Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

The cheapest MX-5 i've ever found for sale in Newfoundland? 1999 with 85K for ... $13,500

The fuck is wrong with people?
 
Night_Hawk said:
The cheapest MX-5 i've ever found for sale in Newfoundland? 1999 with 85K for ... $13,500

The fuck is wrong with people?
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Couldn't you buy one in another province?
 
Operation "make room for additional vehicle in garage" was a success. So tomorrow the Focus gets another roomie.
 
Hit 150,000 miles in the Accord today. Woo!
 
Looks like I'll have a VW Polo Variant project today - gonna wash it inside out and buff the paintwork.
 
Paint shade differences between body panels, overspray (panels, door jambs, seals, engine bay) door closing/fit, check if paint ends at seal (there being no new paint under window seal), etc...
 
The Mazda got a set of new spark plugs today, and the difference was huge. Former owner had fitted whatever plug he could find so there were three different kinds of plugs fitted... Ah well, now it's got a full set of Bosch Iridium plugs.
 
rickhamilton620 said:
I wouldn't call it sordid, I'd say you just value your time differently and would rather do other things than wash your car. I love cars and I'm a lazy bastard when it comes to washing mine. The most it gets is being pulled into one of those "wash your own car" car washes. A gazillion quarters later and it's "good enough." :p
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It's not just the car wash thing, or even just car-related though. I am always hatching projects in my head that I abandon during the planning stages because I convince myself that my unnecessarily high attention to detail would make it not worth the hassle.

Basically, I hugely procrastinate in every aspect of life because of this so it really isn't a positive. :)

Oh, and the only reason I want to wash my own car is because car washes suck ass. I don't want to pay $30 for a shitty wash job that will leave my car worse off than when it went in (due to dirty rags and stuff messing up your paint). The reason I wanted to do to more than a wash this time for the GTI is because it's seen quite a bit of action in its first 6 months of life, going down to SoCal and getting taken into whatever junky car wash I had access to in the middle of nowhere.
 
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Right down the street from me is a gas station with an automated car wash - $4 for a basic wash and I think $7 for the most advanced. Basically you pull in and a chain pulls your car through a long building full of spinning brushes and spray jets and such. For the price it doesn't do a bad job at all, and importantly the expensive one gets the underside of the car. Do they have anything like this in Canada?
 
They have those everywhere, but I don't feel like taking my car for a $4 wash. Well, in Canada it would probably be more like $12.

If they are touchless they don't clean your car worth a crap, if they aren't touchless then they fuck up your paint.

Plus, a huge part of doing it yourself is that it's fun and a way to cool down on a warm day.
 
public said:
Paint shade differences between body panels, overspray (panels, door jambs, seals, engine bay) door closing/fit, check if paint ends at seal (there being no new paint under window seal), etc...
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Went to see this Clio, sounds really good and looks good as well. No signs of any major accidents, the trunk floor was straight, the engine bay looked good with the front struts(?) being straight and with no signs of welding, etc.
 
Shawn said:
They have those everywhere, but I don't feel like taking my car for a $4 wash. Well, in Canada it would probably be more like $12.

If they are touchless they don't clean your car worth a crap, if they aren't touchless then they fuck up your paint.

Plus, a huge part of doing it yourself is that it's fun and a way to cool down on a warm day.
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Maybe fun for you, for me I'll pay $4 and save myself the trouble :p No paint problems to speak of, our family's been using it for for over a decade.

But we've already established that I'm lazy.
 
Oh, this works out well for me then. I made my initial post on the subject kind of lamenting the fact I thought I was so lazy, but now I see I'm not that lazy - at least I had the ambition to think of washing my car. :p
 
Shawn said:
They have those everywhere, but I don't feel like taking my car for a $4 wash. Well, in Canada it would probably be more like $12.

If they are touchless they don't clean your car worth a crap, if they aren't touchless then they fuck up your paint.

Plus, a huge part of doing it yourself is that it's fun and a way to cool down on a warm day.
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They are $10-$12 and unless its a newer, well looked after wash; your clearcoat will be noticably marked up with repeated use. The touchless ones will make your car look better at first but they never fully get everything off and you'll have a fine film of dirt left on the car and they still cost $8-$16. If you're wanting to keep your paint as flawless as possible I'd just take it to a detailer and have them deal with the swirl marks and throw on a good coat of wax. Then when the cars dirty, do a quick wash by hand or touchless if you're feeling lazy. From then on a coat or two of good wax a year and a very occasional claybar and it will stay nice and unmolested.
 
Shawnw said:
They are $10-$12 and unless its a newer, well looked after wash; your clearcoat will be noticably marked up with repeated use. The touchless ones will make your car look better at first but they never fully get everything off and you'll have a fine film of dirt left on the car and they still cost $8-$16. If you're wanting to keep your paint as flawless as possible I'd just take it to a detailer and have them deal with the swirl marks and throw on a good coat of wax. Then when the cars dirty, do a quick wash by hand or touchless if you're feeling lazy. From then on a coat or two of good wax a year and a very occasional claybar and it will stay nice and unmolested.
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Exactly! I don't know about the US, but anyone I know here who uses run of the mill car washes has a car that is basically showing the sheet metal after a few years it has so many swirl marks. I'm sure the US is the same too actually, as I said the swirl marks on my car are a result of taking it to whatever car wash I could find while on away in the US.

I could get it professionally detailed but to be honest I can't be arsed with the cost. Like I said I was just looking for something to do on a hot day (yes, I know you don't detail a car under sunlight).
 
I tried Meguiars deep clean something and it did wonders to the light cobwebbing I had in my paint. Good stuff, a bit pricey but they last forever and smell funny (their shampoos smells just like human shampoo!) Still, rubbing away at the car isn't much fun, I think I am in need of a machine.

Also my primer is white. Stonechips show like a motherfucker. I did successfull repairs this weekend with lots of toothpicks, a steady hand and ages of patience. Not as good as a pro, but good enough that I can't see them anymore from 40 cm away. Anyone have a way of applying the clearcoat without machining it down afterwards like a pro?
 
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public said:
http://img844.imageshack.**/img844/2110/buff7.jpg

The 323F turned out damned good when buffed; there are still some small swirls and scratches, but I got a good lustre to it.

More pics in my thread
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That looks great! :D

maxtortheone said:
Advice on what to look for if a car's been hit? I'm sure you guys should know some stuff.
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What Public said, but I'd also add to check how the badging is applied to the car. You'd be surprised how many cars I see where the trunk badges are totally either crooked, a little too high or low on the trunk, or are in the wrong place entirely. Also check for paint on things that shouldn't be painted, like the mirrors and black plastic trim outside.

Shawn said:
It's not just the car wash thing, or even just car-related though. I am always hatching projects in my head that I abandon during the planning stages because I convince myself that my unnecessarily high attention to detail would make it not worth the hassle.

Basically, I hugely procrastinate in every aspect of life because of this so it really isn't a positive. :)
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Hah, I'm a firm member of the procrastination club XD. I have a Hackintosh project that has pretty much gone nowhere. :p

maxtortheone said:
Went to see this Clio, sounds really good and looks good as well. No signs of any major accidents, the trunk floor was straight, the engine bay looked good with the front struts(?) being straight and with no signs of welding, etc.
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Very nice! :cool:
 
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