DenaliDan

Does anyone agree that the handles could be a bit thicker? At least on the larger one.

I've watched all but the final hour and have been enjoying it quite a bit. Good quality movie. Probably one of the better projects Costner has done, IMO. Maybe it is because his presence hasn't dominated every scene like most of his movies. I'm constantly wondering what bits are authentic and what liberties have been taken by the creators. Of course, this is just about impossible because there have been so many versions and embellishments of this story that nobody knows what really happened.

Tried the Delirium. Pretty good! Reminds me of a Hooengarden but a bit more full-flavored.

Mine arrived today along with the wheel cleaner which I've never used before. My wheels were a mess! It doesn't take long with these pads that are on my 325xi. I really can't wait to change them out. Anyway, I broke out the hose ASAP and went to work. Very impressed, I am! I was a bit skeptical when I made the purchase because every wheel cleaner/brush has let me down in the past but this combo was impressive. I know, I should've taken some pics but I was in a hurry to get it done. And that's one of the things that impressed me: How quick and easy it was to clean my wheels. These wooley's won't do miracles but considering the time and effort required, you get a great result!

Judging from your forum name, you'd love the G37. It has more music options than a friggin' electronics store: AM, FM, CD changer, satellite, hard drive storage, iPod connector, A/V connector to play stuff on the in-dash screen, oh, and a CF card slot! A bit overkill if you ask me but hey, you can probably store enough music in this car to drive across the US and back and never hear the same song twice!

Thanks for the comments. Ya, she loves her G37. She had a Z3 and was convinced she'd miss having a convertible but this car has changed her mind. I like it too but the only time I get to drive it is when I tell her I have to make sure the detailing was done correctly!

Just judging from the clay bar alone I can tell that M3 was in worse condition than my wife's G37S. That's a beautiful car now! Great job!

I'm gonna have to add that one to my shopping list. At least it is available in stores!

Well, your avatar looks really good.

I finally got time to detail my wife's 2008 Infinity G37s. She bought it about a month ago and I knew when we looked at it on the lot that I would be putting some time into it. The metal was in great condition with no scratches or dings but the paint looked like it had lived the life of automatic car washes for the last four years. I bought the Flex kit recently so this is my first detail moving up to it from the PC. This was about the only scratch on the car. Sratch (and fly) Gone! I wish the chips were as easy to get rid of! There was an etched-in bird dropping stain on the trunk. The arrow is a chip to use as reference point. Gone! Chip, not so much. Also noticed that I need to clean my lens. :( General condition of the car: Nice and shiny to the average looker's eyes. But to a detailer? Oh, no you don't! Here's a 50/50 of the trunk lid/spoiler after doing the three step (green, orange, white) polishing with Flex. Some more after shots. To sum it up: I love the Flex. These results are the best I've ever gotten with average effort and time (about 6.5 hours or so). In the past with the P-C and basic swirl remover & polishes, this would've taken much more time and a lot more work. The Flex and three-polish process made this one pretty easy. The design of this car was great for detailing also. Smooth flowing lines and a good color that really shows the difference that a good detail can make.

I made the switch from wine to beer when I moved from Italy to Belgium. You know, when in Rome, do as the Romans. I really got hooked on quality beer when I was in Belgium and was a little concerned about finding good stuff when I returned to live in the States. Not to worry! My timing was great since by the time I returned about four years ago, interest in craft and quality beers just couldn't be better. No problem finding a few of my Belgian favorites such as Leffe or Grimbergan. And there's more good beer easily available that any one person could hardly ever taste test. Here's what is left of my case of Westvleteren 12. This case was actually given to me by a great friend when he returned from Belgium. Westvleteren has not only been named the World's Best Beer more than any other, it has also been titled one of the rarest. You might notice my scanner in the pic. This case is in my cellar and is part of my tornado survival kit!

You are soooo right! There were many times when I would sit at a sidewalk cafe for hours and purchase one or two espressos. I sure wish I had that kind of time to waste nowadays! And in the parts of Europe I've lived and travelled, you don't see drive-thrus for anything. Even a drive-thru at McDonalds is rare (but not unheard of). At least it was when I left four years ago.

The most important thing about a good cup of coffee is your opinion. I suggest you not get wrapped up in the technicalities. If it is good to you, drink it. My Keurig has different temp settings and I can't tell the difference in the quality regardless of what temp it is at. In the winter I make it hotter and then I drop it down in the summer. Nothing to do with quality. That's just the way I like to do it.

Well, Starbucks does SMELL pretty good. And one good thing about Starbucks is that they are pretty consistent. You have to lower your expectations a little but you know what you're getting regardless of where you happen to be (DC, Dayton, OH, Seattle, etc.).

After having lived in Italy for over five years, I've been on a constant search for a good espresso here in the States. I've pretty much given up on finding a really good espresso when I'm out and have just settled on Starbucks or whatever is close-by. But at home, the battle has been between quality and convenience. I've had several machines ranging from the classic stove-top, top-quality Italian stove top, Gaggia semi-automatic, La Pavoni (with which I won an Adam's Forum photo contest), and now a DeLonghi Compact Magnifica S. All have been pretty good machines and each can deliver a great shot after you've found the right roast and grind that works best with the specific machine. I still have and sometime use the stove-top makers. The Gaggia was a 220v machine I used when I lived in Belgium. I gave it to a friend when I returned to the States. The La Pavoni was a gift from my wife. One of the best ever received! After many years of loyal service it currently is not working but it just has such a classic look that it looks good just sitting out. That brings me to my current machine, the DeLonghi, which is my furst super-automatic. I've had it for just over a month now and really like it. After getting the roast and quantity dialed in, it will deliver a great shot every time. Crema is just right for my taste and the frother works really well on the rare occasion that I want a cappucino. The temperature can be a little inconsistent so I'd say that is probably the weakest point so far. I'll have to give it quite a bit more time before I can make a judgement on reliability but so far, so good. I think the keys are always the bean and grind. And neither of these will always be the same for different machines and individual tastes. It takes some experimentation with different roasts and courseness to get the best out of the machine. I usually get good results with Lavazza or Illy but my all-time favorite roast is Cafe Kimbo but it can be harder to find. We also use a Keurig for regular coffee. Been enjoying the Keurigs for about four years now. I don't care for the flavored coffees but I like being able to have different strengths and nuances for different times of day and also guests. But when it comes to coffee, I wish America was more like Italy. I miss being able to just pop into a bar (cafe), get an excellent shot of espresso regardless of where you are, and be on your way five minutes later. Or, if you'd rather, you can sit there half a day and sip cafe while you watch the day go by. Either way, enjoying a coffee is a much more enjoyable experience.

I recently realized the benefit of using the Quick Sealant that I was hoping for. My biggest clean-car enemy is bugs so I was very glad to find how easily they cleaned off after using the Sealant. Just a gentle wipe using a little Detail Spray and the front end is looking like it did last week just after detailing. Great Stuff! I did learn a lesson though. I put the Sealant on my wheels without using an applicator or wiping it after spraying. Now the brake dust has gathered on the little droplets left by the Sealant which I could not see when applying. So, always use the applicator and/or give it a quick wipe after spraying it on.

My wife sells Scentsy and she gives me these little tins of a scent called Weathered Leather. It smells a lot like the Adam's Leather Conditioner but it last for months. I always get remarks about how good the leather smells.

I thought about suspenders but I don't think it would need to be that heavy. I'm thinking of something that holds just enough product for one step and then switch out the product for the next step. I was thinking something more along the lines of what Ray suggested: a strong belt with a MF covering on the front. All the holders are on the sides and/or back as long as they're within reach. Why not a cart? Well, my driveway is gravel (at least for now). Not too happy 'bout it but that's what I've got to deal with for the time being. A cart is not a bad idea (on a normal driveway) but probably a little more cumbersome than necessary. Again, you don't need to cart all your product around the car. And you're running the risk of ramming the car with the cart. That probably doesn't happen much if you're careful but it's possible.

How 'bout a detailer's belt along the lines of a tool belt? It would have holsters (loops, whatever is best for the design) to hold a couple bottles upside down (as in Polish, not spray bottles). Definitely a holster dedicated for a bottle of detail spray! Some way to hold a couple towels\polishing cloth. A loop or two to help hold that PC cable away from the vehicle. Oh, and designed so that the front will not create swirls or scratches if it touches the vehicle. I hope I'm not repeating someone else's idea here. I did a couple searches and did not find anything.

I'd like to see the RX-7. I really like high mileage vehicles in good condition. Going for the same with my VW Passat (currently 165k). And yours being a Mazda is all the better.

with great results!! I was detailing my '92 Miata (non-clearcoat) and thought I'd try an old tip that Adam used to do in his videos: mixing some polish with the Swirl and Haze Remover on the orange pad. So I grabbed some bottles without reading the labels and went to work. Finished the whole car and was pretty impressed with the extremely glossy finish. Some areas had a shine like never before. Next, I put those bottles away and went to grab my Machine SuperWax for the next task. That's when I realized I was grabbing the same bottle that I just put away: the MSW. Now, I haven't been using the Fine Machine Polish and Machine SuperWax very long and the colors of the two products throw me every time. The gray color of the MSW just shouts "polish" to me. But anyway, I continued with the MSW in the normal way and the end result is the best shine I've ever had! I wouldn't recommend the combo as the best way to get rid of swirls etc. but the shine is awesome!

So I'm in the 12 hour waiting period after applying and buffing off a coat of Machine SuperWax. I had the idea of putting down a coat of BSG and wiping it off with the 12 hour buff. What do you all think? Any benefit?

I also recently found more evidence that not all detail sprays are created equal. I set out to try Junkman's "Slow cut" method on a section of my wife's new-to-us Z3 and I thought I'd use the last of my Meguiar's detail spray. I found out that the Meguiar's doesn't revive the SHR to the effectiveness level that Adam's does. It just simply doesn't work that way. Switched over to Adam's and BAM, the Slow Cut method was in the works. Amazing!

Just curious: Is Adam's being represented at any of the Monterey events?