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Stuff for the car...


meyersnole
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Dont need them in NC, but I visit my Dad in DC... and yes, wheel locks saved my wheels at least once that I know of there. The pulled my wheel cover off and saw I had locks and moved on (was laying in the road). Driving to work, as I turned the corner I saw a car sitting on 4 concrete blocks! Small price to pay.

Does one lock per wheel work or do you need one on every stud? ;)

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Does one lock per wheel work or do you need one on every stud? ;)

They typically sell them as a set of four so you have one per wheel. I have had them before but after breaking one trying to loosen it because the mechanic went overboard with the air wrench I've taken them off my vehicles. I got a special socket like what you would use for a stripped nut. So I realized they are a pain if they break and they aren't that hard to get off without a key if you have the right tool.

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Does one lock per wheel work or do you need one on every stud? ;)

 

That is one thing I do not miss about living in DC, waking up at 1-2am in the am to my car alarm and watching my crap drive off down the road.

 

1 on each tire seemed to do the trick, for the tires at least!  I had 2 alarms that didn't deter those %^&$%^ one bit.

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That is one thing I do not miss about living in DC, waking up at 1-2am in the am to my car alarm and watching my crap drive off down the road.

 

1 on each tire seemed to do the trick, for the tires at least!  I had 2 alarms that didn't deter those %^&$%^ one bit.

Is that possible with today's computerized ignition systems?  I thought the only way to steal a new car today would be to drag it onto a flatbed truck.

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Is that possible with today's computerized ignition systems?  I thought the only way to steal a new car today would be to drag it onto a flatbed truck.

 

No, they did not take the car. They took stuff from inside the car. I had a stereo system that had a custom made sub box with crossover (multiple hours to build) that they liked to take. Did that twice before I decided to just buy a cheap pre made one. They took all my cassettes (remember those?) when I left them in the car one night. Crap like that.

 

I had a 1988 Pulsar NX SE that had a T Top roof. They would somehow get one of the sections off the roof, which would set off the alarm, and grab and dash. A couple times I could see them drive off in a very nice vehicle (steeling must pay well), but it was really a  waste of time to call the police. No matter how much you saw, unless they tripped over them doing it the entire time they planned to spend on that investigation was the time they spent filling out the indecent form. I would not have done it if I was not sure something was really messed up and I needed to make  an insurance claim. Can't really blame them, they had much bigger problems then chasing someone who took a couple hundred dollars worth of my stuff. 

 

The alarm did save serious damage to the car though. They never had time to pull the aftermarket stereo or anything else in the car. They only grabbed what was right there. Happened about every 6 mos. Lived there for 4 years, so it happened way too frequently for my taste. 

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Meyersnole, I believe you mentioned having installed front and rear molded mudflaps. Do you like the way they look?

 

I picked up the rear mudflaps the other day but the front are on back order.

 

Yes, like them a lot. I will snap some pics tomorrow or this weekend...but I don't want to hear it about all the pollen on the car!

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Yes, like them a lot. I will snap some pics tomorrow or this weekend...but I don't want to hear it about all the pollen on the car!

Great, thanks...Pollen?

 

I stopped into the parts dept of my dealer and asked for Ruby Red touch up paint...just in case...had to order it. Also asked for some black gloss touch up paint for the front grill and rear bumper trim but was told it's not available. Seems they make it up at the body shop as needed but don't package it for touch up. I'm not sure I believe that story so will keep checking.

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Yeah. The pines drop pollen by the bucket this time of year. Its a lovely shade of yellow green and it EVERYWHERE.

Oooooh, I bet it is sticky and hard to get off too. You had a synthetic applied to the paint though so it may not be so bad. We get a lot of pollen here to (we have winds up to 60 mph the last three days) but you can't see it. Your sinuses let you know it's in the air though.

 

Not much sticks to my paint since I put the synthetic on it, but bird poop, and that will leave a streak that has to be spot treated again.

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No, the pollen is not sap. If you wash your car a couple time a month and keep wax on it (2x year) your paint stays looking pretty good. In theory you should wax much more, but I don't worry about my car looking like a show car. I usually keep my cars 5-7 years and they always look great when I go to sell them.

 

There is also wax in the car wash soap I use, not sure if that does anything or not.

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I had a friend recommend this wax to me a long time ago and I swear by it. It goes on easy and comes off easy too:

 

http://www.zainostore.com/

 

That's so interesting... I've been eyeballing their products for years but never knew anybody who used them.  Most reviews I've found says their product is very fussy, but the results are spectacular.

 

Rather than a wax, I'm going to try that new Turtle Wax Ice or Nu Finish since those are not caranuba wax.  I've used Armor All, Turtle Wax, but my favorite caranuba is 3M.  Stuff lasts a LONG time, but where ever there is heat, it's gone soon after application.  My focus is a good example of that.  I put a coat of wax on it sometime in November.  The car still beats everywhere EXCEPT the hood.  It's the heat that gets it, so I've been on the hunt for something better that withstands heat.

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That's so interesting... I've been eyeballing their products for years but never knew anybody who used them.  Most reviews I've found says their product is very fussy, but the results are spectacular.

 

Rather than a wax, I'm going to try that new Turtle Wax Ice or Nu Finish since those are not caranuba wax.  I've used Armor All, Turtle Wax, but my favorite caranuba is 3M.  Stuff lasts a LONG time, but where ever there is heat, it's gone soon after application.  My focus is a good example of that.  I put a coat of wax on it sometime in November.  The car still beats everywhere EXCEPT the hood.  It's the heat that gets it, so I've been on the hunt for something better that withstands heat.

 

Wax will last about 6-8 weeks unless you just leave your car parked in the garage. Like you said, heat kills wax.

 

The nice thing about synthetic wax is that it is easy on easy off. Tends to last a little longer too. Purist will diss it as it does not give that typical warm finished look of wax, but it will protect your paint -- which is the whole purpose of the exercise anyway. The other main difference is the wax bonds to the paint, while the synthetics form a surface bond, like another clear coat. It is my understanding that this is what gives it a different look. The main thing is to do one of the other in my opinion.

 

Not a big fan of Armor all anything. In some cases those products to more damage then good, especially the dash sprays.

 

Before I sold my car, I had a detailer clay my car before waxing. Now that makes a huge difference. I would assume that doing this every once in a while would be good whether applying synthetic or caranuba. 3M usually makes quality materials... surprised to see Armor All and 3M in the same list!

 

Going to take my new baby to the detailer in June for a clay and wax.  I am a little worried about how all that plastic up front is going to age verses the painted metal. I am pretty sure we are going to start seeing a few shades of color change between the sections after 2-3 years. Hope I am proven wrong.

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I actually had to clay my Focus the first time I tried to wax it.  Ever SHRED a buffing pad on paint before?  Yeah.  I did.  The paint was a step above 400 grit sandpaper.  Took me probably an hour to clay the whole car, but it was back to being as smooth as a baby's bottom when I was done.  Gave it another wash in Dawn, and then waxed it.  I bought the Focus used and the owners were probably just a 'get in and turn the key' bunch.  I bought it from a mechanic who said the previous owner blew up the motor... ran it out of oil.  And it has been in a couple fender benders too, but I wanted to stop rust as much as I could.  Cars love being in my possession.  Which is probably why the car is acting up on me now (sprung an antifreeze leak on Monday which I fixed) since it knows it's being sold to a friend of the family's 16 year old daughter. :)

 

Caranuba wax is pretty much the same no matter who makes it.  The quality and differences are pretty subtle.  My truck is due for another polish and wax... been a couple years, but it sits in the garage 90% of the time... I only bring it out when no rain is expected, and maybe once every 2 - 3 weeks.  And wax disappears on it pretty quick too since it's black.

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Could never own a black car in the south. Too freakin hot here.

 

Not a whole lot of experience with wax products, but I looked up consumer reports thoughts on the topic and they actually think there is quite a difference between brands. I tend to use quality products because if I am going to spend the time (or even pay someone to do it) I want it done right.  I tend to like Meguiar and Lexol products.

Edited by meyersnole
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Thanks FusionEnegi -- I have been struggling with should I get these, I am glad I hesitated. Thanks for the review.

I ordered the husky weatherbeater floor mats. For about $114 and free shipping I got 2 front mats and one long mat for the rear floor from Auto Anything , the weathertech was like 200 including the shipping just for the front two mats. The husky drivers mat has great coverage, way better than the Ford premium floor mat. I like these mats better than anything else I have seen. These Husky mats are light weight, which I think is great for efficiency. They are easy to remove and flexible, unlike the weathertech digitalfit ones in my camry. The husky mats do not have a sharp lip like the weathertech! The husky mats look great and fit better than the weathertech.

Husky mats rear

 

Plus Husky is made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty.

Husky mats on driver side

 
Edited by FusionEnergi
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FusionEnergi -- are the pictures color accurate? Are the mats brownish?

 

I need to do something about the mats in my car, especially on the drivers side... just not sure about the plastic look.

 

Not happy about the short mat on the drivers side, and if I order after market mats will they fit?

The picture color is not accurate. The mats are black. I took the picture in my garage. I had to use flash to see. I could have taken the car outside in the light, but I was just trying to show the fit.

These mats look fabulous in the Energi and fit great. I recommend them over the $75 clear mats, Ford premium mats, Retail store universal mats, and Weathertech Digitalfit. I like having  a mat that easy to clean. These mats are not slick feeling as the Weathertech mats.

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The picture color is not accurate. The mats are black. I took the picture in my garage. I had to use flash to see. I could have taken the car outside in the light, but I was just trying to show the fit.

These mats look fabulous in the Energi and fit great. I recommend them over the $75 clear mats, Ford premium mats, Retail store universal mats, and Weathertech Digitalfit. I like having  a mat that easy to clean. These mats are not slick feeling as the Weathertech mats.

 

The amazon reviews are brutal... http://www.amazon.com/Husky-Liners-99751-WeatherBeater-Black/dp/B00ABW6DO4/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1366421807&sr=1-5&keywords=husky+liners+ford+fusion

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Still looking for a high quality carpet mat for the car. Anyone seen one that is suppose to fit the energi?

 

All I see is hybrid and FWD listed as choices. Don't feel comfortable blowing 1-2 hundred on mats that may fit. Looking at Lloyd, anybody ordered these before? http://www.autoanything.com/floor-mats/78A4427A0A0.aspx

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