RaskyR1

I flew out to KS last week and picked up my new TSX and then drove back the 455 miles to MN. My previous car was an '08 TSX with an auto and I love this car so much more with the 6spd!

Some pics





BUGS!




All cleaned up






















Rasky

ed_423

you sir, have a amazingly clean garage.

MrOtocinclus

That is one nice looking car. BWP looks pretty good. Congrats!

RaskyR1

Thanks! I do high end detailing on the side and I feel it's very important to have a clean shop.

Thanks! I'd like to see PWP next to BWP so I can see the difference. I love the mods you have done to yours, bet you hate having to sell it.

chaqui74

Good pick man, enjoy the car....

ttk5

Nice car. The SE's are getting quite popular around here.
And thats alot of bugs.

5thTo2nd

nice pickup. It's amazing how much better the 6spd drives vs the auto isn't it.

apinwp09GBTSX

damn sick ride!!!...yeah se is definitely has taken over the forum

SlowLane

Congratulations. The SE in BWP looks awesome. Poor bugs.

RaskyR1

Thanks guys!

OMG! It's a completely different car! Power reminds me more of my '06 Civic Si now, but with more torque.

MrOtocinclus

I have to comment again, the car looks too good. I love the rear-end.

maiku

iTrader: (9)

Congratulations... nice and clean

killer bug shot !!!

mY sLOW UA6

Congrats, is this the same rasky from detailedimage.com?

odus

iTrader: (1)

Cleaned up very nice i wish i found a used 6 speed but auto is so nice when im lazy

RaskyR1

Thanks again guys!


It is indeed! Be on the lookout for a new car prep article in a few weeks.

Stylinhonda

I was thinking, hmm that's a lot of product in his garage....but he did not tape up the front on the way home, but damn the cars clean after the trip. Knew you had to be a detail guy!

robpp

iTrader: (2)

teach us leather care

and lots more

spdandpwr

this thread makes me regret not waiting for the special edition...nice car...i'm jealous

ttk5

Just checked out your site..it looks legit! I book marked it so I can read up on all those guides. Have you heard of sonax wheel cleaner? opinions?

RaskyR1

LOL. I thought about taping the front but at the end of the day it's going to get chipped up sooner or later and there was rain in the forecast.


For the most part, leather care is pretty simple IMO. Clean often with water based cleaners (Leather Masters Strong Cleaner) and use a protector (Leather Masters Protection Cream). 99% of the stuff you find on the shelves at auto parts stores is junk and will actually attract more dust and dirt, thus speeding up the wear of you leather. Almost all of today's cars have coated leather and do not need lotions or conditioners to keep them soft. Regular cleaning with water based cleaners is all that is needed to keep the leather hydrated.

FYI. There is a LOT of conflicting information on the web between leather care manufactures. The above information is the route I chose to believe in after reading several leather debates on the detailing forums. The above cleaners leave your leather looking and feeling like new. The protection cream helps prevent dye transfer too.



Thanks!


Thank you!

Sonax is good stuff and I use it often. It smells terrible though and I think I'm going to go back to P21S Gel instead. They cost the same for me and work equally as well, P21S just smells better. The color change is cool with Sonax at first but after a while I started to hate seeing a pool of blood running down the driveway. Also, I hate the sprayer on Sonax bottle and I just buy the 5L size and use a different one.

For my own car all my wheels see is soap and water. Clean often and you won't need a wheel cleaner.

EzeE1o

this may be a dumb noob question, but are the sides of the SE seats leather? I ask because on my previous RSX, i heard that only the middle section of the RSX seat was leather and the sides weren't. Seeing as most of the SE seat is suede, just wondering if those products you mentioned will work.

savclaude

damn clean 6 speed ftw

RaskyR1

Yes, the seating surfaces next the the lux suede inserts is leather. The very sides of the seats or not though.

JordanTSX

After reading a lot on your site, it seems like even though the sides aren't leather, you can still use a product like the one you mentioned or Optimum Leather Protectant on it anyways? Am I wrong on this or would you recommend another product mentioned on the site such as the 303 aerospace protectant?

I just want to fix my seats Only at 40K and they're all scuffed on the bolsters and wrinkly like grandpa balls on the seat sides

ceb

Nawww. He's just an amateur.

Wait. That's where I get most of my stuff...

ceb

Most leather care products will also remove dirt from vinyl/naugahyde/leatherette/pleather etc.

Much of the wrinkly look can be minimized by cleaning the leather. There are two schools of thought and neither is right or wrong.

One thought favors products like Leatherique - a two step process that takes lots of time and yields excellent results. The theory here is to first condition the leather to force the dirt to the surface and then to remove it. This works better on older, well worn leathers.

The other method is to use products like LeatherMaster to remove dirt and to seal the leather further by using protectant after it is clean. This works very well on modern car leathers.

Dirt (and excessive moisture) is the enemy of leather.

First vacuum the leather, paying particular attention to seams.

Clean - using a brush or a cotton cloth infused with a bit of product

Protect - using a fresh cotton cloth again with very little product.

Some manufacturers (Mercedes for example) warn against using man made microfiber cloths on both MB-Tex (Mercedes vinyl) or leather.

RaskyR1

I've not tried the Optimum stuff so can't comment on it. I would advise against the 303 though as it does leave a slight gloss and oily feel. IME the seats are going to get some amount of wrinkle over time no matter what simply from the getting in and out of the car everyday. However, regular cleaning will keep them looking as good as possible and staying like new longer.

Here is my '08 TSX after 4 years and 55k miles (sale pics). I had used some other products early on when it was new that I won't use today, but they still held up pretty well IMO.






Solid info right there!

ed_423

wow those seats look amazing!

mine is creased pretty badly...i guess even with some good cleaning it still wont go back to looking like that again huh

ceb

All - please note that this 8 year old car looks better than when it drove out of the showroom. That is what properly maintaining your car can do.

PyroDave

ceb your old, your math skills are waning, just like your other skills probably ... 2012-2008 is 4 years

JordanTSX

and Dave's usage of your/you're shows some grammatical skills as well.

None the less, that tsx looks immaculate. I have some sort of dye transfer going on on the outside bolsters of both front seats. Is a one step process like leather master going to be able to treat this some? I'm all about a 1-step over a 2-step treatment if they're both near equaly effective. I wouldn't really consider my seats dirty as much as just wrinkly.

Sounds like Rasky and Ceb are the goto guys for leather care. Great to know. Thanks for the tips both of you.

PyroDave

Ceb knows i love him even though he's an old fart

PS: "Nonetheless" is one word Grammar Nazi

JordanTSX

touche

I think I'm going to be getting some Lexol and Leathermasters eventually after this conversation. Maybe I'll do a write up with a comparison with pictures of each product for other people if anyone's in the same boat as me - really confused by all the different leather products and accepting everything I have so far is BS.

RaskyR1

I'd skip the Lexol if it were me and just get the Leather Masters...I never cared much for Lexol. LM makes a product specific for dye transfer too. Keep in mind the longer it's on there the harder it is to remove. The Protection Cream will help prevent the dye from setting in and eases the removal of it when it comes time to clean again. Think of the Protection cream as a sacrificial barrier, sort of a "Scotch Guard" type product that sits on the surface of the top coat.

Rasky

kretrop

Sorry for the thread drift, but as a fellow SE owner, do you have any recommendations on what to use (if anything) on the synthetic suede, and how to keep it looking good? Any special care or techniques needed for it?

Thanks, and congrats on the car!

ceb

Here you go

Cleaning Alcantara

Although the stuff Hoda uses is probably not Alcantara, it should be close enough.

RaskyR1

Not sure what the material is but I applied a protector to mine.



I tried Scotch Guard first but the material is color fast with that product and I don't recommend using it. There are other, and probably better products out there, however they have to be purchased at specialty stores like Jon-Don. I just happened to have this stuff on hand and thought I'd try it out.

CEB's info is what I'd go with though for regular care. The material seem pretty durable compared to the 8thgen Civic Si Alcantera.

ceb

I'm curious to see how this stuff will wear if properly cared for. I've always stayed away from Alcantara because I think it looks worn (and greenish) very quickly.

RaskyR1

Yeah, I hope it stays looking nice. It actually reminds me of the materials Honda used in the late 80's....we'll see I guess!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

SICK !!!

you kept the old TSX immaculately clean....and i bet you will with the new SE !!!