AudiOn19s

We also have the uber filter for the main system in our home but also run two HEPA filtration units in different locations in our house. We got these units nearly 5 years ago when we got our dogs which I'm alergic to. To be honest, I do actually believe that they helped with my allergies and asthma at first, however if you're not really attentive to changing the filters over time they just become a device to push dust around rather than prevent it. Our units have pre-filters then the HEPA filter as well. The pre-filters need changed every month or two, the HEPA unit itself only about once a year. Worth it as long as you keep after them, when you get lazy with filter replacement you might as well turn them off and put them away.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh., sorry I get it now. I'm not sure there's an electric version of what you're looking for in the form of a rotary. Even the festool and new flex lightweight rotaries are still larger than an orbital.

Looking good.

Couple of thoughts from my end. Kyle is correct, it's extremely hard to beat the performance of Meguiars M105/M205 combo. You can generally get the results you want in two polishing stages intead of 3. Doesn't mean you won't still need multiple passes with M105 on a cutting pad esp with an orbital but you'll eventually get the job done. M105 can be finiky, it has a bit of a learning curve because it flashes soo quickly. Once you learn how to use it though it's a really great product. Be prepared for TONS of dusting though with it. As others have stated start out with orbital only. They're almost completely safe you have to really try to mess something up with an orbital. Porter Cable 7424 is the industry standard but to be honest I"m done with them. My first Porter Cable lasted me years, I've yet to get one in the last 5 years that made it more than a single year before something went wrong and it needed to be re-built. You can have them completely refurbed for like $80 but I'm literally rebuilding them once a year at this rate. Griots Garage released a polisher last year that is not only more powerful than the Porter Cable but it comes with a lifetime warranty, has a soft start feaure that is also really nice and I believe is the same price as the porter cable as well. I picked one up and intend on gradually phasing out all of my PC's as they die with the new Griots units. My only complaint is the GG comes with a 6" backing plate and I personally think you need to use a 5" plate with 5.5" pads to get the maximum performance out of an orbital. ForcedFed: What you need is extensions for your full size rotary and then a 3" backing plate and 3.5" or 4" pads. You can find the extensions here, they are cheap but you'll probably want like 3 of them to insure you can really get into those tight spaces, it makes the machine much more difficult to control with that much leverage but it's really the easiest way to get into those tight spots effectively. I keep one orbital with a dedicated 3" backing plate at all times but sometimes there's no substitute for getting a rotary in those tight spaces. http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/1400.html

X pole is what you want. It's like $300 but it's awesome. Easy to install, quality materials, comes down quickly. Its great to have up for parties.

I could put something together for you. PM me if interested Lots of options on-line too (Autogeek.net, Detailed Image, etc). Andy

Extra tire shine for you next time P.S. the Audi has >201k miles now

Once all of this is complete I like to use this opportunity to go back over the car with a small detailing towel and a quick detailer / spray wax to clean up any last little streaking that may still remain as well as add a boost in protection. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr23.jpg Finally, no wash is complete without some tire sauce. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr24.jpg Finished Pictures: http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr25.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr26.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr27.jpg The first time you give this a go it might take you the better part of an hour to complete, once you get the process down you can easily do it in about half that time. Andy

Once you have the section you are working on clean from single passes you can now come back for a second go with your clean wash medium to clean up any residual dirt that is left behind. (you can now wash back and forth over this area on your second pass as you won't be picking up much additional dirt at this time). Next grab your trusty waffle weave drying towel and dry the area using caution to not pick up dirt from the areas of the car that are still dirty. It's cold so the water will be a little streaky. I genearlly use one drying towel as primary and one smaller detailing towel as secondary drying source. At some point both towels will become saturated enough that you're going to need backup's to make it through the job. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr13.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr14.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr15.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr16.jpg **Check your drying towels to make sure they are not picking up any dirt. You don't want to be rubbing that all over the car** Repeat the above process working the whole car from top to bottom. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr18.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr19.jpg Depending on how dirty your car is the water in your rinse bucket will need to be replaced with clean water during the wash. I generally dump that water at least once per car, twice in this instance as my car was pretty dirty http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr17.jpg Once all of the paint is done you can move onto wheels, tires, etc. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr20.jpg Process is no different here, pre-soak, wash, dry. I like using microfiber gloves and a small detailing brush for wheels. EVeryone seems to have a preference for what they like the best I'd say stick with what works for you. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr21.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr22.jpg

Winter is the time of year that our vehicles see the most neglect. Cold temps make it very difficult to properly wash a vehicle without doing damages to it. Here is a method that allows you to properly wash your vehicle minimizing any possibility of marring or swirling of the paint in the process. You could even use this method in warm weather if you live in an apartment and don't have access to a good location to wash your vehicle. As long as you're attentive to details this is a completely effective and safe washing method. What you'll need: - 2x 5 gallon buckets - Hoseless Wash solution ( Optimum No-Rinse is the industry standard and my personal choice) - Wash Mit - Best to use either very long shag lambs wool or a porus sponge (sponge is my choice here because of dirt release properties) - Spray Bottle for pre-soak - Microfiber drying towels (2 is good, 3 is better) - Microfiber detailing towels (few is good) A couple of notes before we begin. This method can be use for a fairly dirty car, however if there is ALOT of really heavy dirt on the car it's a good idea to stop at the quarter car wash and use the pressure washer only to spray off some of the bigger stuff. DON'T EVER TOUCH THE BRUSHES at the quarter car wash, never ever, never never never ever touch those brushes. If you've got a garage that will help with your warmth and comfort while washing but this can just as easily be done outside. Careful if the ground is below freezing as it will get slippery. Dirty Car: http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr4.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr5.jpg Fill both buckets of water with 2-3 gallons of warm water. Doesn't have to be warm but it's winter remember, this is for your comfort. One of these buckets will be your rinse bucket, one of them will contain your wash solution. For your wash solution add the appropriate amount of no-rinse solution into the water. For optimum I use one cap full of solution per gallon of water. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr1.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr2.jpg Also fill your spray bottle with warm water and add no-rinse solution to spray bottle too. I use a stronger dilution for the spray bottle than the wash water. I use one cap full of solution for my spray bottle. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr3.jpg Soak your wash medium in the rinse bucket and aggitate to make sure it's good and clean and contains no frozen particles. Pre-soak the portion of the car you wish to wash. Cold air is usually pretty dry so be prepared for it to evaporate quickly. You don't want to pre-soak the whole car at once just a small working area. You should use a standard top down approach to washing the car. For ease of demonstration I'm starting on the hood for this example. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr8.jpg After Pre-soak solution has had a short time to set dip your wash medium in your wash solution bucket, wring out some of the water but not all. Take one swipe across your working area. Do not rub back and forth to scrub, just one swipe with low to medium pressure is all you need. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr9.jpg Flip the wash medium to the other side and make a pass on another dirty section. At this point your wash medium is dirty on both sides and needs to be cleaned. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr10.jpg Place in the water only rinse bucket, aggitate to break the dirt loose and then wring out. Now dip back into the wash solution bucket and repeat the process above. http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr11.jpg http://www.andymobiledetail.com/onr12.jpg

Kevin's got a sub for sale that might get you going in the right direction on a budget. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100063 Buy the best center speaker you can afford, The front surrounds are also important but you can get away with something budget if you want to build up the system little by little some of the front towers can get really spendy pretty quick but you can buy *decent* speakers for reasonable money. I've got an old Harman Kardon AVR that's sitting there since I upgraded this year I'd let go pretty cheap. 55w per channel, 7.1 surround capable, Logic 7, etc, but it doesn't have any HDMI inputs though so video needs to happen through component. I basically got to the point where I ran audio to the AVR and video directly to the TV. In all honesty with my new unit all of the video processing goes through the AVR now and I can't notice any difference, just easier from a wiring standpoint.

This will be pages, everyone has their own feelings on if snythetic can actually go that far / long or not. Even with great oil I've never felt comfortable going more than 5k miles on oil. My BMW only gets an annual oil change, the last few years it's barely had 1000 miles on it in that time period

Congrats on the new ride. Is that John Lovins' old car?

I get where you're going with this but there are maybe 2-3 cars on that list that might actually fit based on that logic. Special edition doesn't necessarily equal limited production these days. PLUS they put a regular-ass 911 on there, says it doesn't matter what model. Look at 996 values, they produced soo many of them they're not worth squat these days....well the GT3's still are

No M3 on this list???

Becoming common occurance in Europe for early GT3's ('00-01) to need floorpan restorations already from being subjected to the elements and owners not knowing any better. http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/996-gt2-gt3-forum/662901-9m-chassis-and-floorpan-restoration-of-996gt3.html

I went to GA to get the GT3. In an effort to make the car as light as possible Porsche doesn't under-coat the GT3 and many idiots here in the midwest fail to realize this and still try to use the car after salt has hit the roads. ...to say the least it's been tucked away for a couple months and probably won't see road use again till late april.

We can make this a reality during your spring detail. ...but I hate badges so you better watch out for the STi one too, it might disappear

Yes, you're on the calendar for 4/28

$250 is still cheap for as much track time as you'll get. Plus putnam isn't really much further than Nelson so you can do the drive there and back without staying overnight if you want to watch costs even more. I need to get some stuff sorted with my car but hope to have it ready by the time this event rolls around. Andy

Fixed the link, There's tons of info there, too much really but it will get you started, I'm more than happy to field further questions. As an additional note this product has been on my Audi since Late July. That car lives outside 24/7 and still beads water like the day I applied it. It's MUCH easier to wash and clean up thanks to the dirt shedding properties of the opti-coat and wheel cleaning is also now a breeze requiring only soap and water and no harsh cleaners. To be fair in my own assessment this has also been on my best friend's Mercedes which not only lives outside 24/7 but since he refuses to wash his car by hand it offers another unique perspective on the protection abilities. The coating has been scratched from automtic car washes but continues to bead strong and protect the paint despite it's abuse under his watch. It's also on my wife's daily and my brother's wife's daily. My wife's daily actually gets treated pretty well and hand washed, my brother keeps his out of "tunnel" washes with brushes but still uses the touchless wash and it's holding up with no issues. Downside to this product you might ask??? Not the nicest looking protectant I've ever seen. Very shiny but lacks depth. Also if you like the feel of a freshly waxed car this is not for you. It feels like bare paint all the time, none of your friends will be impressed if they walk up and run a finger across your paint..then again you should be chopping their fingers off if they do that anyhow Andy

Opti-coat application will be in my services offering for 2012. Coatings have finally evolved from dealership snake oil sales tactics into a real and proven segment of the detailing world. When propery applied opti-coat acts as a thin layer of clear coat on the car, however one with characteristics of a wax instead of the characteristics of paint. These coatings can be mechanically abraded to be removed (polishing the paint will remove them) but otherwise offer levels of protection and longevity not seen before. Here is a great read done by one of the most respected guys in the detailing business. I think stating that most pros thought this was the next great snake oil product when it was first released was an understatement, it's been proven to be legit and ground breaking in the industry. http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing-product-discussion/126661-optimum-opti-coating-durability-test-review.html Application costs for Opti-coat will be $150-200 for stand alone application service or $100-150 when added to one of my standard detailing packages. Andy

I posted a thread on this awhile back, ended up buying the DDM kit, it was $30 so even if it was horrible it was $30 in the end plus a lifetime warranty. When My kit showed up I hooked everything up and looked like I had a bad ballast. I tried the ballast on both sides of the car and it worked on neither. In their trouble shooting before you send the parts back they ask you to reverse the polarity to double check everything before you send it back and sure enough the ballast actually worked when I did that. They've been on the car for a few months and fire up every single time first try even in the cold. I'd say in just the few months of use if they crap out now I suppose they've ben worth $30 in the end.

I couldn't help but think the same thing when I first saw this post. Is it more or less prone to catching fire now.

While this is totally cool, and I completely dig the white, turbo cars just aren't my bag. The 140hp bump over stock doesn't seem like much but don't forget we're talking about a 4.5l motor that was making over 560hp stock. I'm sure without an internal re-build to lower compression there's alot of issues that come up pretty quick with anything more than minimal boost explaining the modest increase in power.