Love my 2000!

[redsamick]

Greetings all. I live in Colorado Springs but am deployed right now with a bit of time to do some research on Solaras. I'm looking to do some DIY projects when I get home, so hopefully this forum and the users herein can help me a long the way.

Specs:

2000
V6
Manual
Black
Leather trim, sunroof
K&N air intake
Aftermarket anti-sway bar (previous owner installed, so i don't know the brand or if it needs to be replaced - red in color)
~120K miles

Love the car. It's taken me across the country more than a few times since winter 2008 when I bought it in New York. Gets great gas mileage and is a smooth ride. Other than the air filter and anti-sway bar, everything is factory. I recently had to replace the radiator and complimentary hoses, but other than that, just normal services.

My hopes are high for this forum. I look forward to chatting with all of you.

Cheers,

Chris H

[1gSE]

Welcome to the forum, and I wish a safe return. I'm in the middle of PSC'ing right now to Souda Bay, Crete. You'll find plenty of info around here as long as you search for it

[yaddadaimsayin]

Welcome Chris! What kind of DIY are you looking at?

[GzNutz]

Welcome.

[99BlackSandv6]

Welcome!!!
V6+MT=win!!!

[99BlackSandv6]

Sounds like you have a TRD anti-sway bar (TRD RSB)

[DSM_Lara]

As we say in Hawaii "E Komo Mai" (Welcome) to Solaraguy.

[Akfahad]

welcome

[monksta408]

Welcome Chris! Hope everything goes well for you until your return!! You will gain a lot of knowledge about your solara through this forum... Take care!

[redsamick]

YES! I'm very excited to get home. I'm coming back on R&R in about 2.5 weeks. My wife is due on the 24th of Sep, so my fingers are crossed that I make it home for the birth of our daughter, Amelia. Just can't wait.

I'm looking to replace my steering wheel and shifter knob, to start off with. Both of them are worn down considerably after 120K miles. I'm shooting for OEM replacements, but I understand that stuff is hard to come by.

I'd also like to get a new paint job. The 'lara was predominantly driven btw Conn and NY, so there are some ugly dings and scratches on the sides

Let's see, I also want to clean up my headlights (nasty & foggy) and maybe look into some HIDs. I'm wary about it though.

Seafoam, I find, is a must - especially after the amount of miles I've put on the car. I hear nothing but good things from drivers who have done this with their car. Well, from the drivers that do it carefully and correctly. I'm not sure if my wife will approve of all the smoke that I'm going to emit outside the house.

Ah, another thing. My headlights are all cock-eyed. Like, my left headlight angles more down (when lit) than the right side. I took the 'lara to a dealership back in KY and asked if they could do anything about it and they tried but to no avail. The Hayes manual lays out how to adjust them using a socket wrench, so that will also be something I look into once I'm home for good.

Aside from those, I just want to keep the services up to date on it. Hopefully the car will last me many years

-Chris

p.s. - any rock climbers out there?

p.p.s - and yes, my anti-sway bar IS the TRD RSB

[mig0s]

YES! I'm very excited to get home. I'm coming back on R&R in about 2.5 weeks. My wife is due on the 24th of Sep, so my fingers are crossed that I make it home for the birth of our daughter, Amelia. Just can't wait.

I'm looking to replace my steering wheel and shifter knob, to start off with. Both of them are worn down considerably after 120K miles. I'm shooting for OEM replacements, but I understand that stuff is hard to come by.

I'd also like to get a new paint job. The 'lara was predominantly driven btw Conn and NY, so there are some ugly dings and scratches on the sides

Let's see, I also want to clean up my headlights (nasty & foggy) and maybe look into some HIDs. I'm wary about it though.

Seafoam, I find, is a must - especially after the amount of miles I've put on the car. I hear nothing but good things from drivers who have done this with their car. Well, from the drivers that do it carefully and correctly. I'm not sure if my wife will approve of all the smoke that I'm going to emit outside the house.

Ah, another thing. My headlights are all cock-eyed. Like, my left headlight angles more down (when lit) than the right side. I took the 'lara to a dealership back in KY and asked if they could do anything about it and they tried but to no avail. The Hayes manual lays out how to adjust them using a socket wrench, so that will also be something I look into once I'm home for good.

Aside from those, I just want to keep the services up to date on it. Hopefully the car will last me many years

-Chris

p.s. - any rock climbers out there?

p.p.s - and yes, my anti-sway bar IS the TRD RSB

-Don't worry about HIDs, they are a MUST in every car You just have to angle it right!
-For angling the headlights, open the hood, there's a little rotational "button" with "teeth" all around it. It's easy to find. Just turn it with your car aligned horizontally to a wall and adjust your headlights
-Seafoam is definitely necessary. Just go to an empty place or empty parking lot, lol. Be sure to change your oil after and check your spark plugs too.

Nice car and welcome btw! I got a V6 manual too and love it!

[dinoxor]

any pictures of the sexy beast? ;]

[redsamick]

I wish I did. I've searched through all of my emails and can't find ANY. Since I'm deployed, I can't really go to the garage and snap a few either. However, I do plan on asking my preggo wife to snap a few shots of the car when she feels up to it. She's 9+ months right now, so just the thought of moving is tiring.

Thanks for asking though. I aim to please.

-Chris

[Mr_Krispy1183]

Welcome. Thanks for being an addition to SG, and congratulations on your upcoming familial addition.

[NVDIS1]

welcome