Midnight_Rider's progress log

[Midnight_Rider]

I pay off the card every month so normally the interest doesn't matter. I stick with this card since I get Amazon Points even though I pay the card in full every month. I then take the points in cash and buy BP and Shell gift cards to pay for most of my Carlisle trip gas.

Meh, I'll just pay it and work to get a refund later.

Gave a recorded interview to a claims adjuster from Hagerty yesterday. I'm feeling a little better now.

[Midnight_Rider]

May as well get a new set of mounts, while Mopar still sells them while you're at it. Another ~$120, but....

Would you have the part numbers handy?

[occasional demons]

Front


Item 2) 5272226 MOUNT, Strut Upper Front $53.52 each

Item 3) 5272227 SEAT AND BEARING $48.45


Item 3 is probably not needed with Mopar Performance/KW coilovers, as they come with their own bearing, and will not work with the standard spring seat/bearing.

Rear

Both rear mounts are Disco'ed

Newer numbers
5272458AB right
5272459AB left

Older numbers
4656264AC Right
4656265AC Left

https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/m ... 72226.html

https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/m ... 72227.html

https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/m ... 458ab.html

https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/m ... 459ab.html

https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/m ... 264ac.html

https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/parts/m ... 265ac.html




viewtopic.php?f=2&t=43941&p=617162

[Midnight_Rider]

Thanks! I have an appointment for the 31st to fix an AC leak so I'll ask my tech about this.

[Midnight_Rider]

"C/S: C/C REPLACE SEALS FOR A/C SAW DYE LEAKING
Removed ac lines and expansion valve. cleaned old dirt/debris and gasket material and installed new gaskets. recharged ac system and verified all ok after repairs"
$350.93

I had taken the two NOS gaskets from Vintage Parts that the tech told me to order but, after he disassembled everything, he discovered that there had been a mid-year change to one of the gaskets. He had to use an after market gasket. Other than Booger Bushings, this is the first non-Mopar part on my car... I'm not happy about it but what could I do?

OD, I asked him about the part numbers you gave me and he said that the parts on my SRT differ since I have the non-stock coilovers and the adjustable front top mounts. I saved a little money there. I appreciate your help though.

[Midnight_Rider]

Well, it took 16 years but my OEM headlights finally started to haze over. To be honest, the passenger one is OEM but the driver's side was replaced after the accident. Anyway, Ziebart put a clear bra on the front of my car years ago, including over the headlights so I can't use a kit to remove the haze. New headlights and welts should be arriving on Thursday and will be installed when the car goes into the body shop this Saturday.

[thomas_w]

Well, it took 16 years but my OEM headlights finally started to haze over. To be honest, the passenger one is OEM but the driver's side was replaced after the accident. Anyway, Ziebart put a clear bra on the front of my car years ago, including over the headlights so I can't use a kit to remove the haze. New headlights and welts should be arriving on Thursday and will be installed when the car goes into the body shop this Saturday.

I had very mixed results with these polishing kits anyway. They look nice for a little while but haze over pretty quickly again. Once they start yellowing, pretty much all the UV protection is gone and by polishing it you remove whatever little might have been left. My replacement headlights seem to be holding up so far. Hope you get another 16 years out of your replacements!

[occasional demons]

The only way to fix them is to sand them down, and spray with clear coat with a hardener.

That seems to hold up the best.

But for the cost of having it done professionally, it might rival new Mopar headlights.

[Midnight_Rider]

I had already purchased a Sylvania repair kit before deciding to break down and buy new headlights so I'll keep the kit for possible future use.

The headlights arrived via UPS today. I bought them from an eBay seller who charged much less than Vintage Parts and incredibly less than the dealership (they wanted over $800 plus shipping for the pair!). NOS Mopar parts so I am quite pleased. The dealership misled me into ordering new welts (the parts department guy told me that welts did NOT come with the headlights). Well, he was wrong so now I have an extra set of NOS welts that are almost as old as my car. But they were only $12 apiece plus shipping so I guess that I will add them to my parts stockpile.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Wow, Vintage Parts wanted $800 for the pair!?!? That is crazy. Can you not get them new from dealerships anymore? I know aftermarket ones are around $60 for the pair.

[Midnight_Rider]

Wow, Vintage Parts wanted $800 for the pair!?!? That is crazy. Can you not get them new from dealerships anymore?

No, Vintage wanted around $250 each but the dealership quoted over $800 plus shipping. I found mine on eBay for around $300.

I don't think that dealerships can get them from Mopar anymore so my dealership probably would have ordered from Vintage and I can beat their price by going directly to Vintage myself if need be.

[occasional demons]

I got the right side oem Mopar 5288508AH headlight for my '00 on eBay for $39 shipped. Finding the left one NIB that cheap has proved much more difficult. About $230 to $250, if you can find genuine lamps. For some reason the left side isn't that plentiful for the '00-'02.

I can support David on oem headlights if you are sticking with the stock style. The Depots I bought when my '01 was totaled, turned so yellow and hazy just sitting in my garage that I tossed them. So UV really doesn't have much to do with it, not seeing the light of day for over 5 years, and really not much light at all, as I don't spend hours on end in my garage on a regular basis.

They were a little yellowed when I parked it, but not horrible. I never imagined they would get that bad being stored inside.

So after that, it has basically discouraged me from going aftermarket. I like the projectors, but not enough to have the outer lenses go to crap in 6 or 7 years.

I have had decent luck on the Depots on my '99, but they are a totally different light. I'm not brave enough to hack a pair of new Mopar units to convert to projectors, especially for what they cost, and availability getting slim.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Wow good to know. I have a mint Mopar set that were on the car when I got it. They have those fiberglass eyelids on them though from the previous owner. I need to take that off and hopefully the double sided tape didn't damage the lense. Awesome you got a new set for a lot cheaper then the stealership! Crazy how high they mark their prices. All about profit!

[Midnight_Rider]

I hope that you won't have residue issues after removing the eyelids. That was pretty much what swayed me towards buying new- the fact that Ziebart glued the clear bra onto the headlights. I figured that removing it would be impossible.

Yeah, the parts counter people there really don't like dealing with me. But, last year, they couldn't provide the Mopar power steering parts that I needed so I ordered from Modern and had the dealership service department do the install. What else could I have done?

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Modern Performance rules. I usually get my items in 2-3 days! Probably helps since they are in Texas.

[Midnight_Rider]

I'm glad that I bought the bumper back in November- Modern is asking $200 more now.

[Midnight_Rider]

Car came back from the body shop on the 4th, looking great. Unfortunately, I "broke in" the new bumper this afternoon while pulling the car into the garage- I hit a storage rack and scratched the bumper a little. There was a concern yesterday at the dealership about a possible oil pan gasket leak so I will be keeping an eye open for that.

[thomas_w]

Sorry to hear; do you think it is something that can be buffed out?

[Midnight_Rider]

I won't know until I have the time to back it out of the garage and get a good look. I'm just p****d at myself for doing something so stupd.

[JeremyJ]

Hey, man. Shit happens. I backed into a full yard waste bin right after buying my Journey. We all make mistakes. Don't be too hard on yourself.

[Midnight_Rider]

Thanks, I appreciate that. It's just that I spent a lot of money to buy all new parts and then damaged the new bumper in just nine days. I could have just had the body shop repair the old bumper and kept most of the cash in the bank. Due to schedule changes at work, my hours have really been cut back and it has hit my paycheck so having saved the money would probably have been the wiser decision. 20/20 hindsight.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Sorry to hear about your new bumper cover getting damaged. How bad is it damaged?

I wouldn't worry too much about the oil pan gasket unless it actually starts to leave a spot in your garage.

Offtopic* I feel yah on the hours thing. I used to get overtime all the time at UPS and now I can only get my 40 hours. Mainly due to the department I work in. I need to bid out to a different area. That OT money is so nice to have and helps so much.

[Midnight_Rider]

I was able to use spit to get some of the marks off while the car was sitting before I turned it off after I hit the storage rack but I'll have to wait until it gets warm enough here for the HOA to turn on the community water so I can give the car a good wash. Old fart here has a stool to sit on so that I'll really be able to see what I did to the bumper (if I skip the stool and just crouch down, I start to pass out when I stand back up). I have already alerted the body shop that I'm bringing the car back next year.

My Chrysler tech had noticed some fresh oil on the pan gasket when I took the car in for its annual oil change last Monday but I've had a flattened cardboard box on the floor of my garage and hadn't noticed any moons. He thinks that maybe driving it after it sat from October to April might have caused a little seepage. I do plan to have the gasket (and drain plug) replaced at next year's oil change, just to be on the safe side (parts should be delivered on Wednesday). Just wish that I could have had these things taken care of before the new oil was put in this year though.

Yes, I too miss the OT pay but not having to work all seven days. I did that for a good part of the last decade and am just not up to it anymore.

[occasional demons]

Maybe/hopefully it will come out with a little light buffing.

off topic/
I haven't worked any OT for nearly six years now. It never really bothered me, because I have always based my lifestyle on the base 40 hours pay. Anything extra went into the bank for a rainy day fund.

And now that I am older, I appreciate the time away from work, (and now the very short drive). Quality of life becomes more important, than the quality of crap you can buy, but not enjoy it because you are working 80 hours/week.

Covid kind of helped me realize how much I was blowing on dumb stuff like eating out, etc. I literally accumulated an extra 7 grand in my bank account keeping a low profile over the last year.

Sucks for local businesses, but it's kind of nice having it in my pocket instead of theirs. They sure as hell aren't going to bail me out.

It will help when I need to replace the sacrificial anode, AKA Impreza. Making payments is something that has always been an OCD thing with me. I would rather scrape for months to a year to either pay cash or a have shorter loan term. It beats scraping by for 5 to 7 years if things go south after the purchase. That is my biggest fear. I hate debt to the point it is probably unhealthy!

When the economy got tight in the mid to late 2000's, I paid off my Jeep loan with my credit card, just incase I got laid off, so it wouldn't get repo'ed for what I owed on it. Yeah, OCD...

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Putting a new oil pan on too? I believe I only paid around $60 or so for a new oil pan if I remember right. It was a OEM Mopar unit too. But boxed under a different brand. I thought might as well since I am doing the gasket. Plus my drain plug was messed up from previous owner.

[Midnight_Rider]

The tech said nothing about needing a new pan... should I get one?

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Well the entire pan has to come off to change out the gasket. Is a new pan needed? More then likely no. I just like shiny new parts.

[Midnight_Rider]

I have the same problem- I like new shiny parts as well. LOL I just don't have the disposable income that I used to have so I've had to make decisions as to whether or not things need to be replaced or if it is just that I like bling.

[occasional demons]

Can you see the shiney new pan from the driver seat, or opening the hood? If not it's a waste of $ as far as the bling factor.

If the pan is not cracked or corroded to the point of leaking through the side/bottom, I wouldn't worry about it.

That's the disadvantage of not being able to do it yourself: You could have it bead blasted if needed, and paint it, or powder coat it, and put it back on. Since you don't rely on the car for DD duties, time is not an issue. But taking it to the dealer, that ain't going to happen.

I doubt it has much corrosion, as you only drive it on nice days.

[Midnight_Rider]

That's the disadvantage of not being able to do it yourself: You could have it bead blasted if needed, and paint it, or powder coat it, and put it back on. Since you don't rely on the car for DD duties, time is not an issue. But taking it to the dealer, that ain't going to happen.

Well, not exactly. My tech has told me that he will install anything I bring to the shop, including aftermarket (I wouldn't use aftermarket parts anyway). But the Mopar warranty would only be for factory parts.

Ziebart undercoated the car years ago so I imagine that the pan is already covered with goop anyway so no corrosion worries.