What did you do today for your bug out vehicle?

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I haven't done it yet, but I got a quote on how much it'll be to put a new set of tires and rotate and balance them on my sister's Honda Pilot. I've already got the tires, I just needed to get them installed on the truck (yes, I know a Honda Pilot is considered an SUV, but I call it a truck. Same thing goes for my mom's Explorer.)

This is the vehicle that'll be taking myself, my mother and my two sisters to VA later this month to meet up with NT2C.

[eugenenine]

yes, I know a Honda Pilot is considered an SUV.

Actually its a crossover since its unibody front wheel drive car based and not truck based

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

yes, I know a Honda Pilot is considered an SUV.

Actually its a crossover since its unibody front wheel drive car based and not truck based

Still calling it a truck.  

[EBuff75]

just ordered some tire repair kits - a small one for the car (just a basic $7 kit from Slime) and a slightly larger one for the truck that had pretty good reviews on Amazon.  Also, after watching Project Farm's video about Tire Slime, I went ahead and ordered a bottle of that to go in the truck.  I've already got a bottle of Fix-A-Flat in there, but it did very poorly in his test.  I've already got a small bottle of Slime in the car. 

When it all arrives, I'll take the small Tire Slime repair kit and put it into a bag, along with a utility knife, some old pliers, spare caps, and a set of valve stem cores & core tool so that it's all together.  The other kit came with everything except for rubber cement, which I've ordered separately and will add to the kit. 

[Brekar]

I put 2 new rotors, calipers and pads on the rear of my 2000 S10 after one of them seized while driving down the highway. I also replaced a Mass Air Flow Sensor and Idle Air Control Valve. Now I'm trying to figure out why it surges at highway speeds. Fun times...

[wolf_from_wv]

I put 2 new rotors, calipers and pads on the rear of my 2000 S10 after one of them seized while driving down the highway. I also replaced a Mass Air Flow Sensor and Idle Air Control Valve. Now I'm trying to figure out why it surges at highway speeds. Fun times...

2.2 or 4.3?  Is there a relearn procedure for the MAF or IAT?

[Brekar]

4.3 V6. There was a relearning procedure for the MAF AND IAC, and it went well. The surge issue is only under load at highway speeds, 60+, it has an RPM surge of 200-500 and you feel the truck surge in kind of a lurching motion while it does it. It doesn't always do it, but once it warms up it stops.

[NT2C]

Continued shopping for a new one to replace the one @12_Gauge_Chimp is being gifted.  The current leader in the "possibles" list is the Ford Edge (this will be my wife's vehicle and a backup to our Jeep).  Next up to be looked at will be a Nissan Pathfinder and a Honda Pilot.

My wife has decreed that we only look at new vehicles and given us a $55k budget so both of those would fall within budget in their lower-priced models.

[EBuff75]

Last night as I was approaching my truck in a parking lot, something looked... off.  Namely, it looked lopsided.  I'd noticed a bit of rattle/clunk from the suspension, but had written it off as just being normal for an 11 year old, 225,000mi truck.  Well, when I got home, I measured it and found that the front drivers side is about 3/4" lower than the passenger.  I poked around a bit with a flashlight and don't see anything obvious, but I guess I'm going to need to take it into the shop.  There is a bit of back-and-forth movement in the steering over bumps as well, so something could be loose up front. 

The real bummer is that there used to be a huge Suburban / Tahoe / Avalanche Z71 forum (sort of like ZS) which was suddenly shut down with very little warning some years back and replaced with... a Facebook page...    If I'm going ot have to do suspension work anyway, I'd like to upgrade it, but finding info on that specific model is difficult.  The Facebook page is mostly people posting photos of their vehicles, and while they may mention the suspension, that's usually because of a lift that they had installed (I'm not interested in that).  Additionally, most of the active users have the GMT800 platform vehicles, not the GMT900 like mine, so their recommendations wouldn't apply anyway.

On the plus side, I was fiddling around with the settings menu in the truck and discovered that it does actually have remote start!  I'd tried using that button on my keyfob before, but it never worked.  So just to make sure, I re-selected it as "On" in the menu and tried it.  Sure enough, now it's working!  No idea why it wasn't before, since I didn't actually change anything, but I'll take it! 

Similar situation with the chime volume.  The turn signals are so quiet that I can barely hear them, but the volume was just fine when I went into that setting in the menu.  Guess I'll have to see if it's one of those "Microsoft Windows fixes" where you just need to look at something, then turn it off and back on for it to suddenly heal itself! 

I'm paranoid about the suspension issue on the truck, so I've changed my mind about taking it to my parents' house this weekend.  The car may not be quite as comfortable, but there's nothing wrong with it right now from a mechanical perspective (being old and rusty doesn't count!). 

I'll have to do some research and see if I can find any suspension recommendations, then I'll take it to my mechanic to see what's wrong with it.  If anything in the suspension needs to be replaced, I'll work with him to do some updates, rather than just going back to stock.

[NT2C]

Sounds like a collapsed ball joint. Could be a shock/strut/spring issue but the ball joint is my educated guess.

[majorhavoc]

Broken spring? That was always the problem with my Saab 93 SportCombi. It ate rear springs and headlight bulbs for lunch. Goddamn thing was insatiable. 

[wolf_from_wv]

I was going to guess body mount rusted through.....

[EBuff75]

This truck doesn't have any rust (this was a huge selling point when I bought it last year), so it shouldn't be anything to do with that.  I didn't see anything that looked loose / broken / displaced, although the rubber/urethane bushings looked a bit dried out.  The shocks have seen better days, which is why I'd like to replace/upgrade them.

One of the joys of buying a used vehicle is the absence of maintenance and repair history.  This truck is really clean, but has high miles.  Who knows if the suspension has ever been replaced, or if it was, how long ago it was done.  I know it's not like it used to be, where you had to put in new shocks every few years, but they do eventually wear out.  

Of course, it could just be that something is out of adjustment somewhere.  I haven't noticed any alignment issues, but when I got the truck, it was missing the sway bar ends.  Not loose - gone!  The shop replaced those and aligned the truck, but Michigan roads are terrible, so something could've failed or shifted due to impact. 

It'll probably just need to go up on the lift and have them check it out and see what's going on.  I'll call next week to see when I can get it in.

[Anianna]

I went out to try one more time to get the weird etching or whatever it was off my windshield before I gave up and called for repair or replacement and it just wasn't there anymore.  I've tried for months to get that off.  I have a windshield squeegee scrubber thing and typically use the windshield washer fluid with it, but it wasn't coming off.  I had also tried spray-on auto glass cleaner with various papers and rags to no avail.  I had used the auto glass spray inside, as well.  When the stuff didn't come off, I tried glasses cleaner I have for spectacles on the interior, which has worked in the past to remove stubborn stains form mirrors and glass. 

My windshield was like that for months through many rain storms, so it's not like it just rained and washed it away. 

I'm not complaining that it's gone, but I'm surely and severely befuddled. 

[Uomo Senza Nome]

Gave my Nissan Titan a spring cleaning and noticed the paint pealing in two spots. One looked like a door ding that that got out of hand and the other was up front where a bird kamikazed me a couple of years ago. I wouldn't expect a five year old truck to have peeling paint. I then found a 2023 class action suit against Nissan for peeling paint on vehicles 2017-2024. 

It seems they started using a defective primer that has adhesion issues. GMC did the same thing for a few years around the turn of the century and trucks of that era often have peeling paint. Otherwise I have been completely satisfied with the truck and got it at a bargain during the economic lull right before Covid.

https://www.classaction.org/news/nissan-primer-lawsuit-claims-defective-coating-has-caused-paint-peeling-devalued-2017-present-vehicles

[eugenenine]

Last night as I was approaching my truck in a parking lot, something looked... off.  Namely, it looked lopsided.  I'd noticed a bit of rattle/clunk from the suspension, but had written it off as just being normal for an 11 year old, 225,000mi truck.  Well, when I got home, I measured it and found that the front drivers side is about 3/4" lower than the passenger.  I poked around a bit with a flashlight and don't see anything obvious, but I guess I'm going to need to take it into the shop.  There is a bit of back-and-forth movement in the steering over bumps as well, so something could be loose up front. 

The real bummer is that there used to be a huge Suburban / Tahoe / Avalanche Z71 forum (sort of like ZS) which was suddenly shut down with very little warning some years back and replaced with... a Facebook page...    If I'm going ot have to do suspension work anyway, I'd like to upgrade it, but finding info on that specific model is difficult.  The Facebook page is mostly people posting photos of their vehicles, and while they may mention the suspension, that's usually because of a lift that they had installed (I'm not interested in that).  Additionally, most of the active users have the GMT800 platform vehicles, not the GMT900 like mine, so their recommendations wouldn't apply anyway.

Your profile pic looks like an 800

[EBuff75]

Last night as I was approaching my truck in a parking lot, something looked... off.  Namely, it looked lopsided.  I'd noticed a bit of rattle/clunk from the suspension, but had written it off as just being normal for an 11 year old, 225,000mi truck.  Well, when I got home, I measured it and found that the front drivers side is about 3/4" lower than the passenger.  I poked around a bit with a flashlight and don't see anything obvious, but I guess I'm going to need to take it into the shop.  There is a bit of back-and-forth movement in the steering over bumps as well, so something could be loose up front. 

The real bummer is that there used to be a huge Suburban / Tahoe / Avalanche Z71 forum (sort of like ZS) which was suddenly shut down with very little warning some years back and replaced with... a Facebook page...    If I'm going ot have to do suspension work anyway, I'd like to upgrade it, but finding info on that specific model is difficult.  The Facebook page is mostly people posting photos of their vehicles, and while they may mention the suspension, that's usually because of a lift that they had installed (I'm not interested in that).  Additionally, most of the active users have the GMT800 platform vehicles, not the GMT900 like mine, so their recommendations wouldn't apply anyway.

Your profile pic looks like an 800

Yeah, because I haven't updated the picture.  I sold that one last year.  Probably should update the pic, but I need to take a new photo of the truck first... 

[EBuff75]

Okay,
Okay, so my profile is finally updated!  The truck could use a wash, but at least it's a new picture with the front tint removed and the new tires on it (compared to the old pictures that I took the day I bought it).  It is a Z71, but since it's a silver truck, the front "aluminum" bumper "skid plate" doesn't stand out.  (I put those in quotes because while it might "protect" the bumper from something like a dandelion or a fern, it's not good for much more than that)

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[wolf_from_wv]

I drilled out what was left of my old wheel speed sensor and put a new one in. Now my dash is less bright since the lights aren't lit up...

[NT2C]

Well, we looked at a 2025 Honda Pilot and... we're not looking for a new second vehicle anymore.