How reliable has your DSM been?

[snowborder714]

Perform all necessary maintenance on time.
Fix any problems that arise in a timely manner.
Try to get down to the root of the problem if it returns after being fixed.

 

[dsm612]

I wold change all seals and gaskets.full timing kit balance shaft eliminator kit spark plugs and wires all new fluids .Make sure engine is clean so you can notice any leaks if any after done.that should do it .Its a lot but well worth it.

 

[DSMTriad]

Perform all necessary maintenance on time.

Definitely agree.

 

[Cody Shaver]

Thanks alot i look into that

 

[deutsch]

I've had some good luck with cars and some bad luck with cars.

I just recently bought an almost stock 96 TSi with around 100,000 miles on it.

I want to mod the engine a bit so it's faster, but I'm not going to be racing it so I don't need it super fast. I want it faster, but still very reliable.

I've been looking up parts I'm probably going to buy for it and I'm just curious if I do all this to it will it still be a reliable DD?

TD05H 20g turbo
K&N Intake
255lph fuel pump
JDM 3" catback exhaust
Eibach 1.6" lowering springs
Toxico shocks

And really, what other parts should I replace to make it not just faster, but more reliable, I also am going to put a JL 1000/1 amp and two JL subs which I'm not sure of yet in it, should I get a bigger alternator and battery?

 

[george1904]

I say if your going to be using it as a DD I would go with a EvoIII 16G they have one on special on forced performane I ordered mine yesterday $524 that's including shipping

 

[deutsch]

I say if your going to be using it as a DD I would go with a EvoIII 16G they have one on special on forced performane I ordered mine yesterday $524 that's including shipping

Alright thanks, I'll definitely look into that

But what about other parts to make it either faster or reliable?

And all the parts I plan on adding now won't really affect reliability will they?

 

[JEFFREYCASTGSX]

Reliability starts in the tune, and in the way you drive it. For example, I myself have a friend that blew up his tranny in a stock evo, but yet a few miles from where i live there are 600hp evos on stock tranny's, whats the difference? The difference is the the way they treat the car.

 

[deutsch]

Reliability starts in the tune, and in the way you drive it. For example, I myself have a friend that blew up his tranny in a stock evo, but yet a few miles from where i live there are 600hp evos on stock tranny's, whats the difference? The difference is the the way they treat the car.

Well I drive 60 miles to school and 60 miles back home from school 3 days a week, during those days, I just put my current car, a non-riced out civic in 5th and just cruise control it the whole way. Now don't get me wrong, obviously I love flooring it as well, but not all the time. Now thinking about it I will probably get a better clutch put in the TSi.

It's not like a drive around 24/7 rev'ing it and flooring it, I do have my fun though.

 

[jeremylee_7]

You will also need fuel injectors, a fuel controller, and a datalogger. The most cost effective method for your setup would be a piggyback fuel controller like the s-afc. As far as the injectors that will depend on which turbo you end up getting and how many pounds of boost you want to run.

A FMIC, front mount intercooler, would also be a good idea as well as replacing the stock blow of valve; 2g bov's are made from cheap plastic and are known to leak past stock boost levels.

Ohh and +1 on the evo16g

 

[george1904]

Alright thanks, I'll definitely look into that

But what about other parts to make it either faster or reliable?

And all the parts I plan on adding now won't really affect reliability will they?

Well I would get some injectors if you buy that 16g you should be fine with some 550 and buy a safc. This would make it a little bit faster. And well the reliable part has to do with how well you treat your dsm if your good to her she would to the same to you. So with that said before you start modding do all the maintenance first

 

[chico904]

If "reliability" is what you are after, I wouldn't even be looking at buying those parts until you get all the maintenance done first. Do maintenance first, as it can be costly depending on the condition of your 13 year old car.

 

[suthvagsx90]

my 90 gst got 265k miles and stil runs amazing!! maintnance...

 

[DSMking90]

Have had car since august 2008 and have had about 3 times in which I was stuck on the side of the road. they were fixable until the fourth time which it happend and it is still down now. Im just waiting till my tax money is back so I can get her back up. But I rated it a 7.

 

[russ96gst]

I gotta say I have owned my 96 gs-t for 5-6 years bought it with 60K now has about 115K and I have had no real problems with it. I do all the maintenance and boost it daily to 15lbs on stock t-25 still no problems. I have maxed out the little t-25 I know but just goes to show I think that most problems only happen when really increasing horsepower or lack of maintenance. I love my DSM

 

[NovaBrad]

Hey guys,
I'm a college student, who really wants a GSX. My only concern is the reliability of the car itself; as I will be driving it 350 miles to school and back, likely once every couple of months. I've heard that GSX's are notorious for having mechanical problems. I wont be taking the car to the drag strip or anything, I just want a quick street car, that is reliable, and AWD. Since I will not have a garage, or any tools around, I really don't have a way of fixing it if something goes wrong.
So my question is this: is a GSX right for me? or should I look for a different kind of vehicle?

 

[MichaelSuch]

AWD's are really no different than the FWD's, just more fluids to change. If you pick up a stock car that has a good maintenance record I'd say you will be fine. Look into a newer 2g, 1g's are a little older and are more likely to have mechanical failures. If you want to be fail proof though I think you should consider a newer Evo or STI. It's just these cars are starting to get old.

 

[crimsondragon]

You're asking for a near impossible. You're a student so you must have a lack of funds + time. You want it to be reliable yet fast. You also have no set of tools to fix it with. You're asking for dead weight on your hands if anything goes wrong. And almost 95% of the time when buying a used car, something WILL go wrong.
Choose two of the three: cheap, reliable, fast.

 

[zhjiln]

350 mile round trip a day ??

you are better off with a civic .... forget turbo and awd ### that will not last long with that daily commute.

 

[GofaST4life]

A GSX is a great car and can be VERY reliable if you take care of it. That goes for all cars though. You cant expect to beat on a car and have be reliable.

I think that if you can find a unbeaten, good condition, stock GSX, youd be fine. Just take care of it!

 

[NovaBrad]

Yes, an EVO or STI is a bit out of my price range, however after I graduate, an EVO will be my first car. I have a Chevy Nova, which is a show car. So it's not like I don't know my way around a car, its just that DSM's are a different breed, and I may not know everything about them yet.
I'm looking for something with a decent amount of power, somewhere in the price range of 5-8K. Ideally a GSX, because along with the power, it has curb appeal. I don't mind putting time into a car, I just don't want to have any huge, recurring problems.

 

[NovaBrad]

350 mile round trip a day ??

you are better off with a civic .... forget turbo and awd ### that will not last long with that daily commute.

No, not daily, just once every couple of months, along with in-town driving daily, but nothing major.

 

[bagged420a]

I would think that if you find a clean un-modded 2g, reliability should be fine. They only become unreliable when you neglect, or buy cheap mods/or get certain mods and not the rest of the supporting mods.

 

[jrohner]

350 mile round trip a day ??

you are better off with a civic .... forget turbo and awd ### that will not last long with that daily commute.

Um... Long trips are a lot easier on a car than short trips are, especially considering you're less apt to beat on a car driving it on a long trip than just ripping around for the fun of it.

If you find an unmolested car, you'll be fine. Modded cars often have very poor workmanship (like my car when I bought it) and many corners cut trying to save a buck, which ends up giving you 1% of the reliability you'd have if things were done right. Also, look at the car itself more than the miles on it. If a car has a lot of miles and was well taken care of, it will be a lot better than one with low miles that was neglected (or it's low miles because most of it's life has been spent in the shop because it's a POS).

If you're new to DSM's, I'd highly recommend you spend quite a bit of time here on tuners reading and learning about them.

 

[SmalltownDSMer]

I would think that if you find a clean un-modded 2g, reliability should be fine. They only become unreliable when you neglect, or buy cheap mods/or get certain mods and not the rest of the supporting mods.

+1 bagged420 is right, find a stock 2g give it a good tune up when you get it and you should be fine. Remember DON'T NEGLECT YOUR DSM!!