Waving at drivers who have the same car as you?!

sassy_one

Morning lum

I have to say, I haven't seen another car like yours.

How is the bodywork? Still shiny?

I was looking at some stuff on QVC earlier, meant to bring the paint back like new, without the cost and can even remove tar and alike off the paint work!

Lum

Still shiny, and really really easy to clean now, thanks to the wax. Just needs wetting and a gentle shampoo.

I get funny looks from my neighbour when I'm using a watering can to wet the car though.

sassy_one

Lum wrote: »

Still shiny, and really really easy to clean now, thanks to the wax. Just needs wetting and a gentle shampoo.

I get funny looks from my neighbour when I'm using a watering can to wet the car though.

LOL I suspect you do!!

I am jealous, I really want to get it done but just seems A LOT of money for it.

The product I was looking at on QVC earlier was a no water needed one, comes in a spray bottle and you spray and wipe, even with grit as it is claimed it does not need water and will lift off grit without leaving marks!

Have you had the under body cleaned/treated by any chance??

Lum

It is expensive, though I've since found out there's a guy in Swansea who will do it cheaper. The only reason I could afford to do it is I managed to claim a load of money back from the Inland Revenue and have paid off all my debts except for a single credit card that has a 5.9% apr for the life of the one balance transfer on it. I've cut the little chip out of that card and am treating it as the cheapest loan I'm ever going to get, so the remaining cash could be spent on some nice things that would last* before the VAT goes up. Now it's time to start being sensible again.

As for the underbody, pretty much the first thing I did when I had the car imported was take it to a place called "Before and After" in Warwickshire who specialise in undersealing and rustproofing. Most of the cars they seem to do are recently restored classic cars and I figure if they can keep 70s British Leyland products from rusting then they must be doing something right.

What particularly intrigued me is they have a mechanism to coat the insides of box sections, chassis rails etc. They even did the inside of my bonnet which meant for the next few weeks it would drip waxoyl out of some of the holes every time I opened the bonnet!

Again it was expensive, over £500 for a full days work (9am - 7pm) but it was part of my budget when importing the car. I also convinced my boss that we should have a meeting on that day for the various remote members of staff, and that it should be somewhere central, like Warwickshire, thus making the journey a business expense, and giving me something to do all day (and a free lunch!)


* Got a nice stainless exhaust built for it too. Cheaper than buying a replacement from Japan, looks and sounds a lot nicer (two silencers so not excessively loud, just a nicer note) and has a lifetime guarantee, that's lifetime of the car. Pic1 Pic2

sassy_one

Lum wrote: »

It is expensive, though I've since found out there's a guy in Swansea who will do it cheaper. The only reason I could afford to do it is I managed to claim a load of money back from the Inland Revenue and have paid off all my debts except for a single credit card that has a 5.9% apr for the life of the one balance transfer on it. I've cut the little chip out of that card and am treating it as the cheapest loan I'm ever going to get, so the remaining cash could be spent on some nice things that would last* before the VAT goes up. Now it's time to start being sensible again.

As for the underbody, pretty much the first thing I did when I had the car imported was take it to a place called "Before and After" in Warwickshire who specialise in undersealing and rustproofing. Most of the cars they seem to do are recently restored classic cars and I figure if they can keep 70s British Leyland products from rusting then they must be doing something right.

What particularly intrigued me is they have a mechanism to coat the insides of box sections, chassis rails etc. They even did the inside of my bonnet which meant for the next few weeks it would drip waxoyl out of some of the holes every time I opened the bonnet!

Again it was expensive, over £500 for a full days work (9am - 7pm) but it was part of my budget when importing the car. I also convinced my boss that we should have a meeting on that day for the various remote members of staff, and that it should be somewhere central, like Warwickshire, thus making the journey a business expense, and giving me something to do all day (and a free lunch!)


* Got a nice stainless exhaust built for it too. Cheaper than buying a replacement from Japan, looks and sounds a lot nicer (two silencers so not excessively loud, just a nicer note) and has a lifetime guarantee, that's lifetime of the car. Pic1 Pic2

I am often passing through Swansea, well most of South Wales so it wouldn't be a problem for me to use someone a little out to do it.

One big concern I have, is the area I live in is prone to the jealous type.
My Honda I had a few years back, think I told you? - well didn't have it long, not a mark on the body, the guy who had a 2005 reg car had a few dents on his etc, he banged into it, not once, but twice, denied it but had someone see him.

I have had to pay £140 odd for a new wing mirror on my Mondeo I have now due to someone kindly banging it off while driving past and not leaving details.

Due to the area, that is what made me get such a complex insurance policy (No excess to pay, 10 years protected no claims even if I make a claim)

It sounds as you have spent a small fortune on your car, like me :rotfl:
I haven't had my under-body treated but it was professionally cleaned a few months back.

You have invested well, as by all you have put in means the car's body will last long, prevent rust and the huge repair bill for welding etc :eek:


I like the exhaust, the exhaust I have fitted is twin but has one pipe on each side of the car, it was already fitted when I brought the car, is quite nice, not to loud and is stainless steel lifetime guaranteed.



Well done on managing to get to Warwickshire! - Sounds as though it was more of a day out than a working day :T

I will continue to consider getting it done but at this moment in time think I will get other things done on the car, want to get a new set of leads and spark plugs before winter fitted, at £12.35 a spark plug seems a lot to me :eek:

I wish I had a drive, I was surpised to see the picture of your car parked o0n the main road :eek:

Lum

The underseal issue is somewhat more important with my car than with your Mondeo. Japanese imports, especially older ones, are generally rust free when they arrive over here because Japan doesn't salt their roads, however because Japan doesn't salt their roads their idea of undersealing a car is little more than a coat of matt black paint. This is why when Japanese cars first started being officially sold in this country they were always rustbuckets.

I have to confess if I had no driveway and lived in an area prone to vandalism, crime and crap drivers, I would probably have never bought this car. I made that mistake with the Subaru. 3x rear ended, 2x stolen/recovered in 4 years of ownership then I moved to Wales and had a trouble free year until a poorly timed serious engine failure sent me off the road and wrote the car off. Even today I'm still paying for that damn thing in increased insurance premiums. I should have stuck to my manky old Escorts (and later, manky old Volvos) until I could move.

Oh and that pic on the main road is outside the detailing place. The car stays on the driveway, down the side of the house, usually with my GFs car in front of it. The company Mondeo goes out on the road and does the supermarket run because I don't care if someone hits that. I'm pretty sure someone will eventually as my Volvo was hit by a drunk driver (repair cost: £10 for the mirror glass and £10 for a hammer. Their repair cost: dunno, but I know they were driving a black Mazda as I found their entire mirror unit in bits all over the road and one had Mazda written on it) and in two separate incidents people's walls have been demolished, one by a drunk driver and I am unsure of the sobriety state of the other but the skid marks showed them going sideways and the car was on it's side. All in a 30mph residential area.

I just made my area sound really bad but really that's 3 incidents in 3 years and they're always by people passing through, not by locals. Even the local chavs around here are pretty friendly.

sassy_one

Lum wrote: »

The underseal issue is somewhat more important with my car than with your Mondeo. Japanese imports, especially older ones, are generally rust free when they arrive over here because Japan doesn't salt their roads, however because Japan doesn't salt their roads their idea of undersealing a car is little more than a coat of matt black paint. This is why when Japanese cars first started being officially sold in this country they were always rustbuckets.

I have to confess if I had no driveway and lived in an area prone to vandalism, crime and crap drivers, I would probably have never bought this car. I made that mistake with the Subaru. 3x rear ended, 2x stolen/recovered in 4 years of ownership then I moved to Wales and had a trouble free year until a poorly timed serious engine failure sent me off the road and wrote the car off. Even today I'm still paying for that damn thing in increased insurance premiums. I should have stuck to my manky old Escorts (and later, manky old Volvos) until I could move.

Oh and that pic on the main road is outside the detailing place. The car stays on the driveway, down the side of the house, usually with my GFs car in front of it. The company Mondeo goes out on the road and does the supermarket run because I don't care if someone hits that. I'm pretty sure someone will eventually as my Volvo was hit by a drunk driver (repair cost: £10 for the mirror glass and £10 for a hammer. Their repair cost: dunno, but I know they were driving a black Mazda as I found their entire mirror unit in bits all over the road and one had Mazda written on it) and in two separate incidents people's walls have been demolished, one by a drunk driver and I am unsure of the sobriety state of the other but the skid marks showed them going sideways and the car was on it's side. All in a 30mph residential area.

I just made my area sound really bad but really that's 3 incidents in 3 years and they're always by people passing through, not by locals. Even the local chavs around here are pretty friendly.

This is the trouble about having cars that everyone else has treated like rubbish that we look after people get jealous to see a car not on 2010 plate looking like new still.

Your area sounds better than where I am, you even need to watch where you park round here, take some ones space outside there house, your car will end up paying the price.

I know what you mean, as well as salt there is a lot of rubbish on the roads over here, just the other day saw a load of broken glass in the road.
I do make sure I jet wash under the car every few weeks, this includes under the engine too.

Think getting the body-work done will need serious consideration, but will drop you a PM if I get it done and send some pictures your way.

dug123

A bit off the subject, but about 14 years ago my friend whom I worked with had a new black Jaguar XK8. This was when they came out at first and shortly after he got it he went on holiday, Whilst he was away I used the car and as we lived nearby I used to drive on the same route as him to work and at the same time (we worked together). I used to pass a school where all the Yummy Mummy's were dropping their kids off so I started by beeping the horn and waving at them, anyway, this went on all the time he was on holiday and I did enjoy it.
When he returned he could not work out why loads of strange women were waving and smiling at him.
I often went to work with him and even months later they were waving and he was waving back.
I never told him why. Its just my WKD side!

Smartdriver

Smart drivers (of which I'm one (Passion Cabriolet )) do it all the time :T

It's fun, makes us smile and feels good Three very good reasons for doing it ............................................................................................ wave, that is !

catflea

I did give a thumbs up to a HEAVILY modified VW camper as I was walking to the station after work yesterday. Dont think that really counts though