This weekend I was washing the GTI in the driveway, when I spot Mrs. Apple coming down the street. Quick background: I live on a new cul-de-sac in town, lots of big brand new houses. Mrs. Apple lives at the corner of the main road and our c-d-s, essentially, we live on what was her backyard for years and years. Without getting into details, she has on occasion known to come across as the "mean old lady". So I quickly turn down the radio in the garage a bit as to be on my best most polite behavior. As she comes strolling near I give a friendly wave (mamaIt brought me up as a very polite young man - stop the laughing you other mods, I can hear it now ). Well, to my surprise, old Mrs Apple paused and said,
"that's a classy car. I watch you pull out in the morning and I think that color is really sharp!"
I replied with a somewhat shocked "thank you, i like it too, new cars are fun!". Mind you, I drive what most folks would consider a boy-racer car in tornado arrest-me-red! She proceded extoll about much she loves "the new cars these days" and how bright and strong the new paints are compared to that old dull stuff. My jaw got to hanging pretty low throughout this exchange.
So I figured it out: Mrs Apple isn't a mean old lady at all. She just has a crush on me. All the stories about her being mean come from MrsIt and our female housemate who both say she "glares" at them.
I gave her a big wave from my "classy ride" this morning!
This weekend I was washing the GTI in the driveway, when I spot Mrs. Apple coming down the street. Quick background: I live on a new cul-de-sac in town, lots of big brand new houses. Mrs. Apple lives at the corner of the main road and our c-d-s, essentially, we live on what was her backyard for years and years. Without getting into details, she has on occasion known to come across as the "mean old lady". So I quickly turn down the radio in the garage a bit as to be on my best most polite behavior. As she comes strolling near I give a friendly wave (mamaIt brought me up as a very polite young man - stop the laughing you other mods, I can hear it now ). Well, to my surprise, old Mrs Apple paused and said,
"that's a classy car. I watch you pull out in the morning and I think that color is really sharp!"
I replied with a somewhat shocked "thank you, i like it too, new cars are fun!". Mind you, I drive what most folks would consider a boy-racer car in tornado arrest-me-red! She proceded extoll about much she loves "the new cars these days" and how bright and strong the new paints are compared to that old dull stuff. My jaw got to hanging pretty low throughout this exchange.
So I figured it out: Mrs Apple isn't a mean old lady at all. She just has a crush on me. All the stories about her being mean come from MrsIt and our female housemate who both say she "glares" at them.
I gave her a big wave from my "classy ride" this morning!
I agree 100% thats why I'm now pledging a fraternity.
Uh oh, frat boy...seriously though how did you make more money over the summer scooping ice cream than I made working at a law firm?
And if a 17 year old is convicted for a moving violation (at least in my state where at 17 you still have your provisional license IIRC), you go back to a learner's permit...that'll be fun.
And while radar detectors are used for law breaking purposes by some, personally I advocate them because it's a person's right (for now) to own one, and in this day and age you better use your rights because pretty soon they'll be taken away (the few we still have left). Though I wouldn't let a 17 year old have one to be honest. The only reason I got one is because in NC they'll even give tickets for doing 6 over...also suddenly I find 55 zones becoming 35 and 25 zones, even though there has been no new development or anything of that nature. My favorite is how main street is 25mph going northbound and 35mph going southbound...and the southbound lane has more entrances onto it...wtf?
DoctorIt, if you want the woman to be a mean old lady again, next time she talks about how new cars have stronger color than old cards, educate her on how show cars use lacquer, and that she is in fact wrong...it's fun not to make friends
DoctorIt, if you want the woman to be a mean old lady again, next time she talks about how new cars have stronger color than old cards, educate her on how show cars use lacquer, and that she is in fact wrong...
I didn't want to break her sweet old heart.
And yeah I know about paints...
If it wasn't for all the strict regulations about the toxic lacquer and hard oil-based paints that used to be the norm on old cars (remember that deep shine?), I would be out of the job. Paints fall under the category of "non-Newtonian fluids", and although we're making advances with the polymer based stuff and the new nanoparticle additives/nanostructure, they are still nowhere near as nice as the old stuff in terms of show-car-guy-standards: shine, durability. On the other hand, great for tree-huggers - I have a dilemma here since I appreciate both sides. You just can't polish the thin new paints to showroom by simply removing the top layer with some good compound.
Trust me, I know about thin wimpy "new" paints. My one month-old car has swirl marks galore!
On the other hand, great for tree-huggers - I have a dilemma here since I appreciate both sides. You just can't polish the thin new paints to showroom by simply removing the top layer with some good compound.
Trust me, I know about thin wimpy "new" paints. My one month-old car has swirl marks galore!
On the part before the break: are you familiar with Glasurit? Best of both worlds...well on a local scale at least. Made using chemicals in a way that's illegal in the US to manufacture, but legal to paint a car with it once it has been made.
On the second part, I can't help but wonder how they got there. Honestly, as wimpy as the modern water based stuff is, still something has to make the swirl marks. The way to prevent them is to use a real (not imitation) sheepskin mitt (I get mine from www.carcareonline.com not quick sure why they sell the imitation stuff since Larry, the owner, is against it, but the Australian sheepskin is good). Also a good soap (there are some really cruddy soaps out there, most everything you find in Autozone type stores falls in this category), like P21S or Sonax (sonax is VERY hard to get in the US since the EPA doesn't like how they label their bottles and Sonax doesn't care to redesign the label, which is too bad because it's my favorite). OF course, also when you polish don't use an abrasive polish unless you already have scratches, instead use a cleaner (again, like P21S gloss enhancing paintwork cleanser) and even then only once a year if garaged or 4 times a year if outside (i.e. every time you wax if parked outside). And when using a cleaner and when using wax, always do so in linear motions (not circular). And don't use cleaner waxes.
Richard
On the part before the break: are you familiar with Glasurit? Best of both worlds...well on a local scale at least. Made using chemicals in a way that's illegal in the US to manufacture, but legal to paint a car with it once it has been made.
Not familiar with specifics, I just know the science from my research and a bit about the car biz from my stint working in it. I'll google Glasurit for my bit of non-phd related learning today.
On the second part, I can't help but wonder how they got there. Honestly, as wimpy as the modern water based stuff is, still something has to make the swirl marks.
I washed it once, this weekend (previously only rinsed the salt and sand off at the self-service car wash with warm water/high pressure) using a sponge and some seriously diluted, but admittedly cheap car soap. I know to stay away from the car shampoo that has wax in it. The sponge was also new, also from AutoZone seemed pretty soft, but again, not of car-show-guy caliber and rinsed well.
So while I'm not trying to keep my car show-quality perfect, and at the end of the day, the perfection of the paint job is not going to ruin my day, I do like to keep it looking "nice".
This is a good line of car-talk... caring for paint.
I washed it once, this weekend (previously only rinsed the salt and sand off at the self-service car wash with warm water/high pressure) using a sponge and some seriously diluted, but admittedly cheap car soap. I know to stay away from the car shampoo that has wax in it. The sponge was also new, also from AutoZone seemed pretty soft, but again, not of car-show-guy caliber and rinsed well.
High pressure wand!!! Sacrilege! Don't you have a hose you could use? Those high pressure self-wash stations are hard on the paint. If you don't have a spigot at your house then at least take a bucket and fill that up with the water from the wand and then rinse the car with tbe bucket. I won't even get started on the sponge. Next thing I know you guys will be telling me you think it's absurd to spend 5 hours cleaning a car. I'm not the abnormal one, I swear :uhoh
High pressure wand!!! Sacrilege! Don't you have a hose you could use? Those high pressure self-wash stations are hard on the paint.
Seriously? It's not like a pressure washer, just a slightly higher pressure hose that gets a lot more of the salt/sand off. You don't live in the northeast, do you? I refuse to believe that slightly higher pressure water (talking higher than a garden hose, not a pressure washer) is that bad for your paint.
My thinking there is that its better to try and rinse off as much as possible of the sand/salt before wiping it with anything. And I don't care if that anything is a baby's ass. In my head, I'm still moving catching the bits of salt/sand and moving them around on the paint.
Please explain to me why I'm wrong (not being argumentative, I'd really like to know).
I won't even get started on the sponge.
See above, how is a baby sheep's back taht much better than a good big sponge?
Next thing I know you guys will be telling me you think it's absurd to spend 5 hours cleaning a car. I'm not the abnormal one, I swear :uhoh
Ah, well I see I wasted my breath above. You're going to tell us everything is wrong.
This ought to make you sleep rotten tonight... wanna know the last time I washed my motorcycle? Yeah, me too!
riding or washing. tough choice. sorry, occasionally I ride it through a stream.
Seriously? It's not like a pressure washer, just a slightly higher pressure hose that gets a lot more of the salt/sand off. You don't live in the northeast, do you? I refuse to believe that slightly higher pressure water (talking higher than a garden hose, not a pressure washer) is that bad for your paint.
My thinking there is that its better to try and rinse off as much as possible of the sand/salt before wiping it with anything. And I don't care if that anything is a baby's ass. In my head, I'm still moving catching the bits of salt/sand and moving them around on the paint.
Please explain to me why I'm wrong (not being argumentative, I'd really like to know).
See above, how is a baby sheep's back taht much better than a good big sponge?
I do live in the Northeast...almost (Bethesda, MD, just north of DC), although the only place I've ever seen those self wash things at is near my school in NC.
The ones I know are fairly high pressure (you'll notice when you try to fill a bucket and see how long it takes, i.e. little water is coming out, but it's coming out with a lot of force). Maybe yours are different. Does it come out in stream or in a wide one drop high (well more, but you know what i mean) spread? If it's just slightly more pressure than a hose, then I guess it's fine (though the concours guys don't even put nozzles on the hoses).
Of course it's better to rinse first. You always have to rinse the car down before touching it with anything, in fact you should also let it soak...and make sure the paint is cool...give the engine block time to cool too, especially if it's a diesel.
As far as the baby sheep's back compared to the sponge, well for one the sponge just isn't as soft, but more importantly with sponges the junk tends to get trapped right near the surface. With the sheepskins it tends to go to the base of the hairs, so that way it's further from the paint. Also, sheepskin releases the dirt when shaken in a bucket more easily than anything else I've ever seen.
While I'm on the cleaning topic, do not use the wheel cleaners you see in stores on your wheels, especially not Meguiar's (who have faced class action lawsuits and lost, yet still don't change the formula). They will strip that paint, some sooner than others. The only safe one (well not the only, but the only moderately mainstream one that is safe) is P21S (yes, I do like that company, but then they are German and priced lower than Zymol but with the same company ethic, so what's not to like). The best is just to use whatever you use on your paint.
I do live in the Northeast...almost (Bethesda, MD, just north of DC), although the only place I've ever seen those self wash things at is near my school in NC.
The ones I know are fairly high pressure (you'll notice when you try to fill a bucket and see how long it takes, i.e. little water is coming out, but it's coming out with a lot of force). Maybe yours are different. Does it come out in stream or in a wide one drop high (well more, but you know what i mean) spread? If it's just slightly more pressure than a hose, then I guess it's fine (though the concours guys don't even put nozzles on the hoses).
Of course it's better to rinse first. You always have to rinse the car down before touching it with anything, in fact you should also let it soak...and make sure the paint is cool...give the engine block time to cool too, especially if it's a diesel.
As far as the baby sheep's back compared to the sponge, well for one the sponge just isn't as soft, but more importantly with sponges the junk tends to get trapped right near the surface. With the sheepskins it tends to go to the base of the hairs, so that way it's further from the paint. Also, sheepskin releases the dirt when shaken in a bucket more easily than anything else I've ever seen.
While I'm on the cleaning topic, do not use the wheel cleaners you see in stores on your wheels, especially not Meguiar's (who have faced class action lawsuits and lost, yet still don't change the formula). They will strip that paint, some sooner than others. The only safe one (well not the only, but the only moderately mainstream one that is safe) is P21S (yes, I do like that company, but then they are German and priced lower than Zymol but with the same company ethic, so what's not to like). The best is just to use whatever you use on your paint.
Maybe I'll just pee on it next time.
:hide
And how can I take your advice about preventing swirl marks seriously? Look at your frickin license plate!!
all friends of mine cars... i dont ask to drive them
this is a car talk thread... if you haven't driven 'em, who cares!
*** i'm completely kidding you realize - it's just a funny way of saying: you really should have asked to drive the Conti GT, it is one hell of a ride! (yeah, that's me )
this is a car talk thread... if you haven't driven 'em, who cares!
*** i'm completely kidding you realize - it's just a funny way of saying: you really should have asked to drive the Conti GT, it is one hell of a ride! (yeah, that's me )
ya i rode IN it, its very quick, a lot of power, but i dont like risking someone else's ride of that caliber. plus asking to drive sends wrong signals IMO
this is a car talk thread... if you haven't driven 'em, who cares!
*** i'm completely kidding you realize - it's just a funny way of saying: you really should have asked to drive the Conti GT, it is one hell of a ride! (yeah, that's me )
wow I posted our get together on 6 BMW forums and I get the feeling we're going to have 30+ BMW's!
IMO bmws are the easiest car to get 30+ in one spot...
dOCtor - haha my skills are fine as i track my car when i can, the guy that owns it, is a plastic surgeon, not sure if youve ever seen Teckademics videos? but i wasnt about to ask him, he had just purchased it
Comments
This weekend I was washing the GTI in the driveway, when I spot Mrs. Apple coming down the street. Quick background: I live on a new cul-de-sac in town, lots of big brand new houses. Mrs. Apple lives at the corner of the main road and our c-d-s, essentially, we live on what was her backyard for years and years. Without getting into details, she has on occasion known to come across as the "mean old lady". So I quickly turn down the radio in the garage a bit as to be on my best most polite behavior. As she comes strolling near I give a friendly wave (mamaIt brought me up as a very polite young man - stop the laughing you other mods, I can hear it now
"that's a classy car. I watch you pull out in the morning and I think that color is really sharp!"
I replied with a somewhat shocked "thank you, i like it too, new cars are fun!". Mind you, I drive what most folks would consider a boy-racer car in tornado arrest-me-red! She proceded extoll about much she loves "the new cars these days" and how bright and strong the new paints are compared to that old dull stuff. My jaw got to hanging pretty low throughout this exchange.
So I figured it out: Mrs Apple isn't a mean old lady at all. She just has a crush on me. All the stories about her being mean come from MrsIt and our female housemate who both say she "glares" at them.
I gave her a big wave from my "classy ride" this morning!
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
Dear forum,
i never thought this would happen to me...
Ok, Then your not as soft as I soft as I thought you were. But I still say you have too much free time.
www.zxstudios.com
http://creativedragonstudios.smugmug.com
:uhoh
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
Uh oh, frat boy...seriously though how did you make more money over the summer scooping ice cream than I made working at a law firm?
And if a 17 year old is convicted for a moving violation (at least in my state where at 17 you still have your provisional license IIRC), you go back to a learner's permit...that'll be fun.
And while radar detectors are used for law breaking purposes by some, personally I advocate them because it's a person's right (for now) to own one, and in this day and age you better use your rights because pretty soon they'll be taken away (the few we still have left). Though I wouldn't let a 17 year old have one to be honest. The only reason I got one is because in NC they'll even give tickets for doing 6 over...also suddenly I find 55 zones becoming 35 and 25 zones, even though there has been no new development or anything of that nature. My favorite is how main street is 25mph going northbound and 35mph going southbound...and the southbound lane has more entrances onto it...wtf?
DoctorIt, if you want the woman to be a mean old lady again, next time she talks about how new cars have stronger color than old cards, educate her on how show cars use lacquer, and that she is in fact wrong...it's fun not to make friends
And yeah I know about paints...
If it wasn't for all the strict regulations about the toxic lacquer and hard oil-based paints that used to be the norm on old cars (remember that deep shine?), I would be out of the job. Paints fall under the category of "non-Newtonian fluids", and although we're making advances with the polymer based stuff and the new nanoparticle additives/nanostructure, they are still nowhere near as nice as the old stuff in terms of show-car-guy-standards: shine, durability. On the other hand, great for tree-huggers - I have a dilemma here since I appreciate both sides. You just can't polish the thin new paints to showroom by simply removing the top layer with some good compound.
Trust me, I know about thin wimpy "new" paints. My one month-old car has swirl marks galore!
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
On the part before the break: are you familiar with Glasurit? Best of both worlds...well on a local scale at least. Made using chemicals in a way that's illegal in the US to manufacture, but legal to paint a car with it once it has been made.
On the second part, I can't help but wonder how they got there. Honestly, as wimpy as the modern water based stuff is, still something has to make the swirl marks. The way to prevent them is to use a real (not imitation) sheepskin mitt (I get mine from www.carcareonline.com not quick sure why they sell the imitation stuff since Larry, the owner, is against it, but the Australian sheepskin is good). Also a good soap (there are some really cruddy soaps out there, most everything you find in Autozone type stores falls in this category), like P21S or Sonax (sonax is VERY hard to get in the US since the EPA doesn't like how they label their bottles and Sonax doesn't care to redesign the label, which is too bad because it's my favorite). OF course, also when you polish don't use an abrasive polish unless you already have scratches, instead use a cleaner (again, like P21S gloss enhancing paintwork cleanser) and even then only once a year if garaged or 4 times a year if outside (i.e. every time you wax if parked outside). And when using a cleaner and when using wax, always do so in linear motions (not circular). And don't use cleaner waxes.
Richard
I washed it once, this weekend (previously only rinsed the salt and sand off at the self-service car wash with warm water/high pressure) using a sponge and some seriously diluted, but admittedly cheap car soap. I know to stay away from the car shampoo that has wax in it. The sponge was also new, also from AutoZone seemed pretty soft, but again, not of car-show-guy caliber and rinsed well.
So while I'm not trying to keep my car show-quality perfect, and at the end of the day, the perfection of the paint job is not going to ruin my day, I do like to keep it looking "nice".
This is a good line of car-talk... caring for paint.
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
High pressure wand!!! Sacrilege! Don't you have a hose you could use? Those high pressure self-wash stations are hard on the paint. If you don't have a spigot at your house then at least take a bucket and fill that up with the water from the wand and then rinse the car with tbe bucket. I won't even get started on the sponge. Next thing I know you guys will be telling me you think it's absurd to spend 5 hours cleaning a car. I'm not the abnormal one, I swear :uhoh
My thinking there is that its better to try and rinse off as much as possible of the sand/salt before wiping it with anything. And I don't care if that anything is a baby's ass. In my head, I'm still moving catching the bits of salt/sand and moving them around on the paint.
Please explain to me why I'm wrong (not being argumentative, I'd really like to know).
See above, how is a baby sheep's back taht much better than a good big sponge?
Ah, well I see I wasted my breath above. You're going to tell us everything is wrong.
This ought to make you sleep rotten tonight... wanna know the last time I washed my motorcycle? Yeah, me too!
riding or washing. tough choice. sorry, occasionally I ride it through a stream.
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
MANY MORE at my site in the auto sections, far too many to post here
I do live in the Northeast...almost (Bethesda, MD, just north of DC), although the only place I've ever seen those self wash things at is near my school in NC.
The ones I know are fairly high pressure (you'll notice when you try to fill a bucket and see how long it takes, i.e. little water is coming out, but it's coming out with a lot of force). Maybe yours are different. Does it come out in stream or in a wide one drop high (well more, but you know what i mean) spread? If it's just slightly more pressure than a hose, then I guess it's fine (though the concours guys don't even put nozzles on the hoses).
Of course it's better to rinse first. You always have to rinse the car down before touching it with anything, in fact you should also let it soak...and make sure the paint is cool...give the engine block time to cool too, especially if it's a diesel.
As far as the baby sheep's back compared to the sponge, well for one the sponge just isn't as soft, but more importantly with sponges the junk tends to get trapped right near the surface. With the sheepskins it tends to go to the base of the hairs, so that way it's further from the paint. Also, sheepskin releases the dirt when shaken in a bucket more easily than anything else I've ever seen.
While I'm on the cleaning topic, do not use the wheel cleaners you see in stores on your wheels, especially not Meguiar's (who have faced class action lawsuits and lost, yet still don't change the formula). They will strip that paint, some sooner than others. The only safe one (well not the only, but the only moderately mainstream one that is safe) is P21S (yes, I do like that company, but then they are German and priced lower than Zymol but with the same company ethic, so what's not to like). The best is just to use whatever you use on your paint.
you're a baller, BTW
***mod edit: since junior doesn't know he doesn't have to quote the pics, I fixed it for him***
the green one is mine
gallardo/murci/porsche/F430 pix were in detroit
bentley pix were in pittsburg
red ferrari challenge stradale pix were in orlando
all friends of mine cars... i dont ask to drive them
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
:hide
And how can I take your advice about preventing swirl marks seriously? Look at your frickin license plate!!
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
*** i'm completely kidding you realize - it's just a funny way of saying: you really should have asked to drive the Conti GT, it is one hell of a ride! (yeah, that's me
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
but where's the pullover?
better yet, who's clothes are those?
I stole those along with the car so I wouldn't look so suspicious.
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]
IMO bmws are the easiest car to get 30+ in one spot...
dOCtor - haha my skills are fine as i track my car when i can, the guy that owns it, is a plastic surgeon, not sure if youve ever seen Teckademics videos? but i wasnt about to ask him, he had just purchased it
Lol you track the body kitted honda?
what body kit?