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Been a while since I posted anything of substance.
Went to the H2Oi show in Ocean City MD a couple of weekends ago. Rode down with a group of Mid Atlantic S2KI guys:
Love the Odyssey fogs! I have mine waiting to be installed.
We went down to the OC Inlet to park and had lunch at Hooters. Then we took a cruise through the town. There are plenty of pics and vids online---it was crazy how many cars were down there---but here are the few we took of the group:
Honeymooners
THEN, I had the opportunity to meet with Billman250 for a S2K Spa Day. One of the Delaware Valley members hosted a weekend when Bill came down from Long Island to work on members' cars. My work is pretty flexible with time off and I had plenty of notice, so I booked Thursday for my car. The plan was to get the Billman Once Over, a valve job/retainer check (MY00 AP1) and a clutch evaluation. I asked Bill to bring everything for a new AP1v2 clutch, as I pretty much knew it was time (109K).
I drove the 1.5 hours to the meeting house and arrived an hour early to see another member in for a valve job. He had an 03 Sebring with 30K miles on it! Had the all red interior and it looked brand spanking! (My car in the air):
Bill took a drive and estimated 70% wear on the clutch, so I pulled the trigger on it. The man is fantastic at what he does. The transmission was out in under 2 hours and we had everything zipped back up for me to leave by 5PM. I learned an awful lot, had a great lunch and made some new friends, too!
Valve job--Retainers are good!:
The AP1v2 clutch was released by Honda to address the "clutch buzz" issue on the early AP1s. I can only say the difference is like night & day! Bill estimated 70% wear, but when we got the original out, it was wearing on the rivets already. We addressed the 2nd gear notchiness issue, found a lubrication issue from the factory (whatever they put in was non-existent when we got it apart!) and replaced the necessary parts. Bill said when he was done, I'd be able to operate the clutch practically with my heel on the floor (like the gas pedal). A bit of exaggeration, but not by much. The car shifts so smoothly and clutch is so light, I almost have to re-learn how to drive it.
The clutch buzz is completely gone and the whole "character" of the car is completely different. While I'm not complaining, there is something to be said of the raucous cacophony the original clutches made. I kinda feel like my baby boy has grown up from a rowdy teenager to a man. Does that make any sense?
All the headlight cleaning kit i have bought only last a few months. even with sealer.
I'll keep things updated. If they start to oxidize again I'll have them cleared. But my time frame may vary from most because I park my car indoors at home and work. So the wear and tear is gonna be much less than most.
I'll keep things updated. If they start to oxidize again I'll have them cleared. But my time frame may vary from most because I park my car indoors at home and work. So the wear and tear is gonna be much less than most.
I'll keep things updated. If they start to oxidize again I'll have them cleared. But my time frame may vary from most because I park my car indoors at home and work. So the wear and tear is gonna be much less than most.
It lasts pretty long. It'll get a little yellow again over time but nothing too bad. I was really happy with the results of mine after over 2 years
hey man, for being 12 years old and being RED... im extremely lucky to have the shine that I do... if I parked it outside for 10 hours a day in the sun.. my NFR paint would just say fuck it.
im still looking for a permanent wax that not only holds up, but it easy to apply/remove.
The main thing I do is keep my car washed weekly at the least. I'll generally wax it once every 2-3 months (or when I notice the wax is no longer creating a barrier).
I don't use self serve or drive through car washes. I only use microfiber products to clean it and always dry it with a shammy to avoid water spots.
im not an expert like some of the guys in wash and wax... I just take pride in my car's appearance and cant stand having a dirty ride.
The Wolfgang stuff goes on really easily and comes off really easily. There's no permanent solution, but at least if it's easy to do, you're more likely to stick with a program and do it when you should.
just regular old spray paint clear coat...
i had good luck with the 50/50 spar urethane mixed with mineral spirits applied in a single coat to protect.
if you wash your car properly, a shammy shouldn't cause any harm.
its people who half ass it and drag the remaining dirt/dust across their paint. (usually have a dirty shammy as well).
I have minimal swirling on my car. at my car's age/condition, im very happy with it.
i'll have to use the GF's D80 to get a decent picture up close.. but my paint (aside from the occasional rock chips up front) is breath of fresh air each time I come outside.
Last edited by Rockstar21; 10-15-2014 at 02:31 PM.
All it takes is the wind to blow while you're drying the car, and dust will whip up and get trapped in the water droplets. I prefer a nice microfiber drying towel, or better, my blower. It's awesome being able to get 95% of the water off the car without even touching the paint.
I also live about 1.5 miles off the interstate, so generally when im not soaking wet from sweat or lazy, i'll take the car to the next exit and back. gets everything but the shelf on the rear bumper.
I used to do the highway dry, but honestly...when you return home you'll see that the wind tunnel you create actually traps dirt on the leftover droplets. I'm serious...
I use a blower or the squeegie for macro, then microfiber drying towel for the rest...it gets the job done.
And the TL is black and at 11 years...I wanted a normal life so I live with swirls...but overall notbadobamameme DSC_2863 by swimex37, on Flickr
if you wash your car properly, a shammy shouldn't cause any harm.
its people who half ass it and drag the remaining dirt/dust across their paint. (usually have a dirty shammy as well).
I have minimal swirling on my car. at my car's age/condition, im very happy with it.
i'll have to use the GF's D80 to get a decent picture up close.. but my paint (aside from the occasional rock chips up front) is breath of fresh air each time I come outside.
"chamois"
I use about 4 waffle weave drying towels. The real trick is to keep it out of bright sunlight when you're washing it so the water droplets don't evaporate and cause spots.
Does lamin-x protect the uv coat on headlights? I want to keep mine looking perfect
10-10-2014, 10:47 AM
One out of the bodyshop my AP1 is heading down to Billman as well.
DSC_2863 by swimex37, on Flickr
