This is the saddest thing I’ve ever read.
Work those relationships.
AutomotiveEra |OT| Four are better than two
- Thread starter JakeG4
- Start date
Ack, all over the place with my thoughts for my next car. My list is varied and quite different
M240i - handsome, powerful, could be a daily driver. Would lease it.
2019 ND Miata - the standard for perfect driving dynamics in a small package. slightly less practical
Civic Type R - used to think it looked good, then i thought it was ugly, now I'm coming around again in certain colors
I really need to go and test drive them all...
Then there's "the others", the Golf R, RS3, Q60 Red Sport. The Veloster N has also gotten a lot of praise..
Any other suggestions from the folks here?
M240i - handsome, powerful, could be a daily driver. Would lease it.
2019 ND Miata - the standard for perfect driving dynamics in a small package. slightly less practical
Civic Type R - used to think it looked good, then i thought it was ugly, now I'm coming around again in certain colors
I really need to go and test drive them all...
Then there's "the others", the Golf R, RS3, Q60 Red Sport. The Veloster N has also gotten a lot of praise..
Any other suggestions from the folks here?
Of that crop, I’d consider the Veloster N, Golf R, and ND Miata, but I’m a hatch and Mazda stan.
Chemical Guys VRP is my favourite. A good comparison here. You might prefer others depending on whether you want a glossier or more matt finish.
I don't know much about it since I don't have my own car yet, but I've seen a lot of people are car shows like Stance Wars and Wekfest use Meguiars.
I don't know what country that guy is from but Megs Endurance is a gel in the UK, not a spray and IMO (and most people who are into detailing) is the best tyre dressing available. I've used it for years, though I have just purchased some AF Satin to give it a test but still have the Megs as backup if it's not up to my standards.
If RS3 is in your budget then why M240i instead of M2? It's my choice from that list. It's fun, it's reliable (really), comfortable, usable back seats, quite decent fuel economy, extremely fun and plenty of tuning potential. Also the best looking
Ive used Black magic and Meguiars sprays. Meguiars is significantly better imo
Tho, I kinda hate tire dressings tbh. Maybe a gel is better, but its a pain as it gets onto my red fenders + attracts brake dust like none other. Even if I wipe down multiple times + let my car sit for a while, it always sprays the fenders lol.
That being said, I no longer use them cause I have tire stickers...lmao.
Wow that's a looker. I absolutely love it
Lol, the next generation CLA 45S that is inevitably gonna come out. If the A35 that just got shown last week has ~300hp/tq, I can bet the 45 and def the 45S will be something else entirely
Yeah, you're right the RS3 is probably out of my budget. At this point I'm probably leaning most towards the M240i.
Now I just need to get my Si and NB Miata ready to sell!
Does anyone on here have experience with plastidip? Considering removing the chrome side panels on my Jeep wk2 grand Cherokee and then doing a either a matte black or dark blue/black plastidip on the front grill and rear lightbar bezel thing. Just not a fan of the chrome in those 2 spots.
Adding a roof rack and maybe a top basket as well, and then maybe tubular sidesteps to get this thing looking more like a proper jeep. Also want to do all terrain 275/65r18s but I can't justify wasting the tread on the all seasons for probably another year or 2. Also will be adding a factory tow package. Maybe a front spacer level to get rid of the rake when I do the wheels too. If I decide to drive it into the ground vs ever selling or trading in may do a ripp supercharger down the line too.
Adding a roof rack and maybe a top basket as well, and then maybe tubular sidesteps to get this thing looking more like a proper jeep. Also want to do all terrain 275/65r18s but I can't justify wasting the tread on the all seasons for probably another year or 2. Also will be adding a factory tow package. Maybe a front spacer level to get rid of the rake when I do the wheels too. If I decide to drive it into the ground vs ever selling or trading in may do a ripp supercharger down the line too.
I don't personally but one of my friends decided to plastidip his wheels once and he regretted that since he had to reapply the plastidip every like 2 months or his wheels looked awful haha.
It seems to be an easy enough process but not something you'd want to cheap out on. If you're gonna do it, then do it right, follow the instructions, make sure you apply many layers, and use tons of painters tape. I don't even think you need to remove the trim more of the time.
That isn't actually completely surprising, since the Prius is designed as a city car and thus has much more sensitive and lighter steering for a nipper and more immediate overall feel, whereas a lot of these other vehicles have stiffer steering for more minor and high speed adjustment, at the cost of requiring more effort in super sharp rapid manoeuvres like you might get on a figure 8. They're also not going to have the sticky tires or downforce to properly compensate like other super or performance cars might have.
I managed to get a slot at RS Adrenaline Academy in June. Ford offers owners of the Focus RS a free driving school in Tooele, UT. But you have to take it within a year of buying the car! There's a 4.5mi road course, an autocross, and a skid pad for drift mode! I'm really looking forward to this!
https://www.rsadrenalineacademy.com/en/
And a photo I took of my car on Saturday after washing, clay baring, and waxing it.
https://www.rsadrenalineacademy.com/en/
And a photo I took of my car on Saturday after washing, clay baring, and waxing it.
Sounds good! Performance driving schools are fun.I managed to get a slot at RS Adrenaline Academy in June. Ford offers owners of the Focus RS a free driving school in Tooele, UT. But you have to take it within a year of buying the car! There's a 4.5mi road course, an autocross, and a skid pad for drift mode! I'm really looking forward to this!
https://www.rsadrenalineacademy.com/en/
And a photo I took of my car on Saturday after washing, clay baring, and waxing it.
I want to wax my car but I'm scared I'm going to fuck it up lol.
wax on, wax off. you can't mess it up. if you use real carnauba then keep it from the exterior black plastic and rubber parts as they'll turn white. synthetic waxes these days won't even discolor plastics or rubbers like Meguiars Ultimate Wax. if you want an even easier way, there are spray on synthetic waxes like Mothers CMX that is easier and extremely durable.
Part of it for me is my daily has a ton of fine scratches in it. I think the previous owner did a lot of soft-cloth automatic washes. I'm wondering if waxing will work the clear coat enough to actually smooth it out before getting serious with actual polishing.
I ended buying a 2019 IS 350 F last week, possibly the only one that will be sold in Maine this year given inventory. Unfortunately it's been raining and muddy and awful so it already looks terrible and no chance of getting a good photo. Maybe it will clear up later this week. It was an interesting process buying it insofar as it was a vehicle the dealership was using for an internal car show competition, so it's a bit overly fussy with tinted windows and things, but they were eager to move it and dropped some money off the sticker price despite being a fixed price dealership. Certainly more comfortable drive than my WRX, only one semi-panicked attempt to grab the stick and engage the clutch so far...
You need to clay bar your car before waxing. The clay bar is what removes all the dirt and tar and bugs that your wash mitt cannot. Then you can wax it.
1. Wash the car with a microfiber mitt. Use 2 buckets. 1 for soap. 1 to rinse your mitt. Use plenty of soap. The car should get really sudsy to lift the dirt off the surface.
1.5. Dry the car. This prevents water spots. Use something like "The Absorber". If you are going to clay bar the car, this may not be necessary.
2. Clay bar the car in sections. You spray down a lubricant and then rub the clay bar over the paint back and forth. When the clay gets dirty, just fold it over onto itself and you will have clean clay again. Wipe the paint down and you will immediately notice a difference in how smooth the paint feels.
3. Once you clay a section of the car, wax it immediately. Doing it immediately prevents dirt from settling on the paint before you apply the wax.
4. Buff the wax off the car with a terry cloth or microfiber towel. You'll need a bunch of these. Buy in bulk.
I'm sure that there are other steps that people do, but those are the basic ones.
Where in this sequence would polishing take place? I have a dual action polisher and want to do a full detail with polish and wax.
With its somewhat ridiculous option package it was listed at a little over 49k, 1k discount to move, 2.5k rebate for cash purchase.
Did not trade, nor sell the WRX yet, will private sale it over next few weeks--spent part of the weekend doing interior detailing on it including trying to get the road salt out of the floor upholstery. It should sell quickly since I baby it and it was the last year for the manual hatch, plus it has the STI short throw and bushings, etc. And I have so many tires for it...
Awesome. I have an NB I'm about to sell, but man I love that little car. A newer version with more creature comforts sounds amazing.
Totally understandable, I just love the roof lines of the RF tho
also, if you are waiting for good weather before polish/wax you're still better off using a quick spray on wax before you really put some elbow grease into it. some protection is better than nothing.
I've never found a clay bar to be necessary before every wax. I maybe do a full clay bar like once every 2 years, and that's really only on a car that's at least 5 years old. Factory paint is very good generally these days and a thorough wash, dry, and wax is generally plenty imo. I only do a full wax maybe 2-3x a year too. You can tell when you need to do it again when the rain stops bubbling as well, which usually takes 2-3 months, but I ain't doing a full manual wax in the winter.
Clay bar really only needed if you notice the paint kind of looks "dirty" so to speak even after a wash and wax.
Generally speaking I do think waxing is very important especially in a snowy environment with lots of road salt. Cars I buy are usually around 5-10 years old or so and if I keep them for 5 years or so I never see any rust. Also need to do frequent underbody washes in the winter to keep the rust away from underneath. So a thorough wax in the fall before they start hitting the roads with salt is critical.
Clay bar really only needed if you notice the paint kind of looks "dirty" so to speak even after a wash and wax.
Generally speaking I do think waxing is very important especially in a snowy environment with lots of road salt. Cars I buy are usually around 5-10 years old or so and if I keep them for 5 years or so I never see any rust. Also need to do frequent underbody washes in the winter to keep the rust away from underneath. So a thorough wax in the fall before they start hitting the roads with salt is critical.
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Yea, I've never done this but I really wish I had. So many faint swirl marks on my car at the moment due to all the hand washes I've paid for. That said, now I have all the detailing equipment and will be doing a thorough clean, detailing and finish. Hope to get a mirror finish and correct all the faint swirl marks etc. Following that I'll wash and spray wax myself instead of going to hand car washes.
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So next week my childhood dream will become reality. I've lusted after american muscle cars since I was small, they have always attracted me more than european cars because of their absurd big loud engines and low price. Living my entire life in Europe, they were so rare to see and I never thought I'd own a Camaro which was always my favourite out of the Mustang and Challenger. I'm waiting for my ZL1 to arrive next week, after trying to import one since November I finally did it and the car is so close I still can't believe it. I was going to get an SS since they're officially sold in Europe but I knew I would always lust for the ZL1 and seeing how much the ZL1 cost in the US I ended paying almost the same as for an SS in Europe. ZL1's aren't officially sold here though so the ones they sell in Germany were like 80k euros so that was out of my budget. Most dealers in the US wouldn't allow to sell the car for export because the same dealers that were selling ZL1's for 55k dollars in the US, they were selling them in Europe for 80k or more. Fortunately a friend of mine did some magic and got around to exporting a ZL1 after convincing a dealer. It took since January for the car to be validated for export, the car was shipped in March and it's going to be here this Sunday. This is the last picture of the car before she got shipped, it's a 18 Camaro ZL1 10 Speed
Beautiful, congrats! The wait must be killer.So next week my childhood dream will become reality. I've lusted after american muscle cars since I was small, they have always attracted me more than european cars because of their absurd big loud engines and low price. Living my entire life in Europe, they were so rare to see and I never thought I'd own a Camaro which was always my favourite out of the Mustang and Challenger. I'm waiting for my ZL1 to arrive next week, after trying to import one since November I finally did it and the car is so close I still can't believe it. I was going to get an SS since they're officially sold in Europe but I knew I would always lust for the ZL1 and seeing how much the ZL1 cost in the US I ended paying almost the same as for an SS in Europe. ZL1's aren't officially sold here though so the ones they sell in Germany were like 80k euros so that was out of my budget. Most dealers in the US wouldn't allow to sell the car for export because the same dealers that were selling ZL1's for 55k dollars in the US, they were selling them in Europe for 80k or more. Fortunately a friend of mine did some magic and got around to exporting a ZL1 after convincing a dealer. It took since January for the car to be validated for export, the car was shipped in March and it's going to be here this Sunday. This is the last picture of the car before she got shipped, it's a 18 Camaro ZL1 10 Speed