Midnight_Rider's progress log

[thomas_w]

[Midnight_Rider]

No longer for sale, reasons posted elsewhere.

[Midnight_Rider]

The SRT went into the body shop this past Saturday. The paint protection film on the hood from Ziebart has been removed prior to painting and clearcoating both top and bottom. The PPF had yellowed over the years and I didn't replace it on the new front bumper last year. This leaves it just on the front fenders for now. I purchased new under hood stickers from ECS Automotive Concepts and those will be applied and the windshield washer system will have new parts (although it isn't being used since I have the Stage 2 intercooler sprayers using the washer fluid reservoir). Also, a new hood scoop insert is being installed (and the OEM one will be listed shortly on eBay).

The worst thing is that the car had developed a rust spot smaller than a pencil eraser on the DS rear quarter panel dogleg. Today, it was sanded down and Bondo filled (yuck!). This will also be repainted and then the car will go back to Ziebart after the paint cures for undercoating, new rustproofing and Diamond Gloss application, just like back in 2006 when I had these done the first time (Ziebart informed me that I will have to start these processes all over again as the materials have dried out over time- the last warranty maintenance was done in 2017). Ziebart will not warrant the new work due to the age of my car.

I sold the stock ECU on eBay recently and also a Stage 1 badge that I've had lying around for years.

I'm really bummed out about the Bondo application but it beats the usual Neon rear quarter panel rust through.

[racer12306]

Pretty good status for a 18 year old car. we should all be so lucky.


I know it wasn't luck, it was love.

[Midnight_Rider]

Thanks, I appreciate that. Truth is, now that I'm retired and only working part-time, I really can't afford stuff like this anymore. But, after investing so much time and money into it, I can't afford to NOT take care of it.

[INVUJerry]

There is a piece of foam behind the dog leg that was for NVH that holds onto moisture. You can try your hardest, but every now and then, it'll still pop up. Good that you're staying ahead of it instead of letting it fester though, it's a good investment for you.

[occasional demons]

There is expanding foam in the rocker panels also.

It makes it virtually impossible to get full rust prevention applied to the inner panels.

When I was spraying LPS3 into the rockers, etc on the Dark Jewel, it became painful apparent that minor sound deadening was a bigger priority than rust prevention.

[Midnight_Rider]

My body man found no sound deadening foam in the rear DS quarter panel dogleg. He did find that two layers of metal between welds had come apart, leaving a gap that had started rusting. He cleaned out the gap as best as he could and shot a rustproofing agent in the cavity before clamping it shut and welding it. All told, this work cost $2,514.03.

I also noticed that there is an oily film on a pipe on the DS under the engine. And, I found an oily film that had appeared around the rim of the new power steering fluid reservoir. The car is going to the Dodge dealership on the 10th.

I took the car to Ziebart late Wednesday afternoon and got to look at the underside while it was on the lift. There are a few places where I have spot rust on the pinch welds. They will need to keep the car overnight to take care of these spots before the undercoating is reapplied. I'm also having the Diamond Gloss applied once again as well as fabric protection and Aquapel glass treatment (these are all part of a reduced-price package). The car goe in for this work on the 24th. Ziebart wants $899.99.

After all of these expenses, I am tapped out.

[Pizzacrust]

Glad to see you kept the car and doing some rust prevention work. It's a shame that our cars are rusting out like this and could've been prevented with just better materials. My buddy and I just changed the tail light gaskets for a much thicker one. It rained the past couple of days and there's no more sign of moisture in the trunk area. If all of the taillight gaskets were at least an inch thicker, some of the rust could've been prevented at the rear; it shouldn't have cost that much...

[Midnight_Rider]

I still have the OEM taillight gaskets on mine but have a new set for when the time comes to replace the originals. I agree that a few more cents per vehicle for better quality materials would help those of us who are keeping the cars long-term but, thanks to the "bean counters" at DCX, we're having to fight the rust battle.

[Midnight_Rider]

$291.97 today (parts and labor) for a new oil pressure switch. I had discovered a leak on the lower charge pipe last week and my Dodge tech said that the switch was the culprit. Also removed the aftermarket "Xmas tree" fasteners that my body shop had attached through the "nostrils" and reused the OEM ones that I had from before (the body shop had installed them upside down after repainting the bumper).

[MyNeonSaysHi]

yup they tend to leak over time. had to replace mine on the low mileage white srt i had. only reason i replaced mine was due to the CEL for it. it was seeping oil a little bit but not much.

nice catch on the fasteners.

[Midnight_Rider]

The leak was discovered when the car was on a lift at Ziebart- certainly not a planned expense. I'm going to drop $899 at Ziebart on the 24th (plus paying for a rental car and motel room since the car has to be there overnight).

Yeah, I was surprised that my body shop guy had installed the "Xmas trees" upside down and used non-OEM ones to boot. My Dodge tech charged nothing for the fix, bless his heart.

[Midnight_Rider]

I 've now had my first experience with Plasti-Dip. I decided to coat the end of the hood prop so that it wouldn't scratch the new underhood paint job. I ruined a paintbrush trying to apply it before discovering that my right index finger worked much better. Now, several coats later, it is finally shaping up.

Guess that I should have bought the spray can variety instead.

[occasional demons]

You would have still had to do multiple coats, and then keep it from over spraying everywhere. Unless you pulled the prop rod off, but I assume it's still on the car, otherwise you would have just been dipping it in the can.

The glossifier might help harden it a bit, so it doesn't wear off as quickly.

But I believe that is only in the spray can.

[Midnight_Rider]

Yeah, the possibility of overspray is one of the reasons I skipped the spray can. But I didn't think about the rod being horizontal when not in use- this kept me from dipping it. As it is, it doesn't look so hot but I think that it will do what I wanted it to do- prevent the rod from scratching my new under hood paint job.

[Midnight_Rider]

Full insurance coverage starts a week from today. I have an appointment at the dealership for an oil change (bought the oil and received a rebate from Mobil last Fall) and an MTX flush on the 18th. My tech is going to install the new Mopar tranny fill plug that I found on eBay. Ziebart treatment for the year will be sometime this Spring. Can't wait to get started driving this year!

UPDATE: Snow showers on the 18th so the service appointment has been rescheduled to April 2nd.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Nice! You have the most maintained Neon SRT-4 on the planet

[Midnight_Rider]

Thanks for the compliment! I contacted Hagerty for a quote but can't afford the extra $450 annually so I'll have to stick with my non-declared value insurance. Darn it.

[Midnight_Rider]

Bit the bullet, purchased a Hagerty policy and cancelled my Auto-Owners policy. Awaiting a pro-rated (for 20 days!) refund from Auto-Owners.

[Pizzacrust]

How's the Hagerty policy like? Do they bill monthly or annually?

[Midnight_Rider]

Annually. The coverage they call "Cherished Salvage" is what sold me- you get to keep your vehicle if it is totaled. Plus, I was able to set a value for my SRT (I chose $25,000). All told, my 2024 premium is $931.