Tahoe maintenance in Mountain View, CA

[A930Rocket]

Our son says the 2005 Tahoe is pulling to one side, I told him to find a tire shop to get it checked...balance, rotate and alignment. Ordered and sent him a nice tire gauge also (it’s what dad’s do).

A few question for shops in Mountain View, CA or nearby.

A good indy shop for general maintenance.

Tire shops.

Interior upholstery shops to recover the front seats and replace the carpet?

Maaco or similar to repaint it?

It probably has 125k on the clock and ran great before he headed off to Iowa and then CA in December.

He doesn’t want to buy a new vehicle, but wants to put a some money into the Tahoe to make it look good again.

TIA.

[WPOZZZ]

My brother uses Made in Japan/USA/Europe in Sunnyvale for is 993 and Pantera. He used to take his Durango there until he got rid of it. https://mij-usa.com/

[SeanPizzle]

I would find a les Schwab and check all the steering and suspension in addition to the tires. At that age, tie rods, idler/pitman arms, unit bearings can be culprits

[Steve Carlton]

Good reviews for this place. It could be as simple as a bad tire, but should be inspected. Maybe research tires at Tire Rack?

https://www.expertautocaremv.com/

I'd be curious to see pictures of the paint. Is it to the point of needing repainting, or could it be buffed up? I'd prefer a presentable detail job to a cheap paint job.

I texted RMG in Sunnyvale for recommendations. Response:

Custom Alignment in Mountain View (650) 961-5311

Finish Line Upholstery Santa Clara (408) 919-0000

[A930Rocket]

Thanks guys. It’s been in the family a long time and mechanically runs well. Or it did when I last saw it two years ago.

Tires were replaced two years ago, but I doubt he’s balanced and rotated them.

For paint, the hood and roof where fading/heat checking. So, those two items will definitely need to be repainted. The rest of it might be able to be buffed out.

Replace the front seats/carpet and a deep clean will make a huge difference on the interior.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by SeanPizzle

I would find a les Schwab and check all the steering and suspension in addition to the tires. At that age, tie rods, idler/pitman arms, unit bearings can be culprits

Excellent advice

[Mahler9th]

Feel free to PM me... I have a pretty good network in this area... including right in Mt. View.

Folks may not know that the Old Middlefield Road area has had:

Garretson's-- they ran 935's with factory drivers in the late 70's/early 80's. Bruce Anderson, Jerry Woods, et cetera all worked there at some time.

Moddermans may still be there as well as Heyer Performance. Dave at the former and Tony at the latter. Great Porsche shops and they know the best non-Porsche service providers in the area. Both of those guys supported pro Porsche race teams back in the day.

Rennwerks was right off of Old Middlefield. They were founded by a couple of PCA track drivers (and former students of mine) and achieved third overall at Daytona in a Porsche one year.

And if Pauli's bar is still there, one can grab a beer and see a wing from one of Keke's F1 cars hangin' on the wall. Pauli is a racing fan and is originally from Finland. He was a Porsche racing Club sponsor for many years.

As for paint, I have some potential resources in my network.

So again, feel free to send me a PM and I'd be happy to help as best I can.

[A930Rocket]

Might be looking for some more work. Someone broke into the Tahoe and took the registration papers.

WTF would someone want those?

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by Mahler9th

Feel free to PM me... I have a pretty good network in this area... including right in Mt. View.

Folks may not know that the Old Middlefield Road area has had:

Garretson's-- they ran 935's with factory drivers in the late 70's/early 80's. Bruce Anderson, Jerry Woods, et cetera all worked there at some time.

Moddermans may still be there as well as Heyer Performance. Dave at the former and Tony at the latter. Great Porsche shops and they know the best non-Porsche service providers in the area. Both of those guys supported pro Porsche race teams back in the day.

Rennwerks was right off of Old Middlefield. They were founded by a couple of PCA track drivers (and former students of mine) and achieved third overall at Daytona in a Porsche one year.

And if Pauli's bar is still there, one can grab a beer and see a wing from one of Keke's F1 cars hangin' on the wall. Pauli is a racing fan and is originally from Finland. He was a Porsche racing Club sponsor for many years.

As for paint, I have some potential resources in my network.

So again, feel free to send me a PM and I'd be happy to help as best I can.

I also would much appreciate info. on a repaint on my 2006 Tahoe. The clearcoat is giving up. Maybe a person that works at a body shop can do it as a side job. I can do the parts removal. Please PM me. So far I have two quotes (Earl Sheib $4000) and a body shop in the Sierras ($7,000) Thanks.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by hcoles

I also would much appreciate info. on a repaint on my 2006 Tahoe. The clearcoat is giving up. Maybe a person that works at a body shop can do it as a side job. I can do the parts removal. Please PM me. So far I have two quotes (Earl Sheib $4000) and a body shop in the Sierras ($7,000) Thanks.

Earl Sheib.....$4K? Wow! Is that a bare metal spray? I admit, it’s been a long time since I did an affordable paint job, but hadn’t thought it’d be that expensive.

[speeder]

I can tell you a place in TJ that will do twice the job for half the price of that Earl Scheib quote. Several San Diego Pelicans have used them for Porsche paintwork over the years. They are only a block or two from the international border and the vehicle is safe while it's there.

With the savings, you could stay in the Hotel LaValencia in La Jolla while it's being painted and order room service every meal. Or jump on a plane to Hawaii. Or you could just leave it as-is. Putting $7k, or even $4k into paint on a 2006 Chevy Tahoe sounds insane to me. I'd just buy a newer one. They are a dime-a-dozen, sold in the millions.

The paint job from ES will be schit, guaranteed.

[hcoles]

I know, I know. I like the vehicle but it is not worth much. I might just have to drive it as is. It would be my luck to have it painted and the transmission would blow. If I could find a super clean with good paint one I might consider getting that. Even if I painted and replaced the engine and trans. I'm still ahead of buying a new one.

I might consider the TJ idea. Thanks.

[Brian 162]

I just traded this 06 in for a newer one. It had 315,000 km (195,000 miles)
I got $2000 for it. It was originally a U.S. vehicle

[speeder]

Originally Posted by hcoles

I know, I know. I like the vehicle but it is not worth much. I might just have to drive it as is. It would be my luck to have it painted and the transmission would blow. If I could find a super clean with good paint one I might consider getting that. Even if I painted and replaced the engine and trans. I'm still ahead of buying a new one.

I might consider the TJ idea. Thanks.

Buying a new Chevy Tahoe is a Mike Tyson level financial decision. Sorry.

[hcoles]

The reason I'm trying to limit myself to e.g. 2004-2006 is I don't want AFM. 2006 was the last year with no AFM.

[450knotOffice]

Speeder, I sent you a PM regarding that paint shop in TJ. Sounds intriguing.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by hcoles

The reason I'm trying to limit myself to e.g. 2004-2006 is I don't want AFM. 2006 was the last year with no AFM.

Ok, got it. Buying a mint, low mileage 2006 would be a great decision. Those trucks routinely run up to 250-300k miles w normal maintenance.

[A930Rocket]

What’s AFM?

Speeder, sending you a PM about the paint shop in TJ.

[WPOZZZ]

Air Flow Meter?

[Brian 162]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

What’s AFM?

Speeder, sending you a PM about the paint shop in TJ.

AFM is Active Fuel Management. For fuel economy the fuel is cut off to 4 cylinders so I have a V4 engine. There's a light on the dash that displays V4 or V8. There's more to it I just gave the basics.
I'm getting used to it, so far I hardly notice it.