Question for frequent wheelers
 

For you guys that get out more often, how much do you spend on repairs/extra maintenance each year? I've been getting out more often now, and I'm finding that things are starting to groan, chatter, and whine in ways that are disconcerting.

I guess I want to know maybe how often I'll have to expect to replace ball joints, CV joints, steering components, suspension parts, etc? :confused:

I have 65,000+ miles on the truck....

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

I haven't owned mine very long, but have been off road a few times. So far, I've spent a FORTUNE in car washes alone! :jump: Other than that, the only thing I think I've *broken* is my knock sensor. :(

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

I bent that tubeular guard behind the skid plate. I bent it up ever so slightly, which makes it just barley contact the exhuaust pipe making a very loud, bad sounding rattle at times that was VERY difficult to pinpoint. Harmless, but its driving me nuts!!!

--John

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

You know, you have built in cage straightener. Take the cage off, drive over it with the h2, put in back on. Also, you can use some washers on the rear to get more clearance away from the frame.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

1.)There is only 10,000 miles on Big Nasty and we have replaced a lot, CV joint, centerlink, Pitman and idlers, t-case and tierods etc...

But a lot of it is due to the lift and bulkier tires we got installed the same week of purchase.

2.)Our old one had more miles but many electrical problems and the cooling fan blades torn apart after some running through big puddles at Paragon.

But that one was supercharged by by Lingenfelter. They changed a lot of stuff out. I think it was just too many hands in the engine leading to MacGyver like fixes on the trail.

http://www.lingenfelter.com/pack_suv_500h2.htm

So we never really had a normal one.

No real body damage but the occasional tree bite, but I have seen it on other H2's. Which can be costly. Or you could be like Adam and Paragon and not fix it because you know there will be more.:giggling:


I think for a stock H2 the most wear and tear would be on the IFS and to plan accordingly with regular alignments/a look underneath (which we always do after a trip) and carry extra tie-rods. Grease what you can and keep up with recommended maintenance and invest in some off-road protection accessories.:)

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

x2 on the cage straightener. Used with a good 4x4 and it works well. Works great for the skid plate as well if you take your time and use 2 pieces of wood.

Be careful with the washers, though. That metal is soft that the bolts screw into and strip out very easily. Not enough threads up in there and it will surely get pulled out.

I lost the center one in the back because the UCP bent way up and acted like a pry bar on the bolt and stripped it all the way out.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Well fixing the body damage would be like getting a tattoo and then going and having it removed just doesn't make sense. Cannot take away from the trucks character. You know like they always say "Chicks dig scars".

As far as the orginal question. With heavy off-road us there are going to be things that are going to need to be replaced more frequently. Alot of this comes down to how you wheel. If you are smart about things then alot of extra maintanence can be avoided but there are going to be times when things just go snap. If you do not like the tree bites there are the body protection panels out there to help with the issue.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Whoa. 55k miles and I have spent AT LEAST 30 grand of the extended warranty company's money thus far.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

I have a 03, and I am at 60,000 miles on it. I have wheel it a lot with out any damage to it, and I have not had any maintenance problems with it form off roading it.

As for maintenance on the Hummer I just try to follow the Owner Manual for maintenance on it.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

I've had mine for just about 4 years. Almost $0.00 in maintenace thus far. I only have 35K miles, but I've got a lot of them offroad and no problems so far.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

:D ...in the 130,000 miles I've wheeled her, maybe $20.00 on trail repairs...:dancingbanana:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

We go wheeling several times per year and have found that if you are careful, you can avoid mechanical damage. The first thing is to drive slow, where possible, and to be careful with the stock tie rod ends. There are a couple times where the wheels have been stuck, and just tugging a bit on the steering wheel, you can hear a very metallic groaning and clunking sound, and I lay off immediately. So far, we have had no mechanical problems with the vehicle, at around 85,000 km. Now cosmetic damage, that is a differrent story, and I am looking at about $5,000 in repairs, if I decide to go ahead with them.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

:iagree:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

That is sort of what I meant. There is a difference between getting some air while driving through off-camber washouts, and seeing how fast you can drive over some hills and moguls to see how far you can fly. :)

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Hey Phil, I wheel plenty of "moderate/hard" trails, prob about 20 to 30 a summer and see plenty of breakage...

I myself, have not broke a damn thing wheeling and I push my vehicle plenty out here, trust me...

Dont assume because someone wheels slow and carefully that they are not pushing the limits of their rig. It has more to do with knowing what needs upgraded in your setup, what is strong, and what the weak points are. From there you know when and where you can "push" it and when you cant....

No dont get me wrong, I have replaced my steering box, radiator, shocks, and other simple parts, but I have never had to "replace" anything due to it failing me or breaking on the trail. I know one day I will, but if your careful and know what your doing you can push your vehicle plenty and not break stuff...

"Sorry, just proud of my little heep".........:excited:

Agreed on tightening up after wheeling though. Now that I have a nice garage, I will check all my suspension and front end nuts and bolts after each wheeling trip. Keeping "chit" tight is a very important proventitive step in making sure you dont break something on the trail...

I know I'll break something soon enough, just waiting...............but I've been careful so far and lucky in other situations I suppose. I can think of a few times on a few trails I thougt I'd be towing my ass home and ended up being just fine.....my day will come.......

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

X2:)

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Adam, thats exactly what I plan on doing.

--John

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

It takes more talent to wheel an H2.:popcorn: :clapping:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Talent...you have more doo-dads and buttons on there to help you down the road then some airplane cockpits:fdance:

A rumor I heard is in 2009 GM is planning on the "Moab" edition H2 that wheels itself...;)


"But you dont drive an H2"......I know Phil, just thought I'd open my stinky mouth and chime in......:D

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

For an extra $200 you can also add the auto-PIKE option. :D :D :D

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Wow, a lot of responses. Thanks for the input.

I try to drive sensibly for the most part. I found that the group of H2's on Saturday at Paragon drove like maniacs as far as speed was concerned... :D

My UCP is bent up into the exhaust, and it has sheared off one of the engine exhaust manifold bolts, which I have to have extracted and then replaced. Has to be the rear most bolt, which I can't easily access myself. The bolts are $.79 each, but the job will probably cost me $200.... :rolleyes:

So far I've avoided body damage. I have smashed the rocker rail on the drivers side, and smooshed a bushing on the sway bar in the rear. I don't want body damage (though I suspect it's only a matter of time), but I don't mind if I bang up the protection because that's why it's there.

But I'll keep an eye on the IFS. I have a feeling that some of the components in there are in need of replacement. Otherwise, the other components seem to be holding up. My rear suspension squeaks, but I think that's from the lower shock mount getting dirty (there is a TSB on this I think?) and my exhaust rattles from the aforementioned UCP impacts. The steering at low speeds is making a noise at some points and causing the steering wheel to vibrate. And when I come to a stop, there is a rattle of about 2 seconds a few moments before I come to a complete stop. I'm going in for inspection shortly, so I guess I'll have them look at everything and see if there are any parts I can try to replace on my own with my dad helping me.

Thanks for the input so far!

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

I am to conclude....good driver = $0.00 Damage
;)

:dancingbanana:

:popcorn:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

That would be a Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc logical fallacy. :D

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

You only ride around with FJ's and they suck... so there...;)

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

No, he only drives on fire roads out there.:giggling:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

What can you expect? How much and what type of off-roading do you want to do? Fire roads will ding you with rocks kicked up by your tires. Mud pits will make a mess and clog up everything. Paragon greens will give you pin stripes and lots of bending of under carriage parts and brackets. The Rubicon will try to do the most damage. Of course, a rollover could result in death in Moab.

Damage is not optional when off-roading. It will happen. I have destroyed the front diff and transfer case. Much body damage, from stripes to dents and missing flares.

So it goes back to you and your personal limit. How far do you want to push yourself and/or your truck? What gets you going?

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

IFS is gonna be the weakest link for you. But alot of the other wearable iteams can be avoided. If you dont you really need to grease your WHOLE truck before and right after every event. U-joints, ball joints, tire rod ends, carrier bearings, everything. You will significantly cut down on wear if everything is greased. This is the stuff that really will keep your truck out of the shop in the long run, and the not so long run.

I aslo change my diffs, t-case, geared hub fluids after every event.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Dang..... And I thought Phil was obsessive about this.

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Fast! :confused:
We were taking it easy with you guys. Pops does greens at highway speed.:fdance:
I would make a statement as to the good fortune I've had regarding damage, but I don't want to jinx myself. as pops said most of this has to be expected. I try to take the perspective that if I can drive it home at the end of the day. :grouphug:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

Easy for you to say.;)

BKLYN was the MacGyver I mentioned earlier in this thread.:cool:



Did you win that snowboarding thing?

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

To late
:jump:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

No I was up against a bunch of teenage groms that have nothing better to do then spam every website into oblivion, it wasn't even close. Guess I'm just gonna have to buy myself a snowboard. :crying:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

No no no. don't say that. that statement was very vaugue on purpose it neither conotes good or bad fortune. Please Hummer gods do not curse me , I will drag a Heep to the altar of Hummer for a sacrafice to appease you. :crying:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

What are you, in the 2nd grade?

Pops, while not over-cautious, does not qualify as a maniac as most that have wheeled with him (those with any sense and experience) would attest to.

The fact that you lagged behind is a testament to your unwillingness to watch and learn because you obviously experienced much more damage than the others that were "driving like maniacs":OWNED:

Re: Question for frequent wheelers
 

I don't blaze through the trails either because my body damage tolerance is fairly low, but have never had a problem keeping pace with Pops and Peter.

You're going to bounce and hit the undercarriage, but like you said, it's there for a reason. Just bang the crap on a rock and keep on going.

Everything you said that is damaged is par for the trail and is to be expected. Suck it up because after a few more dents under the truck you won't care.

FWIW, I've always taken our trucks to the alignment shop and had it given a once over on the front end. I'm lucky to have found a very helpful shop here. Then the truck goes to the dealer for fluid changes and a detail.

Hey, you're supposed to go UP the "Larson's Descent" hill and turn left!:twak: :giggling: