As many of you know, I am actively involved each year through the Orlando Automotive Club with Toys for Tots. Last year we raise over 3,000 new, unwrapped toys for children in need. Many of you were kind enough to donate towards the purchase of new unwrapped toys.
We are again raising both money and toys for this year. I have setup a paypal account where you can donate any amount you may be able to afford. $1 can purchase a new unwrapped toy. I am of course very understanding if you cannot afford to, so there is no expectation on my part for you to participate. If you'd like to instead provide me with an unwrapped toy, I will be glad to meet up and pick them up from you.
The email address for the paypal account is skizot@mac.com
Please ensure that you select the "gift" option so Paypal does not charge any fees. ALL money raised will be used to purchase new, unwrapped toys to be given to the Marines for needy kids this holiday season. This is the one and only time I ever ask my friends, family and peers to help throughout the year with donations.
First and foremost, sorry I have not been on the forums. As some of you are aware, I recently went through a divorce, of which this past week it was finalized. In the process of all of this, I have been moving and basically starting a new chapter in my life. The divorce was my decision, so no need for sorrow, it was the right choice based on the circumstances. It was a 15 year long relationship (6 of them married) so even though she thinks this was just a walk in the park to go through, that was not really the case. Even with it being my idea and what I wanted.
With all of this, being online and doing things with the forums has been the furthest thing from my priorities. I literally had to start from scratch as I barely took anything from the separation. This includes buying all new furniture, housewares, etc. It has been a fun and stressful time all together. Hence why I have not really posted or been around. Thank you to those who did send a text message or PM to check in and sorry if I did not get back to you.
As for the newest drama, I was supposed to be at work this morning and instead I have been battling with Honda all day. Essentially, if you Google search Honda Accord and seat belt or SRS or Airbag light, etc, you will find a crap load of articles that talk about the shitty design that Honda has developed for our seat belts, that over time they can short out or this thin piece of metal wears out which causing an airbag light to come on the dash. Nevertheless, both of my sensors are throwing codes which I learned today at the dealership (where I just left). In addition to this code, they claim (although still unproven to my standards) that their was also a trouble code for the OPDS unit, which after speaking with Skippy today, does control the SRS system. The problem is that they will not address the seat belt issues until I pay for a repair on the OPDS unit first. Well here is where we get into the sticking point.
They claim that the issue that I am having with the fault codes on the seat belt are being caused by the OPDS unit being bad, so they will not honor their lifetime warranty on the seatbelt repair first as they claim the seat belt codes are caused by the OPDS issue. The whole chicken or the egg situation. I asked for a good faith repair and was declined, was on the phone with Honda of America and was basically told my business as a customer does not matter, because I do not trade in my cars frequently enough and that there is no good faith for customers who keep their cars as long as I do. He also went on to back up the dealership in their assessment. Don't get me started on the whole, isn't that the point of buying a reliable car is that they last a long time conversation, that will just get me even more upset.
So I leave the dealership, codes in had, part numbers that need to be replaced in hand (BTW, I can get the part for 30% of what they want to charge me for it) and I call up Skippy who is doing a little research for me...BECAUSE.... when I get home, there is a TSB for this EXACT trouble code that my car is throwing! You have got to be kidding me. I just left a message for the service advisor to ask him WTF basically. This should be covered under that TSB if and only if the service manager approves a good faith replacement. Round and round we go.
I work for a company that if you have an issue and we have it documented, we take care of it. Period. That should be how it works and it does not seem like Honda cares at all about customer satisfaction. The worst part is you are basically screwed, because to take them to small claims court would mean finding other people that had the same issue that did have it replaced for free given the similar details of the situation. This is not the first time I have had to deal with Honda like this and it certainly will be the last Honda I ever own.
Hey gang...still around, sorry for the lack of posts recently. My wife and I are getting divorced and I have been in the process of moving out. Currently crashing at a friends house until my apartment is ready next week. Moving to downtown area. I will be selling off quite a bit of my detailing supplies as I am getting rid of the business.
The domain name, ExoticMD.com (Exotic Mobile Detailing) is for sale as well.
I will be compiling a complete list of stuff for sale, beyond just the detailing supplies and get it posted soon. I am doing well and very happy about the new direction in my life!!!
Finished detailing it Friday night for detail fest in Stuart. Won third place for best detailed car and seeing as I had just driven it from Orlando and only sort of wiped the car down once i got there, it was a surprise to win a trophy for third.
Installed Paul's SRI instake after it was custom painted to match my intake manifold cover and engine cover, graphite silver. No pics for now, just don't feel like it.
Installed TL rear sway bar after finalizing a height on the Tein's and getting my alignment. Again, don't feel like pics right now, other stuff going on, so I will get them when I can.
Finished with the engine detail as well. Not quite to my old standards, but pretty close. None of the metal is polished like before, no more bolt caps and I somehow lost my cap for the windshield washer tank. Not in any rush to get it replaced to be honest, but will probably do something to prevent crude from getting down in there. For now, it is, what it is.
It is not really that new, but I recently learned about this car detailing product line called Uberwurx. Their website is uberwürx? I just went there to get this link and it looks like they might be doing maintenance or something on the site right now as some images are not loading and the store is down.
Currently they offer a quick detailer (Icon), tire protectant (Progressor), spray wax (Inova), glass cleaner (Lumina), wheel cleaner (Mythic), leather conditioner (Allure) and interior detailer (Forte). The most interesting aspect, besides some very well designed bottles and naming scheme, is that ALL of the products they sell are Aerosol. Something very different then what I am used to. The pricing on these are very economical. I just recently received a package with each of their products to test them out and here is what I have found...
Lumina, their glass cleaner is phenomenal. While I do not like that it is an aerosol can as you cannot apply the product directly to the glass without splatter going everywhere, the cleaning ability of the product is awesome. It removed some hard water stains I had on my glass that other glass cleaners I've tried had not. To get around the splatter, I just sprayed directly onto a glass waffle weave towel and went to work. No streaking, no residue, just clean glass.
The Icon quick detailer is equally impressive. This is where having an aerosol can comes in very handy. Spray down the hood, wipe with a microfiber and you are set. I was very pleased with the ability for it to wipe away light dust. I had just come back from the 12 hours of Sebring race last night here in Florida and the car had a fine dust all over it, so I figured I would give this a try and was surprised how well it works. I used in throughout my engine bay painted parts as well and it did a good job cleaning.
The Inova Spray Wax is where it gets interesting. I am used to traditional car paste waxes. Using a good ole foam pad and wipe on, haze up, wipe off. This is the product that I am the most on the fence about as it will take a little time to determine durability. It too is an aerosol. You spray it directly onto the paint, spread even with a microfiber and then buff when it hazes up. The application was simple and easy to remove. The paint "felt" protected afterwards, but the jury is still out on if this will remain in my arsenal of products. Based on the cars they have used it on and the customer comments, it looks like it could be a winner. It started to rain already and the beading action is quite surprising for a spray wax, but then again, it was JUST applied. Time will tell. I am optimistic that this will be a good product for those quick touch ups you will need. I don't think it will replace a good hand wax, but for the right market of people, this will probably be a great product.
The Progressor Tire Shine is where I was the most impressed. Again, aerosol can is great for this application. It does have a more glossy look to it, nothing a quick extra wipe with a utility microfiber could not resolve. It left a nice semi-matte finish and after going for a quick drive, no sling off. Again, it will be interesting to see what the durability of the product is like, but so far I like this a lot. Not to mention, based on the weight of the can, it feels like this product will last a long time. I think I read somewhere they estimate 60 tires worth of protection in each can. (so about 15 cars worth, give or take)
The Wheels Cleaner is where I think they have a rough road to climb. Not because it is a bad product, mainly because of the competition they have. While having this in an aerosol can is pure genius when it comes to applying the product, I am a HUGE fan of P21 Tire Gel and I don't for see this taking it's place. It sprays on, you let it sit for a few minutes and then hose off. It did a good job of removing the light brake dust, but again, it is no P21. Here is where I think they have an advantage though. If this product line where to make it into a national chain, this outperforms the other OTC wheel cleaning products I've used. So this would be a great product for the person who walks into a store, wants a higher end product, but cannot afford or see the value in something like P21.
I guess the same can be true of this entire product line. I think that if these were sitting on the shelf in an auto parts store or other place that sells car cleaning products, people would be intrigued by the product design and that it came in an aerosol can. I think it has the potential to gain some traction, should they get this into distribution.
I did not receive the Allure Leather conditioner, so I cannot comment how it works and I have not yet tried the Forte interior cleaner as, well, both of my cars are clean and I don't have any jobs lined up right now that I have time to put on the books. I will be glad to report back on the interior cleaner once I do.
imo, none of the cars pictured in that thread are that bad. i actually like most of them.
The wheels on the civic aren't aggressive, and it looks like the civic is on airbags. That would explain the negative camber while parked.
The 350z looks really good to me. The tire doesn't look stretched; if it is, it is a slight stretch but is still mounted on a wheel that is on the approved width range of the tire.
That Accord has plenty of space between the tire and fender. The wheels aren't aggressive at all, indicated by the lack of lip on those wheels. The thing that the Accord does have is that it is tucking tire, and in my opinion, it looks great..
JUST THE CIVIC, I HAVE NO ISSUE WITH THE OTHER CARS!!!
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