Car Care
So, we’ve got some gearhead glibs. Although I might put on a cold air intake or do something similarly elementary under the hood, ain’t no way I’m, say, replacing an axle or completely disassembling the interior. What I do, though, is try to keep our Highlander in showroom condition. Mrs. Dean likes the, err, character of her FJ Cruiser being totally unwashed (going on several years now), so that one is on its own.
The Highlander is black. I have had black cars before, and would not cry if I never had another one. Black is absolutely, without question, by a mile, not even close, the hardest paint job to keep looking good, because it shows everything. Every smear, every microscratch, every dust particle, every. single. goddam. thing. But Mrs. Dean wanted a black car, so there it is.
When I first got it, I went with one of the latest paint care technologies – ceramic. If you don’t have a black car and/or an orbital buffer, I’m sure the latest ‘n’ greatest ceramic (and now graphite) stuff works a treat. Without an orbital buffer, I could not get my black Highlander smear-free. And they aren’t kidding when they say ceramic is durable – the damn smears simply would not go away. Since I am going to keep up this car by hand and without power tools, I fell back on an older set of products that I used on our last black car (the 2008 AMG E63 of fond memory – holy crap, what a machine *wipes away single manly tear*).
I use the Klasse All-In-One Polish and the Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. These are both some kind of polymer technology, no doubt outdated, but they go on and come off clean and easy, and they work very well if you do your polishing and waxing by hand. I’m quite pleased with the results.
Once a year, (in the winter, because Tucson), I hit it with the polish (it’s non-abrasive) to clean up the paint and knock down some of the microscratches. Contrary to their instructions, I use a detailer to wipe it off rather than doing so dry. I like the Chemical Guys Quick Detailer for this – it is very lubricating. I then put on the glaze, wipe that off with the detailer, and finish with Sonus High Gloss Acrylic Spritz Car Detailer Spray, which is made to work with the Klasse glaze. Including washing the car, the whole process takes a few hours or so. Sometime in midyear, I’ll freshen it up with another dose of the glaze.
I use the Chemical Brothers microfiber sponges to put the polish and glaze on, and I have a stack of fluffy microfiber towels for the spray and wipe stuff. It rarely gets very dirty, so I generally wash it in a coin (well, credit card) operated car wash. The kind with the spray wands – the pull-through kind just doesn’t get it clean. And never, ever use the ones with the spinny rag things unless you hate your car. After a wash, it gets the Sonus spray and wipe to clean up any water spots and make it shine.
For the interior, I use the 303 Automotive Protectant Spray. It is not a cleaner, so make sure everything is clean first or you’ll just put a nice protective coat over the scunge. I think it has good UV protection (again, Tucson), and its not offensively glossy. For the leather seats, I use Lexol Cleaner and Conditioner – no particular reason, its just what I’ve always used.
Entertainment
I haven’t really seen anything on video that blew my skirt up lately. More and more in the evenings, I’ve been reading fiction – I’m just not seeing much on streaming I’m motivated by.
Although if you haven’t watched Narcos: Mexico on Netflix, you should – Mrs. Dean and I are catching up on the third and I believe final season, and its been just excellent.
A couple of recommendations for the Glibs that like fantasy and science fiction:
Gideon the Ninth ( Tamsyn Muir). It’s the first of the Locked Tomb series, which Ms. Muir hasn’t finished yet, so it’s the only one I’ve read.* The author has a wonderful voice and sense of humor, to my ear. The world is unique, to say the least (galactic empire ruled by undead necromancers, in a nutshell), although you kind of get dropped in the deep end for world-building. Our protagonist (Gideon Nav) is a swordfighter who desperately wants out of the dismal monastery (more of tomb, hence the name of the series) where she is kind of an indentured servant, and takes a deal to get released if she accompanies her nemesis, the bone witch Harrowhark Nonagesimus, to some kind of contest being thrown by the emperor. Its just a lot of fun, and not really like anything I’ve read before. Oh, and don’t be put off by the brainless chatter about LGBTQ+ Romance (not that I noticed) and lesbian necromancers (I guess, maybe, but if so it didn’t interfere).
*After being burned by unfinished multi-book series, not to mention having a hard time picking up a complicated story after it has sat for a year or more, I’ve just started camping out on the ones I want to follow – generally reading the first one and then buying the books as they are released (to feed the author), provided the author isn’t a useless prat who can’t be arsed to produce the rest of the series. When the series is wrapped up, I’ll read it straight through.
Grog (RW Krpoun). Another series, although I’m reading these as they come out, more or less. Grog is a half-Ukar (essentially, an orc) pit fighter, recently released from slavery and assigned to guard Provine Sael, a rather energetic priestess, as part of her motley band of adventurers tasked, basically, with doing bad things to bad people (of whom there is an ample supply). Grog is not the brightest and struggles with what it means to be free; his stoicism and absolutely unshakable devotion to duty leads to some interesting conversations with the Provine and some rather dry humor (at one point, they rescue an infant; Grog sees her as a useless distraction who needs discipline and training – she can’t even walk!). Pretty straightforward writing and plot, not nearly the inventiveness of the Locked Tomb, but I do enjoy the characters and the way the motley band comes together. Good light reading.
Voting
My views on whether to vote continue to evolve. For awhile, I tried voting for the candidate I thought best suited to my views, but I’ve given up on the Libertarian Party clownshow. After the debacle of 2020, I thought I’d probably not vote again until the electoral system was at least somewhat not-a-joke-anymore. I’m now thinking, sort of in the spirit of the age, that I will vote against the worst candidates, in the way that is most likely to hurt them – by voting for their major party opponent. Yes, I’m planning to vote for Trump, and possibly even the other candidates the execrable AZ GOP barfs up. Because holy crap, I can’t think of a single Dem candidate that isn’t the worst.
If nothing else, it will make the Maricopa County Fraud Machine have to work just that little bit harder, and be just that little bit more obvious.
I say in the spirit of the age, because it seems to me that Current Day politics certainly aren’t about “the good of the country”, and not even about helping your supporters (other than a very small percentage of connected grifters). So that leaves hurting your enemies (in my case, voting against Democrats). Which is one of the time-honored purposes of politics, so I’ve got that going for me.
Will my vote change the course of events? Of course not. Would a Republican victory appreciably change the trajectory of the country? I don’t see how. So “why bother?” is certainly still on the table. But I’m feeling pretty salty these days, so I may just vote.
I’m pretty sure the new hotness is graphene.
I think you’re right. After the ceramic debacle, I haven’t really looked.
Any opinion on Cerakote? I’m thinking of spending some real coin on a car later this year. I’m willing to put some money into protecting the finish if this stuff works.
Not really, no. For a black car, I would probably pay a detailer to do it, unless you have experience doing paint work/detailing. For a normal car, maybe worth a try yourself.
The current gen car finishes (not really wax any more) are supposed to be really good, as far as protection and longevity go, though. But that comes with a flip side, I think, that they aren’t easy to put on right.
Thanks RC.
“After being burned by unfinished multi-book series…”
*Nods in George R. R. Martin*
He’s way to busy rolling around in his enormous pool filled with cash to notice.
He notices. It’s why he’ll occasionally post bitchy blog posts about entitled fans.
The guy doesn’t know how to end it, and has decided it’s better to string people along than to disappoint them.
I keep forgetting to 303 my plastic bits on the Jeep exterior.
I like Race Glaze, but honestly trying to keep a black car perfect in harsh environments borders on impossible. The 303 is great. I also use an interior detailer.
Buy a small orbital. They are cheap and do absolutely help with the tediousness of a black vehicle.
I’ve got 2 white and a black. Considering getting rid of the black and waving goodbye to that color forever.
Unless my wife wants one, of course.
White, grey and now brick red. Super happy with that set of colors.
Though I do miss my ’78 Electric Pumpkin Toyota.
All of my cars in the last 30 years have been white, gray or black. I’m really boring.
The Klasse is easy enough and gives good results by hand. If I get an orbital, I think I’ll probably wind up spending more time/working harder on it.
Your call. I use mine a lot. It makes waxing the truck more frequently way easier and more fun.
While I won’t fault anyone for hand waxing, orbitals are great. Makes an already long job a little shorter and less strenuous.
And if that Merc had been mine, you would’ve had to pry it from my cold dead hands. A buddy of mine gas an E55 wagon. I love that car. He never drives it.
The cars look good.
I like VRP for tire shine and faded bits.
https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-TVD_107_16-Non-Greasy-Dressing/dp/B00FJIT9BO/
I have a black truck. It was used when I got it. It looks the way a moderately used pickup truck should look. No gouges or rust. That’s good enough for me.
The Z on the other hand. That I care about how it looks.
Not mine, but this is what mine looks like.
Voting only encourages the assholes, same as watching the news and getting angry at twitter post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bPF-Cth7BQ
Agree on the 303 and the Lexol. They work great on plastics and leather respectively (and the 303 will provide UV protection to your plastic and rubber exterior trim).
For the interior, I’ll use either Meguiars Interior Cleaner / Detailer, or just what YouTube’s ChrisFix calls “So-Pee Wooder,” i.e., a couple of pumps of dish soap diluted with water in a spray bottle. A cheap collections of brushes works wonders in getting into the tight spaces. A set of three will run under $10 at a big box store or on Amazon.
If you really want to get into obsessive territory, a brush attachment on your cordless drill will lift dirt out of the carpets and floor mats for your vacuum to capture, and when that’s not
analclean enough, Bissell makes some nice portable steam extractors that’ll make your vehicle better than showroom new.Tires get Meguiars Endurance Tire Gel. More precise application than sprays and lasts longer, IMO. The paint gets treated with Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax spray-on, occasionally covered with P21S Carnauba (because I have it, and I’m not going to toss it).
I’ve found that watching YT videos from the aforementioned ChrisFix, Detail Geek, and especially Ammo NYC (he specializes in hypercars and barn finds) to be oddly relaxing with a cocktail and a cigar in the evening. Ammo also has their own line of premium detailing products for the truly obsessed.
Yeah, shining up the tires isn’t something I bother with.
Can’t say that I blame you in what is likely an arid, dusty environment. Hit them with the hose or pressure washer and you’ll be fine.
Still, a few shots of 303 on the outside of the tires, spread around with an old microfiber, will provide UV protection to prevent any chance of dry rot.
Similarly, I’ll clean my wheels, then wet a microfiber, wring it out, and spray a few squirts of hybrid-ceramic onto the cloth. Wipe on to the wheel (and inside the barrel if your hand will fit), wait a minute, then spray off. Makes getting brake dust and the like a cinch to clean after that. You’ll only need to repeat the process 1-2 times annually after the first treatment.
A black car in Tucson…
I have a car with a black leather interior in South Carolina, I wouldn’t do that again.
…a black car in Georgia… never again…
Now it’s white trucks for me in MN. Occasionally lose one in the winter but they always show up later.
The ones that scare me are the cloudy gray/silver ones. They are the ones who appear out of nowhere when you are driving around in a blizzard. White cars/trucks actually show up better than they do.
Whenever we get a new car, for decades now, the first thing I get is a proper fitted sunscreen for the windshield.
https://www.covercraft.com/c/sunscreens
Yep. WeatherTech is the bomb.
+1 on Gideon the Ninth. Dean, you are right to wait until the series is complete. I’ve read the first three* and I expect to have to re-read them to get my head back in the story when the fourth book comes out. You have to pick up a lot as you go in all three.
*Apparently the series was originally intended to be a trilogy but the author felt the need to slip a spare book in between two and three.
Project Veritas talks to a DoJ lawyer involved in the FDA ivermectin suit.
Best Bond theme
Second best Bond theme.
They don’t make em like they used to. That was lovely.
I think you meant this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b07Z_qfchFk
It ain’t, but it should be
Fucked the link, oh well. Trying again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As03tlODkdw
Excellent!
I made it 26 years and a few months before I realized she wasn’t “in it to win it”. Actually, that’s not true, I realized at 9 years, that she was playing me. I stuck it out another 19 years so that at least my children would have a dad.
/so much happier now
/though my kids (grown-ass adults) don’t see it.
/hoping they come around
Mine is a guilty pleasure – probably not the best theme or the best movie, but the one I grew up with.
I’m guessing it’s Duran Duran.
Missed it by that much.
I was going to mention (but not link because I’m not a monster) “Goldfinger” as snark, but when I went looking for it (just for reference) I found this instead. Not bad. I detect a theme.
Pshaw. I’ll give you Goldfinger.
https://youtu.be/hN5_5WUH1gY?si=E_LUtQ-2MlvD1E7q
This is a fine product for leather.
I bought it for some club chairs and ended up using it on one of the cars. Fantastic and easy. Get the cleaner and conditioner.
Two days in a row this Libertarian-registered voter has gotten calls from a Democrat volunteer soliciting my vote. Unfortunately, that’s probably going to be routine, here in a swing state, for the next couple months. In each case, I didn’t have the time to sit and chat. But am looking forward to discussing the country’s path with the next caller, asking about fascism, economic ignorance, and flip-flopping political opportunists. I’ll probably end up being the one hung up on.
Aim high, creech. Good luck.
I am so thrilled that Iowa is not in play this year. The phones have been silent.
Hawaii is NEVER in play. No calls, no TV ads, no bumper stickers, and the only sign (singular) in my neighborhood was for Kennedy and it is gone now. If it wasn’t for Obama, Aldi Obama, and MSG(ret) Runaway Walz constantly on the UToobz then we would be isolated from the media madness.
I’m seeing more than a few ads from both sides here in NY (!).
Part of me knows it will never happen, but I’d love to see New York flip.
Invite him/her/it over for a face to face discussion.
Ask your interlocutor to name one, one, policy that the Harris/Walz ticket is espousing. Particularly in the economic sphere, as that filters out “Abortion!”. “A path forward” and “joy” are not policy positions. If the caller manages to get to the end of the scripted laminate and utter a policy position, it may make national news. It’s amazing that we’re 60-ish days out from a general election and their website has no platform…
https://kamalaharris.com/
My local tire store’s website has more information.
I missed another Rasmussen poll the other night.
Same. It’s the only satisfaction I expect to get out of the process.
In John Faulkner’s novel, “Uncle Good’s Girls” the sheriff is running unopposed for re-election. Uncle Good wants to vote against the sheriff but there is no way. He gets a ballot, throws out in the yard and has his grandson of unknown parentage pee on it as often as possible.
Yeah, last year I was only able to vote for maybe three out of six or so positions.
Rings of Power season 2 premiers in two days.
You have not seen what I have seen.
Were you the first to watch it?
Detailing my cars is like doing my lawn. I hate doing it, but anyone else won’t do it right, so I do it anyways. I always love how it looks when it’s done.
Air or q tips for the vents?
You people and your white or black cars!
Try some color! Live a little.
“Arrest-me red”? No, thanks.
My last 8 cars and motorcycles have been blue.
The first car I bought was safety orange.
Red = cop bait.
Blue = my balls
If you say so, Boss.
Track Day at Roebling Road, just west of Savannah.
Pretty girl. What is her name?
I dunno. My first Porsche was named Kate, since I once described settling into the leather seats as “like getting a hug from behind by a naked Kate Upton.”
But the new (to me) one has even better bolstering and higher quality leather, so maybe it should be Sydney, or perhaps Claudia — keeping with the Teutonic build, and in honor of the inimitable Miss Schiffer.
She’s pretty fast and great-handling as she is, being mid-engine and all. But I bought the car with the intention of doing this to it, making it a GT3 hunter.
I’ve used an old school approach for my car’s paint over the past 7 years. Once a year in the fall I perform this ritual.
Day 1:
\
1. Wash car
2. Touch up any paint nicks and rock chips. I’ve had good results using Dr. ColorChip repair kits.
3. Clay bar the car – the results are worth the effort. Removes old paint coating/wax along with any embeddeddirt. The end result is a smooth as glass finish.
4. Spritz the car the with mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water to remove clay remnants
5. Polish using a dual action polisher with a Lake Country orange polishing pad and Meguiars M201 or M205 polish
6. Spritz the car the with mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water to remove any polish residue.
7. Apply a coat of Jespar Power Lock paint sealer – let cure for over night.
Day 2
1. Apply a coat of Collinite 845 Insulator wax over the Power Lock
A lot of work but the results have always been excellent, consistent and lasts a long time. If you have not tried Collinite 845 Insulator wax try it, this stuff works and is very durable. I might try one of the modern paint finishes this year – probably a ceramic, and see how it compares.
Holy cow. That’s commitment.
Seriously.
Still halfway through it right now, but the new Arknights 2024 Synesthesia concert/performance/multimedia event….for a friggin mobile game – is typically awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrvTXJxxRc&t=1s
Rather than being story-oriented over the entire event, this one is taking sets of tracks tied to different regions/events in the world of the game and putting them together in anthems. Big props – they’ve got one of my favorites – from the “space race” event that has a really great retro-tech vibe “Ad Astra” plus “Control’s Wishes”.
Turning on close-captions should default to English.
Happy national red wine day!
😁🍷🌞
Gonna be a warm one round these parts.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bDMCwSP5nf0
🎶🎶
Not https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zXt56MB-3vc
for today’s song?
I don’t like to be obvious.
Good morning, Sean, Ted’S., and U!
How goes it?
Well, so far, thanks! Today I get to start moving people around to different supervisors in the payroll system thanks to our “reorganization.” How about you…other than your new…ummm…rosy glow?
I’m awake, and am soon going to have another hotel breakfast (hey, it’s included in the price of the room). I have to pack up and get on the road soon thereafter.
Yeah, that seems like a rather long drive! Please be careful!
That’s the plan.
Morning.
Thanks to the Ohio sun, I’ve gone and turned red.
Oh no! UCS has turned commie!
More like Redneck.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TKAfmeG08Ww
🎶🎶
Hawt.
Don’t worry- it wears off.
(see Jugsy around January)
Good morning, Fellow and Fellowette Glibs!
Hardy song is too local but with a different accent. No ‘You betchas’ or ‘Offdas’
Good morning, 4(20)!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13785523/New-York-Times-turns-Kamala-Harris-ignorant-phony.html
The NYT!
The Hill!