actually causes the problem, why would they warranty that?
Not true in many cases.
Becuase, going to side of the road mechanics they lie they mess up things on purpose to get you to come back, I seen and herd the stories of how the game works.
I read it wrong sorry.
I definitely understand his point of view with cars. I've seen tons of horribly done modifications from people who had no idea what they were doing. I've been upgrading my 20 year old truck, but I primarily use brand-new factory components from other newer vehicles within the same brand. I've replaced my rear axle with an Explorer axle, cooling fan from a Ford Taurus, interior components from an Explorer, etc. I try to follow the factory wiring color scheme for wires. Any relay box has a listing inside of which lists what wire color goes where.
I also keep a spreadsheet of any non-factory parts I've added, along with factory part numbers, wiring diagrams for custom additions, etc. It takes a lot longer to do modifications that way, but everything looks and acts factory and if anything fails I can easily replace the failed part. I have high standards when it comes to modifications.
Drum brakes get hot and stop working efficiently, that's where discs are an advantage.
Maybe on the race track after hard use, but not on the street.
+ETCG1 I don't believe we were discussing the application though were we Eric.
If you, like me, own a road car that gets occasional competition or track use then it's an important consideration. How many performance cars roll off the production line with even rear drums these days? Almost none. Next...
Jeez, condescending much?
I've heard people who race vintage 240zs say that while the drums can get mal-adjusted slightly by heat expansion they are otherwise highly reliable. Once you know that by lap X rear braking is going to decrease by X amount you can adjust your expectations and braking points. Its a money/effect equation that mostly favors leaving it alone.
There are older production cars that even still today can hold to racing and street, 87 Grand National, my 79 Berlinetta Camaro with frame rail connectors ladder bars wrapped around the loop bar between the frame rail connectors then wrapped around the rear end with 8.5" rear end with 4.56 gear with mini spool was drum brakes rear, oversized brakes front, and it was a consistent 13.5 second car in the quarter mile, and I know a lot of people will scoff at that but yet don't realize how much it takes to make a car that fast, I was using bone yard motors, stock cam, not bored Weiand 3" high rise and 600 dual feed Holley, 350 turbo trans 3500 stall with shift kit and headers, and was pulling 13.5 where a 5.0 production mustang only pulled a 14.96. All my money was spent in suspension and traction and gearing planting my 300 horses to the rear wheels, not spinning them off. I know the question was brakes but when your going about 100 miles an hour you want to stop it and I never had a problem with drum brakes either, nor ever overheating them, not even doing burn outs, or brake torques
With the right upgrades, including a brake balance controller/distribution block replacement, you will absolutely get better stopping power from a drum-to-disc replacement... it just takes more work than most people are willing to do. If I was going to go this far, I'd replace the lines with higher quality components as well, of course, and probably a bigger master cylinder while you are at it.
I replaced my rear drums on my 1995 Grand Am and front discs with vented/drilled rotors and dual-piston calipers and got an incredible difference in stopping power. It's also important to use the right pads when you do this, as your standard high-metal pads ain't gonna cut it with vented/drilled nitrile rotors, you should absolutely go for ceramics at that rate.
The problem I see with car mods time and time again is that the mod is bolted on, and they don't manage any of the subsystems that lead up to that part (ie: bolting a turbo charger to a car when they read that it's just a simple 'bandaid' to install.). You have to run the numbers, you have to design the rest of the car's systems around the upgrades, otherwise something along the line will not be able to keep up with the modification.
Preaching the gospel brother. So much truth....sorry all the Paul Walker wanna bees will have thier feelings hurt.
If you cant drive to mcdonalds without a disaster...its wasnt worth it.
Some engineer spent years producing something your going to fuk up in minutes with your jcwhitney bolt on junk.
Holy shit, the picture of young Eric was cool man haha awesome video as always
7 years ago I was driving a built 2000 Honda si and that got me to work with my father at Aamco transmission and I remember he told me to not get into this automotive industry and I did and I hate all fucken cars haha once again I did not listen to my old man
Great points Eric, I definitely agree with you. When looking for a used car, I always run away from ones that are modified, and I can see what poorly done modifications can do when you go to work on them.
I usually thought modifications were cool af F**K... Then i started working on cars....
ANd trust me, they're a pain in the ass...
Lowering your car will also change the angle of the driveshafts ect..
And that will mess up a lot of stuff....
Yeah, maybe if you use lowering springs. Coilovers should enhance your performance, not ruin it. If it did, you must have done something really wrong.
Stuck slotted rotors in the front, awesome mod for a car, no fade, I can clamp the brakes on and know it'll shave 30kmh off the speedo in a second or less.
Braided lines are next after dropping it a little(30mm).
LSD over conventional diff, makes the rear end feel so much better.
Aftermarket springs are stiffer than originals, handles nicely with them(keeps the rear end upright in corners).
Urethane in the front, rubber in the rear, the rear has more travel so needs more dampening which urethane doesn't provide.
Changing old z-bar bushes also improve braking, urethane might be better because of it's stiffness.
Upgrading stock parts usually gets you a better car, perhaps more how the designer had envisioned and would have made if the budget had permitted. If there is a "luxury" model of your car, see what parts on them you can swap over to yours then go to a wreckers and swap them around. Usually there are only a few minor differences in trim(and maybe cruise control, digital climate control etc) which can be bolted right in provided you have all the computers and such.
I sell my aftermarket car part before I sell the car. Turn the car to standard again. Much better than selling moddifield car..... trust me
I totally agree. I often try to explain to people that cut springs, cheap lowering springs, and cheap coil overs don't make sense. Generally the manufacturer has spent a lot of money on R&D designing suspension geometry, spring rates, and damper valving. Generally if you do suspension mods you need to know about alignments, roll center, bump steer, geometry, etc. I've built race cars. None of which were slammed. As a matter of fact my most aggressive race car I built was only lowered a half inch-ish. For instance coilovers aren't specifically for lowering. They are for corner balancing. Following that up you will also need a bump steer kit, sway bar end - links that you can adjust. Just make sure you aren't wasting money on parts that require other parts to make it a successful upgrade and safe. Sorry about the rant. Cheers!
modified vehicles are awesome as long I don't have to work on them!
Hey Eric, I couldn't have said it any better than you. I love working on my cars. Over the years, I have worked on 4 of my past cars, keeping everything stock, Until my second to last car (At the Moment). My grandmother gave me a 2003 Subaru Outback Wagon. When I first got the car, used with 91k miles, I found it needed a new exhaust system. Every flange was rusted together except for the Exhaust Headers to Catalytic Converters flange. At the time, the replacement parts to replace the Exhaust System would have been between 2500 and 3k dollars. Since I didn't have 3k dollars at the time and had a leak in the exhaust system. I had to have aftermarket exhaust put on my car. My total bill was 850 dollars and I had a nice sporty exhaust system, which also happen to be louder than the stock car exhaust system. So for that car, I had to modify that car because of the cost was too high to put stock parts back on that car. The car I currently have, Subaru does not make a turbo anymore for the outbacks. So now I have to keep that car going, until Subaru comes back out with another Turbo Outback. I completely understand that I am narrowing the parts for my cars. I am completely understand that whomever I have work on that car, I may have to pay them more money to figure out the aftermarket features I installed or had installed. Thanks for your videos.
I have seen so many pickups ruined from lowering . Eric, I couldn't agree with you any more. When I worked at the dealership doing auto electrical it used to piss me off when a car came in with every electrical toy installed by the customer and on the work order says " Customer states so & so is inop " DUHHHHHHH.....
lowering your car or truck an inch or 2 is not bad it does help with improving steering in corners. raising any car is very bad bc if its windy or just hard cornering can tip or flip or spin out the car.
+Robert Perrigo yeah, i have a friend who loves the slammed look and she (somehow) found people who slammed the same SUV i have, and i absolutely hate how it looks
I had a buddy who lowered his car and had to replace the tires every 20,000 miles because the camber angles were all jacked.
One of the worst things that i see people do that almost everyone thinks is a good idea is the k&n filters. The only time I will use them is on carb'd vehicles such as my motorcycles. On the newer vehicles they get the air flow they need, the air filter is just going to let more particulate through. Aftermarket filters (even non-oem paper filters) cause a lot of problems, especially on diesels. It peppers your turbo with sand and grit and ruins it.
Your car will go much faster not lowered. If you want improvement go with bigger sway bars and Billstein struts. The manufacturer dosent spend 2 million in R&D for nothing, and then some kid throws Flea Market suspension kits in and completely throws off all the complicated suspension geometry because the car looks cool sitting on the ground. It makes no sense and it makes the car un-drivable.
Al Cohalic The manufacturer has to please everyone, not just the enthusiasts. I promise you that you will want to lower a 240SX, for example.
ChrisHallett83 I specifically said the 240SX, ever driven one at stock height? Ever driven a lowered one? I've owned three.
ChrisHallett83 Well, I've had three different fastbacks, and I know firsthand the difference lowering the car makes. It's not appropriate for everywhere, but the 240SX has great handling when at stock height... and _ridiculously good_ handling when lowered on good equipment, like the Koni Yellows and Eibach FRS that I had under my car. I had factory LSD also, but swapped from a Z32 NA. Same diff. And 11lb TSWs
Al Cohalic Good call on the Bilsteins, also I personally like Hellwig swaybars. Better than stock but not over stiff.
My ride doesn't use coil overs lol, the Bilsteins I have are shocks only. My ride has torsion bars in the front and leafs in the back, thanks for the suggestion though man!
The only modifications I ever did to my 88 Cutlass Supreme is I lowered it. But I did it the right way. I bought lowered springs that were made for that car. I didn't heat up the factory springs. After installing the springs, I aligned it. All the bushing and ball joints were in good condition. The second modification I did to that car was remove the factory radio and installed an after market radio. I also put in amplifiers, subwoofers, capacitor and after market speakers. The radio and speakers used a wiring kit that didn't require cutting of the factory wiring. That car never gave me any suspension or electrical issues. I also repainted it. When I did, again I did it the right way by sanding, repairing the dents, priming, paint coat, pearl coat and clear. The reason I got rid of it was because it was wrecked, the insurance would not cover the pearl paint and the damage was more than what the car was worth.
blech..... I despise overly lowered 'slammed' cars to the point of obscene negative camber. Probably the dumbest shit yet . Oh and don't forget your fluorescent tow hook!
I lowered my Camaro but only 1inch and kept the stock paint and stock body. I also upgraded the suspension. I dislike most body kits. I agree with you on the "crazy paint jobs" kept the paint clean looking. other than that my camaro is pushing 643hp at the wheels :) And i do know i will never get my money back from the car if i sell it.
Ricers be like: *I got ma new under glow!* :D
Technicians/mechanics be like: *Facepalm* O_O
+Vanboneio \ | commentary gaming channel | / Correction:
Ricers be like: I got ma new under glow! :D
Technicians/mechanics and all car enthuisiasts be like: Facepalm O_O
Nope, leave out the car enthusiasts because ricers are not true enthusiasts. :D
+Vanboneio \ | commentary gaming channel | / Fair point
Like a boss. :D
Derp123 EDIT: I meant....
"Nope, leave out the car enthusiasts because ricers don't have any enthusiasts to bring/follow."
Fantastic Discussion Mate. This vid consists of key knowledge and certainly shed some proper guidance towards the Do's & Dont's in car Modifications. Thanks Eric
Australia: install cold air intake
fine fine fine fine impound fine -.-
What?? Why?
Its an exaggeration, but in Australia police are very strict on cars, lowering rule, turbo rules etc etc
***** Yeah Australia sounds so god damn boring. They don't let anyone have any fun. Same as California and their stupid bullshit like roadside dyno's for emissions. Fuck that shit.
thinkpad411 Oh wow that's a bitch, well in Australia you have to have yearly checks by a mechanic on your car to make sure its road worthy and passes all the road laws (tints, heigh, etc) so if you have too much tint you fail and can't register your car -.- apparently you don't have that there, but you can still modify it, to an extend.
***** Well i'm in Canada, we have the regular "safeties" as we call them here, but the leniency for mods really varies depending on the shop and mechanic who is safety'ing it. If you are friends with the mechanic and he knows it stops, is structurally sound, and nothing's going to fall off it and kill someone, generally even with lowering and stuff like that, it's going to pass. The problem with safeties is they are essentially a risk to the entire company/shop that does it. If they sign off on the safety and a month later something falls off your car and kills someone or causes an accident, the person doing the safety and by extension the whole shop is held accountable, if it can be proven by the MTO that it was a safety issue which caused the injury/death or accident. So really it's based on how much risk that mechanic/shop is willing to take on your car. It also depends on how/where the car is driven, if it's just an old lady driving around town that never goes above 60 (km/h), there's going to be alot less risk than someone who drives on the freeways every single day. There's alot of stupid gaps in the official safety guidelines here in Canada too. You can have shocks that are leaking but they can't be rusted through, you can have a max of 3 out of 5 lug nuts missing per hub and it'll still pass a safety. So there's alot of holes in the safety inspection system...
there is a small margin between a stock and race car, is very important to research and know your goal before buying performance parts; Eric is right, you never gonna see that money back and if you are under budget its going to hurt your wallet alot, so be smart how you expend your money because there is no cheap way when it come to modded cars.
Nice video Eric
next question why are dealer techs so fucking lazy and expensive?
its not the techs that are expensive.. its the whole dealer part.. lots of salaries to pay.. and mechanics are not the highest one
Yes, lots of mouths to feed lots of other hands in the cookie jar at dealerships and Gregk82 is correct also.
WOW you can say this about very job out there.............. It' not that parts cost more at dealership vs parts store. Both have mouths to feed but dealership part goes through far more testing. Most parts store crap is just that crap can claim there better but yet they fail faster.
wow what a guy
Motorcraft belt for my car = expensive as hell at dealership compared to Dayco belt I can get at Vato Zone.
Only needed one Motorcraft belt for 80K miles before it started showing signs of needing replacement. I do less than 11K miles a year, and I've replaced my Dayco belt at least once every year. The cracking is insane on them despite the claim that they are OEM equivalent, and they start slipping about 5 months into use.
Sometimes the more expensive dealer/OEM part is as expensive as it is for a reason, and that reason is the quality difference.
With my vehicles , the modifications are specifically for the make of my car , as in GM parts for performance , GM bodykits ,GM suspension upgrades , and all work carried out by GM technicians
this guy should watch some ricer miata he would learn a thing or two
One exception, perhaps, to your good advice, Eric, is something I did to my all-wheel drive 2001 Expedition. To decrease fuel consumption i decided to eliminate the contribution of the front drive train but in such a way that I could easily restore the 4 wheel option should it snow heavily. Rather than cutting the solenoid energizing input ( by installing a dash-mounted switch, for example) I merely pulled the fuse for that component and voila, 3 mpg improvement in mpg, longer tire life, and all with no obvious loss of stability, braking, steering/handling, etc.,
out here in the country we don't lower cars, we raise trucks. ;)
Both are pretty cool
My neighbor's blacked-out RAM that smokes out the people behind him... yeah, that don't fit in the garage anymore.
kirin347 I'm sorry you have to compensate.
DEVALUE, key word kids. You wan't to impress other's, here's how it's done kids. Keep your engine compartment as clean as possible (No aftermarket anything under there. If anything is rusty then rattle-can it semi-gloss black, silver or whatever the OEM color was.) I can't tell you how many complements I got for that while I was checking the oil at the gas station for my four cylinder. However that's not the proper reason for keep your engine clean.
TheTarrMan Or you could do it right and build it? Why keep your car stock just to keep resale high. *face palm* It's not eating food just to keep the pantry full. See my point?
If you want to have fun and race and shit, sure, mod the car. But then you must know you'll have to run that car into the ground and get every last penny out of it via using it, or sell it heavily under price. If you're at all interested in re-selling the car, keep it stock.
My car is modified, blue book value $13gs, being modified as it sits now, I get $18gs. Car is tuned in suspension for no roll over, grip, breaking quicker. No body kit. Engine is tuned for quicker and smoother throttle and it doesn't burned gas but it actually get 10 miles more than before, car is lowered 1 inch with wider rims and tires, alignment upgrade so I can align everything, steel braided lines, carbon rotors, carbon break pads, shocks are adjustable damping.
Obviously technicians are lazy and don't like the extra challenge of working on an individual engineering project to gain performance of a vehicle haha. They'd rather just work on a monotonous long assembly line of the exact same thing one after another Zzzzzzz.
Just keep the car stock. That’s the dumbest shit I read all day! It doesn’t devalue a car. I love how you people try to preach about shit you have no experience in
This was a really good video. I have modified my car a little bit (1.2 inch drop, k&n intake which didn't do much but sounded better, and some other internal mods) and with everything I replaced I kept in my closet so if I do sell it I can put everything back on and sell it as stock.
"You're unique like a snowflake" gosh that was great!
Related to what you said about getting your money back from mods when you sale: All you have to do is look at some of the big TV auctions; like when they sale Resto-Mods. They will usually tell you what was invested dollar wise and they never bring enough to cover for them. Mods are truly a personal labor of love for you and you only dollar wise.
funny enough, most modified cars are actually Hondas haha
Denny Rachmansyah false
Honda's are for ignorant losers who try to act like they're in to cars. Uh hello you bought a honda...no respect for those bitches thinking they're fast in a farty ass 4 cylinder
I swapped the drums out of my cherokee for explorer disks and made an insane amount of difference. Given its 4wheel on 39.5" boggers, but the downhill grab is a 110% improvement. But I agree with you on the junk mod stuff like pod gauges, body kits, 2 foot spoilers, cheap homemade hot air (wannabe cold are dragging hot bay heat right into the intake) and all that kind of trash.. but at the end of the day it helps get a deal when a kid fresh from highschool decides he wants something else. I'll gladly spend a day unbolting your trash to save a chunk. Hey man, to each they're own!
I'm not gonna say that anything I drive is stock by a longshot, but the ways I have them all set up makes them easy to work on. My wife doesn't like the amounts of money I spend on my small fleet ither, but when she started dating me it was because every other guy showed up to her sister's wedding in a ordinary chariot. I showed up in a international scout I had lifted and 35" Maxxis Buckshots under... It's like I tell her... You gotta pay to play baby.
I work at a Honda dealer and although myself and another guy there have modified cars I don't care to work on them because most DIY'ers hack the car up and it makes it a pain to work on.
My advice to anyone that asks about modifying a car I tell them, if you aren't capable of fixing EVERYTHING on that car you have NO BUSINESS modifying it.
Alex Ball shut up. You're just a little Honda bitch. Mod away if you want. Mechanics are clueless fucks anyways. Uh uh no code comes up. Of course...ill fix it my damn self!
Specifically for my 1992 Mercedes Benz 190E, the stock suspension setup is great for what it was designed for -- luxury first, then performance. Some aftermarket parts for this specific vehicle are more oriented towards performance, with stiffer springs and struts, as well as custom-made polyeurathane bushings, camber arms, even to upsized brake calipers and wheels in order to reduce brake fade on the track. These modifications, when properly installed, make huge gains on stock vehicles, as they were properly engineered for a specific desired outcome.
I think one specific thing to keep in mind, as far as the DIY/performance community is involved, is to have knowledge of how the car was engineered to be used, as that will be what it is best at at the stock level. In order to change that, proper engineering thought at an absolute minimum needs to go into part selection. There are stock parts, aftermarket parts that may degrade vehicle characteristics, or just simply not last as long, and 'upgrade' parts. Each of these categories have their place, and that kind of thought needs to go into part selection, specifically for cars that one may intend to keep for an extended period of time.
On the primer, I was not aware that the heavy zinc etching primer absorbed water. My '72 Charger has been sitting outdoors for over six years in etching primer, with high fill sanding primer over that and the only rust spots I have (subject of an upcoming video) are where the tarp rubbed through all of the primer or POR-15 areas over the years.
Eric, just started watching your videos - keep 'em going, these are great!
We have very strict and confusing rules for modding cars, where im from. If a car is build and modified right, and has been though the various checks and tests like smog, then that particular car is okay to drive on the street. Thats fine in theory, the problem is the huge amount of money it takes to get those tests done, which in almost all cases will be more than you spend on the car + the mods.
So in reality you can increase the horsepower of the particular engine by 20% max, or you can drop in a more powerful engine, but only if that engine is already being used in another car, build on the same platform.
Forced induction like turbocharging or kompresser/supercharging is illegal, and will always count as above 20%, even if its not.
Totally agree with your point on modifying decreasing the value. Even if you think "oh well my shit's tastefully done and everybody wants: 'this, that and the otherthing'." Anyone who's into that stuff, generally wants to do the modifications themselves. I know I look for a stock car as a blank canvas.
Once when I was working at a Sears auto center I had someone come in complaining about how sluggish and bad handling their hopped up Civic was. After thirty minutes I gave the car back to them and told them to take it for a test drive and they exclaimed how much peppier it felt and asked what we did. I took them to the door to the shop and the over 400lbs of crap we'd taken out of the back of the car. Three tireless rims, bags of litter, a flat pack end table he'd never put together. Priceless.
The mods I did to my 2006 Nissan sentra SE-R Spec V
1.full exhaust (header, high flow cat, resonator, high flow muffler)
2.long tube intake (placed somewhere beneficial, in wheel well)
3. Lightweight pulleys for power steering and crank shaft.
You'd be amazed at just how much more you can feel out of an engine that can breathe easier. The pulleys are just an easy swap that nets 6-8whp.
Exhaust barely adds any power for the price and all it truly does is let the engine roar with the lovely sound it rings. Intake can actually hinder a car from performing better and lower hp (I don't see how the wheel well is beneficial, you want the intake to be towards the front where all the air is rushing to not the side) again it depends on the car. Finally pulleys are great so you are right on that, i need to do that for my g35
I have a 2jracing v2 side exit, a NISMO header with a stock midpipe, you can feel the difference in power substantially over stock, its just math, 2.25 inch pipe is less efficient than 3inch, and the huge stock muffler gone helps too. And as for the header that eliminates the pre cat. and yes an intake will hinder it if placed improperly however mine is tucked in the wheel well directly getting cold air through a straight 3inch tube. All of my parts come from 2j racing which specializes in my cars platform. And yes the pulleys help it rev way quicker.
asquaredtheking I suppose you get a little bit more top end hp, but you lose torque on the low end with less back pressure from exaust, and thats what you use the most for daily driving. Also POD filters don't filter that well, and your motor isn't going to take advantage of the unrestricted air flow since the stock filter and airbox(also like CAI) are already designed to provide more than enough air that the motor can take in. I can't really say anything bad about the pulley's, unless the manufacturer deliberately put heavier ones for durability reasons.
I Agree, the mod scene is Style And Power and if you have money both. I'm in a 5 year project, but it's being done right. Power, Reliability & Cost - Pick Two! DIY modders only get value back if a project is finished and hits a good niche.
Love my lowered car. I still get over speed humps and go down rough roads just fine.
Never touch the engine. All the mods I did was reducing cabin noise. Did a two layer silence kit throughout the body panels plus foamed the chassis. It feels very solid now and quiet.
Love that 1G TL in the background. Such a classy ride
Eric I agree with you. Recently my 04 Grand Cherokee, would crank over, no start up and none of the electrics worked. Well turned out the computer was fried( my mechanic and I bought believe it was from the remote start system). It was "professionally installed" The pushed a 12v constant into the OBD2 port. Back fed to the computer. $737 repair bill.. Never will install an aftermarker remote start ever again.
Original exterior, interior & suspension, upgraded brake discs (high carbon) and brakepads, brakefluid, engine oil, iginition, tyres. Worth every penny, 200.000 km and total reliability :) driven hard every day.
Application plays a big part in modifications. For example the 2002 to 2006 Nissan Altima has an issue with the rear sway bar breaking in half. Now living in California with mountains everywhere you need that sway bar. Progressive makes on that will not break, and the car handles much better. I feel much more safe with my Eibach springs, progressive sway bars,strut tower brace, and BFG Sport Comp II tires driving down the mountain from Lake Arrow head in Southern California.
Depends on what type of cars, most turbo subaru and evos have a lot of room for performance upgrades without issues (ECU, dp, exhaust, intercooler...etc). Most gain quite a bit of power and torque. But beyond that, it's engine/tranny rebuild upgrade.
About the worst thing that I've ever encountered with fixing rear drums was finding that the backing nails rotted out and broke, causing most of the mousetrap contraption inside of the drum to pretty much just do whatever as the drum turned. Other than that, its mostly just thoroughly worn out shoes/hardware and drums, and the occasional leaky wheel cylinder. Nobody really likes pulling a high mileage drum off of a vehicle, but once you eventually get that off, its usually smooth sailing.
Best upgrades in my opinion...Breaks and lines, exhaust system, strut bar, light weight wheels and some good tires, also good constant maintenance, and a technician to install it all appropriately. Also someone told me the lower the offset on the wheels the better stability you will have. Also keep all the OEM parts to reinstall on resale.
Great vid. As a retired tech now working at an auto parts store I see crappy mods at least 3-5 times a week. You know , the $1000 car w/ $6000 worth of wheels ,tires , stereo ,engine "performance" parts etc, and blowing blue-black smoke going down the road. In 2011 I bought my 2000 S10 2.2 L 4 cyl for $500 w/ 74k and a cracked engine.The former owner knew nothing about maintenance. After a new G.M. crate engine (among other new parts) and new paint she runs and drives like new. The ONLY mods are a K&N intake and Magnaflow exhaust which gave me a MARGINAL increase in performance . However , city MPGs are up by 1-1/2 and highway MPGs are up by 3 and NO check engine light(s). Which is good because I actually use the truck as a truck ( moving furniture,hauling trash, tailgating--Y'know-- truck stuff) Other than that the truck is bone stock and that's how I want it. People often ask me "Why would you put $10,000 into a truck with a street value of $6500?" Answer. "Where else could I find an almost new truck for $10,000?" I'll only lose money if I sell it. I've driven this truck from Ocala Florida to Rochester New York and back. Eric , you're 9 million% right! Pick and choose your mods CAREFULLY! And if you don't know what you're doing , leave it alone or take it to a pro!
Boy this has been some years (like about 13) customer (friend of someone in parts or some other place in the Dealership brought in an exhaust system (this was at a Honda Dealer). The system did not fit so nice and (pipe was too low and the routing was odd) everyone was sure that it was my install but no one could even get it to fit all all unless they put it on like I had it. I took some heat at first but things got real quiet (like I did not hear another word) when the customer and the employee could not get it to install any other way. Either the pipes were bent wrong or it was the wrong part, just a poorly fitting,real low exhaust system. I was told to install it and it went on one way, not my fault that one was was not really so cool.
A "hooked up"customer should not be allowed to throw a aftermarket part installation job in the normal dispatch lineup thinking "he will make it work because that is all the work he will be dispatched until I like the way the job turns out" In fact I believe the Service Manager or Shop Foreman ought to check with the mechanics and find out who (if anyone) wants to take on these aftermarket parts installs. I have said it before that I think as flat rate mechanics we should be able to turn down such jobs (without retaliation) if we do not think that the customer has cooked up a good plan. Just let me bail on these jobs and do my other warranty work and go home.
Hey Erik, one point I have with the rear disk swap. I wouldn't necessarily say it's all "looks" or "performance" (But I do believe there is a slight increase of stopping power if you change the proportioning valve as well.) but for me it was a swap I did to make working on my car, easier for me. I am not a mechanic, but I do love cars, I love modifying them and I love fixing them. I have gotten fairly deep in a few cars and I do "know my stuff" but I still lack true mechanic skills, knowledge and experience, so for me, a rear disk swap was for ease of service. When it comes down to the rear brakes needing a service, I'm much more happy with sliding a rotor off and replacing the pads, lubing a few things and calling it a day. Sitting there and fumbling around with brake drum shoes, adjuster springs and easy to lose retaining clips is not something I'm really fond of doing and I have much less confidence with them.
Talking about modding cars, a couple of years ago a friend and I took a vw golf mk1 and replaced the engine with a vr6 and then put a turbo charger on it. Was really fun when we fired it up for the first time and found out that the engine produced 732Kw at the wheels. Needless to say, the diff broke and we had to replace everything in order to make it run. Instead of keeping it front wheel drive we set ut a new axel to go to the rear tiers. When we sold it we made about $1000 profit. So modding cars can pay off too.
I agree with you Eric 100%. Personally if I was going modify and most likely will in the future, it would be a car I was going keep maybe pass down to future kid or nephew. keep up the great videos.
if you're going to tune ect. to a car try not to add new parts to a stock engine, I tuned my 350z to pull 526HP and it had no issues till this day and that's because I had a engine made to handle upgrades. wear I live young adult think they can just add turbo and exhaust and don't realize there is more that comes into play to make it work rright
It wont harm your box,you'll just feel more in the steering wheel if anything. you good to go man! Like,gm they had leather type material on the main shafts,which over time caused loose steering. alot of people use steering shafts out of jeeps etc that has u joints and never have issues.
a car is an high engeneering product so before attempting to modify it, it is necessary to plan exactly the final product desired and proceed methodically
you shoud consider the order of mods done in an order to preserve the safety of the car under the new operation conditions
It is required to cover all roadability aspects before attempting to increase the power as it is easy to reunite conditions to make an accident
Modified cars can be nice. You get to charge extra for having to work around the mods. And it can void factory warranty's, which is nice!
Im glad i bought the car I did, a 1990 eage talon tsi awd turbo, with the mitubishi 4G63 engine. One of the easiest four cylinder engines to modify, and they are good stock reliably up to about 400 whp. The car came with dsmlink when i bought it and a whole lot of other mods, but the thing with dsmlink is that you can tune your car with a laptop at any time so when I do get more mods and put a bigger turbo on it all I have to do is take it to a tuner and get them to tune the car for the new mods and it will drive like new!
Great to hear someone talking sense
I hate working on modded cars too, unless it's something I've modded. If you're gonna modify something, be ready to fix it. And don't expect a dealer to.
I realize that modifications overall are terrible. But I do my modifications for me. I plan on driving my car into the ground. My mods on my car, at the very least in my opinion, are tasteful. Just some lowering springs, new wheels, a slight ECU tune and that's really it.
Some perspective: Eric was a Honda mechanic years ago. Shortly after the first "The Fast and the Furious movie" came out, everyone with a Civic or Accord suddenly thought they owned a racecar. This resulted in a lot of (usually poorly-done) modifications to various parts of these cars. I don't envy him having to work on these types of cars during that strange era, lol.
The best comment in the ENTIRE video IMO is that you MOD your car and its AWESOME FOR YOU. you wont necessarily get any more money out of the same car than you put into it. Ive modded several cars, mild to wild and I cannot begin to fathom the money Ive put out into my cars that i never got back. Now dont get me wrong, I love to customize cars, still do it when i can afford to do so or find something i just cannot do without, but i think you should only do so for YOU. dont do it bc the guys at school, or the gas station guy thinks its kool. do it because you love it and dont expect to get the money back... if you do so great but be prepared.