Going to make my ‘03 my daily driver for a bit (2 Viewers)

[rexmobile]

Hey all. Last few years our 03 LC was our “backup car”, but due to an accident and financial issues I’m gonna start driving her daily again for at least 1 year, maybe more. 250k on her. I asked a family friend mechanic to make her reliable again. She’s getting 2nd timing belt/water pump, new upper/lower left control arms, sway bar link, new plugs, new steering shaft, new valve cover gaskets.

Am I missing anything maintenance-wise?

As for driving her daily, I have 3 “must-haves” where I can rock this puppy every day and still get a kick out of her. 1) New wheels/tires. Thinking Method 703’s, 2) A new stereo or even just a basic cheap Bluetooth CarPlay touch screen, 3)Some roof storage since we’ll be taking long trips on occasion.

Any thoughts on any of the above, especially from folks who’ve switched to making their vintage LC their daily ride would be appreciated. Like recos on a CarPlay screen, roof rack, and anything else that I might need. Don’t want a soccer mom ride either so trying to rep the LC properly but not really wheelin’ too much.
Thanks all!

 

[rbrave]

As someone that uses a 98 as my daily and just had the radiator go out…just get it done if it hasn’t been already! While the UCA/LCA are being serviced, replace the sway bar end links/bushings. You will appreciate the ride much more. There are few things more frustrating that a vehicle having to be taken off the road for repairs when you don’t have a backup, so focus on the things that will be disruptive before you focus on things that are nice to haves.

 

[Rhetoric]

Are these vintage now?

I rock my 07 soccer mom LX daily. 269k miles.

Instead of dumping money on wheels and tires, take care of ALL your PMs. The mention of a radiator above is a great one. Heater Ts. All fluids and filters.

Make it dead reliable before the urge to start keeping up with big bad boy lifted Tundras on terminator wheels.

 

[rexmobile]

As someone that uses a 98 as my daily and just had the radiator go out…just get it done if it hasn’t been already! While the UCA/LCA are being serviced, replace the sway bar end links/bushings. You will appreciate the ride much more. There are few things more frustrating that a vehicle having to be taken off the road for repairs when you don’t have a backup, so focus on the things that will be disruptive before you focus on things that are nice to haves.

 

[rexmobile]

Solid advice thanks!

 

[a_traut_man]

+1 on the radiator, mine was ready to give it up about the same time I needed WP/TB so went ahead and had it done and very glad I did. If you are dd'ing and don't know the last time you had a full fluid replacement done I would take a look at that as well, just to help keep everything running smooth.

Are you mechanically inclined? There are quite a few things that you can do in the driveway pretty easily (swaybar links for example) to save money on shop rates. But then again if you have it up and being taken apart anyway...

 

[MongooseGA]

You'll feel out whatever you don't find preemptively.

I daily my 05 with 350k and my Ms jumps in it 95% of the time she goes out on her own. No concerns.*


*Although I've done a metric **** ton of maintenance and repairs in the last year.

 

[pwil393]

Watching.

I dd my ‘04 with 245k and I’ve done the TB, WP, rear sway links and bushings, regular oil changes, and put on new tires with snow. Pop your head into the engine bay weekly and look for anything unusual. With dd’ing you’ll notice anything unusual.

My next tasks are spark plugs, maybe ignition coils, differentials/transfer fluids, UCA/LCA, shocks, flush the power steering and brakes.

 

[baltistyle]

I’ll echo making sure you baseline the car before doing any upgrades. Bushings will get you more comfortable. Fluids will get you more reliable.

In addition to sway bar links, which are easy to do yourself, I might recommend the front diff and rack bushings if they have never been done.

Lastly, I’m surprised nobody here has mentioned heater tees, but if they haven’t been done, that’s cheap and easy insurance against that future repair.

 

[rexmobile]

I’ll echo making sure you baseline the car before doing any upgrades. Bushings will get you more comfortable. Fluids will get you more reliable.

In addition to sway bar links, which are easy to do yourself, I might recommend the front diff and rack bushings if they have never been done.

Lastly, I’m surprised nobody here has mentioned heater tees, but if they haven’t been done, that’s cheap and easy insurance against that future repair.

Sorry if this is a known concept but what does “baseline” mean? Thanks

 

[CarterTheFarter]

Baselining is bringing the car back to where it should be. Basically making sure all scheduled and preventive maintenance is done. Look at the maintenance schedule in your manual and if something is in there that you've been neglecting, do it. Also make sure fluids are good. Oil, Coolant, Brake, Power Steering, transmission, Differential, AHC, etc. Take a look drive belts and vacuum hoses. Basically anything rubber under the hood. If your coils are firing id just buy a few oem units and keep them on hand. Heater T's is a big one. Spark plugs. Tires. All suspension rubber. The list could go on forever.

Honestly this is all pretty expensive stuff. I doubt you would need half this to get by a couple years but these are the things you should do if you want the car to go reliably for years to come. If there are no issues get your wheels and tires and drive her.

I have a Grom V-line for car play. Its not as classy and quick as a new car but it works and makes daily driving much more enjoyable.

 

[Irishpilot]

Great recommendations thus far. Baseline, then fix broken/worn cosmetic things, then upgrade.

I also use GROM VLine and it does the job well enough.

 

[a_traut_man]

Yeah another vote for the Grom VLine. Is it aggravating at times? Yes. Is it pricy, also yes. But it was single handedly the biggest daily driving improvement I've made, especially after getting hooked on CarPlay in my wife's car.

 

[rexmobile]

Yeah another vote for the Grom VLine. Is it aggravating at times? Yes. Is it pricy, also yes. But it was single handedly the biggest daily driving improvement I've made, especially after getting hooked on CarPlay in my wife's car.

Is it better than the $80 option from Crutchfield, where you use the CD input for Bluetooth?

 

[a_traut_man]

@rexmobile all depends on what you want to use it for. If playing music via Bluetooth covers your wants and needs then the VLine for CarPlay isn’t worth the money but if you want to have fully functional CarPlay on your dash display including calls, messaging, maps, etc. then go VLine.

I had a one of the plug in phone adapters for music only for a long time before deciding to take the plunge and get the VLine and there hasn’t been a day that I’ve regretted it since.

 

[rexmobile]

@rexmobile all depends on what you want to use it for. If playing music via Bluetooth covers your wants and needs then the VLine for CarPlay isn’t worth the money but if you want to have fully functional CarPlay on your dash display including calls, messaging, maps, etc. then go VLine.

I had a one of the plug in phone adapters for music only for a long time before deciding to take the plunge and get the VLine and there hasn’t been a day that I’ve regretted it since.

Got it thanks!

 

[offoradjunkie]

I would suggest doing tie rod ends and checking on the steering rack to ensure it's centered and has no leaks. Check that the axles aren't leaking either and see if they need to be replaced. While checking the axles switch out the bearings too that's an easy and cheap fix. As far as fluids go I would say do all of them, no worse feeling than doing all this maintenance only to see metal on your drain plugs for your trans or diff (depending on how much metal it is). Check the headers are all intact and there are no leaks and that the O2 sensors are giving all the correct readings. Check the starter and alternator along with the battery. Check for leaks in the door seals and sunroof (if you have one) this is a pretty easy fix and will do a lot of damage if there is a bad leak.

That was a lot of info! But those are all the things to go through off the top of my head.
For creature comforts, I use a Bluetooth adapter-BT45 TOY and I love it, you can keep all the factory stereo components, and its extremely seamless.