[TheLusciousHellcat]

First, I'd like to say it's only 82 outside with a THI of 88, but I have never in my life been more hot and miserable. BLEAH!

But it was worth it.

The Details:

$3.00 worth of quarters
hit the local spray carwash
Rinse, soap, rinse, wax (focusing on the paint, not panels, not glass), rinse.
(Yes, I know it's blasphemy to use a commercial car wash but honestly, I can't hand wash and wax this girl until autumn.)
Used The Absorber towel to quickly dry her off. Wow. That thing rocks.
Had to drive out of the bay then and I figured I just go home and finish under the carport.
Wet Shine on the tires and on the black rubber part of the side steps.
Vinylex on the panels and all plastic bits
Rain X on the front windshield. (I'm a goof. Why didn't I do the back one too? Feh, I'll do that later.)
Thoroughly dusted the interior
Used a 409 Orange towelette to clean a little mud, and one spot of unknown muck.
Applied Vinylex to door sills, dash, console, inner door surfaces, etc.
(I have a problem with chemical smells but this stuff is quite mild and whatever's in it doesn't bother me. So I can use it inside the car too!)

Finishing touches:

Put CD holder on Visor with Moby, Lanterna, Sting, Govinda and Delerium.
Put the dog bed in the rear seat, and dog rug on the backseat floorbed.
Unrolled the yoga mat for the rear compartment (I decided not to trim it to size because I could always take it out and use it as a place to sit on grass, sand, etc.)
and
last but not least
Hung my chakra balancing crystal on a length of tourmaline chips strung like pearls on the rearview mirror.

Lucy looks so great it's probably illegal in several states. 8) :wink:

I promise pictures soon. There's a particular time of early evening this time of year when the setting sun bathes the front of my house with a warm gold glow. I'm going to park Lucy out front and snap pictures then.

I'm hot, thirsty, sweaty, :::sniff::: a little unfresh, :shock: and yet I'm really pleased with the work done and how it shows up on Lucy.

Now - a bath! Maybe two! :lol:

 

[StLouisPenguin]

Sounds like you and Lucy had a wonderful morning of bonding

I am taking Baby Blue to get his bath in the morning....I had way to many errands to run today, but Baby Blue is in desperate need of a head to tailgate cleaning, plus I figure I will install the roof rack and mud flaps then drive on over to the do it yourself car wash, plus I am embarking on using zymol car polish for the first time.....before it gets wicked hot here in St.Louis!

BTW....you must take pics of Henry's beds....while I don't have a pup yet, this time next year I will be adding one! :lol:

 

[MrCLoWnY]

TheLusciousHellcat, did you have any problems with the water spilling when you drove it home after the car wash????? my car does that all the time and its pissine me off. i washed and waxed my baby last nite and i have water spots everywhere... I was very careful and thorough about drying it off but to no avail..... It took me 4 hours to do a complete wash and wax and now its dirty... any suggestions?

 

[TheLusciousHellcat]

I found some water spots. I was rushed out of the car wash bay I was in - not surprising, really for the time/day I went - and my house is about a mile away. I got home and didn't notice more water but it sure did show up with some freckly spots eventually. I used Meguiar's Quik Detailer on them and - presto!

I also found that the wheels don't look very good with the little bits of overspray of the Wet Tire that I applied to the tires. They'll get a little bath and shine tomorrow.

 

[MrCLoWnY]

Thanks for the info... I spent a very hard 4 hours yesterday washing my car and waxing and the water spots have to go.. i will retouch it up with my wax.. Another question.... The duster thing you wrote about.. would that work on the outside fot the car?... I wake up this morning to find my beatifully cleaned and waxed element with dust all over the car... WTF..... I propose a new bill to ban dust from the planet... Any seconds?

 

[TheLusciousHellcat]

If you very very gently used the Swiffer to remove exterior dust (there are times of year when my poor cars get yellow green from pollen, too), I would think that would be alright. It's very soft and I don't think it would scratch.

 

[StLouisPenguin]

I used to have many problems with water spots.....but then someone on the board posted about The California Squegee.....I picked one up at Wallmart I think it was like $20 bucks (turtle wax makes one that is like $10) I didn't want to risk it so I bought the original one....the Turtle wax one is smaller, but that is the only difference that I saw.

So when I take Baby Blue to the car wash.....as soon as I am done washing....I pull out of the bay and into the sunshine....I take the squegee to my entire E....then I go back around with the absorber.....making sure that I bay extra attention to all the window ledges, door handles, mirrors, and ridges around the plastic panels where it meets the painted panels. This is time consuming, but well worth it in my opinion. Also open and close all your doors and tailgate, use the absorber to get all the water that has creeped in along the door ledges. Also once you have opened and closed the doors you will see more water and soak it up with the absorber.

In my opinion the door handles are the biggest water leakers and also happen to be the biggest pains in the arse....so pay extra attention to them!

 

[Smyth]

[quote:6bc6d07d1c="MrCLoWnY"]The duster thing you wrote about.. would that work on the outside fot the car[/quote:6bc6d07d1c]

Try a California Car Duster. Sold at most Wal-Marts, K-marts and car places. Cost = 5 to 10 dollars. It looks and feels similar to a mop. Kinda like a dust rag for your car. The nice thing about it.... the dirtier it gets the better it works.

I have used one on my E with no scratches. It even dusts off the pollen on the plastic very well.