Ekona

And?

Go on then, recommend me one, I think I may take the plunge

Ice on the inside of the windscreen was my favourite bit

That's my old one.

They have no heater, so arguably worse than an Elise to live with! Well, they do have a heater, but it's so pathetic most owners refer to it as a blower. Great cars, I still miss my VXR at times. Get rid of those wheels and run it on Exige sizes, cures the understeer and gives you a better range of tyres, worth popping a set of Yellowstuff pads on too.

I must admit to looking, and if a tougher pad & more aggressive polish would work on a DA, then I'd consider switching. Cheaper than buying a rotary, at any rate.

I use the Menzerna FF as a finishing polish which is great stuff, so may well give that IP a go. So realistically, and working on the principle that I'm used to working with power tools in general and am very comfortable with a DA, how much chance is there of screwing something up completely with a rotary? I'm not against trying one, it's just nice to have the safety net on the DA. What compounds in particular do you use Ian?

Does that count as alliteration? Anyway, after spending the day trying to get rid of some scratches on the Mini, I've hit a bit of a stalemate. The scratches aren't under the clear coat, and I've managed to get rid of them 95%, but there's still a 'shadow' of where they were. Crap description, I know, but I'm trying to portray just how minimal they are. They don't show in pics, else I'd post one. I used my trusty DAS-6 along with a Lake Country constant pressure orange pad, and some Megs UC. I don't have anything more aggressive than this setup, and it's served me well for everything else I've attempted to correct including the 911. Clearly I need something more abrasive, but what? I'm loathe to change pads as I get on very well with the LC range, so ideally I'd like someone to recommend me a compound that sits above the UC in terms of abrasiveness, but isn't too harsh so I'm likely to screw it up. I like the safety of a DA and using that + UC you absolutely cannot wreck the paint, however I've clearly found the limit of that. Apologies for rambling a bit, but suggestions for something that would suit me would be appreciated.

No, it's a sealant. Like a synthetic wax, if you will. You'd use it instead of a wax usually, normally sealants bead better, last longer but don't give as deep a finish.

No more so than in the '5, ultimate hairdresser car!

Damn straight, Geoff has a lovely looking shaft with a bulbous end that seems ripe just to wrap my hand around and give a good waggling

Yup, another German car with round headlights and black body over black wheels, with red highlights on the interior It's like we have a type or something...!

Brilliant, that's my other half's excuse too! Scary thing is she's right

Well, it's not mine, it's Jo's. Finally the days of 24mpg in the Impreza have become a little too much, and with 85K now on the clock we've sold Betty Beast to a good friend of ours before anything really expensive fails Any way, without further ado I give you Geoff! R57 Cooper S convertible. Usual odds and sods, not entirely keen on the wheels myself but Jo loves them and they are a cinch to clean. What you see there is the sum of 7 hours work today cleaning and correcting the paint, as when we went to pick it up on Thursday they'd washed it with a dirty cloth and scratched the heck out of the driver's door To be fair they did offer to fix it for us, but I knew I could do a better job so just got stuck in. The crapy picture doesn't do it justice, the paintwork is gorgeous and rich in the flesh. Cloth seats with red leather bits brighten the interior up, and the stock exhaust don't half like to burble and pop on the overrun! I've yet to drive Geoff since we picked him up, but having never owned a hot hatch I'm looking forward to scrabble wagon hooning. It might seem a hell of a step down from a 320bhp STi, and in terms of excitement of drive it is, but it's also a very solid and dependable commuting vehicle with enough puff to make life interesting.

Can't be as hard as teaching your wife to wash her car. Even when you've done the majority of it!

Blackfire Wet Diamond is the trick. Frightfully pricey, but use that before your wax (I use DJ BV on my cars apart from the 911 which gets SV Zuffenhausen) and it will give you the exact look you're after. It really is stunning stuff. That said, it's all in the prep. A simple wash/wax procedure won't do it, you need to be prepping and cleaning the paint properly first before adding any sealant.

It's only a sealant, so it shouldn't make any difference to the finish of the paint really, but should give improved beading and water resistance. I really like the Blackfire stuff, would be interested in more info on this and how long it lasts. If it gives good protection but doesnt affect finish, I'd prob use it after waxing.

There's wheel alignment, and then there's wheel alignment. Alignments at the edges of the OEM settings will give massively different handling characteristics, so I'd be tempted to go somewhere else and have them check it out. It doesn't have to be a place with a laser alignment or Hunter rig, rather you'd pick a place based on how good the person is (I've seen more accurate settings done with some string than a laser setup, although it did take quite a bit longer!). Not sure where you are, but one of the specialists on here would be able to help you. Mixed tyres won't help matters with regards to the road feeling odd and floaty, although I don't believe they're the cause of the issues you have here.

It's like you know me so well!

I like it. You should do my MX-5 for me, like all of it. For practice, y'know.

Where's the pie thread? I liked that thread.

Epic lols :lol: I believe my case is closed, but thanks for the laugh Will.

Huzzah! What the f*ck is it?!

Ironically the SLK would've had the TCS on, as you can't turn it off 100% in a Merc If you've not spun it, you're not pushing hard enough.