The Car Obsession Thread

[Miles Monroe]

I'll have to snap a pic of my bike.

 

[China]

I had one of these (1968 Ford Torino GT convertible) when I was in college:

Someday I'd like to get another and retromod it.

 

[Echo Hawk]

Nothing fancy...Wrangler

 

[Chris]

Nothing fancy...WranglerView attachment 8953

But the question is- do you love it? That’s all that matters. Yours looks very well cared for. 👊🏼

 

[Echo Hawk]

Yes, Sir! pure fun to drive

 

[purbeast]

Question - anyone gotten ceramic coating on their car before?

I recently found out about it and am contemplating it on my new car, especially since it's a black car. I'm just curious if anyone has done it before and if they think it's worth it or not, since it is quite pricey from the quotes I've gotten.

I'm looking at this place in Rockville called Pristine Auto Spa which has great reviews too, so I'm open to hearing about places to take it as well. I hit them up for my tint and saw they have that service as well and their quote seemed pretty fair from the research I've done. $1200 for the 4 year one or $1800 for the 10 year one.

 

[Miles Monroe]

I know one friend that's had it done and loves it. I know a bunch of motorcyclists that have had it done that also say it's top notch. Just remember, people push products as if no maintenance is needed. I have found these types of products life varies greatly. A lot of factors tie in, including paint color, indoor or outdoor parking, how often you wash the vehicle, and climate of your region. I sold auto paint sealing products back in the day, and no matter what, it comes down to vehicle prep, so all you can do is go by reviews of the company on their quality of work.

 

[Chris]

The best advice I can give as a former independent detailer is don’t try doing it yourself.

My personal cars are cared for and attended to like newborn babies. They are also garage queens and I keep topical protection on them at all times. I live in southern Florida so I don’t have to deal with concerns like snow, ice, road salts, etc but I have to be very protective against sun damage. I have never considered adding a ceramic coating product to them as I just don’t need them. In my experience…most (not all) that have an interest in CCs are looking for a way around taking care of their paint. These coatings are not a panacea and most require maintenance that varies by manufacturer.

 

[purbeast]

Yeah I was looking at maybe doing it myself but then I saw all the prep work and all that stuff, and how long it realistically takes pros to do it, and said nah I'm not doing that myself.

The brand of ceramic coating they use is Gyeon and they have nothing but great feedback.

I haven't seen it in person but the pics I've seen of black cars with the ceramic coating just shine like no other. And the package I'm looking at doing includes the glass, wheels, and trim, so everything will be glistening.

My car however will NOT be garage kept. I only wash my cars myself though I never put them through the machine ones. I actually just spent like $130 on car washing shit from Amazon lol. I got a bunch of Chemical Guys brand stuff which seems to have great reviews. I've never used it myself though.

I'm actually hoping it warms up a bit later and I wanted to wash my car to get all the salt and shit off of it, even though I know it may get more dirt on it with snow still being on the ground and draining onto the road. I have never used a foam canon though which is what I got so I'm very curious how it goes.

 

[Chris]

I have a canon but have only used it on detailing other’s vehicles. Since the advent of ‘waterless’ (that still requires water in a bucket) washing products, I only use those on my vehicles and do so in the garage. Wash, dry, done. No rinsing.

 

[purbeast]

Yeah I am assuming you use the canon to spray on the mixture, then let it sit for a little bit, and then wipe it off and rinse, right?

I haven't read the instructions yet either on the war wash solution I got but will do that before washing. And then I also got the stuff you spray on to help dry it better, which will be the first time I try using that stuff.

 

[Chris]

Yeah I am assuming you use the canon to spray on the mixture, then let it sit for a little bit, and then wipe it off and rinse, right?

I haven't read the instructions yet either on the war wash solution I got but will do that before washing. And then I also got the stuff you spray on to help dry it better, which will be the first time I try using that stuff.

Yes, rinse first, cover the car until it looks like a marshmallow, wash, and rinse.

 

[Miles Monroe]

The best advice I can give as a former independent detailer is don’t try doing it yourself.

My personal cars are cared for and attended to like newborn babies. They are also garage queens and I keep topical protection on them at all times. I live in southern Florida so I don’t have to deal with concerns like snow, ice, road salts, etc but I have to be very protective against sun damage. I have never considered adding a ceramic coating product to them as I just don’t need them. In my experience…most (not all) that have an interest in CCs are looking for a way around taking care of their paint. These coatings are not a panacea and most require maintenance that varies by manufacturer.

Didn't realize you detailed at some point. I was in the business for about 4 years a lifetime ago.

 

[purbeast]

So I just washed my car and used that foam sprayer and it did not "stick" to the car like at all like I've seen in videos and stuff.

Does that mean I have to just up the amount in there?

I put in 2oz into the resovoir and then filled that up with warm water, and stirred it.

But when it came out, it was almost like ... just a soapy mixture that I sprayed on and it like immediately dripped down. I wasn't able to let it sit and do it's thing and let gravity pull it down and take the dirt off, I basically had to start wiping immediately.

EDIT:

Oh and it has a knob to put out more/less foam, and I started on C (it goes A-E) and then put it on E and still wasn't really that much.

One thing I did notice though is that the water pressure coming from the hose seemed noticeably lower than normal, could that have also been why?

 

[Chris]

Possibly. I have only used one attached to a power washer unit.

 

[purbeast]

Okay that is good to know. A quick google search actually reveals that hoses do in fact suck for these things, which I had no clue about.



I do have a pressure washer though so next time I will give that a go. It will make washing the car more of a pain in the ass though to bust that out lol.

 

[Chris]

Since you are investing in detailing gear, the one item that I universally endorse is the PFM (Pure Freakin’ Magic) towels from Griot’s Garage. I dry an entire car with one and could do multiple at the same time, if necessary. Wear well, last forever, and amaze me every time I use them.

PFM® Terry Weave Towels, Set of 2

Revolutionize car detailing with a super absorbent towel with a unique terry weave. Ideal for auto glass, interior, paint, and more. 16"x16".

www.griotsgarage.com

 

[purbeast]

Since you are investing in detailing gear, the one item that I universally endorse is the PFM (Pure Freakin’ Magic) towels from Griot’s Garage. I dry an entire car with one and could do multiple at the same time, if necessary. Wear well, last forever, and amaze me every time I use them.

PFM® Terry Weave Towels, Set of 2

Revolutionize car detailing with a super absorbent towel with a unique terry weave. Ideal for auto glass, interior, paint, and more. 16"x16".

www.griotsgarage.com

I ended up getting the Chemical Guys towel that I just saw people recommending. It was probably overpriced but I was able to dry my whole Telluride with it today.

I do wish I had time to wash it first though because I definitely have a buncha fuzzies all over my car lol. But I did notice a lot of em blew off as I drove a bit earlier.

 

[purbeast]

I have a couple of questions about those of you who have experience with ceramic coatings or are just knowledgeable about it. I am pretty sure I do want to get it though.

1. The one I am looking at doing either comes in a 4 year warranty or a 10 year warranty. Based on my questions to the guy, with the 4 year one it takes 8 hours and the 10 year one takes 12 hours as they do more coats during the process. It is a $600 difference and I am between the two and I'm going to see if I can get it down $100 more, so it would be $1700 for 10 year and $1200 for the 4 year. And how long should I expect it to actual last, and is this something that people tend to get done again after like 4-5 more years? And if that is the case, does the 10 year warranty one make much sense?

2. Would getting this done in the winter time be better or worse since the car is going to be more dirty in the winter due to snow and stuff, if we get more bad weather, and it's harder for me to wash it manually myself in this weather in my driveway. Keep in mind I have only had the car for 2 weeks so if I do it now, it would be sooner than if I waited a couple of months until it's warmer in the spring time and it's going to be out in the elements over that time.

This was their explanation as to what the warranty covers:

The warranty covers the vehicle maintaining a hydrophobic state for the duration of the warranty period. The hydrophobic state is how we know the coating is still in effect; if we lose this, we know that the coating is either clogged and needs to be decontaminated or has failed and needs to be reapplied. The warranty does cover the material and labor for reapplication.

And this is why he said the 10 year and 4 year one take different times:

Sorry, from the consumer side the application is applied to the same surfaces. From the installer side, they are different products and the 10 year coating has multiple layers which need to cure a bit in between and then the final cure is a little longer

And just to be clear, this is from a professional place.

 

[Miles Monroe]

Okay, my obsession has narrowed down so much over the years, but it been bikes since I was a little cuss. I'm not really obsessed with the visual as much as the nuts and bolts, and being creative about it.... it's building with low budget. For instance, my personal ride looks old and not well cared for, and that's just how I like. Been like that for years now. After I built the Military Bonneville, it became unenjoyable being everywhere I stopped, I'd get inundated with questions about it. Sure, it was cool having people gawk over my bike at first. So I fly under the radar with a bike that most won't give a second look. The nuts and bolts tell a slightly different story... Put in a set of larger / higher flow injectors out of a 1200, opened the air intake a bit, high flow air filter. Modified fuel map, and a wide open exhaust that barks. The exhaust is partly hand built. I can't justify 1600$ for a nice 2 into one exhaust, so it was a set of headers made for the 900 engine, and a 200$ slip on mid pipe & muffler combo also for the 1200 engine bikes. A little of this and a little of that to make it work, heat shield and crash protection for the pipe and muffler
, header wrap, and bingo... a bit of a sleeper bike.
Here's the 2005 Triumph Bonneville converted to a vintage military bike... lots of odd stuff on this one. Left side has a Nam era ALICE pack on it's frame, and removable to hike away with. Ammo bag on tank for Brit Sten gun. Right side has a faux "jerry can" which opens up at the top and rear. Under the top is 2 USB charging ports, Eu to US cig lighter adapter, and mini inverter that will run a laptop. The rest was storage for the camp kitchen. Leather ammo pouches, Russian Nagan. Horn is off a 34 GMC pick up. Vintage style headlight bucket to hold spedo, bar end turn signals, and led driving lights. The marker light on the front fender, and the rear turn signals are 1955 dodge power wagon license plate lights... leather solo seat on springs like the old days LOL... at the rear I used a replica Vincent tail / stop light and plate bracket. There is also a Swiss "volcano" stove tucked behind the Alice pack. Amazing little stoves... and a small fender rack made from this and that. The engine also had general mods.... removed the airbox, open pod filters, went from stock jetting (110 main 40 pilot ) to 128 and 45's. One tooth up on the countershaft sprocket for better top end at lower revs, a igniter from another model that raised the rev limit to 8500 from 7800. Of course an open exhaust, wrapped headers, and to finish it off I tweaked the camshaft timing to regain the torque lost in the gearing change. Still my favorite modern Bonnie engine, 790 cc, and nice cam profiles and duration. They went with those cams to get as much HP as they could under emission standards. I've taken those cams and put them into the 865cc engines as a hop up. So, that's the Bonnie build. Did it all in the garage, including paint work. Took a first place with it in the "retro" class a a vintage show. I'll post another favorite bike I had the pleasure of working with soon.