Z71_Denali

our pool is slowly nearing completion! they are working today to finish all the stone and tile for the spa, and plan to do plaster tomorrow. once that is done we start filling it, and PB said equipment will be installed Monday, then final color and sealer go on the deck at the very end. we will be out test driving a new Acadia Denali and a used Escalade this afternoon for the wife. we pretty much narrowed it down to anything we can have serviced locally, which rules out the Audi, Infiniti, Volvo, BMW, and Acura. she's not a fan of the new Explorer's and the Mercedes is out of our price range with little to no used ones available. its difficult finding the right 7 seater luxury SUV, especially used ones!!! if she doesn't make a decision this weekend, we will be traveling to Houston next weekend and may have better luck there.

Engineer here also

so that Ultimate Flex Kit i "paid" for didn't "ship"

looks flawless!

i have the Bakflip F1 on my truck. i wash it everytime i wash my truck. just Adam's shampoo and wash mitt. to protect it, i use quick sealant. i also spray the hinges with In & Out spray, and the rubber trim along the edges get treated with SVRT. i've had it for a year and a half and it still looks brand new

yeah we'd prefer something thats no more than 3 years old or even a CPO vehicle

we finally got word from State Farm about the car; and it's totaled. the estimate for repairs came out to about $20k, with the possibility of another $2K in possible repairs they can't see right now. total labor hours came out to about 100, and that includes unibody frame pulls to straighten it back out; the estimator also mentioned there's a low availability of parts and that could also delay repairs. they gave us the option to repair it or total it since the estimate was so close to the threshold amount of 70-75% of the value. we took the settlement and got out of it while we could. we're currently looking for a luxury 7 seater SUV for her now. she likes the Escalade, Mercedes GL, Infiniti JX or QX, and the Audi Q7. i would prefer either an Acura MDX or GMC Acadia Denali also but she doesn't like those. if its not the Denali then she will have to get it used. only problem is finding one of those imports, the nearest ones for sale are over 200 miles away in San Antonio or DFW. i'd prefer something we can have serviced locally too.

she's looking good!

i don't see anything wrong with the technique, other than maybe too much pressure. after you did the SHR step, did you finish with the FMP step, or just wipe the SHR off to inspect? i usually just leave the residue from previous polish steps on the panel and wipe them off when i'm done with FMP. it is critical to finish with FMP to remove the damage that SHR can't remove. think of these polishes like sand paper, proper technique when sanding something is to start with something rough, then work your way up to finer and finer grits. same thing with polish. also, your pic from the other day had way too much polish on the pad. when you start with a fresh pad, put a small X and prime the pad with DS, then on your next panel, you may even be able to get away with just priming the pad with DS and nothing else, but on your third panel you may need to add 3 or 4 pea size drops to the pad. your issues have been going on for a couple days now, have you been cleaning your pads after you finished for the day, or are you leaving the polish inside the pad and reusing it with old polish inside it? don't stress over this too much, everyone made mistakes their first attempt. mine was a combination of too much pressure and too much product. once you find the perfect combo for you, it'll be worth it! on your next attempt, start with 3-4 passes on speed 5. then prime the pad with DS, on low speed spread the remaining polish left in the pad over the panel and repeat 3-4 passes on speed 5 a second time. SHR can be funny sometimes, and it will take 2 or 3 tries before its correct the paint to the point that it is capable of.

they have to stay positive, after all, they live in tornado alley. some of the worst tornadoes strike this area of Oklahoma. i remember when i lived in Tulsa and i heard that tornado siren go off, i was scared $h!tless!!! tornadoes and state taxes is why i left and came back to Texas

quick update.......... State Farm is moving the vehicle to a salvage yard in Lubbock where they will have it appraised. they are now saying after i sent them a detailed description of the damage including pictures that it is a possible total loss. that is why they are moving it. the shop here in Midland is backed up for a month and that is just too long for us to wait on it, so if it ends up coming back repairable, then we will have to find someone else to do the work sooner. we should know by Friday if it is totaled or not.

wire wheels? your truck got this song stuck in my head

i sure did also! i'm glad i made her take her car and not my truck or her friend's Tahoe. i bet both of those would've rolled onto the roof! she was also going to take the dogs and i don't even want to think what would've happened if she did! we're getting dog seat belts or something before they ride with us in the future! quick update. state farm told me once the cost of repairs reaches 70% of the value they start to consider it being a total loss. the retail value on the vehicle is what they payout for totaled vehicles. the SRX is worth about $34,000 so if the damages exceed about $24,000 i think they're going to total it.

Thanks for the warm replies! We won't be upset if it is totaled. Diminished value, it may never drive the same, and metallic paints require a very skilled painter to blend to the rest of the car. State Farm has treated my family and us right through accidents like this. It all depends on what the estimate comes out to I'm afraid. Although the inner A and B pillars appear straight, it runs and drives, and theres no leaks; there's no telling what lies behind that rear door and rear quarter where it appears the bulk of the force occured.

so to make a short story long, my wife and her friend were driving to Houston for a baby shower yesterday. they're about 4 hours into the drive, on a two lane road somewhere between Grady and Austin, TX. she was 100% honest and admitted they weren't paying attention to the road. they veer off into the ditch, my wife said she then tried to correct the car back onto the road, over corrected and traveled into oncoming traffic and then flung the wheel back to the right. in the process the car managed to do a 180 turn over onto the driver's side, slide up a hill and fall back on all four wheels. Luckily, neither one of them were injured, no other vehicles were involved. state troopers showed up, EMTs showed up and check both of them out, wrecker showed up and took the car on a flat bed to the nearest town. the girls had no where to stay, and my buddy and i were about to start driving to get them when the trooper volunteered to drive them to Austin if they knew someone that could pick them up. luckily again, we have friends scattered across Texas and spent the night with one of them in Austin before getting a rental car this morning and finishing their trip to Houston. the fun part began this morning when we were figuring out where the car could get fixed and how we were getting it there. the town it was in is 230 miles from home, a tow would've cost $800 and a transport truck was quoted at $850. i was fed up, drove to my nearest uhaul and rented an auto transport for $55 per day and just started driving. 4 hours later i'm at the wrecker's yard, pay for the tow from the accident site, and make the trip back to Midland. so here the car sits on the side of our house on a trailer, i'll be taking it to the collision center in the morning. i don't know if it is totaled or not. the insurance pre-screening said it wasn't although they didn't determine that off the pictures and my wife doesn't really describe things in great detail; especially when she's all shaken up from a car accident. we'll know more this week once the collision center and claims adjuster takes a look. to me i want to say it's done. the rear quarter is completely smashed, no telling what the inner structure looks like, the suspension is out of whack, both wheels/tires are done, doors, fender, bumpers, windows, trim, side airbags and headliner, and who knows what else needs replaced underneath. well, that's my rant, i'm just thankful they're okay. the car can be replaced, neither one of us are that upset. i think she's just disappointed in herself, because this is her first wreck in the 10 years she's been driving. anyways, here's a few pics she took from the scene: and it on the trailer after i got it home. passenger side appears undamaged except the front bumper the truck handled the towing quite well, the 3.08 gears caused it to lag a lot in the acceleration dept. though! she needs a bath! i ran into some nasty weather headed there and back... triple digit temps, rain, wind, dust, yuck! and luckily the only mark on her was from the airbag that probably saved her life! she could be a vegetable had the airbag not cushioned the blow to her head when it rolled onto the side at 70 mph!

this is why we get our CHL here

white vinegar and water or Fabuloso

Wow! i kid you not i saw a Syclone in my neighborhood last Sunday, and thought nothing of it until my buddy freaked out and started talking about it.

whoa whoa whoa Ms. Lippey! whats this Beta Tire Shine Reporting all about???

why do they even install that?

roof i get to every other time door jambs when they get real dirty truck bed hardly ever but thats what the bed cover is for engine compartment about every 6 months

but we need that special soap for the gloss enhancing nano technology self wax restoring specific for purple metallic candy paint!

this is the best i've found, with 2 pro drivers.

mine wobbles a little but the wheels stay snapped in. which is the new bucket? the one with clear wheels or the one with red? mine are about a year, year and a half old and i have the red wheels.