SLOWpoke

Buddy I agree and see what you're trying to say. Let me prefice this by saying I've been called an "idealist" more times than I care to count, however, at the end of the day...in today's time and age, everything is about the almighty dollar including the advertising for a GLOBAL event involving ALL people. Its a product of our lifetime and our global society. I'm gonna state my opinion about something I truly believe and it's not gonna sit right with most people but I honestly feel the worst invention we as people have ever come up with is the concept of money...it holds zero value. It's only worth what we say it's worth, if I wrote $1 billion dollars on a sheet of paper and got enough people to believe and back up my claim, is that sheet of paper then worth $1 billion dollars?? No I'm sorry it's not. We fight, we go to war, we commit crimes, we hustle one another, we abandon what our own country was founded on, we sell out selfs our for that almighty dollar that we give a false sense of power to. Until as a group of people denounce that false worth we will continue to sell advertising slots and export jobs and businesses elsewhere in the name of more dollars saved and earned....my grandfather worked his *** off for US Steel here in birmingham AL he MADE things BUILT things, the plant was shut down in favor of a more cost effective workforce and method. 2 generations later my world and country no longer makes anything built here in the USA. The American dream? Dude you're looking at it everyday! We as a people would rather buy and pay for others to shove their message in our face than to make out own statement with our actions. Im not quite sure if my jumbled up thoughts and beliefs are being conveyed correctly but I'll just say this: it deeply saddens me that we've fallen so far and I think we can do and owe each other and our founders better than what we all have become. But then again I may alone in these thoughts...

I actually think its quite fitting...in an odd, wasn't meant to be sort of way..we've developed as a society into "consumers"...what more fitting than an Olympic Uniform made by workers in another country?! FREAKIN' IRONY!!! I both LOVE and HATE it...but that leads down a road of politics and beliefs which is no such topic for a forum

Gotta say...never been a "bimmer" fan...for several reasons I won't get into...as I'm certain I'd offend someone here...this all coming from a through and through Lexus guy yea you know the ones that actually know what a luxury car should be LOL!! its all good just giving the BMW lovers a hard time Great looking cars though

I see and understand both sides in why there's an increase on some product and why there's a decrease in the 36oz as well as some Adams users...I don't want to say concerns but maybe, hesitations and acceptance of the price changes. I TOTALLY understand the reasons for both points of view, combined with the economy right now it's just hard on everyone..both business owner and consumer! We ALL have to make due for right now and keep "fighting the good fight" in terms of business, budget, the way we live our lives and how we take care of one another. ..but..... meanwhile in the SLOWpoke/Davis Detailing world...there's gonna be a paint correction with at least a 2 stage polish involved, for free...not a girlfriends, not a family or close friends car, plus I'm giving him a brand new Adams wash pad and 16oz car shampoo I have several reasons for doing this. I know he's been trying to take care of his ride the proper way and is going to follow my instructions to maintain his paint after corrected. He needs some quality products (Adams) and that's why I'm trying to introduce the brand to him, plus we have a semi local dealer Len (InDepthAutoDetailing) so I'm trying to get him some more addicts..I mean customers lol!! But lastly..for God's sake it doesn't hurt for any of us to just go out of our way for people sometimes. I was told if you want to make a difference in how people act then to lead by example, well maybe this is my small insignificant way of doing so..I dunno but I'm gonna have fun I DO know that!!

Brass and copper are the true unsung heros in the metal world for me! Amazing color and texture even when weathered...I love that look SO much in fact I incorporated it into my motorcycle..so much so, that every bolt has been ha d painted a copper metal flake!! LOVE the color, LOVE the process and man whenever ya want me to come to PA I'll do it for free so long as it isn't cold to my AL standards lol!!! EDIT: A friend and I had been arguing last night about what video games were better the old ones when we were kids or the newer ones today, so I was in that mindset of old vs new. Anyways edited the post because old school bikes or cars vs new has nothing to do with this thread. He just had me wound up from before! Lol!!

The "details" my friend!! Haha!! I think my thoughts in that was "don't dirty up the flip flops!" that's whats really funny/sad lmao!!

Lol!!! Hey it's either flip flops or barefoot for me!! It got too "messy" with the debris coming off to polish them on my deck so I moved outside the garage (with the door DOWN, as to not fling any yuk on the IS) ...apartment okay to trash...garage NOT okay to trash the mindset of a car guy! Haha

Okay so my good buddy and Adams vendor Len (InDepthAutoDetailing) told me I should enter these into this little competition..so here it is with a slight bit of background. Hope everyone likes I was over at my moms house a few weeks ago and she has these "copper toppers" I honestly DO NOT know what to call them lol!! Anyways she has these copper tins that mount on the top of her decks 6x6s as decoration...She's had them for about 2 years collecting the elements and tarnishing, to the point where she told me she was going to go buy new ones to the beat of $180!! Now personally I like the way copper looks when its tarnished and weathered but she wants SHINY and I know there's no arguing with a woman much less my mother. So I told her give me a week and let me see what I can do before you go spending that kind of money on new ones, here are the results! A good before and after, all 7 looked like the one on the left After some wet sanding with 2500, in progress It was starting to get dark but the flash shows the improvement...after wetsanding I hit them with PC on a setting of 5 with Adams Swirl and Haze Remover and an OLD OLD "Junk" pad..please forgive my non-Adams MF I didn't want my good ones coming anywhere near these things! After that I hit them all with some Adams QS to help protect them! And once inside you can see the "bling bling" ...they're not 'Brand new out of the box perfect' but considering the condition they were in I was satisfied with the results and my mom was MORE than happy with them! Which is all I really care about..making people happy with the finished result!! Thanks everyone for looking and I hope you enjoyed one of my "mini" side projects

WOW that was in 2001... It's funny cause I have always had an endless list of dream cars as far back as I can remember. But I think when I was 16 I was really turned on to some of these at the time..and a few years later when I was 18 I actually got one!! Still love her today But the real "Dream Car" at the time was a early 60's Caddy! GIMME SOME FINS BABY!!!

Again no worries man!! Hell Len and you did all the hard work!! Yet another reason why a man should never wear cargo shorts...the other being that when on he turns into a walking purse for his lady lol!!! Everyone both Lens and Chases cars just absolutely put my 11yr old paint to shame! Some hard hard work has gone into getting both those rides top notch..pics simply don't do them justice! 2 GREAT looking Mopars

I mounted mine above the TV using a wall mount meant for DVD players, cable boxes that sort of thing...its rated at being able to hold 33lbs far exceeding the 16lbs weight of the CS10 its worked out great!! ...and the mount was only like $40 at hhgregg. Maybe something like that could work for you?? Idk..but here's a few pics hopefully they can get your creative but proper placement juices going Also ignore that stupid cable line to the left...tried hiding it..I just need to go get a longer one but...LAZY!!! LOL!

Ya gotta look at what your avg customer would want to spend..every car isn't going to be "the works" or even a full correction if you can estimate that avg $ vs car and how long that will take you to do, you then should be able to calculate how many vehicles in a week or a month you need to be doing in order to pay for materials, rent, your own bills as well as paying your partner. As far as getting your name out there....NOTHING is better than word of mouth man! Treat your customer like a friend or a guest at your house and treat their car like its your own, it'll get you far. I don't let a car I detail leave my garage until I would drive it...and I'm VERY picky

I love it man! It was the best sounding for my price range I'll say that..yea there were and are better but they were more expensive as well..and I wasn't looking for "loud" I was looking for CLARITY, that's what a center channel is supposed to do..."Loud" and "power" come from your mains..I also don't notice an off balance, distortion, or delays from the CS10 paired with my klipsch speakers. Those are with TSIs in the rear and a polk sub as well (forgot the model) all powered with a Yamaha 500watt receiver. Love the whole set-up..get a lot of compliments on it. Like I said ya can't go wrong with polk or klipsch IMO

Can't go wrong with any of those...I agree to stay away from Bose however.. My system is all Polk except for my mains..they're Klipsch I love my setup with the CS10 as the center mounted above my 51" Samsung. For the future I'd look at a wireless system for the rears, no more routing wires through the ceiling or around the entire room EDIT: You may want to shoot 3PedalMINI a PM or hopefully he can chime in..he does home audio/video for a living

NICE!!

Depends on your wallet my friend!! BOTH will do what you desire in terms of correcting your paint..as others said Flex is faster but PC is easier for a "first timer"....I own both, I go to the flex most of the time because I'm within a time limit when doing a customers car (about 8 hours) However the PC always has my detailing heart!!! Does EXACTLY what the flex does, just takes a little longer, but is COMPLETELY and TOTALLY safe for your paint there is ZERO chance you could mess something up or have "burn through" the clear coat...ZERO chance, that is unless you lay on the machine, full body weight, in one spot for an hour... $$$'s worth and ease of use I say PC!! Then again if your'e handy and a quick learner and do your research the Flex is an amazing machine and now thanks to adams new pads is capable of laying down some MSS or BG as well! And if ya got a drill you can use the 4" pads..no "real" need to use them exclusively with the PC, just make sure to keep your drill flat and continue to move it so you don't build up too much heat..it is a mini rotary after all!

Awesome!!!! And Congratulations on the house!!

RIGHT ON!!!

This happens to me a lot when I drive my Lexus, I never park it close to anyone but maybe 60% of the time I come out to another car parked beside it..sometimes I think some people are just being jerks about it to piss us off, not actually causing damage but making us worry intentionally and sometimes its just another nice car wanting to protect their ride as well...however as a few pics showed them doing so...It REALLY REALLY REALLY PISSES me off those drivers with nice cars or not crossing the lines and taking up 2 spaces...even if its far away, dude you are BEGGING someone to key it!! Park in the FRACKIN LINES!!! You are not high and mighty or special because you have a nice car nor do you deserve some kind of special treatment A-hole..park in the bloody lines, otherwise you're begging to be screwed with! What this thread is about, at its core, is common courtesy..courtesy to not smash you door into another car, courtesy not to envy what someone else has worked (or not) hard for etc..if you expect that common courtesy from others then first show it yourself!! And don't park your stupid Corvette or any other car where it takes up 2 spots even if its 200yds away from the door..quite frankly it makes you look like a self-centered loathing prick..and as I said, dude you're asking for it for being so smug as to be "better than everyone else" All that said..When I drive my Lexus I park far away, but I make sure I'm in the lines of that designated parking spot...and when I drive my beater, even though I couldn't care less for it, I take EXTRA care not to dig any other car when getting in or out of mine. Conduct yourselves how you'd want to be treated...regardless of others actions towards you, or what others do..doing that inspires change..cutting the corners (literally or figuratively) just side steps the problem at its core and you change absolutely nothing! Not trying to preach or anything...just stating what others may see and just saying if I see a car that's KNOWING taken up 2 spots away because its a nice sports car or whatever...hate saying this on here...but I hope it gets screwed with, last time I checked we're all free men created equal, and you have no more "potential" than I do..so don't lump yourself in on the road into the "special treatment" crowd end rant

OMG!!!

Like Corners said I hope in time you revisit the idea I truely do...at 33 buddy ya got a while to "play" I'm in somewhat the same boat as mentioned before...my main reason..geez I guess I'm saying this for the first time outside my own head...I have a sick and dying grandma (who's like a second mother) who I know would like to go before she sees me go, dad and mom understand the reasons I do what I do but they don't like it, a girl that I hope, wish, and pray to start a family and life with not to mention I'm a "planner"...don't know too many other 26yr olds with a life insurance policy much less a savings, money market account and a Ira, ALL for mine and my future wife's retirement and kids college fund if they so choose...all leading me to take less risks with my own life as I get older I realize it's not so much about "Me" anymore I have to take care of my family both now and in the future....I will misss my bike beyond belief but with the woman I love beside me and eventually a kid it will fill that 'excitement' void. I know I'm young but trust me I have lived and done just about everything under the sun....I'm ready for less excitement haha!!! I'm ready for normal man!! Will I revisit having a bike in the future? I'm sure of it!! In the mean time I'll preoccupy myself with a hobby that involves someone else and will teach my eventual child about cars and maybe have a father/son or daughter project going who knows? The possibilities with that and life in general are endless my friend!!! Like others have said look for something you can involve the whole family in...nothing's worth having if it isn't shared!

No worries man! I just wanted to share that with you...having a bike like I said has truely been one of the greatest experiences and joys in my life but there are risks I think about everytime I sit on it..if I think "ya know what?" then I dont ride it. I'm 26 I have no family of my own no kids...but I will someday..and while when I get rid of this last one it will be painful and I will have the urge to ride again I'm sure...I'm not too positive about those risks and rewards being worth it. One last piece of advice, actually 2...do what you love and cherish what you love and care for regardless of what others may think, if that's getting a bike or not it doesn't matter it's YOUR life and YOUR decision. And secondly I advise taking the MSF course before actually buying a motorcycle it'll get you acquainted and in touch with what to do and not to do..I got one before taking the course so had to self teach but if I were to do it over again id take a course first no shame in it, as I saw "riders of years" either learn something or couldn't perform a maneuver correctly. That's all I'm gonna say other than mines for sale

Pool rinse and a singly GWT dries my entire car(IS300)!! That's reason enough son!!! Get a 2 pack just in case, its well, well, well worth the money!! Dries better than an absorber IMO and won't jack the paint up! DO IT!!! You'll be happy you did

First off, I love bikes..always been a passion of mine, I love messing with them, riding them, and making them! I have my preferences (and bias) as all motorcycle owners do..just like car guys are divided so are we..All said and done I can appreciate ANY bike for what it is and represents. For me I bought each one for freedom and thoughts, just me and no one else. I see you're taking this seriously mentioning family, kids etc...that's great!! I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY....HIGHLY recommend the MSF safety course for both new riders and old ones..you will ALWAYS learn something new there that might just save your life one day! All of THAT said.....I'm not trying to sway you one way or another and I might get in trouble for this but frankly I don't care!! Everyone should be FULLY aware of the risks involved and the dice they roll every time they decide to go for a ride...please Adams forums be kind to me..I only wish to help another human being and a curious potential fellow rider... I don't mean to be a Debby Downer or anything, trust me I tell every single person that's thinking about or considering getting a bike this following message and quote: Motorcycles are dangerous..PERIOD! There is no seat belt, air bags, "crumple zones" ect. you are COMPLETELY exposed!! I always wear a helmet and no shatter eye wear..granted thats about it..now please let me tell you the best advice I've ever gotten..actually I read it. It was an article in The Horse magazine (Mag about real choppers, old school, barebones, hardtails), which is my personal preference, the article was written by George The Painter (GTP) in the August of 2009 issue..he said, discussing safety "Think about it man, you're strapping two wheels to a motor, throwing your leg over the top of it and basically holding on for dear life as you propel yourself headlong down the highway, completely unprotected, and invisible to any other vehicles around you. You're nothing but a bump in the road!" He goes on later to say "take a look at why you are doing this and figure out if it means enough to you to roll the dice with your life every time you let the clutch out. If there is any doubt in your mind at all...quit!! I'm serious. This is not something to be taken lightly. The minute you do you'll end up in a ditch somewhere spitting out teeth and listening to your last breath gargling its way through your crushed windpipe." And then goes on "If you're not willing to give up your life for that one ride when you step over the seat then you have NO BUSINESS whatsoever being on a motorcycle!" As I said I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other...riding has been and always will be one of the best most enjoyable experiences in my entire life!! I have been very lucky, privileged and honored to be a part of that scene for a short amount of time, restored 4 bikes 1 is my current complete one off custom..when the time comes and its coming soon it will probably be one of the hardest things to let go of because so much of ME is in it. I take great pride and great joy in that bike and it's my baby, but it's time to move on to new things. Look at whats driving you into motorcycling, weigh the risks, for me it was TOTALLY worth it, every second!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!! I just want ya to grasp how real a risk this is, remember the old saying 'its not you that you have to worry about...its everyone else!' Happy motoring

Awesome work man! Great turnaround!!