Stutopia

I don't believe this - AVOID the Godfather - did you mean 3? - that is poor - but one and two are CAST IRON classics. What else don't you like Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Die Hard, girls with big boobs and loose morals ???????

Can't believe I forgot the steam cleaner, I bought one just for engine bay schmutz! Make sure you remember to take a BEFORE photo as well as after.

It's not a particularly sophisticated job, nor does it require too many special tools, it does require elbow grease and patience. What you need will depend on the state of your engine bay. If it's just a quick refresh, then old microfibre towels and all purpose cleaner are plenty. If it's filthy, then a degreaser is handy. If it's really filthy then carb cleaner (applied to a rag and rubbed in hard with a finger) will shift most things. Whatever the state, some kind of brush for agitating tough and/or tight areas is very useful. If you're going to splash water all over from a hose, or get a pressure washer on it, then wrap up the sensitive electrical bits (if you don't know what these are, then avoid sloshing water around.) When you do get it clean, the best thing you can do is get some protection on (I've been using this, but there are lots of options - https://tinyurl.com/y7wgzyvk) to make your life easier in future. The secret is that once you get it clean, keep it clean as just part of your normal wash. However, it's no secret I have a man crush on Larry, so it would be remiss of me to not post a link to a video. https://www.ammonyc.com/detailing/guide-cleaning-engine-compartment/

Seems like the power to weight problem could be solved with a V8, no?

Given the whack it has taken, and the abuse I imagine you'll be giving it in future, any plans for a couple of structural inserts?

There's always two groups of people at work in the modern conspiracy machine. Those who can make packet out of dreaming up the latest one, flogging tee shirts, bumper stickers, YouTube videos and generally being the "leader". Then there's those that just want to be part of something, ANYTHING, to have a social group to feel belonging with and are happy to pay to do so. Flat earth was a big cash cow for some, this one might go that way. A quick google of "conspiracy theories which came true" reveals a multitude of clickbait, aggregating sites and if you do find some meaningful content its always part of some obscure theory you'd never heard of that some obscure part of the obscure theory turned out to be true. I could literally dream up a new one each day, and it some future point look back and, with a dash of confirmation bias, make something fit. There's nothing WRONG with people wanting to belong to something and someone creating that something, hell, we like to belong to a car club, which is itself and fairly strange concept - but seemingly much less so, because the thing is a physical thing. Where it goes wrong is when the followers get milked for cash and/or exposed to dangerous falsehoods that threaten them or others. We've already seen phone masts, serving hospitals getting set on fire. We've seen people who believe eating vegetables cures cancer die for that belief, worse still people have died following their 'guidance'. There are literally dozens of "Churches" across the US (and beyond) that exploit this model to draw millions of dollars from people who just want to be part of something. Corona virus proaction oil is a homegrown recent effort. Big Don himself plugs a malaria drug which is yet to be proven to do anything, maybe it will, but before that happens an old man is already dead and his wife became ill because of these lies.

In a sane and honest world, there would be no payout on any cover that explicitly calls out Pandemic as being out of scope. If it doesn’t explicitly exclude it, then write the ****ing cheques. Obviously we don’t live in a sane and honest world, so the second group of people above will be desperately being shovelled into group one; on the basis that if Insurers make life hard for many people they will either give in immediately or get bored by a lot drawn out process, potentially with expensive legal bills. This might cut the bill by many millions, so is totally worth it. Despite being dishonest. Big outfits won’t be scared off by this tactic, if they have the resources to fight, but loads of little businesses will simply walk away.

The size and flexibility of your equipment is very impressive, very jealous.

What happens in a casino, if they accept a bet which has the potential to wipe them out, and they lose? Do they get a state bailout? Does the gambler get stiffed? Does it go under because it accepted risks which it could not service?

I almost wish my car was sometimes this dirty, just for a big job like this. Nice one mate, looks mint. Never thought to use the wheel brush in the bay - good thinking.

Chris your photography skills have gone fully professional recently; everything is in focus, no digits. Another string to your bow - niiiiiice.

Is that for Golf?

how's the NVH v OEM?

It’s a real treat and only an outside detailer knows the true value of indoor work areas.

Hey! It’s not all plain sailing with fancy toys. Just imagine how long it’d take you to do a Z bonnet with just 3 inches AND those big metal arms on the hoist, really get in the way when you’re doing the doors!

Not build shizzle, but, due to circumstances, I had a day on my hands and, very rarely indeed for me, an indoor workspace to make use of - so what else is there to do but detail... Had a little go on my new polisher not long ago (dealing with a biggish scratch) but this was the first proper run out for the Rupes LHR75E Mini Bigfoot. All day I used almost exclusively yellow pads and yellow polish (fine), though I did have a quick blast with the blue (coarse) which just splattered polish everywhere (there's a possibility that was my fault, not the system's). The little machine is perfect for the panels on the BRZ and my weak desk workers arms. The car is all small areas and mid-panel creases - it' is too small when it comes to the bonnet, but that just means more sections. For me Clive, the advantages in the tight bits more than outweigh the disadvantages in the open stretches. Although circumstances presented me with the opportunity, she has been due a polish for some time. Work parking means I occasionally touch shrubbery and have people rubbing up against the paint, so it does get marked, also I like to wash her and that too leaves its impressions on the paint. This sort of thing is the problem. This last one on the bonnet is particularly hideous, it's like something coarse has been dragged over it. The spot shows the swirls but the tube reflection shows how it kills the vibrance of the paint. Yuk. Classic 50/50, left before right after (easier to see on the vid below). Also a bit of whopper here, something or someone has come very close to my bumper and put a few marks on the rear offside quarter - they mainly came out but you can see on the right it's still not perfect. P.S. If you're thinking of doing any detailing work during the lockdown, get a hoist, it's really useful, saves your back, makes inspection easier and improves productivity no end. I could spend a whole week doing cleaning jobs all around and underneath, with access to this work space. Couple of glamour shots when I rolled her out. Excuse the dirty wheels, this session was all about the paint, no other areas worked on. After the polish, gave her a quick once over with AMMO Reflex https://youtu.be/20zcTp_dTL8 She looks ok for 75k miles and 7 years use, if I do say so myself. You've read the text, now watch the (short) movie.

Glad I got that cleared up, really pleased myself.

Not sure about that reflexive pronoun (GLA @ATTAK Z can you rule please?) but in the spirit of getting along, myself and the lads are doing Century Club on Skype on Saturday. Expect chunder.

Why don’t the Civil Service, BBC and the other staff mentioned pay PAYE as employees, not to mention employers for the organisations? The mentality that if it’s bad for me, I want it to bad for others too, is totally beyond me. You don’t get more, if they get less. You may as well hope for it to rain next door to make it sunnier in your back garden More broadly speaking, let’s face it, the problem of people not having enough money has been around way before COVID-19, and perfected by the ideological (not economic) austerity of the last 10 years, which has demonstrably grown the national debt, despite promising to clear it. Sadly there was no magic money tree then. The aid they’re dishing out now is nothing to do with helping people who need it, if it was there wouldn’t have been any poverty or food banks in the UK for decades. This about discovering the magic money, when it suits your voters. It wasn’t that long ago the big plan was just to let everyone get infected and see who dies - they’ve not developed a selfless new desire to “do the right thing” overnight.

Get a grip you two. Tidied.

Mint. Love these.

Day 12 of WFH, Arnold Schwarzenegger workout is still not yielding visual results but is getting easier. Lewis Hamilton Challenge on GT is going better, improved my lines by following him around a lot and starting to take some time out of him now - just the 2 seconds a lap down on him at Interlagos. Please note, I was 0.14 seconds ahead part way through turn 1.

They look way better, now they are spick n span, have you put anything on to protect them from UV?