[Hypatia]

Got a new car today! A 2004 Subaru Forester. Silver. Just the X model, not the turbo. Disgustingly practical, I know, but I really like it. And its very snappy�.

Had an 87 Subaru GL wagon. Bought new; one owner. Didn't have air conditioning because when I bought it I was living in Alaska and I lacked the imaginination to understand that one day I would leave. Sold it in 2001 and bought a used 2000 Chevy Malibu. Thought I'd try a sedan. What was I thinking? Traded in the Malibu on the Subaru.

Trying to think of a name for the new Subaru. The 87 was named Micah Red (for her paint color). Am I the only one here who's named a car?

Now, my question for you-all:

How do I keep my new car in excellent running order? No, I don't have a garage (no room for one with my 1920's cottage). And yes, I will be taking it to the Subaru dealer for service, but they have an excellent reputation. No, I don't change my own oil and have no intention of doing so. I average less than 10,000 miles a year on my cars.

So, what's your advice for a new car owner?

[george68]

Cool. My 1992 Subie SVX's paint is 'black mica'. Black pearl with little tiny specks of red you can barely see. I have 172k on her now. Love it to death!

No, I haven't named my car. As for taking care of her, don't ask us, refer to your owners manual and recommended service intervals. Also, after about 5k miles, start using synthetic oil. It's a tad pricier, but you don't have to change it as often. Eh... oh, I got one. ROTATE YOUR TIRES RELIGOUSLY EVERY 5k MILES! This is REALLY REALLY REALLY important on a subaru! You have THREE differentials in that car, a front, a center and a rear. If one tire wears out faster than the others, you're going to be putting a lot of wear and tear on the diffs. If you blow a tire, REPLACE ALL FOUR. Like I said, with an AWD car, it's very important for all 4 corners to have the same circumfrence.

- Rob

[Lateralus]

Put it in a time capsule.

[chabig]

Switch it to synthetic oil.

[dreilly1]

We're close to replacing our Ford Escort Crapwagon with a 2005 Outback.

I guess I'd like to hear more about the peculiar things about Subarus that I'll have to get used to. Ca$h's tire hints are good, I never really thought about it that way but it makes perfect sense that in a car with AWD, keeping the tire wear even is important.

Oh, and what's the deal with Synthetic oil, anyway? How often does the manual say you should change your oil, and how often should you really change it? My VW Jetta's manual says you can wait 10k miles before oil changes, but I typically get it changed between 4 and 5. Whenever I tell anyone that my manual says 10k, they look at me like I'm some sort of moron. But that's what it says...

[macroy]

Congrats on your new car.

I would get to know your owners manual very well. I would also look into a subaru enthusiasts forum and start getting to know the ins and out on that car. Its amazing how much info you can get from those groups. Off course, there's also lot of BS in them too, but like here, once you get to know the folks, you get a good feeling who's advices are more valuable.

As for external care, since you have no garage, you definitely want to put some coats of really good protection on it - Zaino products are pretty much the king in car care. You'll pay a premium for it...but most folks sware by it. I would avoid your neighborhood gas station car washes as they typically use recycled water and those cloth strips rarely get cleaned themselves.

Just my .02

[chabig]

I user Amsoil synthetic oil. Their recommended change interval is 1 year or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Chris

[sideus]

Don't eat in it.

Nothing I hate more than the smell of fast food inside the car.

The use of synthetic oil is a personal preference. I don't use synthetic but I do change my oil every 3,000 miles. They say synthetic is somewhat better, but the higher cost of it doesn't really justify the small benefits it provides.

[Gankdawg]

Originally posted by dreilly1:
My VW Jetta's manual says you can wait 10k miles before oil changes, but I typically get it changed between 4 and 5. Whenever I tell anyone that my manual says 10k, they look at me like I'm some sort of moron. But that's what it says...

My owner's manual (1996 vehicle) has 2 maintenance sections. One for regular use and one for stop and go/heavy use. The regular use states change oil every 7500 and the stop and go section says every 3000. I fall into the regular use section and up till 100k miles, I changed the oil every 7500. Now that I'm over 100k, I change it every 5000 miles. Maybe when I get to 150k, I will switch to synthetic.

And, as Ca$h said, rotate the tires every 5000. No excuses. Period. Your tires will love you back.

[Hypatia]

Good advice, guys.

Hey macroy:

What is the Zaino protection? Where do I get it? Can I pay another human to put it on?

As far as car washes go, all I do is go to the local 50 cent just water place, and nothing touches my car except a clean all cotton cloth I washed myself, so I should be OK in terms of the car wash thing.

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
And, as Ca$h said, rotate the tires every 5000. No excuses. Period. Your tires will love you back.

Thanks especially for this advice, Gankdawg and Ca$h. I didn't realize this was so important. I will rotate (and love) my tires in anticipation of their reciprocal affection.

And about the oil changes. A car dealer "a while" ago told me to change my oil every three months. Months instead of miles since I don't put many miles on the car. What do you think?

I will read the owner's manual. I like reading manuals. Geeky, I know, but hey.

[gorickey]

I'm all for the car wash thing...I take mine in at least once every few weeks and get all professionally cleaned and washed inside/out. It's $21.99/wash; however, well worth it for all the stuff they do to it. Looks amazing!

[cjrivera]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
Good advice, guys.

Hey macroy:

What is the Zaino protection? Where do I get it? Can I pay another human to put it on?

www.zainostore.com

It's a car polish system that a lot of car fanatics swear by. Their website tells you all about it. If you go to almost any car specialty board (BMW/Mustang/Vette/etc.) or even auto detailing boards, they rave about it.

I've used it on my cars and really notice a difference over regular waxing. Deeper shine. Lasts longer than regular waxes (although you end up using 4-6 coats of different polishes the first time you use it.)

It costs a little bit more and is a lot more work, but a new car is worth it.

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/detailing/
is a good site for detailing questions.

[OwlBoy]

don't do this:

http://www.owlboy.com/russ/

Thats my co-workers truck...

-Owl

[macroy]

yup. as cjrivera pointed out - www.zainostore.com. Be prepared to read a bit to figure out what the different stuff do... they typically go by numbers.

oh, and I'd use a microfiber towel to dry my car as opposed to a terry cloth or cotton towel. Just a personal preference, but they're supposed to be better (look up the big blue towel in a detailing forum). But if you do stick with cotton, make sure you wash them seperately, and never use dryer sheets/fabric softner with them.

[Hypatia]

Originally posted by macroy:
oh, and I'd use a microfiber towel to dry my car as opposed to a terry cloth or cotton towel. Just a personal preference, but they're supposed to be better (look up the big blue towel in a detailing forum). But if you do stick with cotton, make sure you wash them seperately, and never use dryer sheets/fabric softner with them.

OK, I'm willing to buy the car its own microfiber towels (and wash them separately) but if I'm gonna do that, I definitely need to name her/him? (Maybe it's trans-gender?)

[Hypatia]

Originally posted by OwlBoy:
don't do this:

http://www.owlboy.com/russ/

Thats my co-workers truck...

-Owl

What a nightmare! I just hope your co-worker is OK.

[gorickey]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
What a nightmare! I just hope your co-worker is OK.

Yeah, is Russ okay? I sure hope the poll/tree is hurting as much as that truck is...

[xi_hyperon]

Damn, you guys are too fast - I was going to mention the zaino stuff too. In addition to their polishes, use their clay bars - you won't believe how much crap gets embedded in the paint until you clay it.

[cjrivera]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
OK, I'm willing to buy the car its own microfiber towels (and wash them separately) but if I'm gonna do that, I definitely need to name her/him? (Maybe it's trans-gender?)

How about "Gump"

Get it Forrester Gump.

I know, I know, it's bad but I'm really really sleep deprived at the moment.

[fireside]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
OK, I'm willing to buy the car its own microfiber towels (and wash them separately) but if I'm gonna do that, I definitely need to name her/him? (Maybe it's trans-gender?)

Ghorolikz Heubuervabrofin

[george68]

Originally posted by chabig:
Switch it to synthetic oil.

Do NOT do that on a new car. New engines wear a lot of metal directly into the oil... the oil needs to be changed every 3k when they're new.

- Rob

[george68]

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
Now that I'm over 100k, I change it every 5000 miles. Maybe when I get to 150k, I will switch to synthetic.

Bad idea. Synthetics are a bit slipperier than regular oils, and they also have differnet chemical makeups. Summary: Switching to synthetics on an older engine will result in all the gunk around the seals being cleaned away, and cause leaks. Eventually the moisture will come back into the seals, but then you have to deal with leaks for 1-2 years.

- Rob

[Fyre4ce]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
Got a new car today! A 2004 Subaru Forester. Silver. Just the X model, not the turbo. Disgustingly practical, I know, but I really like it. And its very snappy�.

Had an 87 Subaru GL wagon. Bought new; one owner. Didn't have air conditioning because when I bought it I was living in Alaska and I lacked the imaginination to understand that one day I would leave. Sold it in 2001 and bought a used 2000 Chevy Malibu. Thought I'd try a sedan. What was I thinking? Traded in the Malibu on the Subaru.

Trying to think of a name for the new Subaru. The 87 was named Micah Red (for her paint color). Am I the only one here who's named a car?

Now, my question for you-all:

How do I keep my new car in excellent running order? No, I don't have a garage (no room for one with my 1920's cottage). And yes, I will be taking it to the Subaru dealer for service, but they have an excellent reputation. No, I don't change my own oil and have no intention of doing so. I average less than 10,000 miles a year on my cars.

So, what's your advice for a new car owner?

-Go buy a marble composition notebook and keep it in the glove compartment. Record everything in there. Every time you fill up the tank, calculate your gas mileage and record it in the notebook. Then, if your car is having problems you might notice a slight drop in your fuel economy. Also, in this book, record any maintenance that was done on the car (fluid changes, tire rotations, replacing parts, etc.). It will make it much easier on you down the road if you have a complete and accurate logbook.

-Also, go buy a nice tire pressure gauge (one with a round dial and a flexible hose) and check your tire pressures every time you fill up. Learn how to check your oil level and do that every time you fill up too.

-Use a synthetic motor oil of the proper viscosity for your climate.

That's a start. If I think of anything else, I'll post back.

[Fyre4ce]

Originally posted by george68:
Do NOT do that on a new car. New engines wear a lot of metal directly into the oil... the oil needs to be changed every 3k when they're new.

- Rob

Wha???

I got a new car last year, and it came with mineral oil in the crankcase. I ran that for 3000 miles and then switched it to Mobil 1. Are you saying this shouldn't be done?

[CaseCom]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
Got a new car today! A 2004 Subaru Forester. Silver. Just the X model, not the turbo. Disgustingly practical, I know, but I really like it. And its very snappy�.

(snip)

So, what's your advice for a new car owner?

Congrats! I own a 2003 Forester XS (Cayenne Red). On the X the silver looks good with the unpainted bumper though.

So you don't have the automatic climate control, right? That's good, the auto CC is probably the only thing I don't like about my Forester.

My advice is just to follow the maintenance schedule in the manual. Plus, drive it easy for the first 1,000 miles or so. Check the manual; I think it recommends not going over 4000 rpm during the break-in period.

Enjoy! Foresters are good cars.

[george68]

Originally posted by Fyre4ce:
Wha???

No, someone said to switch to mobil one. Don't do that right away. Wait 3-5k first.

- Rob

[residentEvil]

i'm going to chime in on one aspect and you can flame away. clear coat finished cars, unless you feel a need to make it look like ads on tv or it is a show car, should NOT be waxed/polished. a simple cleaning with the garden house to get the dirt off is all it needs, then hand dry, lint free of course. never take one thru an automatic car wash or even those 'touchless' ones. obviously, you will need to put a little elbow grease on mud and bird crap, and rims, but just use care when doing so.

[george68]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
i'm going to chime in on one aspect and you can flame away. clear coat finished cars, unless you feel a need to make it look like ads on tv or it is a show car, should NOT be waxed/polished. a simple cleaning with the garden house to get the dirt off is all it needs, then hand dry, lint free of course. never take one thru an automatic car wash or even those 'touchless' ones. obviously, you will need to put a little elbow grease on mud and bird crap, and rims, but just use care when doing so.

Disagree with you on that one. Wax acts as a protectant. Without it, your clearcoat is more likely to get damaged. Waxing your WHEELS will even prevent dings and stuff from gravel.

- Rob

[residentEvil]

i think that too, rob, about it protecting the clearcoat finish. i got the low down my friends at both gm and chrsyler. they highly recommend letting the clearcoat do it's job, and don't wax.

the particles/elements that make up the wax/polish, also cause pitting in the clearcoat, just as bird crap, pollution, etc does.

i believe them, so i don't wax. my truck looked pretty damn good, and it never had wax. i won't wax my new durango either.

[memento]

Congrats on the subie. I love my Outback. Something that tends to get overlooked is the tire rotation. really. Do that ever 5k as cash said.

Keep it clean. Especially in winter if they salt the roads where you live. Salt kills cars.

Is it manual or auto? Some recent subie manuals have had a tendency to shudder when taking off in 1st gear. If that's happening, you can learn to avoid it.

Go easy on the brakes.

Most importantly, when the first big snowstorm hits - go driving! When I call my Outback a tank, I'm not kidding. When we had the huge xmas storm in NY, I got home with over a foot of snow on the ground and my outback plowed up my driveway, several hundred feet at 40 degree slope, without even straining. awesome.

[dreilly1]

Originally posted by memento:
Most importantly, when the first big snowstorm hits - go driving! When I call my Outback a tank, I'm not kidding. When we had the huge xmas storm in NY, I got home with over a foot of snow on the ground and my outback plowed up my driveway, several hundred feet at 40 degree slope, without even straining. awesome.

Driving my Jetta around Rochester has been... fun... in the winter. I'm looking forward to having a different kind of fun driving a AWD car in the winter!

[xi_hyperon]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
i think that too, rob, about it protecting the clearcoat finish. i got the low down my friends at both gm and chrsyler. they highly recommend letting the clearcoat do it's job, and don't wax.

the particles/elements that make up the wax/polish, also cause pitting in the clearcoat, just as bird crap, pollution, etc does.

i believe them, so i don't wax. my truck looked pretty damn good, and it never had wax. i won't wax my new durango either.

Clearcoat does protect the paint underneath, but it's a bit absurd to treat it as if it's indestructible. Most elements, such as bird poo, brake dust, oil, etc. will stick to and eventually damage the finish on a clearcoat. Bird poo alone can eat away the surface of clear coat and leave a not-so-nice mar. Other particles will embed themselves into the surface - but don't take my word for it. I would suggest you use clay on your car and see for yourself what it pulls off. Those particles, if left, do damage the clear coat. It's not some magical material impervious to the elements.

As far as damage from wax or polish, I would say that given the difference between an untreated clearcoat and one which has been treated with a good polish, the benefit of the polish far outweighs any damage (if there is any, which if so, I doubt is perceptible). I don't use wax so I can't speak about its effects.

[residentEvil]

i never said it was a "magical material impervious to the elements". but soon as you introduce a wax/polish and no matter how tiny the particles are in that wax, it will slowly destroy the clearcoat too...just like bird crap, acid rain, etc.

i have a question. the wax then, more or less, acts as a filler in those tiny holes? is that the benift of the wax/polish? fill in the holes left behind and add a thin layer over the entire surface?

[xi_hyperon]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
i never said it was a "magical material impervious to the elements". but soon as you introduce a wax/polish and no matter how tiny the particles are in that wax, it will slowly destroy the clearcoat too...just like bird crap, acid rain, etc.

i have a question. the wax then, more or less, acts as a filler in those tiny holes? is that the benift of the wax/polish? fill in the holes left behind and add a thin layer over the entire surface?

Well, again, it is a question of degree, and I'm convinced the benefit of using a good polish far outweighs the consequences. The important thing is to do what you think is best - and not everyone agrees on what exactly that is. You are basically right about what polishes do - the good ones minimize any scratches you may have, and bond to the clear coat as an extra layer. Here's a good thread which answers a lot of questions about polishes and car care in general. These guys are umm... quite serious about it, and they seem to have done their research on the topic.

[macroy]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
i never said it was a "magical material impervious to the elements". but soon as you introduce a wax/polish and no matter how tiny the particles are in that wax, it will slowly destroy the clearcoat too...just like bird crap, acid rain, etc.

i have a question. the wax then, more or less, acts as a filler in those tiny holes? is that the benift of the wax/polish? fill in the holes left behind and add a thin layer over the entire surface?

Typically, a polish is used to repair any light damage to the clearcoat and remove contaminants. You would then glaze and wax the car afterwords for protection... so for a complete detail one would typically:

- Wash (using "Dawn" or something similar to completely remove all old polish/wax)
- clay
- polish
- glaze
- wax

Some would even repeat steps depending on need (i.e wash, clay then wash again. Or even put multiple layers of glaze/wax).

As for not waxing because particles in the wax can damage the car... I think that a bit overboard. Unless you put that car in a vacum, its gonna get particles resting on it that will damage the clearcoat. The wax at least adds another layer of protection.

the roadfly.org forum listed previously on detailing provides some great tips and info.

[residentEvil]

residentEvil listens...absorbs...and...

washed my car this afternoon. but did not wax or polish. i hear what you are saying though. but, i'll stick with my way. no worries

[djohnson]

DO not use it. Vaccuum sealed garage.

[itai195]

Hypatia -- are you really so serious about this new car that you'd spend all this time washing it, then treating it with clay, polish, wax, etc? I can't believe so many people have the motivation to do all that, it would drive me crazy. You can usually pay folks at a car wash to do this for you but it's expensive.

[cjrivera]

Originally posted by itai195:
Hypatia -- are you really so serious about this new car that you'd spend all this time washing it, then treating it with clay, polish, wax, etc? I can't believe so many people have the motivation to do all that, it would drive me crazy. You can usually pay folks at a car wash to do this for you but it's expensive.

You do the major treatment 1 or 2 times a year normally (clay, polish, etc.). You then normally wash your car as per your usual schedule. There is a spray on you can use after each or every other wash if you like, but it's optional (like a spray on wax).

People at a car wash usually don't care about your car, just about gettting done quick and to the next car, so they are a little more careless about the job (from the car washes I've been to.)

It's like a hobby to some people (not me, even though I do the routine 2x a year), but if it helps people protect their $10K-$100K purchase, I don't see the harm.

[Hypatia]

Originally posted by itai195:
Hypatia -- are you really so serious about this new car that you'd spend all this time washing it, then treating it with clay, polish, wax, etc?

Well, probably not. Although, I love the thread that xi_hyperon linked to, and he is right, those people are very serious about the finish on their cars. I can understand the various steps and why. I can definitely appreciate their obsessiveness.

But, my sculpture is my obsession. Really, really time-consuming and obsessive in a lunatic way. And, I want to spend more time in my studio, not less. So, if I can pay someone to wash my car "properly" I'll gladly do that, even though I'm "financially differently abled."

But as cjrivera says, I can see someone, even me, doing the routine 2X a year.

But yeah, I'm mostly concerned with making sure the body doesn't rust or corrode and then keeping the inner workings of my new (and still unmaned) baby in good condition.

From what I've gleaned so far, I will:

Read the owner's manual
Follow the suggested schedule of maintenance
Rotate the tires every 5,000 miles
Get a tire gauge and see if I can learn to check my tires. And operate those dratted pay-for-air things. (Another conceptual barrier falls!)
Change the oil -- probably keep following the every three months thing; undecided about the virtues of synthetic oil.
Get some microfiber clothes and some soft bristle brushes for washing.

Oh, and yeah, no eating in the car, but I confess I've already had a latte in her/him/it.

One more note about automatic climate control and other "features". I just have the manual air conditioning knobs, etc and I'm happy with them. I found it interesting to observe in myself that although its easy to "select options" on a car website, when it comes time to pay out money, I had no interest in heated seats or leather or anything else other than the basics. I just wanted:

a safe car
AWD
good visibility
front and side airbags
a rear windshield wiper
keyless entry

Not a lot to ask for, and I got it all in the base model.

What I would really really like is a good sound system, but if I were going to get that, I'd want to be able to use my iPod or iPod mini. Any suggestions?

[itai195]

Originally posted by cjrivera:
You do the major treatment 1 or 2 times a year normally (clay, polish, etc.). You then normally wash your car as per your usual schedule. There is a spray on you can use after each or every other wash if you like, but it's optional (like a spray on wax).

Ahh, 1 or 2 times a year is probably doable.

[george68]

Eh... yeah, keep it wax. Resident Evil: Your friends who work at the car companies tell you not to use wax, correct? Where do they work? What do they sell? Exactly.

Hence, if you want to keep your car for a long time, and keep it looking good, use a NICE wax. I don't use polish, nor do I use crap like turtle wax. I've heard good things about zaino, but honestly it's way too much work for me. Try ZYMOL. It's the wax that comes on the car when you purchase a porsche. It's cheap (8.99) and it's almost 100% organic, and it's super easy to put on and take off. It's great.

My grandma purchased a 2002 Forester XS and she LOVES it. Silver, probably the same color as yours. I just got my SVX aligned today... performance alignment. Muha. Can't wait to find some nice roads.

- Rob

[Hypatia]

Originally posted by george68:
Eh... yeah, keep it wax. Resident Evil: Your friends who work at the car companies tell you not to use wax, correct? Where do they work? What do they sell? Exactly.

Hence, if you want to keep your car for a long time, and keep it looking good, use a NICE wax. I don't use polish, nor do I use crap like turtle wax. I've heard good things about zaino, but honestly it's way too much work for me. Try ZYMOL. It's the wax that comes on the car when you purchase a porsche. It's cheap (8.99) and it's almost 100% organic, and it's super easy to put on and take off. It's great.

- Rob

Which wax is better? Zaino or Zymol?

[residentEvil]

i got my source from the quality service engineer (something title something else) that i've known since 1993. he works at chrysler. he is in charge of checking/monitoring emissions on all chrsyler vehicles and the effects of long term use/wear. from the prowler (we broke the front fender off last 4th of july! hahaha) to the neon. he has a fleet of about 200 cars he rotates thru as his daily drivers (with a staff of 4). he must perform all maintance per manual of each vehicle, including keeping it clean (rest of the job is monitoring several installed computer systems on everything from the exhaust, to the gas tank cap to the windshield (UV)). his words were to me that since around 1997/8, the quality of the clearcoat finish from the factory is more then enough to protect the paint for the life of your vehicle. there is no need to wax/polish to prolong the life of the paint job.

Originally posted by george68:
Eh... yeah, keep it wax. Resident Evil: Your friends who work at the car companies tell you not to use wax, correct? Where do they work? What do they sell? Exactly.

Hence, if you want to keep your car for a long time, and keep it looking good, use a NICE wax. I don't use polish, nor do I use crap like turtle wax. I've heard good things about zaino, but honestly it's way too much work for me. Try ZYMOL. It's the wax that comes on the car when you purchase a porsche. It's cheap (8.99) and it's almost 100% organic, and it's super easy to put on and take off. It's great.

My grandma purchased a 2002 Forester XS and she LOVES it. Silver, probably the same color as yours. I just got my SVX aligned today... performance alignment. Muha. Can't wait to find some nice roads.

- Rob

[george68]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
i got my source from the quality service engineer (something title something else) that i've known since 1993. he works at chrysler. he is in charge of checking/monitoring emissions on all chrsyler vehicles and the effects of long term use/wear. from the prowler (we broke the front fender off last 4th of july! hahaha) to the neon. he has a fleet of about 200 cars he rotates thru as his daily drivers (with a staff of 4). he must perform all maintance per manual of each vehicle, including keeping it clean (rest of the job is monitoring several installed computer systems on everything from the exhaust, to the gas tank cap to the windshield (UV)). his words were to me that since around 1997/8, the quality of the clearcoat finish from the factory is more then enough to protect the paint for the life of your vehicle. there is no need to wax/polish to prolong the life of the paint job.

Regardless, if you do not wax your finish, it will 'dry out' so to speak. Ever seen cars with really dull sheens? That's the clearcoat, failing. It happens especially quickly on red cars. Look for red cars from the 80s, like nissans and whatnot. They will be very 'dull' looking most likely. If not, it's because they've been waxed. He must consider the 'life of hte vehicle' only 5-8 years. Some people only keep a car that long. I like keeping cars a lot longer.

- Rob

[residentEvil]

true, life of a car from a manufactures perspecitive is A LOT different then what a consumer thinks the life should be.

[dreilly1]

All this talk about clear coats reminds me of what happened to my Jetta a few years back... A certain five-letter company based in Rochester (who shall otherwise remain nameless) had a chemical leak where a goodly amount of Metheleyne Chloride (like the stuff in Antifreeze) spewed into the atmosphere and landed in a residental and commercial disctict here in town. It resulted in little white flakes raining down like heavenly dandruff on unsuspecting people and vehicles. One of the largest car dealerships in town had quite a few cars affected. (fortunately, they were only Chevys, so it wasn't that much of a tragedy).

Of course, my Jetta was not only in the area, but was one of the hardest-hit cars. How do I know this? The company responsible for this quickly reserved the nearby Delta Sonic car wash for all cars in the area that were affected. As you can imagine, the line got pretty long pretty quickly. My car was covered in little white flakes -- it looked like it was covered in salt -- and ALL of the other cars I saw had maybe one or two little flakes on them. Even after the car wash, there were still some visible marks on the car from where the flakes were.

I brought the car to my mechanic, who said that it looked like the chemical ate through the clear coat and was sitting in pockets on the metal, or something like that -- you can still see those pock-marks on the car today if you look in the right light. The clear-coar itself looks fine to my untrained eye: the bubbles appear to be underneath the paint. My mechanic said the only way to really get rid of them would be to take all the paint off hte entire car and re-paint it. The body shop I took it to next repeated that assertion (of course they would...), and added that without getting fixed the car may rust from under the paint prematurely. (which I thought at the time was a bunch of BS...) I registered a complaint with said company, who sent one of their insurance adjustors to look at the damage. Of course, they disputed the notion that the entire car needed to be re-done, and politely told me to screw off. Although the situation never really got resolved, I never had the time to persue it further and the car is now a few years older with no visible signs of rust or any major problems, just these bubbles under the paint that you can't even see if you don't look at the right angle.

So, what do you car finishing experts think? Will the car rust prematurely? I've been avoiding waxing the car, thinking that might aggrivate the situation further. Do you think it might help?

[Spliffdaddy]

One of my co-workers leased a Pontiac Grand Am a few years back. We were leaving work when I noticed her car was making a 'knocking' sound. I mentioned that it didn't sound normal, in fact, it sounded terminal.

She told me the 'oil' light had been flashing alot lately...mostly around corners. She thought it might be low on oil. I offered to check it for her, just to be safe. As she fumbled endlessly for the hood release lever, I asked her if the car leaked anything while parked and I asked her when she last had the oil changed. She told me that she "had been meaning to have that done for awhile". And then she added, "It's never had anything done to it. Not even an oil change."

The odometer showed 81,000 miles. It had worn out 2 sets of tires without ever having the hood opened.

She drove that car for another year, at least. I doubt she ever changed the oil - although she did add a couple of quarts.

In case you ever wondered what would happen....

[macroy]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
One of my co-workers leased a Pontiac Grand Am a few years back. We were leaving work when I noticed her car was making a 'knocking' sound. I mentioned that it didn't sound normal, in fact, it sounded terminal.

She told me the 'oil' light had been flashing alot lately...mostly around corners. She thought it might be low on oil. I offered to check it for her, just to be safe. As she fumbled endlessly for the hood release lever, I asked her if the car leaked anything while parked and I asked her when she last had the oil changed. She told me that she "had been meaning to have that done for awhile". And then she added, "It's never had anything done to it. Not even an oil change."

The odometer showed 81,000 miles. It had worn out 2 sets of tires without ever having the hood opened.

She drove that car for another year, at least. I doubt she ever changed the oil - although she did add a couple of quarts.

In case you ever wondered what would happen....

Here's another case of what could happen:


The story

[memento]

Originally posted by Hypatia:
Well, probably not. Although, I love the thread that xi_hyperon linked to, and he is right, those people are very serious about the finish on their cars. I can understand the various steps and why. I can definitely appreciate their obsessiveness.

But, my sculpture is my obsession. Really, really time-consuming and obsessive in a lunatic way. And, I want to spend more time in my studio, not less. So, if I can pay someone to wash my car "properly" I'll gladly do that, even though I'm "financially differently abled."

But as cjrivera says, I can see someone, even me, doing the routine 2X a year.

But yeah, I'm mostly concerned with making sure the body doesn't rust or corrode and then keeping the inner workings of my new (and still unmaned) baby in good condition.

From what I've gleaned so far, I will:

Read the owner's manual
Follow the suggested schedule of maintenance
Rotate the tires every 5,000 miles
Get a tire gauge and see if I can learn to check my tires. And operate those dratted pay-for-air things. (Another conceptual barrier falls!)
Change the oil -- probably keep following the every three months thing; undecided about the virtues of synthetic oil.
Get some microfiber clothes and some soft bristle brushes for washing.

Oh, and yeah, no eating in the car, but I confess I've already had a latte in her/him/it.

One more note about automatic climate control and other "features". I just have the manual air conditioning knobs, etc and I'm happy with them. I found it interesting to observe in myself that although its easy to "select options" on a car website, when it comes time to pay out money, I had no interest in heated seats or leather or anything else other than the basics. I just wanted:

a safe car
AWD
good visibility
front and side airbags
a rear windshield wiper
keyless entry

Not a lot to ask for, and I got it all in the base model.

What I would really really like is a good sound system, but if I were going to get that, I'd want to be able to use my iPod or iPod mini. Any suggestions?

you can easily go overboard on a soundsystem ($$$). Right now I'm listening to Ozric Tentacles through a pair of Martin Logan electrostatics. And I'm happy!

In my car I have a relatively inexpensive Sony Xplod head unit (all I care about it having a CD player). $150 for that. Then I have a pair of component Rockford Fosgates for the front. again like $150 and component speakers in general sound better than any "combo" speaker you'll find. In the back under the floor (but above the spare) I have my crossovers for the components and my main power amp. JBL 300WPC (rms) into 2 ohms. This was probably like $300. Then I have 2 15" subwoofer cabinets driven in parallel to the components. These were $250 including the speakers and cabinets. In the end it is quite hifi. I *can* rattle people's windows if I want, but that's bad for your hearing. You need to define your requirements. I don't want volume, I want dynamic range and great clarity.