Waxing your car is good for you!

Notice that your car or truck's paint isn't as shiny as it used to be?  Your vehicle needs more than just a wash to look good.  And with this weather we have up here, waxing will keep your paint in excellent condition. You may think that waxing the car is something only your Grandfather used to do to his car and with today's modern paint, that car washes with their spray on wax is all your car needs.

This sadly is not true.  Spray on wax just doesn't do even a quarter of the job that real hard wax does.  If you want your baby to keep looking it's best, you need to be waxing it for a couple reasons.  First off, it's fun!  If your not single, don't use waxing the car as an excuse to isolate yourself!  Get your significant other involved!  It's a great way to spend some time together!  Pop open a couple of your favorite beverages and talk while you work.  You'll find that being productive together while doing something seemingly mundane can be a lot of fun.  I like to make an afternoon of it; if you don't have a buffer it can take about an hour or two. It's also a cheap date, all you need is the wax (two cans if there two of you so everyone gets their own applicator), some micro fiber cloth and a little elbow grease. If your doing it alone, it's a great way to invest your time in something positive.  You'll be contributing to the value of your car and you'll feel good driving that nice shiny thing around town. 

Second, waxing not only keeps your vehicle looking good and extends the life and shine of your paint, but it can protect it from being scratched also. With all the rain we've been getting, it'll also help prevent water spotting when your car eventually dries as the water will bead much better. Wax does it's magic by filling in micro-scratches in the paint's clear coat.  These scratches just happen unfortunately.  Most often from washing using a brush that's too stiff or from using a rag or sponge that picked up some abrasive road grim in the washing process.  Airborne sand or dust can also cause these scratches. But the good news is that with a well done wax job, those micro-scratches will disappear!

Now, a little bit on the wax.  You can spend about twenty dollars on the fancy waxes but I prefer the regular Turtle Wax.  It's cheap and makes a nice hard surface that can actually protect your paint from scratches.  The fancy waxes are softer, and while they may be easier to apply, they also don't last nearly as long or protect as well.  A good wax job should last three to six months.  The can says 12 but I don't know about that.  Depends on how much you drive I guess. With softer butter waxes I find myself having to redo them much more often.  Now there are a lot of different ways to do this as well as a million different products.  Hardcore enthusiasts use like 5 different products: a soap to wash, a clay bar kit to remove any other contaminants, a pre-wax conditioner, a hard synthetic wax, then a soft caranuba wax.  We're gonna do it the simpler way.

First off, wash the car.  Unlike Turtle Wax, good car detergent ain't cheap.  I recommend the regular Armor-all Soap.  It seems kinda expensive but it's also really concentrated so it actually lasts a pretty long time, bubbles really well and doesn't have a lot of harsh detergents in it.  It also preps your paint really nicely.  Once you have your baby washed and dried it's time to start waxing!  Pick a day that's not too hot.  Hardly a problem here but even so.  If you have a garage, use it.  Direct sunlight can make the wax dry really quick and then its hard to buff.  But again not really a problem up here.  Enjoy the sun if its out right?

APPLICATION!  Use the little spongy thing that came with the wax and dab it in the wax and rub a THIN layer evenly over an area.  Like as thin as possible.  Smear it around good so the paint is all covered in the little area your doing, then dab more onto the sponge and do another little area.  Work like this till you cover the whole car; I like to do a body panel at a time when applying: wax is gunky and it likes to get in places it shouldn't, i.e. between panels.  Don't put a lot on the applicator and it'll be easier.  The idea is you avoid getting in deep crevasses and on plastics.  Especially textured plastics.  Rubbing alcohol mixed with water will take it off, but best not to even have to do that.  Most of the time it'll just wipe off.

NOW BUFF!! Well, after the wax dries.  You can tell when you run your finger over it and it doesn't smear.  Then it's time to get your micro fiber cloth and buff all the wax off! Use circular motions (Wax on, Wax off!) and when the cloth starts getting all gunky switch sides or get a new one.  This is the most time intensive part but there's really not a big rush in this climate.  If you wait too long the wax can get hard to buff off.  Remember to take some breaks!

When your done, marvel at what your hard work has done! And tell us how it went!

ROSSI is BACK!

latest news from qatar motogp!

For those of you who don't know, Valentino Rossi is the Dale Earnhardt of MotoGP.  He's also the most successful racer of all time, having won the World Championship title nine times.  He's also one of the older racers at 35 years of age, and this last Sunday at Qatar he came in second to Marc Marquez! What's so exciting about this?  Last season, actually the last couple of seasons, he wasn't doing so hot... plagued by a dislocated shoulder and racing on a broken ankle he was not very competitive.  Many people, including myself, where grudgingly ready to accept the fact that their most beloved racing legend might be ready to hang up the towel.  I actually stopped watching MotoGP last season because I didn't want to see Rossi lose over and over. But this season the Rossi we know and love is back!  And I can't wait to see how this season pans out!

He's BACK! (yes that's an older picture)

Wet Week ahead, Play it safe

With the forecast calling for a rainy week, let's all be extra careful while driving.  There have been far to many accidents on Broadway these past couple weeks.  A little courtesy and attentiveness can go a long way towards preventing a situation that could really ruin your day, as well potential your life or the lives of those around you.

When your windshield starts to look like this:

It's time to slow down.

And possibly invest in some RainX or a similar product.  I use it on my truck and it makes a huge difference in visibility.  Remember to increase your following distance as well.  Just because you can see well and want to drive your normal pace, doesn't mean the person driving the '92 Volkswagen with the defroster that barely works can.  Have some courtesy toward your fellow drivers and when in doubt, play it safe.  Look twice.  Some streets in this county have really narrow sidewalks i.e. poor visibility, and can be difficult to see around.  Such as the intersection at F and 6th street where last week somebody decided they could make it, but didn't see the F-150 in the right lane and got broadsided or whatever the case was.  If the driver of either of these vehicles reads this, I realize that may not be exactly how it happened but I think we can agree that that intersection is stupid and try to avoid it when possible.

One more point: there are a lot of die hard motorcyclists and bicyclists who ride in the rain around here.  As an avid motorcyclist myself, I know what happens when it gets wet out.  From the motorcyclist's and bike rider's point of view it seems like everyone suddenly forgets how to drive. Not trying to point fingers or anything; I know that's probably because nobody can see you.  Nobody can see you most of the time anyway but when it's wet out sometimes I feel like I'm riding something with the latest military version of Active Camouflage. The point I'm trying to make here, for both Drivers and cyclists of all kinds is: Don't assume people see you.  Keep calm and play it safe.  And when it's wet out, remember to be extra courteous and play it doubly safe. 



Driving this Featured Car! The 2002 Chevy Corvette $23,995

 

 

This featured car is the 2002 Chevy Corvette.  I knew driving this car was going to be hard to describe, so I thought I'd take her for a little spin up Greenwood Heights!  The 5.7 liter V8 Engine started up with a growl; 350 horses.... I couldn't help grinning like a fool as the seat slid up into the preset position of the last driver.  I could feel the purr of the engine through the seat, arm rest, and stick.  The 2002 Corvette not only has 20 more horses than the previous run, it also received some suspension upgrades; a larger front stabilizer, stiffer rear leaf springs, new rear shock valves and re-tuned cambering for increased grip and agility.  The front stabilizer bar links and transmission cooler case were also replaced with aluminum to decrease overall weight. Under the hood she looked clean, and with less than 30,000 miles, I didn't expect anything less.

 

 

Pulling out of the lot I could feel the extraordinary racing heritage that is every Vette's birthright.  It felt so planted, so smooth.  So completely in control.  No flex or roll in the suspension like almost every other car I've drove.  I put her in second.  The clutch has a short stroke, not mushy or elongated, more like a motorcycle than a typical car.  Tooling down Broadway, I could feel the eyes of pedestrians and other motorists sliding over the Vette's curves.  Heading out to Samoa, I let her have some reigns.  She accelerated effortlessly. No thinking about it.  The purr started to become more of roar.  A hitchhiker walking the bridge waved his thumb excitedly at me.  Sorry buddy. Ain't gonna happen. Shifting into fourth as I rapidly approached the speed limit, now I was just coasting, giving her hardly any gas.  She ate up the bumps on the bridge transition like nothing.  I stilled slowed way down for those train tracks: I'm not taking any chances and those tracks are stupid.

 

 

Out Old Arcata Road, I could only marvel how comfortable the ride was.  Knowing that this Vette is about as sports car as it gets, and honestly about as much of a sports car as many of us can afford, I was surprised how relaxing and smooth the ride actually is.  Now I know why most Corvette drivers I see are going so slow.  There's no need to drive it like a bat outa hell.  Sure it's built for it, but cruzing in this car is a pleasure all it's own. Going up the Heights, this Vette has a feeling that's unique in the car world.  With the 2002's upgraded suspension and Humboldt's, shall we say, less than stellar road quality it felt silky smooth, but without any sense of floating.  The Car just felt there.  I pushed her into the turns. Still no roll.  I love it.

 

Back at the dealership, and very reluctantly, I hung up the keys, still grinning like a fool.  I looked at the clock. Uhoh, a quick spin turned into a two hour drive! Oh well, it was worth every second.

 

I got a Bill From the DMV for my Trade In?

A question we sometimes hear at Roy's is why did I receive a Bill from the DMV for registration on the car I traded in? If the Registration becomes due before the change in ownership is established, (We all know how slow the DMV can be...) the DMV will just send the bill out to the last person they have on file.  This is pretty normal and you can just disregard it.