Bad News...

Ever since I put on my brake pads, there has been a squeaky noise that always appeared randomly. It didn't bother me until it just recently started getting really loud. So I decided to bring my car in to Firestone and have them take a look at my suspension. After a couple hours went by, they called me and told me what was causing it. I had a loose wheel bearing and my alignment was off. This didn't sound so bad until they gave me quotes for the repair. The wheel bearing would cost me $400 parts and labor and $149.99 for the alignment if I get the lifetime warranty package.

I did some research about what would happen if I decided not to replace the wheel bearing. My wheels would eventually detach off of my car when I'm on the road; not good.

Maintenance: Mopar Spark Plug Wires

After realizing that I was supposed to replace my wires along with my spark plugs, I finally ordered new OEM spark plug wires and installed them. It was so much easier to do this install. Since I already loosened the boots, they came off easily. The install took me no longer than five minutes to do. I felt like a pro mechanic today. lol

After the install, I test drove my SRT-4 to feel the difference. As soon as I turned my car on and pressed the throttle, I could already tell the difference. The startup was much smoother and quieter. It also accelerated much faster from idle to near red line.

*The main reason why I felt a huge difference was because I was supposed to replace the plugs and wires 10,000 miles ago. I'll be sure not to do that again!

Maintenance: K&N OEM Replacement Air Filter

This install was a little bit more time consuming than the spark plugs. Most of the time was spent unscrewing all of the bolts off the air box. Afterwards, everything was pretty easy except for one thing. When I tried to put the K&N filter onto the intake tube, it would not pop right in just like the OEM filter did. So I took the filter out a compared it with the OEM filter. I noticed that the K&N filter was larger than the OEM filter. It took some trial and error to get the new filter in by unscrewing the mounting screws of the intake pipe to free up more room, but eventually I got it in.

Since I was supposed to change my air filter a long time ago like my plugs and wires, I also expected a noticeable difference with the new K&N replacement air filter on the test drive. But it was really hard to tell even though the K&N filter was larger than OEM. The only differences that I was able to pick out was that the intake was a bit louder than OEM. I also felt a slight re-gain in power that my old filter was probably restricted me of. Regardless, this was well worth the money because it has a lifetime guarantee and it is washable and reusable!