Are there a bunch of Mods that don't really provide value? NOT cash value!

Reading about everyone's mods is one of the best parts of TW. The one that I find most amusing is the headlight mods. Cracking them open, baking in the oven, painting them, replacing with cheap aftermarkets, LED bulbs, etc. Seems to be one mod with a high rate of (often humorous) fails .

 

Snow plow.

 

Technically nonsense. Applies mainly to nitwit modifications.

A change that adds real measurable utility CAN add value, both for the owner who implements it, as well as a buyer who also needs that change.

Hypothetically, you currently pay someone $1000/year for snow removal, and the cost of a decent commercial snow plow is $5000, and in addition, additional fuel and maintenance on the vehicle will be $100 per year for operating the snow plow. After 10 years, you have saved ($1000-$100)*10-$5000=$4000 by purchasing the plow. You then sell the truck to someone, who has also realized that he can save money by doing his own plowing, but he knows that it will cost him $5000 to add a plow to a truck that doesn't have one, so he ends up paying you an extra $2000 for the truck compared to what some guy up the street sold an identical truck without a plow for. Now you can add that $2000 onto the $4000 that you saved to make up a total $6000 advantage as a result of a $5000 modification.

Even if the buyer does NOT want the plow, you sell the truck without, and you end up still $4000 better off, and on top of that, you have a used snow plow that you may be able to install onto your next truck, or sell on its own.

And that is without even suggesting that you go into commercial plowing. That's just for maintaining your own properties.

 

Is this a serious comment? I’m confused if you think mods are actually paid to deal with our nonsense?

 

I’m not going to lie, I’ve probably put a few hundred into purely cosmetic mods.

Blackout kit, headlight decals, black grille surround, glove box decals, smaller front plate frame, blacked out wheels, replaced off road badges...

Do they provide monetary value? No.

Do they make me appreciate the look and individuality of my truck? Absolutely.

I also don’t plan to resell my truck. Only upgraded to a gen3 after totaling my 08, which paid for over half my new truck.

 

The Gasshole cap is absolutely useless. I'm not sure if my cap is a unicorn, but the wire is long enough to simply hang from the door clip, eliminating any need for that expensive mod. To each their own!

 

Most

 

This is always my mentality until...

My washing machine is broken. What a pain in the ass. I’m elbows deep into fixing it. I should just call someone to do it or buy a new one. I hate the misery, but I’m addicted to it.

 

Dont sweat it I do all my own work too . But then again I would never have got into collision if I payed people to do maintenance . I've only gotten 3 oil changes of my free changes (I hate sitting at a dealer) . I just cant stand someone touching my stuff . I've done all my mods . I just cant pay someone for something I can do. I work on my house too.

 

That's pretty much where I'm at also. I'll only hire a repair person for four things: a/c repair that requires a coolant charge, anything upstream of the main breaker, plumbing if it's below the slab, and retensioning the garage door spring. Eff that, I'll pay 200 bucks for someone else to risk their broken arm.

 

Hire someone.. replaced the bearing and it was a PIA!!



Do most my own home stuff too, far more then I do on my truck.

New floors, trim, all lights, switches, outlets, paint, water softener with drain...

Add 2hp sprinkler pump to that don’t touch list. 2nd time the previous owners diy job blew up in my face I hired someone to rip out the epoxy pipe job and use the threaded lines like the pump was designed to use. Damn thing has firehose level pressure.

 

Damn it man. This is not the encouragement I need right now. I’m trying to replace the bearing and tub seal. I have the whole thing apart except I can’t get the shaft out of the inner tub so I can separate the seal, inner and outer tubs. The shaft is corroded into the aluminum tub. I’m about torch it a bit to see if it will come apart.

 

Ouch! I had to beat the bearing out. Luckily the shaft was good. Used some emery cloth to clean it up. Google and YouTube are your best friends in this situation. 98% is basic diy and simple remove and put back how it was. That tub and the seals can be a pain. Before torching, look it up to make sure your not missing something.

Edit: btw- I remember putting mine on 2x4 blocks and hammering down. Only increasing slightly until it broke free. Tub bottom facing down.

 

lol Not if he can’t watch his greasy clothes after!

 

All my clothes are dirty. Shouldn’t weld naked.

 

What brands are you guys having trouble with I need a new washer and I'll avoid your guys brand.

 

I'd say to get the one with the least gizmos? But, that still doesn't account for component quality. There, more expensive ones can be slightly better, but those come with gizmos.

We have a Maytag front loader that is almost 20yrs old. We had that kind of expectation when we bought it, but complaints of others had us doubting it. It does a great job on clothes and doesn't use a lot of water. If you do go front loader, it is best to always leave the door open when not using it. I had to gut ours to clean out the mold and mildew about 10yrs ago. It has been perfect since.

 

The compluter panels are the weak point. There are only a few factories making them for various brands. Pick a brand that is simple, that's more important than even a stainless drum.

 

lol mine is over 10 years old, been moved 7 times, one of those to HI and back. It’s actually worked really good and well past it’s date. GE front loader with steam. Just a lot of abuse and moves. The bearing never seemed right when it came back off the boat the second time. Probably got banged around too much in the crate.

 

Things I've done that are actually useful to me:

- Wheels & Tires - Could have kept the stock wheels but once I saw bronze on MGM I couldn't resist. Needed AT tires for when I'm in the mountains every weekend in the summer/sporadic winter trips

- Softopper - last minute tent/keeps stuff covered while allowing me to take it off when I haul big items to my guys on job sites.

- Baja Designs Pods - Bright as shit, basically a mini light bar when I'm in the mountains/desert.

*Soon* - Behind the grill light bar - Same as above except concealed because I think any light bar on top of a non-prerunner truck looks dumb unless it's in a Prinsu.

I don't need any armor or a lift. My truck gets me where I need to go just fine