In the words of The Tick:

[nfpgasmask]

"HELLO RENO"

As some of you may know, I have been wanting to move out west for some time (over 5 years). My city of choice is Reno, NV. Some of you might want to know why, as I have heard a lot of people say they don't care for Reno. But for me, its perfectly situated inbetween so many AWESOME places. I can get to several nice locations in California, quite easily, and without having to LIVE in California. I can get to Tahoe in an hour. I am closer to Utah, Idaho and a slough of other breath-taking spots. And in my opinion, Reno is great because it is on the rise, but not yet quite a humongous city full of traffic and filth and all of the things I long to get away from in Chicago. Plus, its not like Vegas or Phoenix with the sickening heat most of the year...

This week, I landed a job. All that is left for me to do is call back and say "yes".

Now, onto the VX part. I am going to drive out there within the next couple weeks. So, here is a list of recent maintenance:

Changed the oil/filter/pcv YESTERDAY
Changed the spark plugs YESTERDAY
Changed the TOD/Tranny fluid and filter last month
New Tires as of about 5000 miles ago

Before I make this 2000 mile drive, I want to make my VX is in TIP TOP shape, meaning any and all maintenance needs to be done asap.

Things I have not done yet:

DIFF Fluid change
Engine coolant flush and change
Powersteering fluid change
Front wheel bearing repack (how important is this?)

Can anyone else advise more things I should do to my VX before I take the journey? After my Xterra incident and this past weekend I am slightly (ok very) nervous about this upcoming long drive.

Thanks - Bart

[biju]

Nice work, Bart. Congrats on the new gig.

oh, and in a perfect world, do all of the listed (and then some...) can never be too careful or prudent w/ maintenance. However, if I were in your shoes I'd make sure the following two were done before the trip:

DIFF Fluid change
Engine coolant flush and change

...but that's just me.

p.s. - so, any chance we'll meet up on your way out to Reno like we discussed?

-biju.

[nfpgasmask]

Hey dude, thanks!

I will do my best to see that this happens. As you could imagine, I have A TON of stuff that I will now need to do in the next couple weeks. I will try to make it down to Veldman's however.

Please send me all the details you have on the windshield. If I do this, i will probably need you to send me the cash up front, cause I am kinda broke at the moment, and I must conserve every penny for my upcoming trip.

PM me.

Bart

Nice work, Bart. Congrats on the new gig.

oh, and in a perfect world, do all of the listed (and then some...) can never be too careful or prudent w/ maintenance. However, if I were in your shoes I'd make sure the following two were done before the trip:

DIFF Fluid change
Engine coolant flush and change

...but that's just me.

p.s. - so, any chance we'll meet up on your way out to Reno like we discussed?

-biju.

[vxDAKINECHICvx]

Congrats Bart on the new job!! I hear Reno is alot of fun, so good luck!

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks! I can't wait!

Bart

Congrats Bart on the new job!! I hear Reno is alot of fun, so good luck!

[Chopper]

Hit all the grease nipples, Repack all wheel bearings... or replace them. Mine were rusty when the car was new! I replaced mine all around. If you've never serviced them , do it now... use a good,(Mobil1)high temperature, synthetic. Wayne

[crager34]

Get alot of music. It's such a PITA searching around for radio stations from town to town. Hope you have satalite, lots of CD's, or an MP3 setup.

Congrats on the job and good luck.

[Ldub]

Maybe bring x-tra belts-n-hoses just in case.

[nfpgasmask]

LOL, yup, 8 GIG Creative Labs Zen Micro Photo full of tunes, plus my JVC head unit reads MP3s off DVD+r so I will have about 50 GIGs of music for the ride

If there is one thing I hate, its the radio. Save for NPR (but I think that is a sign of old age).

Bart

Get alot of music. It's such a PITA searching around for radio stations from town to town. Hope you have satalite, lots of CD's, or an MP3 setup.

Congrats on the job and good luck.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, I was thinking of getting a timing belt, but if that happens, Im gonna be down for a while anyway. I already replaced my serpentine belt and I have the original one too, which I will bring just in case. I'm taking her in for some serious maintenance later this week, so I will ask the mech to check my belts and hoses also.

Are there any particular ones you recommend I get? Ones that commonly could go bad on a long drive?

Bart

Maybe bring x-tra belts-n-hoses just in case.

[nfpgasmask]

Hmmmm, I've heard many mixed opinions about repacking the wheel bearings...

I will check and see if they can do this as well.

Thanks - Bart

Hit all the grease nipples, Repack all wheel bearings... or replace them. Mine were rusty when the car was new! I replaced mine all around. If you've never serviced them , do it now... use a good,(Mobil1)high temperature, synthetic. Wayne

[IndianaVX]

hey bart..........
congrats on the new job. im glad its what you wanted. im glad you got ahold of biju, or biju got ahold of you,........anyway, good luck with everything
david

[ameetw]

All this service is good, but make sure you drive the Vx around the block for a while before taking the long trip. I'm always worried that the job was not done well or sloppy. At least I will still be in town if anything goes wrong. No major service just before leaving.

The usual stuff is :
Change Engine Oil
Brake fluid
Transmission Fluid
Power Steering Fluid
Differential fluid
Grease Up

Check:
CV Boots
Wheel Alignment
Brake pads
Engine mountings
Battery
Spark plugs
Spare Tyre
Tools & Jack
Beltings
Radiator Water
Wiper water
Wiper Blades
Horn
Lights
Leaks or loose stuff under the car.

Bring:
Med-kit
Jumper cable
Tyre patching kit
Tow Cable * (Optional)
Emergency Triangle
Lot's of water

The list goes on, but sometimes it's better to over prepare than under.

Hope you have a good and safe drive.

[biju]

If I do this, i will probably need you to send me the cash up front, cause I am kinda broke at the moment, and I must conserve every penny for my upcoming trip.

Absolutely. Just keep me posted as to when/where, etc.

again, congrats.

-biju.

[MSHardeman]

Bart,

Congrats on the new job. It's always great to be able to do what you want to do where you want to do it.

I don't know what route you're taking to your new home, but I'm with biju. If you pass anywhere near the Glenwood Springs/Aspen, Colorado area let me know and we can meet up for a quick hello.

Mark