Just bought a used 2007 GT....

tmiller974 · Nov 12, 2012

I just, (2 days ago to be exact) purchased a used 2007 GT from a dealership. The previous owner traded it in with some mods completed already, (ie., CAI). If I take my car to a reputable mechanic, would they be able to tell if the car was properly tuned, and what, if any, other mods were completed?

I just want to make sure since I didn't see the bolt-ons done, that they were done correctly.

Sorry if my question seems "simple", but I am an extreme beginner with DIY, and I will be leaning heavily on all the experience you guys/gals have.

Thanks in advance, and bear with me, I'm trying.
-Todd

TicketMeRed05GT · Nov 13, 2012

I would think you would need to take the car to a shop that can tune the car on a dyno to see if it is set up correctly. My magnacharger setup on my 05 came with a sticker to put on the cars programming port letting someone know that the car did not have a stock tune. The dyno is the only way to be sure I think, but others may say differently.

joe_momma · Nov 13, 2012

What kind of cold air is it? Some require a tune, others don't. Your best bet would be to get in touch with the previous owner. Barring that, just do a good "look over" of the most common stuff - springs, rear control arms, under the hood goodies, etc. The dealership should be able to tell you if it has a stock tune or not.

Noobz347 · Nov 13, 2012

Pull codes... if all is right, press on with life.

tmiller974 · Nov 13, 2012

joe_momma said:
What kind of cold air is it? Some require a tune, others don't. Your best bet would be to get in touch with the previous owner. Barring that, just do a good "look over" of the most common stuff - springs, rear control arms, under the hood goodies, etc. The dealership should be able to tell you if it has a stock tune or not.

No logo on the tubing, so I have no idea what brand it is. The mechanic at the dealership let me look over the car a little while it was on the lift. I didn't see much underneath. The mechanic doesn't think the springs where changed, but he believes that the upper/lower control arms were switched. I will replace them anyway since I also want to put sway bars in also.

As far as the previous owner goes, the dealership won't tell me the name/address of the previous owner, (legalities I guess). However, I have a feeling I will "run" into him/her on these (or other forums) one day. I was thinking about making a post on trying to locate them. I do know that they lived in my state, not too, too far from me.

tmiller974 · Nov 13, 2012

Noobz347 said:
Pull codes... if all is right, press on with life.

That"s why I asked if a novice can use them. Although I have a degree in computer/web programming, I am a real "noob" when it comes to car mechanics.

Can any mechanic shop pull codes for me? For a fee? Or do/should I find a good shop that has a dyno and go from there?

See, I'm going to be digging deep in your brains and testing your patience. I have two young boys, (15 and 12) and I really want to spend quality time with them working on this car. My youngest is really excited, and wants to be in car shows. I told him that we have a lot of work to do before we can think about entering car shows. lol

Noobz347 · Nov 13, 2012

tmiller974 said:
That"s why I asked if a novice can use them. Although I have a degree in computer/web programming, I am a real "noob" when it comes to car mechanics.

Can any mechanic shop pull codes for me? For a fee? Or do/should I find a good shop that has a dyno and go from there?

See, I'm going to be digging deep in your brains and testing your patience. I have two young boys, (15 and 12) and I really want to spend quality time with them working on this car. My youngest is really excited, and wants to be in car shows. I told him that we have a lot of work to do before we can think about entering car shows. lol

It's easier than that even. Sure, you can stop by your favorite Part store and they'll likely be able to pull codes for you. Eventually, you'll probably want to purchase your own OBDII code reader (makes life easier). One of my favorite OBDII products out there right now is a blue tooth reader and Android app (they probably have it for iphone too). You can use your phone to do actual data-logging. The length of your data-log depend primarily on how much phone memory you have. All of that and it will read and reset codes too. It's also relatively inexpensive. You spend anywhere from $50 to $3000 on readers depending on how many bells and whistles you want.

Check your app market on your phone and search for OBD2. The description for the app will give you info on what else you need.

tmiller974 · Nov 13, 2012

Noobz347 said:
It's easier than that even. Sure, you can stop by your favorite Part store and they'll likely be able to pull codes for you. Eventually, you'll probably want to purchase your own OBDII code reader (makes life easier). One of my favorite OBDII products out there right now is a blue tooth reader and Android app (they probably have it for iphone too). You can use your phone to do actual data-logging. The length of your data-log depend primarily on how much phone memory you have. All of that and it will read and reset codes too. It's also relatively inexpensive. You spend anywhere from $50 to $3000 on readers depending on how many bells and whistles you want.

Check your app market on your phone and search for OBD2. The description for the app will give you info on what else you need.

Technology is amazing. I will definitely check that out. As far as spending $50-$3000 depending on what I want, I know what I want......but its more like what will the wife let me get. lol :/

Noobz347 · Nov 13, 2012

Just hide it behind a dozen roses. She'll be thrilled.

tmiller974 · Nov 13, 2012

Noobz347 said:
Just hide it behind a dozen roses. She'll be thrilled.

Im not the "flower" kinda guy. She would see right through that. I will have to do it like I do my sneakers....use cash only, (no paper trail) and hide it in my trunk, if caught....."Nah baby, i've had them for a long time" lol

joe_momma · Nov 14, 2012

A good tuner is a wise investment. Pretty much any mod you do to the car (outside of suspension) will require an updated tune. An SCT can be had for ~$380 from AM, and it comes with free tunes for life.

Noobz347 · Nov 14, 2012

My only issue with those kinds of tuners is the one-size-fits-all tunes. You're only slightly less likely to do harm than you are good by using a tune written by someone who's never laid eyes on your car.

That problem is compounded by the fact that many times, the "free tune for life" that you get is based off of information from car owners that often haven't the feintest idea of what they're looking at.

So though the tuner itself, may be a good piece and good investment, the tunes can be a source of disaster.

Just bought a used 2007 GT....

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