swirlie

I knew that was coming.

Haha, excited's pickin up the ladies with his TSX.
Heh, I was walking out to my car with one girl I'm workin' on and I hit the unlock button as I got close. She liked my "magic car" (her words), as it "lights up by itself" when I get close. What can I say? She's a "starving university student". A pretty hot one at that.

I've been lucky with that so far. No squeaks or rattles, knock on wood. But then, I weigh next to nothing.

The weather's not great right now. A little wet. It's a standard winter in Victoria. Maybe a little drier than usual.

dj Dozhe

And just to be completely off topic...I really thought that link was a joke and I was going to see some pothead smack his head into a glass window not knowing it was there.

Gooker1

Thanks again for all the great info guys!

Regarding the wandwash - I'm assuming we should stay away from the brush w/ soap coming out of it?

What should I stick w/?

swirlie

helraiser

not handwash, wandwash. It's like the touchless system, just high power water sprayed from a hand held brush. Think supersoaker x 500 or those Karcher systems.

Oh yah... and for those that are looking for a drying cloth, buy "The Absorber" from canadian tire. $19.99 or something but this thing soaks up and retains water like crazy. Lets your car dry faster AND NO SWIRLIES! - pun intended!

Seriously though, i hated leaving the wand wash with water all over my car and having it freeze. This thing soaks up water and noo marks whatsoever! Bought 2 of 'em (for the car's body and for the window.) Gonna get another for my bike too

excited

I bought one of those and just tried it for a few seconds and wasn't sure if I liked it. Do you use it like a sponge or a chamois?

I think that Gooker1 was asking about the brush with the soap that comes out of it, at the wandwash.

I used it up until the time that I clayed, polished and waxed my car. I know that the cars is cleaner and shinier when you use it, but I'm not positive if it puts micro-scratches on the car or not. There's lots of suds, so I don't think so, but I'm not positive.

During the summer I will be hand washing, but there isn't a lot of choice during the winter. If I want my TSX to look especially good I will use the soap brush again.

Now are you thourghly confused?



Excited

helraiser

hehe... don't use the brush. you'll get really bad swirls - talking from experience unfortunately. I used it on mine and now i've got to think about claying it to remove those swirls. at first i didn't see the swirls because of the immense amount of suds but as soon as i started rinsing I saw them and they were VERY evident. I brought it home and waxed her immediately. As said, I'll have to try claying it or taking it into a detail shop.

I use the absorber just as a sponge to dry the car and nothing else.

excited

Yea I was getting swirls as well. I suspected the brush but I always used it in a back and forth motion so was confused about the swirls.

The claying won't take out the swirls. Use something like Meguiars step 1 and 2 paint cleaner and polish. That's what took out my swirls.

I will try the absorber next time as a sponge. Thanks



Excited

Gooker1

Alrighty - so 1) get the "Absorber" to dry the car (hopefully I can find it at US shops) and 2) Don't use soapbrush.

Thanks for the tips everyone! I'll just stick to rinse and soapwater at the wandwash spots. It rained again in LA today, but I think it's supposed to be done for a while. Gonna hit up the carwash tomorrrow.

swirlie

lol, I wouldn't mind too much if I could dry my car without any swirlies... Are you offering?

I saw the Absorber, but opted for this Simoniz Microfibre Drying Towel, instead.

helraiser

thx for the tip on meguiar's. i'll have to go get those. it'll give me something to do this weekend. wouldn't mind getting those buggers out!

TSXdawg

Hey guys, here's a site I discovered from the wash and wax forums. Excellent read on all you need to know about detailing your car...but were afraid to ask.

http://store.yahoo.com/autopia/how-to.html

GuyIncognito

Well, I picked up my new car last week and finally have some pictures to show. Special thanks to everyone in this thread for convincing me to go with RBP. Having never seen one on the lot I was concerned for maybe 10 minutes after I put money down that it might look too purple. But having now seen it in many different lighting conditions, I must say it is beautiful in any light!

Gooker1

Alright, my car got devirginized on Friday! It's not a good thing either - I got my first car ding!!! I was sooo pissed and still pissed!!!

It's on the passenger size rear door. It's noticeable too. I'm just glad the paint didn't chip.

I have a friend who knows a body shop guy, so I'll probably take it there to get it fixed.

6 days!! 6 F'ing Days!!!! What the crap is that huh?

Even though it's supposed to rain next week, I'll probably take the car to get it washed, b/c it's pretty dirty from the previous rain.

Stupid dings and rain.

excited

Congrats on getting your TSX and the RBP. As you know we are a little partial to that colour on this thread.

I have originally chose ASM, then black, but by chance saw the RBP in the lot and basically said I will have one of those!

I have never seen the purple but it surely gives different hues in different light.

Congrats again. (I wrote this last night and got interupted and I am just sending it now, so sorry for the late congrats.)



Excited

waTSX

The brushes at those quick washes definitely suck. They seem too coarse. But there are brushes that work very well. I've been using one of those brushes you buy specifically for car washing, a Carrand, and it works great. It doesn't trap dirt like a sponge or rag, and I've experienced zero swirls on my '04. It's really soft, so no chance of scratching.

Coupled with the California Water Blade it's been very effective.

excited

Sorry I was busy painting my house the last several days and never really got a chance to post and respond to your F'ing ding.

So sorry to hear about your ding, especially after just 6 days!!

I'm not going to say that I am ding free so far because I don't want to jinx myself. I really try hard to pick parking spots where I am least likely to get dings but eventually the DD (dreaded ding) or in your case a FD ( F'ing ding).

Once again sorry for your ding.



Excited

excited

I have the sheepskin glove for washing but I am a little vertically challanged and a brush would come in handy for the roof.

A Carrand brush:





Excited

GuyIncognito

On a humorous (and slightly morbid) note, one of my grandparents passed away last weekend and the funeral was yesterday. My car was the first car in the procession to the grave site (behind the hearse). Upon pulling up to the grave site, the cemetary director walked over to us and the first thing he said, pointing at my car, was "You know, I almost got that color".

I love the car, but I already know what I dislike the most about it - the turning radius!! My previous car was a 1994 Toyota Camry and it had way better turning radius. It's almost criminal that a compact car should turn this wide - the only other thing similar that I've seen is my friend's Saturn, and that didn't have power steering! And this is coming from someone who used to drive a bus...

helraiser

Well... just reporting back about the Tein H-techs and the drop. After all the snowfall we've had I'm VERY glad that's as far as I went with lowering her. After about 6" of snow you can hear the snow scraping against the undercarriage. Not pretty! It's not touching the front bumper, just somewhere midway and in the rear.

excited

With all due respects to your deceased grandparent, that is humourous!

I haven't thought much about the turning radius. It's about the same that I am used to.

What I do notice is how well it negotiates curves at high speeds! That I am not used to.



Excited

excited

Yikes. I know squat about the Teins. Are there some types that are adjustable?

The TSX does look sharp lowered.



Excited

swirlie

The turning radius sucks. I'm used to the much smaller radius on a Civic, but I'm getting used to it. I just have to remember that the occasional U-turn is now an occasional 3-point turn. Even still, the turning circle is just large, at about 40 feet (~4 parking spots IIRC)!

waTSX

Tein Flexes are fully adjustable. Ride height as well as damping.

excited

I washed my TSX yesterday after it got pretty dirty, but today it got super dirty so I washed it again tonight. When I washed it with just the soap spray and spray rinse it looked pretty clean. After I pulled out I started to dry the windows and notice that as the sides of the TSX were drying an obvious film was showing.

As much as I hate the brush for the darn swirls it can leave, it sure does a better job of cleaning, with the foamy soap and the brush.

I'm other going to have to use it occasionally or bring my sheepskin glove and bucket to the wand wash. I will have to keep a good lookout for the people with the white straight jackets.



Excited

Gooker1

Seriously, ever since i picked up my car, it's been raining once every 4 days! It's raining again tomorrow and Saturday! It's supposed to clear up, so sunday's the day to get the wash!

Oh, i think I have the dreaded windshield vibration. It's really weird though. Started to hear it yesterday on the way to work. It's only noticeable when the freeway is bumpy, but I'm almost sure it's coming from the front windshield - Any tips? If it's still like this, I'll call into the dealer and see if they can fix

swirlie

Don't worry, they're actually pretty friendly. Plus, you get your own room with a lot of soft padding. Only downside is no TSX.

Hmmm... 6/13 posts on this page made by excited...

It was hard rain and wind yesterday. It hailed on the way to work this morning. I can only take solace in that my car looks clean when soaked.

Beoshingus

Why is this thread still open?

helraiser

Mine's hella dirty... i do however like the idea of taking a sheepskin glove wash mitt to the wand wash... you can just cover the entire car with the soap suds and then wash it with the mit... sounds like an idea.

oh and yah, the turning radius is teh suck!

excited

18,483 views I guess!



Excited

swirlie

That and we're keeping the topics interesting?
Why are all the "XXXXXXX drivers unite" threads still open? :-P


So I just finished driving on the highway with some "heavy" (for Victoria) wet snow falling. First time in my TSX. Man, the tunnel/static vision you get with HIDs is crazy. As bad as hi-beams almost. Even still, I wouldn't give up my HIDs.

excited

Speaking of snow, it keeps snowing in the passes and the weather forecast for when we wanted to be in the Sunshine Coast is not very good. I was looking forward to going there but it is getting more likely that we will skip it.

May go south and take some pictures of the RBP against the red rocks in Arizona or Utah.



Excited

excited

It was funny today at work. I went inti the fitness room at the office to drop off some forms. There were two guys on fitness machines, one of them who I knew a little bit.

He said "How do you keep your car so clean all the time?" I replied "That I just avoid the puddles." He laughed and I left. After I went around the corner I could still hear him talking to the other guy. He said "He is the guy that owns the nice blue car that is first up. Everyday I go by it, it is nice and clean and shiny, I don't know how he does it?"

Now I did wash it three times this week, but I think it has do with avoiding the puddles.



Excited

swirlie

Haha, I think that only works as long as the "sky" isn't the puddle...

Finally, my first mod.
After 2 weeks of waiting (*shakes fist at USPS*), my interior LEDs finally arrived on Friday. I got the blue LEDs for the doors, but went with white LEDs for the domes so they're still usable. After swapping them out, my first reaction was "OMFG, those blue doors look awesome!"
At first, I was a little disappointed with the dome brightness. The originals are surprisingly bright. After a couple days, the LEDs seem bright enough now. Maybe it was because I had been staring into the original lights as I changed the bulbs. I love the colour of the domes now. No more yellowish light.

Quietly waiting for it...

excited

Any pics?

Slow TSX weekend but it is nice and shiny for work tomorrow.

Getting her ready for her big trip coming up. I hope to get some good pics then.



Excited

swirlie

Just the one that turned out (not great) so far:


The effect is soooo much nicer in person. Lights off in my garage is too dark for my camera, various lights on isn't great either. I'll see what I can do tomorrow night when I'm out.

TSXdawg

Where did you order the LEDs from and do you know what the part number is for the door and the dome?

swirlie

Ordered from tec-toyz.com. It's cheaper to go direct to his site vs his ebay store. I also didn't want to figure out the 2000 shipping options to properly ship to Canada on superbrightleds.com.
Doors are 168/194 type bulbs, rear dome/front map lights are 3022 festoons (30mm x 10mm).

swirlie

^^^ Missed the 5 mins edit deadline, so...

Ordered from tec-toyz.com. It's cheaper to go direct to his site vs his ebay store. I also didn't want to figure out the 2000 shipping options to properly ship to Canada on superlumination.com. There's also superbrightleds.com.
Doors are 168/194 type bulbs, rear dome/front map lights are 3022 festoons (30mm x 10mm).

Total price for 3x 3022 and 2x 168 = ~$24USD incl shipping.

West6MT

I cant believe this thread is still open LOL. You RBP guys/gals are dedicated.



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