[05vusarmy]

ok so heres the deal, last summer i purchased my 05v.coming over from the mustang world and i love it, no major complaints and it is now sleeping for winter (i live in CT) just looking to get some general questions answered for myself. i purchased the car bone stock and since owning it i have installed a magnaflow catback, k&n coldair intake, b&m shifter, and i have a pinion brace that i havent installed yet. so here we go...

- what are the other most common bolt on modifications to do?
- does anyone else have issues with the paint on the navi buttons wearing off??
- my rear end has a cute little howl, i know these cars are known for early year rear end issues, any thoughts?
-what type of headers will bolt direct to my magnaflow catback longtubes or mids?
- and last but not least what are any other common issues i should look out for with this car

thanks to anyone who can fully or partially fill this order for me

 

[mberisha]

ok so heres the deal, last summer i purchased my 05v.coming over from the mustang world and i love it, no major complaints and it is now sleeping for winter (i live in CT) just looking to get some general questions answered for myself. i purchased the car bone stock and since owning it i have installed a magnaflow catback, k&n coldair intake, b&m shifter, and i have a pinion brace that i havent installed yet. so here we go...

- what are the other most common bolt on modifications to do?
- does anyone else have issues with the paint on the navi buttons wearing off??
- my rear end has a cute little howl, i know these cars are known for early year rear end issues, any thoughts?
-what type of headers will bolt direct to my magnaflow catback longtubes or mids?
- and last but not least what are any other common issues i should look out for with this car

thanks to anyone who can fully or partially fill this order for me

Got your Navi question....yes...GM did a really bad job with the coating on the Navi....they will all eventually peel. Not sure if you have an extended warranty....but I had my Navi head unit replaced under warranty.....the actual bill to GM was about $4000....wow?!

 

[V-Guy]

Even though it's a little late, I would read the "what to watch for when buying a used V" sticky above - it'll answer nearly all your questions.

As for common mods, I'm a huge fan of the anti-hop axles. I have Gforce axles on my car, although I know folks say good things about the DSS axles as well. They serve two great purposes: they eliminate (except in very wet conditions) the wheel hop, making the car a lot more fun to drive "aggressively." And by eliminating the wheel hop, they take a lot of wear and tear off of your differential, particularly if you have a heavy foot.

 

[05vusarmy]

thanks for the heads up guys. i actually started reading that sticky right after i posted this. oops. what are the price ranges and parts required for the axle swap? i dont really beat the car from a dig much so wheel hop isnt a serious issue with me however i like the idea of taking some potiential wear and tear off the rear end should i ever run into a situation where id like to attemp a launch

 

[V-Guy]

The "full kit" from Gforce (both axles) is $549. That kit includes the axles, CV boots, clamps and grease - everything you need. Check out http://www.shop.gforce1320.com/product.sc?productId=53&categoryId=22

They also sell a "single axle" kit for $299.

 

[WesH8398]

- what are the other most common bolt on modifications to do?

Short shifter, Motor/Trans mounts (Creative Steel is my suggestion), Lowering kits of varying types (Eibach springs no longer available, H&R are, then there are coilover kits), headers/exhaust, different protection methods for the diff (axles, bushings, etc), lighter flywheel/clutch upgrades (many seem very happy with the LS7 clutch/fly swap) ... those are the basics. I guess you could add a Maggie in there too since it kinda just "bolts on".

- does anyone else have issues with the paint on the navi buttons wearing off??

Been addressed.

- my rear end has a cute little howl, i know these cars are known for early year rear end issues, any thoughts?

My '06's dif has a whine to it as well, (actually very similar to the way my Mustang's 8.8 whined after I put 3.73's in it...and I KNOW they were installed correctly), but that doesn't necessarily mean it's about to grenade on you. Lots of people drive whining differentials around for decades without incident. Keep out of the wheel hop, and you'll likely be just fine.

-what type of headers will bolt direct to my magnaflow catback longtubes or mids?

LT's are your only choice. I'm not aware of any mid/shorty headers available for this application. For LT's you're looking at Kooks, Pacesetter, new-to-the-scene OBX, and a few others. Read around the forum and you'll find lots of feedback on each. There are a growing number of people posting up positive things about the OBX's.

- and last but not least what are any other common issues i should look out for with this car

Meah. SOme guys make every single issue sound like their world is about to end, but realistically it's a great car ... just needs a few tweaks and proper maintenance. Off the top of my head: The rads are known to leak (OEM replacement at Rockauto.com for a really good price), the motor mounts fail very early (and there are mixed reviews on aftermarket mounts available), the OEM flywheel is a BEAST at somewhere around 40Lbs IIRC, and of course the differential is just plain not up to the task for hard launches and wheel hop. The peeling radio buttons is another common one I guess. Those issues are probably about 90% of complaints/concerns you'll read on the forums.

I've owned my V now for about 9 months and I love it. Enjoy your ride!

 

[thebigjimsho]

Agreed with above. Keep coming here and keep yourself educated. The diff is the big issue with this car. Fortunately for me, I got 2 replaced under warranty and now have a very durable 4th gen diff. There will be little bits and baubles that may irritate along the way, but overall, it's a GREAT car. One I miss driving immensely...

 

[v-sam]

05VUSARMY,

Thanks for your service. Mods are great but High Performance Driver Education (H.P.D.E) with your stock V is much better! You will be able to learn the limits of your vehicle in a controlled environment with no fear of police.

-John

 

[thebigjimsho]

05VUSARMY,

Thanks for your service. Mods are great but High Performance Driver Education (H.P.D.E) with your stock V is much better! You will be able to learn the limits of your vehicle in a controlled environment with no fear of police.

-John

How about fear of a big ass rear wing?

 

[trhs75]

You might want to make sure the howl is actually from the rear end (the car's, not yours!! ). I thought I had that going on, then we thought it was the driveshaft, then it turned out to be the transmission. Fortunately, the transmission was replaced under warranty. It was a noise at about 70mph in 6th gear only. Apparently, this was not an uncommon problem. Just something to consider as a possiblility...

I just love my 05, also. You'll enjoy it so much!

 

[rand49er]

Yeah what everyone else said.

Regarding the NAV buttons, if you're not on warranty, you can get the individual buttons from Luke at Lindsay Cadillac ... his ad is always visible on the right side of your screen.

Bolt ons? Maggie!

 

[thefulmonty_07]

http://cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/radiobuttons/index.html

 

[thefulmonty_07]

any other dealership will tell you that you have to send in the whole nav system...when you can do it yourself and save tons of money. i believe it was like 20$ per button and like 6$ for a knob.

 

[05vusarmy]

thanks for all the good info guys. special thanks to the guy with the contact info for the navi buttons, thats going to save me a huge headache

 

[05vusarmy]

but something im still not clear on..will a set of longtubes bolt directly to my magnaflow catback? or do i need some sort of mid pipe to make the gap?

 

[JD03Cobra]

but something im still not clear on..will a set of longtubes bolt directly to my magnaflow catback? or do i need some sort of mid pipe to make the gap?

Unfortunately they don't bolt up. It will require some minor fab work after the cats or in my case cat-less extensions to the Magnaflow X pipe.

 

[CI-V-IL]

Pacesetters with the flange extensions will bolt up to your magnaflow. B&B headers might as well.

 

[Doctechx]

Search is your friend. All of your issues have been addressed many times. Regarding recent pricing for the nav buttons. I just ordered and installed mine from Luke ($6 per button and $4 per knob). Very easy to do. Took less than 15 min start to finish. As I bonus, while I had the head unit pulled, I found a radar detector prewire from the previous owner.

 

[thefulmonty_07]

Sorry about the wrong estimated price on the buttons I honestly couldn't remember. Not a problem man, theres another spot on the website that shows you how to take out the nav as well, 3/1 CAV and you?

 

[cts-v2k5]

I live in Meriden CT where are you? I am currently installing a maggie and tons of other mods....come spring time I am looking to do a photo shoot with as many V's as possible...I teach photo at a local high school...let me know welcome to the forum...