Hey guys,

Within 3 weeks of getting the car, I've already gotten tints, Morimoto D2S 6k bulbs, H8 HID Fog System, iJDM DRL replacement bulbs, oem window visors.

I think I may have gotten the first hand of the modding bug. I know is not much to others but I don't think I can stop. I'm already considering a deck lip spoiler, and full A-Spec kit. And then coilovers and new rims, I'm going to go broke.

I need to pace myself, how do you guys fight the urge to stop ordering stuff online for your car? or rather control yourself? I'm curious to hear.

 

Once you start there is no ending in sight

 

get off the forum. you'll be safe if you do that.

think of this place as a huge rave scene with techno music and flashy lights...ecstasy all over the place being chomped down like chicklets.

think of anywhere else EXCEPT this forum like rehab.

 

Don't stop. Go for A-Spec lip kit, good coilovers with adjustable damping, and a good set of name-brand wheels and your TL will be looking fresh.

Everything else can come afterwards... Don't spend $100s (adds up to $1,000s) on little mods that don't even enhance the overall look of the car. Chances are those "little" mods you do are only noticeable by 1 person, YOU.

Being a 08 Base AT, I went with a mix of performance and aesthetics... I made a mistake.. I should have went 100% aesthetics first than performance after.... Reason I say ditch performance is because a 3600lb car, 260HP, 5speed AUTOMATIC will never be fast no matter how many bolt ons you add to it... I have a V3 J-Pipe and V3 PCD and still not satisfied.... It's sad when other V6 (Toyota camry V6, Accord V6) are still quicker than our base AT TLs.....

This is why I regret purchasing a Auto... I wouldn't mind a base 6spd, or a TL-S 6spd. But a base 5AT TL is not a good platform to work on performance wise... I suggest if you continue modding go for looks and aesthetics first!

 

You are so right

 

don't forget all the girls dry humping palm trees...

Yes, get the fk out of here quickly...as I fall asleep every night, I start thinking about what I'm going to do to my car next.

 

If you're serious, then you need to freeze your credit or implement some form of accountability. If your income supports your spending habit then don't worry about it. But if you cant budget/save your money, you're gonna have a bad time.
Do I see a meme?

 

I can't..........
I am already addicted to this site. Community is just too awesome.


Agreed. But A-Spec kit + coilovers == eating ramen 3 meals a day

 

jobless, houseless, womanless....but your car is the bees knees

 

give me all your money. i will help you stop

 

you have no choice but to total your car.

 

This seems like the only logical thing to do because you don't simply stop modding...

 

those are just "accesories" hahaha wait till u wanna lower it and buy 2000$ wheels

 

I know! I'm afraid I will get to that point soon enough.

 

I hear ya...I started with tint, HID fogs, and LED interior, then started messing with the sound system, and now the A-spec kit is on order....I know I don't have the cash for suspension or wheels though, so I'm not even letting myself think about those.

With colors running out on the A-spec kits, I decided that was something I knew I would always want, so I decided to do what I had to do to get it before it was discontinued. As it is, I had to go with the base front lip instead of the Type-S which is now discontinued in ASM, but I'm really excited about that since I really like the clean look of the base A-spec lip and it turns out its not too difficult to get it installed on a Type-S bumper.

 

The mod bug is real and cannot be stopped.

 

Wire all funds to me

 

to be honest this is probably the best info on the boards as far as stopping the mod bug lol. i guess a few ways to slow down is give yourself a spending limit towards the car or you can give your keys to your better half () and he/she will take care of the mod bug real quick.

 

ff, many institutes have invested millions of dollars in research of this phenomemon. But after years and years of said research, no cure....


In other words, you're screwed......

 

finish the project buy everything there is for the car and you will stop

 

No foreseeable end in sight, just embrace it and adapt to having an empty bank account

 

pace yourself...make a list and a date when you will buy each mod..

i've had mine for about 3 weeks...

so far...
-tint
-debadged
-clear/smoke tails with LED blinkers
-smoke side markers from USR
-pedals from USR
-blacked out headlights from AckTL05 with LED blinkers
-added load resistors to blinker circuits
-6k HID fogs wired to go on with parking lights
-interior LEDs and footwell LEDs
-OEM lip spoiler
-drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads
-removed stock intake silencer

Next on the list is iPod adapter, and a set of new rims and some General All Season tires, mid muffler delete and moving the stock base tips up and back a little, oem mudflaps.

Then I will take a break for awhile.

 

no you won't.

 

haha well I sold my 400+HP SUV (Chevy TBSS) for 25k to mod my house...lol.

So I took some funds, modded the TL a little...

and next is finishing my basement for my 4 month old daughter...

come to think of it. to get rid of the modding bug....have a kid...LOL

 

You will never...even though I feel "done" with my car, I find myself surfing AZ looking through the black market for new mods to tackle! And even when I think I'm done, I'll reverse a mod and then reverse it back, or swap tails, or remod the headlights. It never ends...

 

^ that is a great way to squash the modding bug.

luckilly, i don't have too much else i can do with mine. might as well get it all out of your system while you can.

i know marriage and kids are next in line for me...

 

THIS. I never really thought about doing ANYTHING to my car until I came here.

 

Well, if you've got the bug, I'd highly advise against the TL diet. Once you see the performance benefits with that, you'll start stripping out your backseat and stereo just to get an extra few pounds off. I started with the engine bay panels and spare tire which led me to $1000 lightweight wheels which has led to removing bumpers, etc. etc. etc.

The madness may never end

 

^^^That's what I'm afraid of in starting the diet...
Plus, I was already trying to justify the MPG increase you'd likely see. IF you were to lessen weight AND drive relaxed I bet you could get 22 MPG City...Highway would probably stay about the same.

 

I started with the pretty cheap/free things like clearing headlights and plasti dipping front grille. If you are creative and scrounge around the forum a lot like I do, youll find a lot of small things you can do that are relatively cheap. However this only feeds the modding bug, and my mods are quickly increasing in price. I just bought coilovers and spacers...

 

^^^true that...free and cheap is like a little taste...before you know it you have tracks up and down your arms and inner thighs...

 

I would have to say there really isn't a way to stop the modding bug. it is a terrible epidemic that once started is very hard to get rid of.

for me, within the 1st month of owning the car i had already bought an ATLP Base catback, debadged the rear, painted the "A" in the front and rear black, and bought the OEM window visors.

4 months later I bought HT-Spec V2's Type 1's.

yesterday, I bought an ASPEC kit, RV-6 V3 jpipe and HFPC's, a Progress 24mm rear swaybar, and an AEM V2.

so ummm yea, good luck with making it stop. I can't find a way to...

 

^^^G'damn...that's quite a large piggy bank you have, sir!

 

^ haha when Grandmother's house sold after she passed, I was in the will. so I spent SOME of it on the above mentioned parts. gonna save the rest(instead of being like SOMEONE and buying Works) lol

 

LOL!
i do the same thing; sometimes i lose sleep over the car damnit. Honestly,i wouldn't stop just yet, get the basics done. suspension and lip kit sound good to me, just give yourself a budget and take it slow, better to spread out mods over a long period of time so it feels like you're always doing something new to it. and the fact that you're not dropping a wad of cash all at once helps

 

when you can't call the ATM the free money machine anymore and you start seeing negative account balances.

 

Golden, I got you, man...but I spent about the same on the works as i would have on some TSW's! I got lucky!

With mods...I generally tend to wait for a deal to come along...black market, or ebay or something...or I'll sell something on ebay to pay for it. As I get older though, I find that the more I know about cars, the more "must haves" I have for my next car...I could also probably have a car modded pretty nicely within a few weeks with all the knowledge on where to get deals/parts and how to install it myself that I've gotten on this site.

How about this...I don't remember my dreams much but the majority of the dreams I have that I remember waking up to in a panic involve my car being in a wreck, being stolen, being set on fire.

 

spend the money on your girlfriend or vacation/going out, saving always works too... But who am I to say no to your bug.