capitolgator

after much soul searching and surfing this board, I broke down and did it- I traded in my SUV and got a loaded Titanium Grey 8, 6 speed, GT w/nav etc... it was their demo model and only had 2K miles on it- I leased it for 4 years (15k miles/yr)so I won't be putting a lot of $ into appearance upgrades (it already has the rear spoiler), but I did have a few q's for you guys:

(1) How come my car looks more blue than grey? in the catalogue it clearly looks dark grey- anyone else notice this?

(2) the discs/rotors? on the wheels that get kind of rusty over time- what can be done about that?

(3) I think I read that some of you painted the rotory emblems/accents (front & back)- is that true? if so, how is it done?

(4) I live in the MidAtlantic (DC) area and we do get some snow during the winter (usually), therefore, after reading this board, I have decided to swap out my summer tires for winter one's for the season- better to be safe than sorry I guess- I just hate spending $ on tires for a leased vehicle- how long do the summer tires typically last?

(4) sound system- what, if anything can I do about the lack of bass that won't take up much, if any space in my trunk? any inexpensive alternatives? I do not need to thump down the road, just enrich the sound a bit.

Thanks in advance. This is a great board.

Gambit

First off, congrats!

1. Maybe your car has a really good wax job and the blue you are seeing is the reflection of the sky

2. The rust will come off when you drive it a little bit, this is normal for all cars, you just usually can't see it

3. A few people have done this, usually with a small paint brush and patience...do a search

4. if this is your only car, and you have the $, get the winter tires. I took mine out yesterday (live in NJ) and did a 180 out of my apt complex in about a half inch of snow. I will be driving my other car in the snow from now on.

4. Again, do a search, or look through the audio section of the forum

welcome to the club

czr

iTrader: (3)

Welcome! I'll try ..

"(1) How come my car looks more blue than grey? in the catalogue it clearly looks dark grey- anyone else notice this?"

I have Tit grey and it definately looks grey to me. More brown than blue. Maybe needs a good wash and wax?

"(2) the discs/rotors? on the wheels that get kind of rusty over time- what can be done about that?"

They can be painted with caliper paint but If I were you I'd have the dealer do it if they still have to prep it. Or the next time service comes around. Just let them know about it now.

"(4) I live in the MidAtlantic (DC) area and we do get some snow during the winter (usually), therefore, after reading this board, I have decided to swap out my summer tires for winter one's for the season- better to be safe than sorry I guess- I just hate spending $ on tires for a leased vehicle- how long do the summer tires typically last?"

From what I've read arond here they last anywhere from 15k miles to 30k miles but are terrible in the snow. Snow tires are a must. Think of it as a 4 year outlay.

"(4) sound system- what, if anything can I do about the lack of bass that won't take up much, if any space in my trunk? any inexpensive alternatives? I do not need to thump down the road, just enrich the sound a bit."

Changing the rear 6x9"s and adding cheaper tweeters and putting a powered sub like the infinity bass link or a bazooka tube should improve things greatly for under $300.

Have fun!

Edit: Gambit is right, If you're talking about the actual disc then it is normal and comes off with a little braking.

Paul_in_DC

Welcome from another DC-area RX-er. Congrats on your selection. Good color choice. :D

1 - Dunno about the blue color... mine looks grey, almost like a dark silver. Maybe it's the lighting, reflection from the sky, blue surroundings...?

2 - I understand the rust wears off with normal use.

3 - N/A.

4a - GOOD CHOICE on swapping the tires, especially with all the freakin' black ice we get in this area, and with DC's stellar snow removal record (BWAAAhaaahaa, heh, couldn't keep the straight face there...) :D

4b - Maybe just replace the standard speakers with heftier ones?

Omicron

The color change is definitely the lighting. I have the Titanuim Grey too, and have noticed it looks grey in some light, almost purple in others, sometimes blue, etc.

You can paint the parts of the inner wheel that may rust. The other will mostly come off as you drive the car. It's probably there because the car sat on the lot for a while. Check the DIY forum for how to paint the pieces you can... calipers, inner hubs, etc.

For painting the front/rear rotary emblems, also check the DIY forum.

How long "summer" tires last depends on the tire. The Bridgestone RE040s (or Dunlops some cars come with) last anywhere from 10K-20K miles, depending on how you drive the car.

Finally, regarding the sound system, you can add a small sub in the trunk or pass through box, or possibly replace the factory Bose speakers with another type. Check the Interior, Audio, and Electronics forum for info on this.

Hope this helps!

ironmedic

which package comes with your car? mine is the full package with everything but the nav system.

Omicron

Who are you asking?

capitolgator

thanks for the responses guys... my car has been driven for 2K miles (as a dealer car) so the rust on the rotor thing is strange- but I do think it has been sitting in the lot unused for a bit so that could be the source of the rust.

you will all love this story- when I arrived at work today, I purposely parked my shiny new car far away next to the curb so that no cars could park on my left side; anyways, I am backing out of the space today and I turned my wheel too soon and heard the nastiest scraping sound and, you guessed it, I scraped up my front left alloy pretty good! I instantly felt ill and it ruined my drive home from work!

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I still feel sick! I think I made a mistake by buying a car that I care this much about! what was I thinking? oh yeah, I wasn't!

capitolgator

oh yeah, I got the GT package w/Navigation system- isn't this supposed to come with a 6 disk player- because I don't think that mine holds more than 1 at a time...

there is something under the backseat armrest that says DVD on it and I assume that is for the Nav system? crap- it was freezing last night when I took delivery of my car, so I just got in it and drove, no questions asked! now I am clueless about a lot of the features and the Nav system doesn't even come with a manual- WTF!

jsh1120

The 6CD changer is a separate option from the GT package and NAV system.

BTW, the best news you have is that there is one fewer SUV's prowling the streets...at least until someone buys yours from the dealer.

capitolgator

well, unless they trashed my SUV trade-in, I think there will still be the same amount of SUV's on the road!

willhave8

Take a breath, grab a few beers and search, search , search. Lots of stuff on your NAV unit. Some hidden menus which are fun to play albeit pretty meaningless. As for your hiccup with the curb, you might be able to find an OEM wheel on Ebay or on this forum.

-- nope, the GT/Bose system comes standard with the single CD. Think hard about adding the the MP3/CD before you spring for the 6 CD. If you are adventurous, you can search for other ways to connect a portable MP3 player such as your iPOD etc...

-- dittos from other posts - in DC get yourself some winter tires. If you have the cash, get 17" wheels and tires and replace everthing. Otherwise, get some 18" winter tires and be safe this winter.

Welcome to the forum and the world of explaining to people why you don't give a sh!@ about gas mileage or HP because you have a thousand anger bumble bees under your hood and you can't wait for warm weather to open the windows and sunroof and let them sing, sing, sing.
Craig

capitolgator

is it even remotely possible that they use different paint every now and then? I am telling you that everyone that I show the catalogue picture of the Titanium Grey to swears that my car is not that color- it has a very blue tint to it- almost purplish- I still love it but it is not dark grey, and, by the way, it was detailed at the store when I got it so no way that a carwash will make a difference.

if I were to name it, I would call it "pearl blue"

Riccio

Maybe a picture would help......

Go48

I hesitate to bring this up, but have you considered the possibility that the car has been re-painted? I don't see any blue in my TI. I think your best bet is to find someone else with a TI and put them side-by-side.

SpinninAgain!

We don't love that story. We hate that story! Feel for you man, I went nuts on day three when a stone chipped my bumper. Unavoidable, but it still hurt.

Gambit

yeah, I made it about two months, but then coming out of church on Christmas, I noticed a small ding in my door!!!!!!! Then two days later I did a 180 in the snow and dinged my rim a little bit (but that was my stupid fault for not getting winter tires)

capitolgator

I will take pix tomorrow and try t post them then.

antiver

About the blue color - any and every dark paint is made up of a mix of other colors, purple is the most common one i've seen (go to a art/hobby store and pick up a tube of paint, read the ingredients).. In the right lighting, with the right eyes, you can look at anything thats "black" and identify at least 3 colors that were used to make it. (Titanium gray might be LOTS of blue, lots of red, and a little yellow, with some white to turn the resulting black to grey)

G8rboy

Welcome... does your username indicate you went to the University of Florida? If so, hello to another transplanted Gator .

As to the debate on the color- I saw a lot of purplish-blue hue in the Tit-Gray I looked at on a cloudy day when I was shopping at the dealer last year. It was actually one of the reasons I went with black... I really wanted something more charcoal gray.

Omicron

Florescent lights seem to bring out the blue too. What kind of lights do you have in your garage?

94medition

Congrats! I just got a Titanium gray as well. The color varies depending on lighting and surrounding. This is another reason I like this color.

irish8

Welcome to the cult!! Enjoy your 8. Prepare to have a sore face from smiling for the next few months. :D As for the colour...must be your lighting.

- Irish

Manner

Grats man,

Drive safe up there. I also just bought an 04 6SP GT Nav.

It seems as though there was about 4 of us that all got one at the same time from the looks of the board.

- Manner

antiver

I'm about to get a Titanium Gray (hopefully) ... (w/red leather too) ... lol

Pick up a medium to high end digital camera, and you'll notice different settings for different lighting conditions (hallogen, tungsten, daylight, etc)... they're there to compensate for color problems induced by these lights.. but a camera is better able to pick up "wrong" colors than your eyes are (it seems like).. try taking it a picture of the purple/blue with various settings (try daylight/sun first).