Just a random-ass posting, but after spending multiple thousands of dollars on modifying this car, and DIY-ing the living bejeezus out of my car, I wondered what the 5 BEST things I spent my money on was...and here it is. Even cruising along at my current mileage, I have to say that the following 5 items are the only absolute MUSTS I've ever done, and this trend will continue well on after the TL comes to pass, which is still a LONG time coming.

Chime in as you see fit. There are only a handful of TL owners on this site that have done the sheer volume of mods I've performed (for better or worse, but this is my creation, and I love her), but I gotta say, these are my GOLDEN 5.

#1 - PREMIUM TIRES
Don't be a bitch and spend $2k on wheels only to throw them on some made-in-China rubber that will be jarring your color every divet in the freeway. Your mpgs will thank-you, your ass will thank-you, your brakes will thank you.



#2 - PREMIUM FLUIDS at REQUIRED INTERVALS
Same deal as above. Don't skimp on the good stuff just so you can down another 6-pack during the game. A diet of McCrap Burger will leave you satisfied cheaply, but don't expect to be puttering along as well if such a dietary travesty were a mainstay. You get my point.



#3 - PREMIUM LEATHER CARE
If you've owned your TL for awhile, you'll come to find the leather in the TL...SUCKS. It's thin. It's relatively stiff. Hell, I don't think it even came from a real cow in some spots, but it's what we've got. Mistreat it, and you'll see what I mean.



#4 - A REAL POLISHER
You'll NEVER see your TL shine until you own up to one of these. I want douse myself in baby oil and slide across the hood after a few passes - and you will too. If you've never used one, rent one, try one, steal one (optional), you'll be FLOORED by the results



#5 - UPGRADED STEERING WHEEL
Aside from the seat, this is the one thing you are ALWAYS in contact with when driving. From mile 0 to beyond, your hands are on the wheel (for you leg drivers, quit being stupid and dangerous), do yourself a favor and slap one of these on. It's gotta be the single most under-rated mod we can do to our cars.





Keep on moddin'...

 

What steering wheel is that? Did all the controls and everything bolt right up? When I saw the title I was hoping you'd say something like a J-pipe lol, on the fence about buying one.

 

Nope, I'm most concerned with the preservation of the vehicles mechanics and appearance, followed by aesthetic/functional modification; not the other way around.

The steering wheel was custom wrapped by Dallas Custom Steering wheel, it's the OE wheel with a new face; many of us here have had this done.

 

Hey Dan hit me up, I need to get you to do a couple more leds for me. Thanks, Jeremy
Oh and That steering wheel is sick!

 

Shoot me a PM, dude, not a problem.

FYI: If you've called in the past few months I haven't used that line in some time...

 

Where are you located DeathMetal? If you're good at LED changes, I may need to hit you up when I get my Type S>

 

Excellent post sir

 

what does changing the steering wheel do? It just looks a little thicker...

 

Good advice

 

Nice post man.

And you caught a little off guard with you steering wheel upgrade. I wan't expecting that.

 

+10hp/tq to the wheels

 

It's 1/8" thicker all around and, IMHO, makes for a far more enjoyable driving experience. If you've ever been behind the wheel of a high-end European sports car, they have nice, thick steering wheels.

Again, the most UNDER-RATED mod for the TL, IMHO.

 

Well said from a very respectable member.

 

what tires do you reccommend??

 

Good post

 

+1

 

its actually only +6hp/ +4tq

 

Love the LED's in your car! I was just wondering if anyone had done that in a TL.

Steering wheel looks amazing. Would like to do that, but im sure its quite a waise down the road for me.

 

for the leather treatment, which one do you recommend? thanks

 

Obligatory DMFTMFW!!!!!!!!

 

hahah....Second that...

 

I agree with everything you said DeathMetal....just that Continental DWS are not premium tires....they are less than half priced than the Bridgestone Turanza's or Pole Positions...those are premium tires....DWS are great tires thow....

Also where did you get the steering wheel dude....I would love to buy it....

 

Love the steering wheel, will be looking into that for sure! And to second some other posters questions, which wheels and leather care to you recommend?

 

Gotta give some credit to my man, Dave (dwb993) as well, we both were working on this at the same time in opposite states.

Most people swear by Zaino, but I'm a Poorboys World Man, at least for now. Their NATURAL LOOK DRESSING is an amazing cleaner for prep, and I always follow up with LEATHER STUFF. For all leather portions I apply LEATHER STUFF by hand, let it soak for an hour, then buff dry by hand. These products also work great on all door/window seals and keep your rubber looking fresh and rejuvenated. I'll be posting some pics tomorrow/Sunday, just finished a 12 hour interior/exterior detailing with the XP7424

I recommend checking out the DETAILING forum here, I am going to try LEATHERIQUE next and see which one shall remain my mainstay.



Good point. I should have re-worded it to say something to the effect of, "Proven tires with substantial real-life reviews".

The DWS may not be premium on a price point basis, but I'd be hard pressed to try any other tire moving forward, and this is even after owing Turanza Serenity's and Pilot Sport A/S tires, two of the pricest tires on the market
.
*****IMPORTANT LINK BELOW******
CLICK HERE FOR ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE STEERING WHEEL

 

wow the best interior led setup ive ever seen goodjob on the work. jesus lol how much time did that take

 

Do we have a DIY on converting all the switches and buttons on the 3G ? if so I would love to do this and if not maybe you could put one together . What's the bulb sizes for all the buttons? And what site did you go thru for em

 

A LONG time, bits and pieces over a few months.

ALL OF THE DIYs ARE IN THE GARAGE SECTION OF THIS SITE.

The only non-DIYs are the radio and navi unit; navi unit is pretty much PnP with PART 0 of the DIYs, the radio was a custom-made circuit board:

 

Just when you thought you've seen all the kinds of posts.

...nice job DM.

 

DM...i have said before and I will say it again.... you got some mad skills....you have OCD with perfection, and I love that !!!

I dont mind driving down there and doing the mod I spoke to you about

 

Thanks, Steve! With my love of the 'zine, thought I'd try and help out those of us in it for the long haul here

Thanks, man! FYI: My phone bit the dust and needs the digitizer repaired, which I'll be doing next week, so if you sent me any messages, I didn't get them

Always down to bolster the NJ cr00

 

Great thread D.M.

 

I agree with 1, 2 and 3. My 4 and 5 would be premium brakes and suspension.

 

Its too bad more people don't live by this motto. Nothing like slapping a bunch of performance mods on a drivetrain that isn't up to par on maintenance. Its obvious when a car has been taken care of, modifications or not. I feel like hurling when someone posts a pic of their TL with oxidized headlights, dirty exhaust tips, and trashed paint. But boy oh boy, do those expensive rims look hot with that 3" suspension drop.

That said, fantastic work. Love the look of that steering wheel. And those interior LEDs are worthy.

 

My only reason for not citing premium brakes and suspension components is because I have seen an equally good/bad response from running standard/premium variants.

For instance, there's gobs of positive and negative feedback equally distributed amongst, say, A-Spec, HT-Type II, and Tein SS setups, so I can't unequivocally state a 'premium' suspension is any better than a cheaper version. Same deal with pads/rotors.

This is just my take on the matter, and like any dutiful AZiner should do, each purchase should be thoroughly cross referenced before pulling the trigger. Maybe they should be #4 and #5, but from everything I've read, I simply could not see the justification in going premium vs 'good'.

Amen, my brother. You're 18? Kudos to you for 'getting it' so early on in life.

 

 

you can get all those leather treatments at auto zone? or do you need to order them online. the one i using right now is armor leather treatment, the one where you spray on a towel..haha

 

No, the good stuff you need to get online.

 

Once you try the Leatherique, you won't use anything else. Nothing softens up leather as nicely as their rejuvenator oil, and pristine clean works great even on it's own as a maintenance cleaner/conditioner

 

I hate you guys. You never cease to find new ways for me to tap my checking account.

Hey, is this for leather ONLY or can this be used throught the other interior panels?

 

LOL, I got a kick out of this thread! Good stuff.