Car Talk

fxh said:
WTF? Its the only thing more boring and useless than mowing the fucking lawn.
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fxh house

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Alright, today's installment is interior specialty.

There's the basics like vacuum your shit out regularly. Condition the leather once a month or two. All easy to handle.

For basic wipe downs, I already mentioned Nextzett Cockpit. If you are looking at deeper cleaning, Nextzett make a product called Plastic Deep Cleaner (sometimes labeled in their native German as Plastik Reiniger). It's great on stuff like vinyl Weathertec floormats and stuff. Good on exterior plastic with staining as well. It's mildly acidic, so you spray on for a couple minutes then wipe off. Important to seal afterward with Cockpit premium or 303. Very effective though, and doesn't take much, a bottle will last for a long ass time.

For touchscreens, clear plastic over the gauges, and radio faces, I prefer to get a generic lens cleaner. Any store will have it, or you can get it off Amazon. I've had the same bottle for literally a decade, and it's only half gone. It's about the most economical thing out there. Plexus has been the typical thing to use over the years, but I have lens cleaner to work better and cost a fraction.

A good detail brush I already mentioned. You can't clean without one. Compressed air cans are also useful for blowing out dust from creases and vents.

For door jambs (door shuts if you are a Brit), a good generic microfiber with some Meguiars APC diluted 10:1, and put in a spray bottle is all you need. Just mist the jambs and wipe down. Follow with a clean towel after.

Every year or so you need to dress the door seals to keep them from getting hard and cracking. You can just wipe them down with the APC mixture, then apply Nextzett Gummi Pflege which is specifically made for light porous seal rubber. You can spray some 303 on a towel and wipe it on as an alternative, but the Gummi is only like 9 bucks a stick and lasts for fucking ever because you hardly use it.

If you are looking for a vacuum/shampooer, I have the Bissell SpotClean thingy. Not just for cars, I use it around the house a lot too.

There's specialized stuff like A/C vent odor remover that Nextzett makes, but the stuff above covers 99% of the interior. If you can just wipe the interior down with a microfiber once a week or so, keeping it fresh is pretty easy.
 
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Jesus,

I just get a valeter to do it, I've got more important things to do in my spare time, like surfing for porn.
 
doghouse said:
So Grand Potentate Grand Potentate , the only other thing I was going to put here, unless someone wants any other info, is battling water spots. What color is your car?
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Blue and red. Water spots are so bad here they’ve literally stained the blue car so much so that I need to now have it sanded down and refinished to get them out.
 
Rambo said:
Blue and red. Water spots are so bad here they’ve literally stained the blue car so much so that I need to now have it sanded down and refinished to get them out.
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Yeah, unfortunately blue is second only to black in terms of difficulty. You don't need to sand them out, they need to be compounded out, which is different. Being in sunny Florida is making your job worse too.

I'd have to see the car in person to really make a solid recommendation on removing them. You may be able to do it with a DA polisher, which would be fairly easy. If you have to get a rotary involved, then I'd say get a pro to do it unless you just think the paint is so damaged you just want to say fuck it and give it a go yourself since you have nothing to lose.

I take it the red one is the new one? Generally, drying the car off before it naturally dries is your only way. You can get one of those filter systems too, which definitely help. I think Mr. Clean or someone makes a cheap version as well. The steps I would take would be to get a Quikshade tent to keep the sun off while you are working, and keep water running over the car as you work your way around (ie. after you rinse one side, work the other quickly and rinse both sides again). You have to keep the car cool to keep water from baking off and leaving the minerals behind. Dry as quick as you can.

IF you do want to try and get the spots out, I can give some general pointers. I put some pictures of restoring the pain on my F350 up a couple years ago here
 
Rambo said:
So what’s the benefit of the 303?
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So here is why you want an anti static non stick product. I wiped some of the 303 off the middle cowl, and left the tacky 303 on the other piece to show you the quick dirt build up. Whoever cleaned this car at the dealer is a hack.

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Some pics of the beast. The rear wheels spin if you kick down the pedal, even at highway speeds, but it’s relatively controlled with TC on. When I first got it, accidental burnouts at stoplights were a common occurance because I was used to the slow rental car where you can go pedal to the metal without anything happening. The exhaust is extremely loud for a stock system, but no droning. Averaging 14mpg, but it’s capable of 25mpg if you don’t drive it like a hooligan.

It’s been an absolute blast to daily this car. It makes the commute so much more bearable.

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Monkeyface said:
Some pics of the beast. The rear wheels spin if you kick down the pedal, even at highway speeds, but it’s relatively controlled with TC on. When I first got it, accidental burnouts at stoplights were a common occurance because I was used to the slow rental car where you can go pedal to the metal without anything happening. The exhaust is extremely loud for a stock system, but no droning. Averaging 14mpg, but it’s capable of 25mpg if you don’t drive it like a hooligan.

It’s been an absolute blast to daily this car. It makes the commute so much more bearable.

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This is the most uncouth thing I've seen on the forum since Leitmotif's demise.

Welcome to LA! I see that you're already well adjusted!
 
As we’ve seen over the past month, many important men in LA abuse kids, so I’m glad I don’t belong to that group.

I’m happy to be unimportant in my muscle car. That NA 500hp 6.4L V8 sure beats a Eurotrash econobox when it comes to smiles per mile. I’m just amazed that such a massive amount of power is available for less than $50k.
 
Monkeyface said:
As we’ve seen over the past month, many important men in LA abuse kids, so I’m glad I don’t belong to that group.

I’m happy to be unimportant in my muscle car. That NA 500hp 6.4L V8 sure beats a Eurotrash econobox when it comes to smiles per mile. I’m just amazed that such a massive amount of power is available for less than $50k.
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Don’t make yourself that small, you’re not that big
 
Monkeyface said:
As we’ve seen over the past month, many important men in LA abuse kids, so I’m glad I don’t belong to that group.

I’m happy to be unimportant in my muscle car. That NA 500hp 6.4L V8 sure beats a Eurotrash econobox when it comes to smiles per mile. I’m just amazed that such a massive amount of power is available for less than $50k.
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Average age of buyers: 50 except for Indian HB1 programmers & Euros from the financial sector
 
Monkeyface said:
As we’ve seen over the past month, many important men in LA abuse kids, so I’m glad I don’t belong to that group.

I’m happy to be unimportant in my muscle car. That NA 500hp 6.4L V8 sure beats a Eurotrash econobox when it comes to smiles per mile. I’m just amazed that such a massive amount of power is available for less than $50k.
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'Merica

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viaattovannucci said:
Two-tone wristwatch.
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Your root beer lex would go so well with this car.

Challengers are relatively common in LA, but I’m still getting compliments on my car when I’m driving down the street. Must be the engine/color combination.
 
Monkeyface said:
Your root beer lex would go so well with this car.
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Indeed!

Monkeyface said:
Challengers are relatively common in LA, but I’m still getting compliments on my car when I’m driving down the street. Must be the engine/color combination.
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Awww that’s so cute! You think a compliment is a compliment and that people mean what they say! You’re still new to LA, after all!
 
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viaattovannucci said:
Indeed!



Awww that’s so cute! You think a compliment is a compliment and that people mean what they say! You’re still new to LA, after all!
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People are very chatty here compared to London. I don’t care if it’s genuine or not, it’s a nice change of pace either way.
 
Not bad for a $20 hand wash:
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I’m thinking of adding white tire lettering, to make it look a little more old school.
 
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alright doghouse doghouse i got some 303, cockpit premium, a meguiars microfiber weave drying towel, and some of that collinite wax. the cockpit premium is the closest thing to armor all, right? if that provides cleaning and protection, how and why do i use the 303? almost every review of the 303 compares it to armor all and the like so the two separate products don't make much sense to me for interiors. does that also work on the black plastic trim on the outside?

what about towels for applying the interior products? are the costco towels good enough? is a cotton rag good enough for the interior vinyl? do i need the little circle pads for applying tire and wax?

you ever dealt with opti-bond tire gel? https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-OB2008Q-Opti-Bond-Tire-Gel/dp/B00BFUFT2S
 
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Rambo said:
alright doghouse doghouse i got some 303, cockpit premium, a meguiars microfiber weave drying towel, and some of that collinite wax. the cockpit premium is the closest thing to armor all, right? if that provides cleaning and protection, how and why do i use the 303? almost every review of the 303 compares it to armor all and the like so the two separate products don't make much sense to me for interiors. does that also work on the black plastic trim on the outside?

what about towels for applying the interior products? are the costco towels good enough? is a cotton rag good enough for the interior vinyl? do i need the little circle pads for applying tire and wax?

you ever dealt with opti-bond tire gel? https://www.amazon.com/Optimum-OB2008Q-Opti-Bond-Tire-Gel/dp/B00BFUFT2S
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Rule number one, never refer to Armor All unless using it as a synonym for "Worst Fucking Terrible Ass Shit That Will Literally Attract Dirt". Cockpit Premium is non-static, meaning it will help repel dirt, and it's matte, so no sheen. The 303 is a UV protectant, which will prevent fading. The only thing I'd ever use it on inside is the dash once every 6 months or so. Basically clean the dash with any sort of cleaner, then wipe a little 303 on it. Can wipe 1Z Cockpit over that after it dries for a second.

303 is the exact shit you want to use on black trim outside, it will keep it from turning gray and chalky. I also use it every third or fourth time on my tires. Exterior plastics and vinyls is really what it's made for, though it has other uses like we've discussed and you've read elsewhere.

The basic microfiber towels are totally fine for wiping down and applying interior stuff, even on the vinyl. The only thing you really need the pads for is wax, and a tire dressing if you choose to use one. I think shiny tires looks amateur, but that's just my opinion, I prefer natural rubber look and use 303 to keep them conditioned. Optimum products are great, so you can't go wrong if you choose that.
 
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