Tag: automotive

Detailing Tips for the Average Motorist

Spring is just about upon us and what that means for us car folk in less than ideal winter areas is, its time for nice cruising weather, salt free roads and weekends spent washing and detailing our rides. For the average person washing or detailing their car seems like an overwhelming time consuming task but I have a few tips to make it simple and easy. I want to start by saying I’m no detailing expert, but I am a firm believer that one doesn’t need to be one or go crazy to have a decent looking ride. The best thing to do for your first wash in the spring is to wash with dish soap. Using dish soaps removes any road oils, old wax and other residue left over on your paint, essentially giving you a blank canvas to work with. It should come without saying regardless of your experience level to practice safe washing. Always use a clean sponge and rinse and re-fill with soap as often as possible. If you have the ability to use two buckets, one clean soap water and one rinse/dirty water bucket, that would be ideal. If you have hard water where you live be sure to dry the vehicle as fast as possible to avoid water spots. I usually like to wash and dry the whole vehicle before moving onto the wheels and using a separate brush. Typically, your wheels are the dirtiest and we don’t want that dirt in our buckets and contaminating the paint on the rest of the vehicle. Next step is to apply a quality wax. Be sure to use clean micro fiber or applicator pads and follow the directions on the wax. Allow your wax to dry thoroughly between coats and polish out with a clean microfiber rotating sides on occasion to be sure you’re using a clean side. I usually like to apply 1-2 coats depending on how much time I have. The final step and one of the most important and easy steps in my opinion is hitting the whole vehicle with a quick detailer spray. This really brings out the shine and shows off all your hard work. I’d equate this step to the final little garnish on your steak. It looks ok as it is but do this one little extra step and it really takes things to a whole new level. Depending on your experience and size of the vehicle this whole process could take anywhere for a whole day to an afternoon. Its important to note that once you wax your vehicle you should only use car specific soaps and cleaners so as to avoid stripping off the wax, unless you plan on waxing afterwards.

 

With a little elbow grease and some run of the mill products you can really bring up the look of your vehicle. Of course, there are more intense and specialized methods you can use but this is meant for just the average person looking for a nice shine.

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Hit or Miss: Tesla Model Y

Model Y

Tesla just released their new entry into the crossover SUV space. The model Y completes the Tesla S-3-X-Y lineup and rounds off a complete package of vehicles of all styles for the modern buyer.
Upon first seeing the model y I was confused how it was different from the model 3. I mean it almost quite literally looks exactly the same. At certain camera angles there appears to be no or minimal size differences, however that is untrue, and the Y is actually a bit larger than the 3. Also, one of the first things I noticed was the amount of people piling out this thing. It was like a clown car. Turns out the new model Y is an optional 7-seater, which while cool in theory may not be so great if you try to fit someone back there. It seems like 3rd row passengers will need to be small children or have no legs because I can’t imagine there’s any substantial leg or head room. Overall the model Y is very Tesla. Pano roof, large screen display, minimalist interior, optional auto pilot etc. One of the big hurdles Tesla faced with the Model 3 was production. Elon Musk during the unveiling brought up several times how the most difficult aspect of a car company is mass production. Well Tesla seems to have done their best to solve that problem by literally mix and matching components from the Model 3 and Model X. A lot of the body panels and body lines I’d be willing to bet are interchangeable. The interiors are all identical and many of the main components are more than likely the same….and I’m really not sure how I feel about all this. I think it’s really smart from a business and manufacturing standpoint. But from consumer standpoint it leaves much to be desired. If there’s something you don’t like about say the model3, you’re going to have a tough time getting away from that when you move over to a Model Y or Model X. There’s just not much option other than the size differences. I would be super interested to know what exactly is the same. Someone should go through the parts backend and probably half of the parts catalog is matching part numbers with the other models. From an appearance standpoint I’m not a fan of the direction Tesla has gone with both the Model 3 and Model Y. The plain smooth front while modern, seems strange to me. I like how the Model S and Model X at least have a small semblance of a grill with an emblem. Otherwise the profile is very classic and smooth. The interior sticks to the minimalist styling of Tesla. Large infotainment screen that controls everything, same seats as the Model 3, overall very clean and classy. All that being said, I’m still a huge fan of Tesla and I think this vehicle will do extremely well. For the U.S. market it covers all the size and spec requirements a consumer wants in a crossover and it doesn’t have any of the gimmicks of the Model X that make it seem flamboyant. At its very essence, it’s just a car and nothing out of the ordinary. Priced in at around $47k to start and dropping to $39k for the base model standard range expected to release in spring 202,1 it’s in a very good sweet spot for its competition and may raise an eyebrow on a buyer who might otherwise not consider s Tesla at all.