Today, I decided to go ahead and try to do the VIAS repair since my car has 108,000 miles. Went to Home Depot and saw the Maglite and mount as well so I said what the heck and bought it. Maglite Mod went well...nothing really. BUT I STRIPPED A SCREW OFF THE VIAS!!!!! So disappointed that I couldn't do the repair...sounds so good too. Gotta see what I have to do to get that screw out.

One last thing. On my way out of the Clifton Home Depot, I see a 2002-2003 Max with missing headlights parked in the lot. I feel sorry for the 5.5 because when will this end?

 

impact driver i think. You hammer it while it unscrews the screw... but i dont know how rounded or broken your crew is... good luck. When i figured out how to fix the VIAS with jb weld, i was so freakin happy with the results that i had to tell everyone. Good luck.

 

im glad i dont live in Jersey... headlight theft is worse there than anywhere in the US

 

Not to mention the high insurance rates....

I'm glad didn't say in NJ for school...

 

Yeah, everybody just yuck it up.

 

What exactly is the Maglite Mod?

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=366783

I could be a newb calling a veteran a newb, but I'll spare you the satire.

 

I stripped one of the screws off the VIAS when I was repairing it. If you have any bit of the screw head left, what I did was to use a locking vise grip plier like one of these:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00945622000

Use the plier to grab onto the head and spin out the screw. It took some time, but I was able to remove the screw.

steve...

 

Can anything be done to prevent the theft of these lights? An extra alarm maybe? Extra bracing?

 

Data Dots. adsf

 

i used a dremel and carved a head on the screw. try that and some WD40

 

Good news and good news...

Good news is that i got the dumb screw out. Went to Home Depot, bought a small drill bit, a screw extractor and a screw extractor hand wrench...all for $10. You drill a small hole in the center of the stuck screw. You screw in the screw extractor using a small screw extractor hand wrench. It's exactly like uncorking a wine bottle. Tada!!! And it unscrews right out!

The other good news. After 108,000 miles...my VIAS is in perfect shape! Go figure. No shakes, rattles or cheap effects. And I redline my car very often.

So, I'm all done for now...gonna wait for the underdrive pulley to come in...

Thanks to all who helped!

Oh, by the way, while I was at it, I too replaced the screws on the VIAS with a m6x1.00 20mm bolt and washers. For the future...

 

where can this JB weld be purchased??

 

Fixed my VIAS yesterday. Wasn't that bad, but the cup was free loose about 3 millimiters on the perimeter, about 15 degrees loose. I used sharp chizel and hammered slightly the rod that holds the cup, to make it spread into the area where there is movement. No need For epoxy.

Those screws suck. Got one almost stripped. But then I gave it 20 minutes of Liquid wrench, and it did the job. Replacing them with something better is a must, if you plan to get in there again.

my $0.02

 

I too stripped the heck out of those bolts. I pull real hard at least up to 5k but never go over. Wondering if theres really a need to get in there. Anyone notice low-mid range gains? Thanks for the tip Komax, $25 into new tools, i think i might just pay my mechanic to get in there.

 

what's the size of those bolts?

 

I m going to do the repair next weekend. Im going to try some needle nose visegrips. I hope it works

 

How difficult is this fix? Could the average **** do this without any problems?

 

I'm surprised no one has flipped out that you called it the mag light mod. I referred to the fire extinguisher "mod" (and I even used quotes) and I got flamed. "It's not a mod!", "I did the oil change mod". Mod, install, call it whatever you want, just don't be bone stock.

 

I only have 43k on the clock and I haven't noticed any problems with the vais. But now you guys have me scared and I think I will go ahead and replace the screws during spring break

 

join the club....
fire extinguisher mod (in trunk)
first aid kit mod (in trunk)
mag-lite mod (in car)

if you physically alter the car (i.e. by screwing in brackets or whatever) I consider it a mod....a small mod, but still a mod.

"mod" = "modification"

oil change is not a modification, it is maintenance
maglite is as much of a mod as clear corners or aftermarket light bulbs....a small mod

 

Can someone please answer this question? I'd also like to know.

 

JB Weld can be bought at almost any hardware or automotive store. It's just a good grade of epoxy glue. If JB Weld isn't available, another brand of epoxy should work.

 

Thanks ..