so the wife took my FitSW to one of her client's place, parked
what appeared to be visitors parking, came back, and found
a hugegangeous parking violation papersticker on the driver's
side glass. it was just a warning so no fines, but when she
pulled it off, the paper label tore up into pieces and now i got
a huge 8x8 crap of paper remains completely stuck on the
glass.

i told her why she didn't go back into the building to complain
to the pos loser $8/hr rent-a-security. pisses me off. that is
property damage.

anyway, i didnt feel like working on it yesterday so just left it.
hahaha. maybe on the weekend if i feel like it i'll use some
WD40 and plastic razorblade to remove it... and charge her
$50/hr.

 

got 2 jugs of M1 silver caps at walmart. im ready to work on my cars.

 

was going to do my oil change this morning, but it's raining so
couldn't do it. plus, the landscape guys put some new
mulch down around the lawn so it STINKS!!! LOL nothing like
rolling around next to cow shitola. hahahaha.

maybe over my 4day weekend coming up, i'll get around to it.

 

I used to think mulch was stinky, but now I just think "it's SPRING!" Hooray!!



The dealer that DIDN'T sell me my car got an oil change and tire rotation out of me today, plus I bought a Heat Shield sun visor. The thing is HUGE! There's nowhere to store it. On the good side, it does even have flaps for the triangle windows on the side...some states don't allow you to tint those, but mine are tinted.

Hope you get your oil changed this weekend.

 

yah, i guess the smell of mulch is the scent of spring...

the good is that we had some strong storms yesterday so
much of the dust and loose mulch washed away.
so things are much more tame now.

good to hear you got your oil and rotation done.
my dealer is like 2min away from work so not too much
of a hassle to drop by there to get the oil change done,
but still more convenient when i do it at home. going
back to the store to throw away old oil is kind of a hassle
though.

oh yah, i removed that darn parking volation label
remains off my FitSW last night. just used my
razor blade window scraper and some WD40. followed
by some Griot's WindowCleaner to remove the oil.

 

so this morning (or maybe it was yesterday morning....)
i saw a new 370Z in white. wow, looked hells better than in the picts.

looked like the guy was having fun driving it too. im still
in a slow search for a car in the future wat i might get after
my G35C. my G still looks brand spankin' new inside and out
even though it's 5yrs old. im the original owner and never
drove it in the snow. ive driven it a few times in the rain to
test its suspension settings and stuff since i modified the
suspension. very well cared for and plan to keep it another
2yrs.

i think it's going to be a battle between the 135I and 370Z
for me... both in white.

my MINI will probably stay no matter wat i decide on. car is
just frikken cool and so 'gathered' if you know wat i mean about
BMW's engineering. the vehicle dynamics is superb.

im hoping that the next generation MINI's will look hells better
than wat they are currently offering. the current MINI's look like
fakes or stuffed animal version of my 03. hahahahaha.

 

not too much going on today, went to work and back. my 4 day weekend started a few hours ago. hahaha.


was driving home in my FitS and saw this little dog looking creature limp across a busy interesection. was a fox! never seen one in broad daylight. poor thing though, hope his leg is ok...

 

So last night went out to pickup dinner (Indian food, awesome stuff!) in my FitS. Was fun...and food was great as always.

Tomorrow looks like a sunny day, so going to do the oil change on my FitS, followed by my G, followed by my MINI in that order.

 

Got the FitS's oil change done this am, followed by my G35C, and MINI.

Noticed I didn't have as much 5W20 Mobil1 synthetic as I thought, so my FitS has a blend of 5W20 and a bottle of 5W30. LOL. . My car was already on ramps, tools all outside so didn't feel like going out just for that one bottle.

My other cars run on 5W30.

 

was hoping i could find some wheel paint over at my local auto parts store today while recycling the old oil... no go. all of a sudden people must be fixing their wheels or something. the last store was out of wheel paint as well. hahaha.

i might end up just using engine enamel matte black. this is to fix my old
DR21 wheels and to use snow tires on them.

 

Got both FitS's washed yesterday, looks great. and as scheduled, got bird crapped this am. Hahahaha.

On my dd's I use a Griot's 9 position hose nozzle with soap dispenser and wash without a bucket. I rinse the mitt between the apps to minimize swirls. Been working great. I can wash in the sun without soap stains case it goes so fast.
As far as shampoo I use Griot's CarWash.

Luckily the water in my area is not too hard so no water stains either while it dries. I use PrimaHydro while wiping down after the rinse for its nice lubricity and polymer wax protection. Waffleweave MF towel is a must.

 

luckily this week's been pretty nice weather wise and so my cars are still looking pretty clean. lots of dustage (kenchan terminology) though...

i found Griot'sGarage is now offering a new duster with coconut oil. typically dusters use paffarin wax (California Car Duster) and unless you let the excess wax soak on a newspaper for a week, it tends to smear all over the place. Griot's claims their new duster does not do this. im going to have to try it. also CalDusters suck if you have even a mist of water on the panel. it will smear. it's $25 for the exterior and interior dusters combined. not a bad deal! i need to get some SpeedShine anyway. going to order in a few days.

now i dont recommend dusters on cars that are parked out doors (like my Fit's). when you have morning dew or even slight rain, the contaminants tend to bond onto the paint more than just dust so you can endup swirling the finish. dusters are for my hobby cars which are garaged all the time, well waxed, and rarely wet.

for slighty dirty dd's, i recommend Griot's SprayOn Car Wash. it's got super lubricity over regular quick detailers and intended to be used on soiled panels. it works great.

here's a link to the new duster.
Car Duster Set - Everyday and Storage - Car Maintenance - Griot's Garage

 

today took my FitS out driving with my buddy to check out some music stores and hobby shops.

as far as hobby shops i got 2 cans of nitro-RC cleaner aka RC car motor spray which works great for automotive use. it's not greasy like those 'electronic parts cleaners' sold at most auto parts stores. it dries completely. and not so super stinky like brake cleaner which can stinkup your garage for days even after it's all dry.

i use this stuff mainly for removing tar, oils, adhesives, before applying mounting tape to clean the surface, and sometimes to cool down parts. it has super evaporating properties so it cools parts very fast.... for wat? you ask. take for instance something you are soldering that requires heatsink and fast heat dissipation. just spray the part right after the soldering is complete. dont use it towards open flame though...!

 

Weather permitting, going to clean up the interior of my FitS today. I need to wash out all the salt stains, wash the floormats, and vac the interior.

I noticed that my a/s floor mats were kinda worn out where my left heel goes... I may need to get a replacement. Also need to get replacement factory clutch pedal covers. Those wear out too fast. I'm already on my 3rd one. Lol. . Hahahaha

 

cleaned up the interior of both Fit's this am. had a ring of salt all around the a/s floormat. pretty nasty stuff.

weapon of choice:
1) white vinegar 30% with tap water 70% in spray bottle.
2) shopvac
3) Griot's horse hair brush
4) masking tape
5) Griot's CarWash car shampoo
6) Griot's boar's hair brush
7) Prima Nero with MF applicator towel
8) cotton towels x3
9) lots of wind.
10) Griot's InteriorCleaner
11) tap water in spraybottle

Here's a quick how-to for you snowbelt folks with salty interior carpeting stains...

1) vac as much loose soil.

2) remove a/s floormats and vac carpeting again.

3) spray your vinegar/water solution liberally directly at the salt stain.
- you want to spray richer than a mist, but not like firing water at a bad cat. the purpose is to clean the top of the carpeting, not flood it.

4) while your vinegar is working, wash your a/s floormat with your car shampoo of choice and your wheel brush. i use my Griot's boar's hair brush. you dont want to use stiff bristles cause you will scratch the surface of the floor mat...unless you dont care about your $80+ investment.

5) spray some more vinegar solution over the salt stain on carpeting. keep it nice and wet.

6) rinse your a/s floormats top and bottom and let dry in the sun.

7) spray some more vinegar solution over the salt stain on the carpeting.

8) take PrimaNero rubber/plastic dressing and spray liberally at your floor mats. my Nero is a 50/50 mix with distilled water. it is a water based dressing and with my mix it will dry slick-free. nice matte finish.

9) spray some more vinegar over the salt stain on carpeting.

10) if you got any lint or hair that's stuck in your seats/carpeting, use a soft bristle brush like my horse hair brush and use your shopvac. dont use stiff bristle brushes especially on the carpeting as it will ruin it.

11) spray some more vinegar over the salt stain on carpeting...(by now the salt stain should be pretty much broken down and no more ring of salt).

12) any lint remaining on the seats, use masking tape and remove.

13) now go back to your carpeting and scrub with fresh cotton towel to absorb as much vinegar solution and soil. DO NOT scurb using paper towels cause it will fall apart and get all stuck in the carpeting and make a mess. dont ask how i know this. lol

14) take tap water in your spray bottle and spray mist liberally at the carpeting where you sprayed your vinegar solution. take your fresh cotton towels and continue to scrub and absorb vinegar and soil until your towel no longer turns brown.

15) keep your doors open while the carpeting dries.

16) as final step, i take Griot's InteriorCleaner with cotton towel and do a final spray and scrub on carpeting.

17) keep door(s) open for good 30min while your car dries. in the meantime, dressup your doorpanels, dash, etc. with Prima Nero (50/50 solution) with MF applicator towel.

inspect and place your a/s floor mats back in the car. done! for me, it took about 45min-1hr to do both cars together. keep the windows open to rid the vinegar smell. it might take about a week depending on how much concentration and amount used.

Griot'sGarage: Car Care, Detail Supplies, Garage Organization, Car Accessories - Griot's Garage 800-345-5789
Prima: Detailers Paradise: Premium Car Care Products, Auto Detailing or Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more search Prima

 

oh yah, forgot to mention... i used disposable gloves too so that my hand doesn't smell like vinegar all day long. LOL

 

Not much went on as far as FitS things, but went to work and back enjoying the super clean interior. .

So refreshing to drive a clean car.

Was a super busy day today. 3 more of these and weekend again!

 

got back from my biz trip late last night.

took a day off today and detailed my cooper-s. not too much to do but wanted to rid the rest of the salt by washing it real well, and then giving it some clay treatment, glaze (Prima Amigo), wax (Griot's Best of Show), and some LSP (Griot's SprayOn wax).

Prima Hydro'ed the wheels, dressed the tires, Prima Nero'ed the interior. looks fantastic as always. it only took 5hrs so was a breeze.

took the wife out to lunch/snack in my FitS. for some reason i had a taste for some tacobell. hahaha.

 

haha this blog is so awesome. its like a little personal journal, have you ever gone back and read everything?

 

hahaha. it'd take a long time to read the entire thread.


so i had tacobell yesterday and today i had some real taco's at a mexican restaurant with a few of our key clients. taco fever this week.

and got my new wingtip for my cooper-s so i installed it tonight as well. it's a little attachment that goes on at the tip of the aero kit rear wing. wat it does is it breaksup the vortex aft of the hatch so tremendously reduces dust buildup on the rear glass and hatch. cool stuff. can't wait to try it tomorrow.