Hi to all. Bought a white 05 X this past January. Looking foreward to doing some mods and thought I'd check out this forum. I'm new to working on trucks/SUVs, but have done a fair ammount of work/improvements to my mazda6 and am eager to try working on a vehicle I don't need to jack up in order to work under.

Hi to all. Bought a white 05 X this past January. Looking foreward to doing some mods and thought I'd check out this forum. I'm new to working on trucks/SUVs, but have done a fair ammount of work/improvements to my mazda6 and am eager to try working on a vehicle I don't need to jack up in order to work under.

LOL! That was one of the thing I appreciated the most about the truck - no jacking to get underneath to change the oil. I also have a 350Z which is so low, I cant even get a regular jack underneath it.

Welcome to the club! there's alot of great people here. :)

Welcome to the Club!

What kind of mods do you have in mind?

Have the S, so the fog light install is a must. Also plan on installing the sunglasses holder where the standard map lights are. Probably HID headlights and siderails, CAI and eventually a catback exhaust as funds permit. Being that this is a 4x2, does anyone have any other recommended mods?
Even though it's easy to crawl under, changing the oil was a royal PITA!!! I did eventually get a wrench cap that fits the filter, so hopefully I won't have to resort to a screwdriver to change the oil next time. I'm using Syntec oil, so I hope to do oil changes every 7,500 miles.

Have the S, so the fog light install is a must. Also plan on installing the sunglasses holder where the standard map lights are. Probably HID headlights and siderails, CAI and eventually a catback exhaust as funds permit. Being that this is a 4x2, does anyone have any other recommended mods?
Even though it's easy to crawl under, changing the oil was a royal PITA!!! I did eventually get a wrench cap that fits the filter, so hopefully I won't have to resort to a screwdriver to change the oil next time. I'm using Syntec oil, so I hope to do oil changes every 7,500 miles.

Try using an oil filter wrench made for your size filters - not the all in one adjustable kind.

As for the modification questions, I'll leave those to USC. He is the mod master....:)

You know what? After breaking the strap on my neighbor's wrench and destroying the origional filter, I did just that...the local O'Reilly's had a wrench sized for the filter. It seems as though the factory put that filter on ridiculously tight. I amost threw my shoulder out of socket trying to get it off. I decided to not torque down the replacement filter nearly so tight so as to avoid a repeat situation.

Let me ask another question. The X's automatic transmission fluid is non-servicable, according to the dealership. Is this true? Is anyone really going to let this fluid sit in their transmissions for 100,000 miles?

Greetings again.

The mods that you are planning are mostly ones I decided I had to have right after getting my X too.

The foglight install has been written up several places. I can't take credit for the write up. It's actually really easy to do because Nissan already did all the wiring for you, so it's just a matter of pulling off the covers that are in the bumper cover, bolting in the new fog lights, plugging them in, and then popping in the new turn signal stalk. All in all the mod takes about 30 minutes of your time. You can get the parts from pretty much any Nissan Dealer. Since your name implies you are in the Dallas area, then I would suggest look up Courtesy Nissan. They sell the kit at a pretty good price (about $250).

The Sunglasses holder mod is the easiest to do and takes very little time. I did a write up with some pictures in the DIY section. Should cost you about 60 dollars for the part.

The step rails are simply a bolt on. The mounting points are already there, and the kit comes with the rails, the brackets, and all the nuts and bolts. (about $270).

HID's I haven't done on any of my vehicles. Thought about it, but never have followed through.

Boof could give you the play by play on the CAI for the Xterra, as he's already got that knocked out. :)

So far I have done the fog lights, step rails, sunglass holder, pulled the stereo in favor of a video screen/DVD/Disc changer combination.

As for other mods, a lot of people like the Shrockworks front bumper, bigger tires, a lift kit or PML. Several people who are more into the off road play also go for the skid plates for the underside armor.

Hope this helps.

Donald

Here's the thread on the CAI:

http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=441

Thanks for all the helpful links, guys. I'll do some searches before asking for any more info...new to this site, but not to other forums.
Boofer, your CAI looks much easier to install than the one I have for my mazda6. I think 20 minutes makes that mod a no-brainer, and I'm going to get one for both the sound and milage/hp gains as soon as I can talk my wife into parting with the funds.