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TO MOD OR NOT TO MOD....

T

tundrabob

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
65
Location
Charleston, SC
The criticism of the stock AVs on this site has really gotten out of hand. Like many of you, I?ve found myself addicted to this site and have to have my daily fix several times a day. But lately all I?ve read is about how things should have been built better and I agree with that but it?s hard for me to climb into my rig and not be looking or listening or noticing imperfections in what I thought was a great ride. I look for paint chips wondering if the paint is too thin, I listen to my stereo and wonder how much better it could sound, I notice that some of the edges on my stripeman graphics are barely rising on the edges, I feel for whether there is too much body roll when I hit a corner or wonder if the cladding is or is going to come loose, etc?. All I know is, I paid a lot of money for a truck that has the ride of a smooth SUV, has the sound of a stereo that turns heads as I go down the street, has eye catching appeal (even with the small chip in the front end), and even though it could be better I probably wouldn?t have been able to afford it. I don?t think what we have is bad, but it could definitely be a lot worse. Part of the reason I came to this site was to appreciate, enlighten and be enlightened about my purchase. I struggle with whether I should purchase mods to keep up with the club or whether my mostly stock AV can be appreciated on this site. I mostly bought this truck because I thought it was all I ever wanted in a vehicle and that I could stop looking to make things better or different. I really wanted to stop having a wantful desire for more in a vehicle and wanted to start giving more attention to other things in my life. At first this site was the best way to confirm that I had made the right choice in a vehicle but lately I wonder whether posts are being put up by malicious intruders sent to diminish the value of what should be my proudest time as a new car owner. Don?t get me wrong, I admire and am jealous of how much money and time some of you seem to be able to invest into your truck and this site. I just wonder how many people have modded to the point that they miss the pure AV that excited them. In all fairness, I believe this site is a great sounding board that is frequented by the General and has helped to and will continue to help develop the Avalanche into one of the most awesome vehicles in the Chevy lineup. :B:
 
Pureav - the decision to mod is a personal one - some do, some don't - some go to extremes. The only mod that is required for board acension is the amber DRL's ;D

As to the percieved faults, lackings, etc - again it all in the mind of the beholder - I find the stereo just fine [of course at my advanced age it is hard to hear] and just let those go bye the bye - but on the other hand I have a supercharger to get more out of a fine engine.

Participation and enjoyment of our rides is the thing which brings folks here, not mods, or the absence of mods.
 
Pureav-

Hey I just ordered my new rig this weekend! I got everything I could get on it. My wife was the one that wanted leather seats and the butt warmers. I just wanted the truck. Didn't matter to me one iota if I mod or not. I will probably leave the truck as stock as possible as we are leasing the AV. Only thing I may do is put drl's on it. I'm more interested in getting in and driving it and enjoying it then spending time modding! But, that's my choice!

It's up to all of the others what they want to do! I'm not jealous of any of them I'm too excited just to be getting the Av! Remember that day? I have no idea how long it's going to take for it to be built and so far neither does the dealer. But when it gets here you can count on a 56 year old acting like a kid in a candy store.
Let's go.....don't matter where let's go!!1 ;D

For what it's worth just keep on enjoying your truck and believe me not everyone on this board is modding! Some are staying quiet and lurking like me! ;)

-dipster aka Duane
 
Pureav

One reason to mod is to have a vehicle that has its own personality. Some people want to be recognized when someone see's them. Some don't.
I personally, do want people to kinda know where I am. I want people to see my truck out, and know that it is mine. I own a small business, and it is good PR(er, well sometimes) if people know my truck and go, OH, There is KG. If they see it and need my services it reminds them that they can call me. Or, the bad side, I run a red light, turn illegally, or driving 97 mph and get told, Hey, I saw you flying down Main. You about ran over the lady crossing the road.
Right now there are about 8 AV's in my town and I know I have seen 3 black one's. My Dad thought he saw me the other day, but, it was one of the other Black AV's. That tells me I am not done Modding yet.

Now, the reverse is true for not modding. No one knows for sure that it is you when they see a AV that looks like yours. NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THAT. I want a UNIQUE AV. and so does anyone else that MODS.

Please, don't feel the need to mod by being a member of this club. I beleive the main reason it was started is to share info about an awsome vehicle between others that are Avalanche enthusiest.

There is a lot of information here. Some of the important stuff is all the problems that fellow AV owners are having. This is going to help YOU and I when we have problems. We can take printouts to our Dealers and say HEY, this is a problem, please address it. When a large group of people get together they start to gain influence to get things done that need to be done.
Strength and Power are in numbers.

I like to look at all AV's, they are all very cool vehicles, modded, or not.

I think everyone here hopes that you participate in the discussions that serve interest with you and ones that you may have your opinion on or an edge of expertise.

Good Luck with your AV, and, I hope if you do have problems, you can use or find answers for your questions. Odds are very good someone will know.

 
Thanks PureAV. I think you may have a point. The mod bug is hard to ignore. Especially in your face. I was so excited when I bought my AV. Long before I found this site. That is the truck I fell in love with, even though it did not meet all 100% of my requirments. It still is the best truck I'v ever had. But every car/truck I'v ever owned, I had a mod list, to reflect my personalitaly. Now enter the internet into the picture. Now keeping up with the jones is a global arena. I take great pleasure in hearing about what supercharger can do best at the track. I also love stories about how a stock Av got someone home when the odds were high. I think we can take form here what we put in. With only 3% AV's represented we seem to have a high amount of modders. Unfortunatly a great deal of members have not found their voice yet. just search the member post stats. When I joined the battle was 1500 aganst 2500. now that we now the 1500 rules! all is good in the universe. So love your truck and post your great stories. Talking for my self and silent ones , we want your stories and if possiable get pictures (y)

I still love my AV, yours is awsome also >:D
 
pure av, you are driving a 6000 lb mod. the av can change at your will. stock or not the av s concept is one of change. I have done many mods, just for my own likes, not for anybody elses..... but some of them are picked up on by other avrs, and it is a special feeling to have thought up something , and be able to share it any where with another avr. kinda like a brotherhood. its not about the bucks, its about enjoying a cool ride, cool as in taigate off panels off midgate down window out kinda av sorta thing, that no other brand or model vehicle owner can enjoy.. ...all members of this club just seem to have.............................pureav........fun.kinda like you
 
Modding is the TIM the TOOL MAN Taylor syndrome...

To each his own....Some mod others do not.....

 
I don't think it is a matter of whether you should or shouldn't mod; the important thing is that you can if you want to. Out of the box, this is a very versitile and well equipt vehicle. There are no equals.

In the long run. an un-modded AV will be more of a value to collectors than one that has been modded.

Most of the mods are not for me. There are some mods that I will do over time (gotta mod within my means). Changing out the stock tires for some better for off-roading. relocating the rear plug... Just things to keep me from damaging it when I push the limits. If we werne't into off-roading we probably would be in the no-modd camp.

I like seeing the options. When a light does burn out, maybe I will change to some othe brand that has been tested on this site?

One mod that I think is a must is getting a CAFCNA club sticker on your AV. ;)
 
I just wanted to explain my personal reasons to mod or not mod certain things. I believe that the AV is what you want it to be. Some want theirs to be a speed demon, some want theirs to be an off-road warrior, some want show truck and some just want to enjoy what Chevy created. I am somewhere in the middle of everything. The mods that I have done were not performed to "repair" what Chevy messed up on, but to improve the AV for MY needs and wants. I will do more mods and I will pass on others, but one this is for sure... I LOVE THIS RIDE!!!

Jake
 
What you have in here are many active enthusiasts who love to tinker with their cars. Its the same with just about anything that has a following...cars, computers, PVR's, etc.

While I will never do "significant" modding (Dammit Jim I'm a software engineer not an auto mechanic) I do appreciate seeing what everyone else is doing and many of the mods are very useful and I'll do some of them that I like. I don't feel any pressure to try and keep up.

Also for me at least, I did most of my "mods" by waiting to get an '03. I got the color I wanted (Arrival Blue), Nice radio/changer/XM/Bose, steering wheel controls, etc. Not as much ned to mod for me right now.

Happy Trails!
 
I understand what PureAV is saying. ?I also think there are some very good points here, particularly personality. ?I really like the functionaity of the truck. ?However, Chevy didn't ask me how I wanted the interior to look or what color I wanted the cladding. ?It's similar to your house. ?Some of us have cookie cutter houses because that's what we could afford. ?As we can afford more we may paint a room or add furniture or add on a room or finish the basement. ?
I would like for my AV to be unique but can't afford alot of mods and I'm not going to go further in debt to do any. ?However, I do sortof hate to see when there is a new member out there saying how he's (or she) now got his new AV, within 2 post's someone's already asking him what he's going to mod. ?Granted they may be joking because so much modding goes on here and seems to be a trait of the club (I think I'm guilty of this too), but they should be congratulated on just getting the truck and joining the club. ?They shouldn't think that their $30k-$40k investment isn't up to club standards.
I really appreciate this club. ?I really appreciate seeing what options are out there and yes I feel pressure to do some modding but I just have to be patient.
I think that through some of the pics of GTG's there are quite a few members who don't mod and that's fine too, they're club members and they're out having fun. I think from all the pics of the GTG's posted there are a larger majority of non-modder's to light modders. Maybe the heavy modders make more noise (like their sound systems or new exhaust) ;)

I think we all have on thing in common...we all love our AV's. ?:love:
 
I did my mods strictly because, I'am suffering from a MidLifeCrisis. ?The mods Ive done make me feel good. ?And I'm not done with them yet. ?This could be my last new vehicle, since I drive them until the wheels fall off. ?So for me it's not a question of to Mod or Not to Mod put what might I do next. ?I do plan on taking a long time to fill my list, since what we can do will just improve with time.
 
Include me in the 'light modder' catagory. ?I'm 100% happy with my Av the way it came from the factory . . but over time have added a few things that enhance appearance and usefulness. ?I've not felt put down because I don't fall into the heavy duty mod catagory, and I don't think the enthusiasm of those who mod extensively is meant to belittle us stock or close to stock folks - (shame on you if it is . . . ?;D)

I consider my self a 'car nut', but balance that both timewise and investment wise with other obligations, activities, and hobbies . . . unfortunately in this life I'll never be able to do all that I want to!

Enjoy your truck PureAv . . . use this site for all that it has to offer . . . and take the modding talk for what it is . . just that individual expressing his or her excitement about a great truck in their personal way!
 
I agree with the others that the amount you mod is up to the individual. I personally will mod very little since a stock AV is great with me. Ofcourse mine came fully loaded which helped.

The nice thing about the club is that you have people with different interests sharing ideas and projects. I have seen some nice looking "street AVs" such as Goos that I would never take offroad and some Beefed up 4x4 thats lifted too much for my liking, but I respect each's own preferences. You have a great mixing of ideas here and hopefully the offroad only AVers may learn something from the street only Avers.

Dont feel pressured to mod, some are heavy into modding and some arent. My Av will remain mostly stock with a few minor mods. As for my modding most of that will be done on my little Honda Del Sol Ricer......I can hear the flaming now!!!

Just enjoy your truck! I know I still love mine stock and all.
 
lithos said:
Dont feel pressured to mod, some are heavy into modding and some arent. ?My Av will remain mostly stock with a few minor mods. ?As for my modding most of that will be done on my little Honda Del Sol Ricer......I can hear the flaming now!!!
Click to expand...

Your next MOD, place in pot of water, bring to boil, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
 
PureAV,

I agree with what most everybody else is saying, only mod what you want to mod. And if you decide to leave your Av 100% stock...so what. It doesn't make you any less of an Av fan, which is what this club is all about, right?

I have done some of the mods that are posted here and some I have not. The one that gave me the most grief was the amber DRL's. Before actually seeing one in person I like my white ones so I decided not to change them. It was only after seeing one in person that I decided to change mine and now I'm glad I did. My point is that I did it because I wanted to not because everybody else did it.


Do what you want...just don't buy a Ford :2:

-Mark
 
I also agree with the posts here... mod if you want and only if you want. Personally I have done some mods and will do some more but probably not as much as others have done. I do like to read about the mods and look at the pictures to see what others have done. I definately do like the Avy stock it's the best vehicle I have, mods for me just "personalize" the Avy for me.

One thing I really like about this forum is the fact that I can lookup issues others may have experienced or post new ones and receive educated and experienced help to resolve them. This type help is invaluable and would definately use this site if I modded or not.

Personally I get the impression that members of this site don't really care if you mod or not rather everyone is just happy that we all chose the Avy as our vehicle of choice.

I am happy that you chose the Avy, mods or no mods just enjoy your Avy I know I do.



 
Maybe I can speak for the owners-to-be out here...I used to own an F150. Had I kept it, I would have wanted to modify the suspension, add a bed cover, redo the interior (after too many long drives resulted ended in back spasms), and then traded it in for a crew cab because the back seat was ridiculously tiny.

Long story short, the stock Av has everything in it that I want in a truck. I'd be thrilled to death to have a bare-bones base model. It's the only truck out there with a huge back seat that will fit in my garage. I'm an average middle-class guy that can't afford most mods out there (without risking the quality of my marriage :), but it's fun to see what the other owners do.

Here's to stock Avs! :)
 
Everyone should feel free to do as they like. I have been a member of this club longer than most, and have yet to see any negativity to "stock" Av'rs. Maybe I just don't notice, or am not sensitive to it, but I know that no members mean any harm.
This club has no physical substance, it's not like in school, how their were the popular "cool" kids that mistreated or made fun of others. We're all here because one way or the other we love our Av's

But, I do agree that the majority of the topics here are going to either be about issues, problems, and modifying Av's. That is a big part of why we are here. You can only have soo many topics about how awesome the Av is and it's stock features. We discuss problems and mods so that others can use this hindsight and take it as they will.
 
PUREAV for president!!!

Point well taken. Peer pressure to mod...it ain't pretty!

I feel these members are still caught up in the buzz all of us felt when we got our hands (or eyes) on an Av the first time. :cool: We were in awe because no vehicle we have ever had THAT many personalities!

An Av compared to any pickup is incredibly modified. It thinks outside the box. It makes us smile. :love:
In support of PUREAV and his bold post, I think I'll start a trend (?) and change my sig to:

"Stock and lovin' it". ;)
 
pure av,
I think alot of the people who are drawn to this site are those types who like to mod. They are the most vocal because they want to personalize their Avs and to do that they have to have an exchange of information and ideas. If you read through the posts you will see some of the best ideas are from people "thinking outside the box". Why has technology been advancing as fast as it has? It's because there are some people out there that are not satisfied with the way things are and want to make things "better". Sometimes this works out well, sometimes you end up with Frankenstein. I'm sure there are some GM bigwigs looking inj on all this and taking notes of what we all are saying and more importantly doing. Maybe some mod here might make it into the GM RPO list, or it might generate a design inprovement. But, as usual, I digress.
Don't feel as though you have to mod. There are a vast amount of people that will never mod their truck. I know I respect that, and I'm sure that the vast majority of us on this site feel that way too. When someone asks what your first mod will be or says "let the mods begin", all they are really doing, at least in my mind is expressing their enthusiasm in what is a common interest among us all, this thing we call an Av.
Some day twenty years or more from now, someone will say, "Thank god they didn't mod this one, this I can restore to showroom condition." :B:
 
I'm glad some of my stock AV brothers have came out of the shadows. I enjoy this site thoroughly and appreciate how many of the modders on here put things to the test. It's like a Consumer's Report exclusively about AV's. Truth be told, I gave into the modding temptations on more than one occasion. I purchased and installed the HPPIII which didn't do anything for my AV that that pushing the tow/haul button wouldn't do better. I can't say whether it would've made a difference at WOT but that's not how I drive. I discussed the program with Hypertech and they told me that the programmer doesn't affect the performance unless I was more than 2/3's of the way into the throttle. Well, the tow/haul button actually gave me quicker take offs which is what I was hoping for. The guys at Hypertech also told me that the HPPIII would also be more effective with other mods that affect intake and exhaust. Well, I could see what I thought was going to be simple out of the box power turning into a serious undertaking in performance mods. Needless to say, I wasn't willing to pay that price and sold the HPPIII to a fellow board member who had alot of the other mods already in place. I hope it's helping him achieve his goals. I believe any mods I do from here out will only be to highlight and compliment my AV's features. Of course, that is my choice and is subject to change. But, I'll definitely be watching the boards in awe over some of the most bold and extreme AV's I've ever seen. To each his own AV. Thanks to Chief and all the Senior Moderators who make this site possible, it's outstanding. And Gandolphxx, I'll definitely check into the amber DRL's. :0: Or, maybe I'll just put on a windshield sticker that says, "www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com". How's that for member loyality. :B:
 
BTW, I saw another 03 AV today at a gas station and he flagged me as I flagged him which prompted me to stop and discuss our vehicles and this site. After I told him many insightful and some trivial facts about his truck that I learned from all of you, he literally threw his hands up in the air and said, "I've finally got a family". I know he'll be on here tonight because he couldn't wait to get home and check us out. That really made my day and my drive home.
 
PUREAV - considering all that has been said and thought here you may want to consider that the bulk of the posts have to do with things that have nothing to do with "mods" - things like caring for your vehicle, maintenance issues, jokes and thoughts on the future of the AV, cruises and meets, offroading and towing... ;D
 
Gandolphxx- Sure makes you wonder about where to place this post in the forums, right? It's a good conversation for some of us who don't otherwise join in to all the modding posts. I liked it because I got to see a little of what other members thought about the subject even though the conversation branched out in other ways.
 
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