Well then is sounds like it is harder paint. So I will clear bra the front then. The MINI actually has pretty hard paint or at least the Chili Red is. I get chips very easily, but it won't swirl from butterfly breath. The exception are of course the A pillars and the rear bumper - both plastic so probably a correlation there.
Thanks for the Honda paint info.
Oh and I've said this before, but I agree that nothing looks better then a black car (for the 3.2 seconds it stays clean that is).

 

You've got that right. But swirls show more, etc, unfortunately. Paint chips show bad too. But since you're getting an SUV you might dodge some of those. The look of Hydro on black is fantastic though. It has this kind of sheen that doesn't appear on our other white/silver cars.

 

yah, kind of this plateau in power output although your throttle input is
consistent.

it's pretty annoying especially after turns cause you want to accelerate
but the car kinda pauses for a good second or two while it spooled up
slowly and numbly.

but now, it doesnt do that. spools up just fine.

 

you can tell by how the car responds to your wot. if the car is
responsive you're in the normal driving mode. if the car feels
kind of sluggish (given that the temp and humidity is not rediculously
high) it is in the economy mode.

 

yah, +1. unless you own a black car and take care of it, you can't
call yourself OCD detailer. my black legacy looks nice.

 

Garage queens don't count!

 

my black legacy is outdoors 24/7. it's actually never been garaged since
purchase.

 

That's right, Chuck !!

The Legacy is outside so the MINI can be a Garage Queen !

 

 

Dang. Im not sure what mode im in...because 'responsive' is very subjective. Im getting my 15% installed in 2 weeks, so maybe Ill try to break the economy mode then, if thats what im in. I sure don't drive like im in economy mode....ehem...23.5 mpg..ehem.

 

Alright, the Expedition is gone. Drove the Pilot home and washed it, applied Banana Gloss, Nero on the vinyl and Nourish on the leather. Bad sign though, 10 minutes after pulling in to the garage I stated seeing dust landing. OMG this is going to be hard. Got and JB tips CRPWBLACKSPERTJB?
My plan is to strip, clay, polish then get a clear bra. Then Amigo & Epic which should keep it protected until November. I can't do it this weekend since I'm doing another MINI5280 member's MINI. Wyoming next week and then that weekend, putting in a rear sway bar under my MINI, the next weekend is MITM, so the Pilot will have to wait until the weekend of August 16. Then clear bra sometime that week and then road trip back to South Dakota to drop off the son at college.
I'm already exhausted!

 

I have one tip for you, Chuck:

Car cover.

If it weren't for having Dr Evil under a cover except on weekends, I'd be washing him every day. I wash him on Sunday, put the cover back on and it stays there until Saturday.

But hey, if yours is going to be used every day... ... my only other tip for you is to designate 20 minutes each evening for QDing. Or see a pychologist to cure you of this OCDetailers disease.

Wait, that ended up being three tips.

 

congrats on the new ride, minimaybee.

you'll get use to handling black cars. i did.

Hydro is the answer.

 

Speed Shine is another answer. That touch of carnuba in there...

 

 

Hydro ?

Speed Shine ?

You wish you hadn't gotten that black SUV ?

All of the above ?

 

Hydro
Speed Streak
Black SUV
Black SUV daily driver
Friday - Priceless!

 

What... you've had streaking problems with Griot's Speed Shine ???

I LOVE that stuff !! Never had any issues with it, other than blinding other driver's as I go down the road.

 

First time I used it back in January. Car was in the sun and I used it like I would Slick. Streaked like crazy. Plus, the overspray on the glass was really tough to get off; very smeary. So there it sits on my detailing products shelf, filed under "Do Not Use".

 

Interesting ! Maybe your batch had too much wax in it ??

Never had that problem and I often use it on my JB convertible in direct sun. Of course, I only spray one panel at a time and wipe it right in/off.

I'm pretty sure Ken loves that stuff, too.

 

I have soured on Griots based on past experiences.
I think I need to get an air filtration system for the garage. Something to keep the dust out. Maybe pump it full of pressurized O2 at the same time and create a dust-free, hyperbaroic chamber for me and the Pilot. With my son heading off to college, the garage will be to only way for me to get away from the predominance of females in my house.

 

MAN Garage !

If that's the only room in the house that's all yours... I think you need a wet bar, a 60" LCD TV, and a leather recliner, too.

But Hyperbolic chamber. Hmmmmmmm. Maybe that's what I need to recover from my back aches after all that detailing.

 

I know you have had some back issues Chris, have you tried inversion? I have a leaking disk and inversion really relieves the pressure. Alcohol always numbs it well too.
So yeah - MAN Garage! Want it, need it, gotta have it.

 

yah, 23.5mpg is DEFINITELY NOT economy mode.

hey, i was able to break 40mpg (actual 42.3mpg) on my FitS.
and i wasn't driving that slow... i just kept the revs a tad higher than
usual. even used my A/C. car is advertised to do only 37mpg, i think.

 

I'm undergoing physical therapy right now, Chuck. I've had deep tissue massage, heat packs, and just yesterday my first session of traction. I'm having some relief but I'm skeptical that it will be long term. My last MRI results were three pages long, listing herniations/bulges in about 9 of my cervical and thoracic disks.

Inversion... I'll ask my physical therapist about that. Thanks.

And thanks for asking.