Family changes bring about new cars...

[shane@detailedreflections]

First...a little back history. On July 2 my wife and I took emergency custody of her cousins four children by way of DCF. What was supposed to be a “seven to thirty day arrangement” looks to be much longer with the possibility of being permanent. So we went from a family of three...my wife, sixteen year old daughter and myself to a family of seven with the new kids being one, three, six and seven. 

 

Two years ago my wife and I purchased two Subaru Crosstreks as our daily drivers. We have a Lotus Evora as our garage queen. Well needless to say, the Crosstreks don’t handle five children and two adults so we found ourselves in the market for an SUV with a third row. We ended up deciding two was the better situation so we don’t have to swap cars back and forth or dealing with schedule changes.

 

After much debate, my wife and I settled on a pair of Subaru Ascent Touring editions. We got a grey and a blue. 

 

So after all of that, it brings me to the point of this post. If there’s interest I’m going to take everyone through how we do “new vehicle prep.” To start with, they’ll be prepped for traditional sealant and wax. The reason they aren’t being coated immediately is that we are most likely going through accreditation with a company that offers a nine year coating. If we do, that’s the coating I’d like to use on them. 

 

But we will also be installing Premium Shield paint protection films on the front end. 

 

Interior wise we we will be installing coatings on carpets and all leather as well. 

 

The windshields will also be treated with a glass coating. 

 

So stay tuned as we dive into this project!

[pirahnah3]

Shane, good luck! Looking forward to seeing their progress. Choices in life make who we are, and show others who we really are. 

[Velvethelmet]

 Way to step up man. 

[BHarris23]

1 hour ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

First...a little back history. On July 2 my wife and I took emergency custody of her cousins four children by way of DCF. What was supposed to be a “seven to thirty day arrangement” looks to be much longer with the possibility of being permanent. So we went from a family of three...my wife, sixteen year old daughter and myself to a family of seven with the new kids being one, three, six and seven. 

 

Two years ago my wife and I purchased two Subaru Crosstreks as our daily drivers. We have a Lotus Evora as our garage queen. Well needless to say, the Crosstreks don’t handle five children and two adults so we found ourselves in the market for an SUV with a third row. We ended up deciding two was the better situation so we don’t have to swap cars back and forth or dealing with schedule changes.

 

After much debate, my wife and I settled on a pair of Subaru Ascent Touring editions. We got a grey and a blue. 

 

So after all of that, it brings me to the point of this post. If there’s interest I’m going to take everyone through how we do “new vehicle prep.” To start with, they’ll be prepped for traditional sealant and wax. The reason they aren’t being coated immediately is that we are most likely going through accreditation with a company that offers a nine year coating. If we do, that’s the coating I’d like to use on them. 

 

But we will also be installing Premium Shield paint protection films on the front end. 

 

Interior wise we we will be installing coatings on carpets and all leather as well. 

 

The windshields will also be treated with a glass coating. 

 

So stay tuned as we dive into this project!

Congrats on the growing family! It may not have been what you wanted, but it’s what He had planned. 

 

Also, you got lucky getting th new Subaru Ascent Touring. My dad is a manager at a Subaru store and he says their dealership is backordered for months and apparently, the Touring trim is the toughest to get. 

[Firebuff17]

@shane@detailedreflections

I give you a lot of credit for stepping up like you did. Not many people would take on 4 kids... let alone young kids. 

My hats off to you sir!! 

 

I would be be interested in your new car process.. I always look forward to reading your posts... informative... great pics and amazing results!

[shane@detailedreflections]

Thanks everyone. It’s been a bit overwhelming to say the least. It has the potential to shift the views of the rest of what we wanted to do once our daughter went to college next fall. At this point it’s a “wait and see.” I’m still trying to keep up with my career and my business. So hopefully I can make all of that happen!

 

We will be starting this week with some stuff to prep the vehicles. I’ll try to document as much of the process as I can. 

 

 

[Rich]

Hey man, God bless you for your sacrifice. And it is a sacrifice.  Lots of hard work and sleepless nights ahead, especially with a baby.  And your wife's family to boot.  I think highly of  you and your wife for doing this.  Best of luck to  you all.  Much respect.

Rich

[RayS]

@shane@detailedreflections Thank you, your wife and your daughter for providing the children with a family.  The value of having a family to lean on and nurture children during the early years cannot be taken for granted.  What the three of you are doing now will reflect in how these children grow up and behave for the rest of their lives. 

 

I have one recommendation for you, find a way to get some quality time with your wife and daughter, especially your daughter.  The teen years can be trying and doing something as simple as getting a babysitter for the young ones and taking your wife and daughter to dinner or even out for ice cream to breath and talk will make a big difference.

[shane@detailedreflections]

9 hours ago, Rich said:

Hey man, God bless you for your sacrifice. And it is a sacrifice.  Lots of hard work and sleepless nights ahead, especially with a baby.  And your wife's family to boot.  I think highly of  you and your wife for doing this.  Best of luck to  you all.  Much respect.

Rich

 

Thanks for the kind words Rich. It is a huge sacrifice. My wife and I were tasked with trading the vision of our future for the futures of four kids that didn’t get a vote in their situation.  We decided that we could be okay even with doing this, where if we said no the kids most likely wouldn’t be. It’s been meetings, appointments and paperwork non stop. The process is nothing less than invasive. We are learning as we go. 

 

Permanency hasn’t been established yet. But they are allowing us to establish primary care and education in the town that we live. That alone tells me it’s a longer term situation. The longer it goes, the less hope for reunification there is. Couple that with their parents multitude of issues, and I don’t see them going back. Should they go back, it’ll be detrimental to them. They’ll go from a nice middle class life to a life of nothing. That’s a huge concern I have. 

 

1 hour ago, RayS said:

@shane@detailedreflections Thank you, your wife and your daughter for providing the children with a family.  The value of having a family to lean on and nurture children during the early years cannot be taken for granted.  What the three of you are doing now will reflect in how these children grow up and behave for the rest of their lives. 

 

I have one recommendation for you, find a way to get some quality time with your wife and daughter, especially your daughter.  The teen years can be trying and doing something as simple as getting a babysitter for the young ones and taking your wife and daughter to dinner or even out for ice cream to breath and talk will make a big difference.

 

Thanks for the advice. It’s been difficult to set aside time for us since this whole thing started. My wife and I went out to dinner once, and that was more or less necessity to talk about how far we were willing to go before talking to our daughter about it. 

 

For now the kids are safe and enjoying a good quality of life. That’s what matters most. 

 

Going ahead we will definitely be setting aside time for us. 

[Black Bowtie]

I applaud you and your wife and daughter for making this choice in the future of these children. Now hopefully they will get to grow up together as a family, instead of maybe being split up through adoption or foster homes.

[mc2hill]

Bless you, your wife, and your daughter for provide these kids a chance at a better future!  

 

A tutoral for new car prep would be great!  Looks like Marcus gets to sit one out.

I am guessing you have already taken delivery of the cars, or they are already on the lot?  Hope you did not get the DISO on yours!

We got lucky last year, as the dealership did not have the model/color combo my wife wanted, so it had to come from the regional lot, and they don't prep them there.  I told the salesman ' do not touch' it, and even on the way in to pickup the car he called and asked if they could clean off the bugs, and you know what my answer was!  Lucky for me there was someone at the dealership that knows what our level of 'clean and shiny' is, so he as able to help explain it to them.  I washed it as soon we got home, and it was mar free!        

[kaj41354]

Bless you and your family Shane!  Amazing what life gives us as a challenge.  Looking forward to you detailing details.  

[shane@detailedreflections]

19 hours ago, mc2hill said:

Bless you, your wife, and your daughter for provide these kids a chance at a better future!  

 

A tutoral for new car prep would be great!  Looks like Marcus gets to sit one out.

I am guessing you have already taken delivery of the cars, or they are already on the lot?  Hope you did not get the DISO on yours!

We got lucky last year, as the dealership did not have the model/color combo my wife wanted, so it had to come from the regional lot, and they don't prep them there.  I told the salesman ' do not touch' it, and even on the way in to pickup the car he called and asked if they could clean off the bugs, and you know what my answer was!  Lucky for me there was someone at the dealership that knows what our level of 'clean and shiny' is, so he as able to help explain it to them.  I washed it as soon we got home, and it was mar free!        

 

We did take them right off the lot. Ordering wasn’t an option for us given the family transport needs now. We did request they didn’t wash them. The sales manager said that it made him twitch having them leave like that. I simply told him it would make me twitch if they did it and I was going to have my guys go through it all. 

 

Grabted its dirty, but I didn’t see swirls in it. I’m sure I’ll find some, but it will all get polished out anyway.

 

This weekend Marquis will be going through the interior to dress everything and install a ceramic on all of the leather surfaces as well as fabric protection. Having four young kids in the family, it’s a necessity in my opinion. I still can’t wrap my head around why people with kids are reluctant to spend the extra and protect the surfaces.  They will also get washed and just a quick coat of wax on the exterior surface. 

 

I committed to attending an accreditation training for another ceramic coating on September 10-11. When I return and have access to their professional only coating we will be installing it on both vehicles for protection lasting nine years. We are fortunate that the maintenance comes easily enough. I can handle it for our vehicles easily enough or ask my guys and it gets done. They enjoy the opportunity to make money!  Can’t wait to get to do the coatings. When we do, that’s when we will go through the prep process and installation.

 

We will also share the installation of ppf on the front ends. This will happen just before the coatings go on. Right now I’m thinking doing the hood, fenders and bumper. I may install the door cups as well. 

 

5 hours ago, kaj41354 said:

Bless you and your family Shane!  Amazing what life gives us as a challenge.  Looking forward to you detailing details.  

 

Thank you for the kind words!  It’s certainly a challenge and a rework of everything we envisioned. At this point it’s an adapt and overcome situation. Life has quickly become constant motion!

[pirahnah3]

Shane, DEF do the door cups with the coating, it will be a scratch saver for the rings and keys and all that which will certainly happen with all the running around. 

[shane@detailedreflections]

Just thought I’d update this thread for everyone. This weekend I’ll finally get a chance to start working on one of our Ascent’s. The interiors are coated but need to be freshened up a bit anyway. 

 

This weekend the work flow for one is...

- Wash

- Iron removal 

- Clay

- Finishing polish

- paint protection film, partial front (hood, fender, mirrors, bumper)

- ceramic coat wheels

- ceramic coat trim 

- ceramic coat the paint. 

 

These won’t be done in Adam’s, but when I do the write up I will substitute in the appropriate Adam’s products for reference and to support the forum.