07-27-2014, 07:33 PM | #89 | |
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08-12-2014, 03:23 PM | #90 |
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25 days until my trip! I made a few tweaks to my route. I think I'm going to do an out-and-back on The Dragon to save some time on the 2nd day.
https://goo.gl/maps/iMkya |
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08-14-2014, 09:57 PM | #91 |
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Auto Finesse Desire
My Auto Finesse Desire Review
For some reason, I have been wanting to my hard-earned money and purchase a high-end wax. Over the past few years, every time I've gone to pull the credit card out of my wallet, I've closed my web browser and decided against it. I really wanted to buy Swissvax Concorso. There is something about Swissvax as a company that appeals to me. For some reason, I just never pulled the trigger. I saw quite a few reviews on Auto Finesse Spirit and Illusion carnuba waxes. Let me be honest, Auto Finesse packaging really turns me off. It makes me think "Jersey Shore." I just don't think their branding reflects high quality products. I've avoided them for quite some time. As you may be able to tell from some of my Journal posts, I’m a bit of a Detailer’s Domain follower. Phil and his blog have led me away from the avid amateur ranks of a being a Griot’s Garage supporter toward the more professional grade hobbyist that I have become. Detailer’s Domain switched a lot of their product use to AF, so after some apprehension, I have followed closely behind. I’ve used their Citrus Cleaner, Obliterate, and Iron Out with great success. Now to blaspheme a bit, Auto Geek had a ridiculous sale on all products with free shipping (Detailer’s Domain didn’t have in stock), so I jumped in a jar of Desire. http://www.autogeek.net/auto-finesse-desire.html Retail is $179.00, but I got 25% off and free shipping to take away some of the pain. This certainly made it more affordable than the price protected $330 Concorso and made me pull the trigger. Before I reviewed the results, I wanted to get some time with it on the car and get several washes done. I can’t comment on durability as I’ve only had it on the car for about three weeks. Naturally, I prepped the paint with a 50/50 Chemical Guys Citrus Red Shampoo/Adams APC wash mixture, AF Iron Out decon, Auto Scrub, Menzerna SF4500 finishing polish, and IPA wipe down. My paint looked good prior, but I did take the time to do a quick jeweling polish prior to AF Desire application. Packaging: I already mentioned my displeasure with the branding, but the packaging is decent enough. It comes in a cardboard black box and a typical heavy plastic tub. It’s packaging certainly isn’t as nice as Swissvax’s, but I guess I’d rather keep my $100+ and have a more basic box. I know AF has their own applicator pad that is designed to fit the tub, but I wasn’t able to find one anywhere that had them in stock. Maybe it’s to create the optical illusion that you are getting more for your money, but why make a container that doesn’t fit a regular sized waxing pad? The opening is annoyingly small. Too small to get a nice even, light coating on you pad. This isn’t a deal breaker, but I would want a larger container. Maybe there is a reason why, but I think most manufacturers use a similar size. I thinks it’s dumb. Application: First, let me comment on the smell. Oh my, the smell! To me, it smells better than pretty much anything else in the world. It smells better than my new baby girl. It makes me want to wax my toolbox to ensure my garage retains the incredible fragrance. My garage smelled great for days afterwards. Now, I’m pretty sure you could simply wipe on a panel and immediately wipe off(WOWO), but I decided to err on the side of caution and apply a thin layer to the entire car. I started at the front right quarter panel and worked my way around the entire car. I wiped off the starting panel about 30 minutes after finishing the rest. I laid it on super thin. Despite my complaining about tub size, I think I only needed to put more wax on the applicator five total times for the whole car. AF recommends at least a 3 hour curing time before layers, but I let the car sit overnight before adding a second layer. Wiping off with a microfiber towel was easy enough. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest wax to remove in the world, but it certainly wasn’t hard. Did I mention the smell? Heaven! Beading: One of my favorite properties of an LSP(Last Step Product) is its ability to reject water. I think that is why I liked Sonax Polymer Net Shield sealant so much until the FL spring pollen annihilated it a month after application. It beads like crazy. This is going to be a little hard for me to explain. The beading of water during a wash with this wax is good. It’s not great, just good. It’s certainly not as good as most sealants or as good as Collinite 845. How do I say this? I drove my car in a heavy down-pour after a wash, and I swear the car was dry and relatively clean when I arrived at my destination. It’s as if the dirt that typically sticks to my white car didn’t adhere like normal. And the usual pools of water were completely gone and dry. So it doesn’t bead as impressively, but it keeps junk and gets the water off the car in a superior fashion. I think of it as more go than show. Beading is cool, but cleanliness is paramount in my book. It appears to be doing a better job than anything I’ve experienced. Shine/Clarity/Depth: At first, I was pretty underwhelmed. This probably has a lot to do with me owning a bright white car. Clean, dirty, waxed, or not; it all looks pretty much the same. I wasn’t particularly sure what I was expecting. I hadn’t really thought about it much. I had been using bare sealants like Sonax Polymer Net Shield or Menzerna Powerlock sometimes topping with my go-to Collinite 845. I’ve also used a bunch of lower cost carnubas from various manufacturers. For me, the correction was more important than the LSP. Well, after having it on the car for a while, this “expensive” wax is worth every penny. It really is pretty remarkable. I realized, I had been looking at the car in the garage or in the shade. Once I got it out in the sun, I came to the conclusion that I have never seen this level of depth and clarity of shine. It reminds me of why I don’t like coatings like Opti-Coat and C-Quartz. You can’t replicate this “buttery” look of a high-grade carnuba. Conclusion: I’m sure there is very little perceptible difference between this and the less costly options from AF, but I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy. If there is a “best,” I want it. So far this wax has changed my opinion on an LSP not mattering as much. I say, break out the wallet, and buy it! Matt Last edited by Money2536; 08-14-2014 at 10:18 PM.. |
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08-15-2014, 12:58 AM | #92 | |
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08-15-2014, 09:15 AM | #94 |
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Your car is GORGEOUS.
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'21 /// M5 Comp - Frozen Brilliant White/Black
'18 Porsche GT3 Carrara White/Black/Red - Sold '18 /// M3 - Individual Imola/Black - Sold '15 /// M4 - YMB/SO - Sold '12 E92 ///M3 ZCP - AW/FR - Sold |
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08-15-2014, 09:37 AM | #95 |
never could compete with Lloyd Braun
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I need a 991 in my life.. after my c2 and c2s (both 7mt) test drive last weekend I can't get it out of my mind!
I can't look at your pictures!! Your car looks too friggen good lol
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2022 G80 M3 6MT | Skyscraper Gray | Kyalami Orange
2018 F87 M2 6MT | Alpine White (sold) 2016 981 Cayman 6MT | Jet Black (sold) 2015 F80 M3 DCT | Tanzanite Blue | Gold Brown (sold) 2013 E92 M3 6MT | Mineral White | Fox Red/Black (sold) |
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08-15-2014, 09:49 AM | #96 | ||
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Thanks man! Quote:
The C2S is really incredible. It did take me a little while to fall in love with the sound it makes. The E92 has such organized induction and exhaust sound. This 911 is the complete opposite. It backfires, pops, and screams. I've grown fond of it now. I've been daily driving it for the past 3 weeks after getting rid of my S4 early. I've had it for seven months now and am still excited to get in it and drive to work. I hated my S4 and was happy to see it go. I'm wondering what it's going to be like waking up in the morning and choosing M3 or 911. This has been my childhood dream of owning at the same time the two cars I've always wanted. Next, I need to build a proper garage to house them. |
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08-15-2014, 12:18 PM | #97 | |
never could compete with Lloyd Braun
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My dream is your current, well soon-to-be, reality.. I really wish I could keep this car (or F80) and add the c2s but I'm not there yet.
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2022 G80 M3 6MT | Skyscraper Gray | Kyalami Orange
2018 F87 M2 6MT | Alpine White (sold) 2016 981 Cayman 6MT | Jet Black (sold) 2015 F80 M3 DCT | Tanzanite Blue | Gold Brown (sold) 2013 E92 M3 6MT | Mineral White | Fox Red/Black (sold) |
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09-11-2014, 06:32 PM | #101 |
Speed doesn't kill, reckless driving does.
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Lots of respect for OP. You're one of the very few that actually keep God in the picture. I share a similar life story, without the 93' trailer lol. I don't know you but I'm happy for you. Keep enjoying life with your family and don't forget to keep God in the middle.
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09-12-2014, 01:14 PM | #102 |
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I Picked Up My Car!
I picked up my car from PCD on Tuesday. I ended up changing my trip pretty drastically. I'll explain my route back when I have a chance to dig through the photos from the delivery.
Remember, I'm no pro photographer, but I think you'll get the idea. These are a few shots I took on the trip back from SC to FL. Be ready for some serious photo whoring and more details on my thoughts about the car. For now, check out these photos. I have to take some interior and detail shots soon. I've been too preoccupied getting it detailed. |
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09-12-2014, 11:39 PM | #108 |
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Drives: 2015 F80 M3
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Money,
Some of those late afternoon pictures in the smokeys really show the pearl effect/Silver undertone of Mineral White better than any posted yet on the forum. Great great photos, and the car looks awesome as well. Can't wait until your write up of the PCD and your trip afterwords, I have a month to go for mine. |
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09-12-2014, 11:47 PM | #109 |
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Nice shots! Echoing Tubernator, the low afternoon mountain sun really captures the pearl effect of MW. At first (forgetting you'd ordered at MW M3) I thought, "great, another AW M3." As you scroll through the pictures, you see the true variety of hues that MW offers. Great color!
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Mineral Grey F80 M3 /// Full Sakhir Leather Interior /// 19" Light Alloy Wheels /// M Adaptive Suspension /// DCT /// Carbon Fiber Trim /// Carbon Fiber Roof /// Executive Package /// HK /// LED Lighting /// MPE /// KW HAS /// ESS E-Tronic
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09-14-2014, 06:51 PM | #110 |
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Performance Center Delivery
This was my second trip to Spartanburg to pick up my second M3. It really is an amazing experience. This time I was able to fly my Dad down from PA to enjoy it and then drive back to FL with me.
I had originally planned to fly in two days early, do 1 Day M-School, take delivery, and do a multi-day trip trough the mountains. Since we just had our second baby a few weeks earlier, I changed my plans to a much more practical/abbreviated version. I canceled my reservation for the M-School and took a short 5 hour side trip through the mountains. So I flew in Sunday, hit up a local Crossfit and took a ride to over to Greenville while waiting for my Dad to arrive on Monday afternoon, had dinner on BMW, did PCD on Tuesday, drove 5 hours through Pisgah National Forest, the Highlands, Helen, GA down to Chateau Elan where I stayed for the night. Man, the roads in the NC/GA mountains are awesome. I need to plan a trip up there just to drive. Here is the map of our route: https://goo.gl/maps/wWYeJ We woke up on Wednesday morning and drove back to The Villages the long way down HWY 129. It took about 9 hours from Chateau Elan. I didn't do a very good job of photographing the PCD experience. It was my second one, so I wasn't as detailed. I did take a few photos. If you live anywhere near the east coast, it is a must do. I had to wait almost two months longer to get my car in order to schedule it, but it was worth the wait. When we arrived, we spent about 15 minutes talking about what is going to happen during the day. Then we're off to get our car. We obviously had the M3, there was an M5 and M4 in our little group. The famous Donnie was our instructor. He did also delivered my car to me for the 2nd time. He delivered my Le Mans Blue E92 as well. I didn't get any photos of the little autocross course. My dad got the short-end. I did like 10 laps. He only got a few done before it was time to move on. Off to the traction control exercise. We all park and perform the exercise in the instructor's 335i. Luck would have it, I accidentally wore a matching Yas Marina shirt. Anti-lock braking exercise. Before lunch is a trip to the factory and off-road tour in an X5. I cherry picked the 5.0. After lunch, I took a stroll out to the gift shop, and there it was. We were too excited to get on the road after taking delivery, so we skipped the museum tour. I'll have more photos and thoughts on the car coming soon. Last edited by Money2536; 09-14-2014 at 06:57 PM.. |
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