click thumbnails to view larger (more photos below)

     3/25/02: covered the mirrors with nylon socks (so no reflection is seen)
     4/18/02: Complete covering of mirrors has only reduced the problem.
     9/4/02: Haven't needed to cover the mirrors for a couple month, problem has been greatly reduced since I have observed a stray cat occasionally sleeping under the front of my car.
     3/03: Needed covered again, same problem as last year.
     4/04: This year trying pantyhose, works even better, legs flop around in the wind scaring the birds.

3/19/02 Did some Internet research of my state motor vehicle laws and discovered that red (forward), white (rear) or blue (flashing) seem to be the only restricted colors. (woo hoo!) Have to make a couple phone calls to be sure before lighting it up, my state also has fines up to $1000 (US) and up to 30 days in jail for lighting violations. (ouch!) Not to mention the possible "impersonation of a police officer" felony charge, if you get too ridiculous.

4/10/02 Started to replace the amber front park/turn bulbs with SuperWhite bulbs. After changing one it was obvious they were neither super nor white. The original amber bulb was brighter and I wasn't about to drive with them installed, way too blue. Needless to say I reinstalled the original bulb. It is possible they mistakenly sent blue instead of SuperWhite?

     4/03: Changed original amber bulbs to clear.
     7/2: Changed back to original amber bulbs, after reading that some drivers may become confused by clear turn signals.

4/25/02 While waiting on a recent accessory order I became a bit bored, setting in my back yard, and dug out a pair of battery powered personal strobes, an amber magnetic mount strobe I had laying around and switched on the hazard flashers. (I think I confused a few passersby)

               
       
click thumbnails to view larger

       
click thumbnails to view larger

     1/17/03: Am now having a problem, possibly due to colder weather, with play back of both brand disks; the Memorex changes tracks incorrectly, the Fuji refuses to play. So, I'm going to stick to CD-R disks, at least in the Winter, which seem to work just fine.

11/17/02 Recently purchased a GPS unit (Garmin eTrex Legend) and have been using it for several weeks. The metalized glass doesn't seem to cause enough attenuation to cause significant signal loss in my area (central USA).

     6/03: Purchased a suction cup R.A.M. mount, which I attach completely forward on the driver door window.
     7/03: Obtained Garmin MapSource MetroGuide USA v5 CD-ROM. Not completely accurate in my area, an occasional missing road, but is a big improvement over the 'base map' originally included and capability for routing on the PC is easier than on the GPS unit.

4/28/03 Finally obtained a service manual. Wanted a good wiring schematic for some planned projects.

5/03 I really think the redesign for the 2004 GP was a mistake. (but that's just my opinion) I guess time and sales will tell.

6/03 Purchased a triangle reflector kit and cheap flashlight and tethered them in the trunk.     photo 33K

7/14/03 Discovered that the car's interior temperature on the rear deck (parcel shelf) can become hot enough to melt silicone caulking. Small exterior lights sealed with it became stuck after a very hot day due to leakage. Thankfully they were not too difficult to pry loose.

7/18/03 Noticed the LED display on the stereo was displaying erratically . Possibly due to todays high temperature. In the evening, when cooler, it returned to normal.

7/23/03 Received recall notice from GM, in reference to possible intake manifold coolant leakage problem.

9/26/03 Passenger power window quit working. Luckily, it was in the up position.

9/27/03 Installed a Nova EPS-404 power supply and four Hide a Strobe elements in tail lamp housings; two clear and two amber, replacing Street Glow strobes which were alright as show lights, but much to dim for use as warning flashers (original hazard flashers actually appeared brighter).

5/09/04 Cleaned up the mess I had in the "Appearance Mods" section of this web page.

6/18/04 Finally mounted my Whelen Slimlighter, which had been laying around for a while, in upper rear window. This is a very bright light, so I'll mostly be using it during daylight and just the Nova strobes after dark.

6/23/04 Applied a new coat of wax, tried Meguire's Gold Class liquid wax this time.




STANDARD EQUIPMENT
3.8 Liter V6, 3800 Series II (Fuel injected)
    Horsepower: 200@5200 rpm
    Torque: 225@3600 rpm
Hydra-Matic 4T65-E automatic transmission (4 speed Overdrive w/ ETS (Enhanced Traction System) and console shift)
Power steering (w/ Magnasteer variable-effort)
Power brakes (disc/disc anti-lock system)
A/C (w/ dual climate control)
Power windows
Tilt steering wheel
16 x 6.5" 3-spoke silver cast aluminum sport wheels
P225/60 R16  97 S  Goodyear Eagle LS  all-season tires
Cruise control
Tachometer

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
AM/FM CD player w/ graphic equalizer, 6-speaker Hi-Performance sound system
Leather interior
Full overhead console
Remote keyless entry and alarm system
Steering wheel, leather w/ radio controls
Driver's power six-way seat
Trunk cargo net

DIMENSIONS (inches) & WEIGHT
Head room, f/r: 38.3/36.7
Leg room, f/r: 42.4/35.8
Trunk capacity: 16 cu. ft.

Curb weight: 3496 pounds
Wt. Dist. %, f/r: 65/35

Wheelbase: 110.5
Track, f/r: 61.7/61.1
Length: 197.5
Width: 72.7
Height: 54.7

PERFORMANCE
Fuel economy (mpg): 19.84 (average, over first 25 months)
    variance (low-high): 17 - 22

Range (miles per tankfull): 347 approx.

Approximate estimates (from Internet data)
    Top speed (limited/maximum (mph)): 108/126
    1/4 mile: 16 sec. @ 84 mph
    0-60: 8 sec.
    60-0: 140 feet


Most useful features:

Power locks w/ remote keyless entry and alarm: you don't have to fool with the key for doors or trunk, especially handy in the rain or when it's dark, Auto locking when shifting out of Park is a good safety feature, especially if you tend to forget to lock your doors manually. Although I tend to favor home made alarm systems, this one is a nice extra.

A/C: previously lived in a cooler climate and didn't really need it, but it's real nice now

Dual climate controls: this is really good as my passenger and me never seem to agree on whether it's too hot or cold, can even run the heat on one side with the A/C on the other (dual fan controls as well would have been even better, but perhaps a bit overkill)

Power windows: especially nice with the four doors on mild days of scattered showers

Steering wheel radio/CD controls: excellent safety idea, now I don't have to fiddle with the knobs and buttons while driving

CD player: certainly not essential, but nice to grab a favorite CD on the way out of the house and listen while on the road

Tilt steering wheel: wheel was in a good position (for me) from the dealer, never had any reason to fool with it...yet

Reclining front seats: [same as tilt wheel, but did use it to adjust the passenger seat angle] could be nice on some occassion

Cruise control: it works good, but I live in a hilly area and seldom drive on interstates

Trunk lid release button: I usually use the button on the key fob.

Locking gas cap (this should be standard equipment) 7/01 - $8.00

Cross necklace: hanging on interior rear view mirror 7/01

Window tint:
    - rear door windows, removable static cling 20% vlt (visible light transmission) 9/01 - $12.00 / 26x78" roll

********************************************************************
Headlights: covered lens with removable static cling window tint (35% vlt)2/02 photo
    - REMOVED  3/30/02
    - DON'T DO THIS - I noticed tiny heat stress cracks forming on headlamp lens
********************************************************************

Auto Ventshade  clear headlight covers 7/31/03 - $43.00

Map lights:
    - cut the purple/yellow wire on lamp housing, from the door switch, for only manual operation 5/8/02

Rear interior lamps: replaced standard 5 watt incandescent bulb with 10 watt blue LED 3/4/02 - $10.00

Trunk light: replaced clear #912 with a red #194 bulb 4/11/02 - $2.00

Neon:
    - 20" red tube in trunk 5/06/02 - $30.00
    - tapped into trunk light wires (orange/black +) 5/09/02
    red in trunk 1    red in trunk 2

Under dash lights: changed clear bulbs to red 4/01/03 - $2.00
    red under dash - 22K

Blue markers on grille 5/03 - $4.00
    blue grille markers - 23K

Strobes:
    - Nova EPS-404  4 head, 40 watt power pack 9/27/03 - $94.00
    - Nova Hide a flash  amber strobes in back-up lamp housings 9/27/03 - $56.00
    - Nova Hide a flash  clear strobes in tail lamp housings 9/27/03 - $36.00
       Nova Hide a flash strobes - 29K

LED: Whelen Slimlighter  red in rear window 6/18/04 - $220.00
       Whelen Slimlighter (with OEM hazard flashers) - 76K

Odometer reading: 8750.0 - 6/04

Purchase price: [enough] - 7/07/01
Taxable accessed value: $11,550.00 1/1/03

Interior:

Sun visors: removing the Air Bag Warning stickers from the sun visors (until reading a Usenet post about potential liability, if I ever sold the car without the stickers). Considering another person's idea, to simply cover the visors, my mom is quite good at sewing things and I might persuade her to make me a pair of covers.
     7/08/03: I've gotten use to these and no longer notice them.

Lights: more

Exterior:

Stickers: I've been playing with static cling US flag stickers. Then I started applying small conventional adhesive stickers onto scraps of static-cling window tint. That stuff is fun to play with, it sticks to a clean painted surface (probably shouldn't leave them stuck too long?). It can subtly (or drastically) change the appearance of your vehicle depending on how creative you are. And the nice thing is that it's easily removable. (confuse that nosey neighbor by decorating only one side).

blue wire loom (intended to replace OEM under hood, but going to use exclusivly for my wiring)

screen grill

Lights: Sylvania XtraVision headlight bulbs, more strobes, more neon

DRL (Daylight Running Lights): Make the DRL switchable. The DRL and Auto On feature needs an on/off switch. The automatic function is convenient and I imagine the DRLs improve safety (?), but on occasion they need overridden. For example: pulling into an apartment complex at 3 AM and not have the headlights blasting though the sleeping neighbors windows, approaching a guard shack, fast food drive-thru, drive-in, etc.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6/03: DISCLAIMER: I have no idea of the legality (in your area) or what adverse effects this may have on you, your car, occupants, or others (if anyone knows of any, please let me know (e-mail info below))
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK : The headlights/DRLs can be turned off using the headlight switch, by positioning the switch half way between Park lights and Headlights. The park lights will illuminate without the headlights.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you want the Auto On feature to activate earlier, place a small piece of window tint film over the sensor hole (top center of dash). Other material might give you different sensitivity levels.

Engine/performance/drive train:

Michelin  P225/60 R16 98 H   tires (when replacements are needed)
No speed limitation on PCM

 

DRL (Daylight Running Lights): rewire to the turn signal filaments or fog lamps.

Front park lights: change bulbs to a different color (this is an easy modification)

Rear amber turn signals/aux. back-up lamps: change back-up bulbs to amber and rewire as turn signals, add auxiliary back-up lighting

(For Show Use Only)

Stealth lighting modes:

I. Forward lighting only

II. Rear lighting only: for multi-vehicle convoy, lead vehicle operating full lighting

Rear mounted caltrop dispenser (maybe I watched too many "Green Hornet" episodes?)

Rotating license plate holders like on a "007" movie? (maybe not?)

How about some remotely operated, auto deploying trunk mounted mortar tubes? An anti-aircraft cannon? Missiles? (now I'm just being silly *grin*)

What's in my trunk?

Hey, it's a bigger ice box...
but what's in the ice box???

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