Tag Archives: dirty

Turtle Wax Exterior 1 Waterless Wash Wins

Turtle Wax, a leader in the consumer car cleaning sector, has come out with a smashing lineup of products, including a Turtle Wax Waterless Wash and Wax, labeled Exterior 1. Often times car owners are faced with a dirty car and no access to water, hoses and buckets. This product allows a car to be cleaned with just the spray bottle of waterless cleaner.Bottle

Dirty Car

Our test car was a 1968 Camaro that unfortunately was parked outside when a sudden and dusty rain storm hit. The dust stayed after the rain went away and spotted the car immensely. Of course the green and silver paint really showed the Arizona dirt. So this presented the perfect opportunity to try out Turtle Wax’s product.Rain and Dirt Attacks 68 Camaro

Applying Turtle Wax Waterless Wash Exterior 1

Now there is a technique to using these styles of cleaners. Get a clean microfiber cloth, the thicker the better, and fold the towel into quarters. That will give you four surfaces to work with on each side of the towel. As you spray on the Turtle Wax Exterior 1, cover one panel of the car, at a time. Dirty Hood

You’ll see that the liquid will actually cover the panel and gently lifts up the dirt from the surface. Use an edge of the microfiber towel and gently drag it over the surface, with the cloth just barely touching the paint.

You do NOT want to rub hard or go around in circular motions. That creates a risk of the dreaded “swirls” in your paint. Just a gentle glide over the metal will grab the liquid and the dirt. On you next pass, just move the towel up an inch or so to expose a fresh, new swatch of material. Repeat until the whole panel is clean. Repeat the process over the entire car. Change out the quarter of the microfiber as each section gets dirty.

Exterior 1

The bottle contains 26 ounces and I used about two thirds on the whole Chevy. This include the glass and hubcaps.Glass Cleaned with Waterless Washa nd Wax

The result was a clean car with no dirt or residue. If you find some tree sap or bird droppings on the car, just saturate the offending matter, and it will generally come off with a little prodding.

The scent is pleasing with a slight lemon hint. It comes out clear and did a great job eliminating the rain induced dirt.After use of Turtle Wax Waterless Wash and Wax

This would be a great product for a road trip, where your hotel might be objecting to you dragging out buckets of soapy water in the garage. For those of you facing water shortages and car wash limits, this is a viable option as well. I know I’ll be utilizing this on my next road trip, how about you?

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Laid Back Hauler

When I first saw this COE set up as a hauler at SEMA at the Laid Back USA clothing booth I was blown away.  And the more I looked and drooled, the more I liked!Laid Back Garage

Laid Back Hauler

The 47 GMC COE is a real deal patina featured hauler.  The owner of Laid Back USA has a couple of woodies he uses as part of the promotional display but felt like he needed something authentic to haul the classics around in.Laid Back Hualer

Enter this GMC truck that was converted into a car hauler in five short months, just ready for a premiere at our friends at Hot Rod’s Power TourPower Tour DecalI especially likedthe innards were modified to be reliable but the exterior was kept “as is” essentially.

Laid Back Clothing

And since Laid Back USA makes a line of classic car themed shirts, you just knew they had to make a shirt for their hauler right?Laid Back Cool Hauler

Here’s a link to the full article from eBay Motors.

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Encinitas Classic Car and Truck Cruise In and Show

Encinitas, California is located just a short hop up the San Diego coast and offers a laid back surfer vibe.  It is known not only for the surfing action and fish tacos, but also local one of a kind shops and furniture showrooms.  But twice a month during the summer months the downtown streets come alive with  a classic car show.

EncinitasThursdays are for Cruising

On the  third Thursdays in the summer, from May through September, the Encinitas downtown group sponsors this car show along historic Pacific Coast Highway 101.

Woodie for the SurfAlong with the cars, bands can be heard performing and of course cars are always cruising the main drag. Plus many adjacent bars and restaurants are open with specials offered for the onlookers.

Classic Cars and Trucks

Now being a surfer city you just know Encinitas will dust off a few woodies for the show.  But all varieties of classic cars and trucks come out for this once a month laid back car show.Cadillac at Encinitas

Pacific Coast Highway

The car show spans the 101 Highway, from D to J Streets, along with some adjacent parking lots from cooperative shops.  Portions of the Ppacific Coast Highway 101 hug the coastline of California.Pacific Coast Highway 101

Unlike other local events there is no signage reserving the on street parking for the classics so you often get a mix of classic Detroit Iron next to a plastic swoopy car!  Awards are given out but there is more interest in the cars presented than the picks and awards.Corvette at Encinitas

Cruisers

Now parking for the public is a bit intense so if you go, plan on your own “cruising event” looking for a parking spot, but you’ll be rewarded with a sweet show.  The season, alas, has ended for the Encinitas show, but you can relive the fun times with our pictures.  Enjoy the snapshots and let us know your favorite.

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Sylvania Headlight Restoration Review

We decided to try the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit on a 2007 Camry. The Arizona sun has been hard on the headlights and the owner had tried once before to restore the headlights.

2007 Camry Before

Now was the chance to again test the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit.

Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit

At last year’s SEMA and APEX shows, it seems that everybody had a headlight restoration kit. And if they didn’t have a kit, their older product could be used for that purpose too!!

Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit

Sylvania’s kit comes with a liquid UV Block Clear Coat intended to keep the restoration from fading quickly. This sets them off from some of their competitors. The kit came with enough ample supplies to do the two headlights, sans towels and water. They give you a roll of rubber electrical tape to mask off nearby painted surfaces. We supplemented it with some blue “Painter’s Tape” as an extra caution.

Contents of Sylvania headlight Restoration Kit

Main Contents of Kit

Past Use of Headlight Restoration Kit

We have been really impressed with this headlight restoration kit, which we used before. We used it on a Toyota Sequoia always  parked outside facing south into the harsh Arizona sun. It worked out perfectly and was still in factory fresh condition when we sold it two years ago.

 

Step 1 – Headlight Restoration Kit

The first step is to spray their Surface Applicator over the headlight surface. This helps remove discoloration and soften the UV coating.

Headlight After Step 1

Step 2 – Headlight Restoration Kit

The kit comes with three grades of sandpaper, 400-1000-2000 grit. Wet sand each headlight, starting with 400 and working up to the 2000 grit paper. They recommend sanding 2-5 minutes per headlight with each grit, using plenty of water and a circular motion. With water, the lens looked better, but as it dried the lens became opaque again.

Headlight After Wet Sanding

Step 3 – Headlight Restoration Kit

Then use a tan Clarifying Compound to polish the lens.

Step Three Polish

This left the lens clean but with a slight haze after drying. Re-apply their surface activator to clean the lens one last time. Make sure the both lenses are dry before the last step.

After Polishing

 

At this point you might be wondering, what did you do to the headlights? as they may not look crystal clear. But fear not!

Step 4 – Headlight Restoration Kit

Use the UV Block Clear Coat to soak an edge of a folded paper towel and in one stroke wipe the top edge of the headlight. Continue to keep the edge moist and with a slight overlap, swipe the next portion of the headlight and repeat until all the lens is coated.  Let dry for 4-6 hours to fully cure.

Applying Clear Coat

 Final Outcome

2007 Camry After2007 Camry After 2

Close up after all steps

2007 Camry After Closeup

Sylvania Advantage and Warranty

In talking with the Sylvania pros, they proudly note that this final clear coat is what sets them off from the competition. The coating helps to keep the headlight pristine and prevents aging again. They are so confident in their kit they offer a lifetime warranty, which probably isn’t too risky for them. Not only do they offer a great product, but how many people will keep their cars another 4-5 years after doing the headlights the first time?

It took about 45 minutes for both lenses and being careful to cover all the surface area of the headlights with the wet sandpaper. A close examination can show some scratches that didn’t come out, but from even a few feet they look like new. There was enough liquid to do both headlights and some surplus remained – which I used on a 2010 Camry that was showing signs of haze already. Guess the Arizona sun does a number on these headlights.

2010 Camry Before

2010 Camry Before

2010 Camry After

2010 Camry After

 

See Sylvania’s website for more info

Have you tried this kit from Sylvania or a competitor’s? What was your experience and outcome?

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Detailing Brush – at last its’ ATLASTA

car detailing brush
ATLASTA’s soft tip detailing brush

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the joys of attending the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturer’s Association) show is seeing the vendors.  Nothing beats a chance to see in-person new products and hear from the company representatives directly what is “new and improved”.  That’s why we prowl not only the million square feet at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA show but attend the simultaneous and just as huge AAPEX (Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo) show at the Sands Convention Center and that’s where we found this great detailing brush.

ATLASTA

This ATLASTA SoftTip detailing brush at first blush, might seem too bulky or stiff for fine detail work on a car, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  This brush feels like a natural extension of your hand and the TRIALOY filament bristles are like silk.

This “Made in the USA” brush comes from a great pedigree of brushes, as it is part of the Paint Brush Corporation.  Don’t recognize that name?  Not surprising, but if you ever have held a parts cleaning brush over a vat of carbon cleaning chemicals, odds are that brush was made by the Parts Brush Division of the Paint Brush Corporation.  And the owner of this company wanted a quality detailing brush.  So he used his years of expertise and product knowledge to design the ATLASTA SoftTip brush.

Brush in action

Detailing brush
Car detailing brush from ATLASTA

This brush is hands down the best detailing brush we have ever used and trust us we’ve used tons of brushes over the years.  The ergonomic detailing brush measures just under ten inches and weighs a lightweight 4.3 ounces.  We haven’t found a spot on any of our cars that this brush can’t reach and it removes any debris or dust without any risk of scratches or swirls.  For more details on this detailing brush,  click here.

Their motto sums it up -  “only one grade… the very best.”

 

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong’s 1964 Impala Sold at Silver Auctions in March, 2013

On March 16, 2013 at the Silver  Auction’s “Spring in the Desert” car auction at Fort McDowell AZ, a nondescript 1964 blue Impala was offered up for sale.  Here’s the listing from the auction web site.   Silver Auction

To say it was well worn would be an understatement.  The interior was torn up and the paint was in poor condition. What made this car somewhat interesting was the past ownership.  It was listed as titled in Green Day’s vocalist – Billie Joe Armstrong’s – name and was claimed to be his personal car.  The seller’s description could be best described as “optimistic”.

Although the auction indicated the title was in Billie Joe Armstrong’s name it had just recently sold on eBay .  It sold for $12,600 at eBay and at this auction it now hammered sold at $12,250 plus 8% commission (Total price for the math challenged is $13,230) .

This was probably not the type of crowd that knew who Billie Joe is or listen to Green Day, so it’s not surprising that the seller couldn’t generate more interest in this car.

What say you?  Was it a buy or a dud?  How much is the past ownership by Green Day’s vocalist worth?

Driver's SideInterior