I take your point, but there's being into something and then taking it too far. I mean....if you're going to take the example of tuning a car yourself, it'd be like doing that and never using it. What's the point? Also....waxing a car is not exactly the most social thing is it?! I mean, I spent the best part of a year making a single seater, but I didn't spend a month applying 51 coats of wax to it just so I could beat the 50 demonstrated by the company. I'd like to say he had a life outside cleaning the car, but how can he when he said it took him the best part of 6 hours a day for an entire month to apply coats of wax to his car? Now OK, say he does use his car every day, that means he must clean it practically every day too. I don't know about you, but I'd find it pretty unacceptable if, after tuning a car, I had to re-jet it every day and that tweaking took an hour. Also making comments like, I decided to completely re-engineer the carb because I didn't like the fact the high jet turned counterclockwise to the low jet which had been really annoying me would be a little odd don't you think?! It's no different to him changing the colour of his wheels because he 'didn't like the way the light fell on them'.

At the end of the day, everyone has a hobby and some people will undoubtedly find that hobby boring as hell. There is a difference though between having a hobby and being absolutely obsessed with it to the exclusivity of everything else in life. If you had a kid who spent 11 hours of the waking day playing on his PS3, I'm sure you'd get a bit worried about it!

It really doesn't bother me that he does spend his entire life polishing his car. If you're going to post it on the internet though, then he has to expect people to comment. It'd be like posting a picture of yourself with your todger up your cars exhaust pipe and expecting everyone to congratulate you on being so normal!

It's all well and good doing that and I'm sure it makes him all warm and fluffly inside but I used to have a white car and it lasted about 1/2 hour after I cleaned it before it looked dirty. Mind you there were a lot of seagulls in Cardiff...

Oh well, each to their own.

Does he need to wear welders goggles to go near the car on a sunny day?

But what is taking it too far? To the man who never washes his car, his neighbour doing it once every 6 months may be off his head, especially if he dares to shove some turtlewax on it. That man then looks down on the next man who washes his car every couple of months and uses autoglym....this then goes on and on until you have someone who will actively go out of their way to ensure that their car is perfect because they enjoy not only the process but the ultimate result rather than the next man who only does it to get away from the ball and chain or because they feel that they ought to do it because it keeps it looking cared for. Each to their own. I think that very few people on web forums are in a position where they can comment on what sort of life another may lead.

Hey if it makes him happy, good for him. You post something on the internet people will comment, that is kind of what the internet is all about. I probably have some foibles (god knows how you spell it) that other people would object to or take the pish about but quite frankly my dear I don't give a monkies.

Ok Ok.. so your saying that washing your car with bottled mineral water is not sad? What possible noticeable and sane reason could there be for washing it with evian? When any possible difference between it and water from a hose will be removed by the hours of rubbing his balls on the bonnet and the days of polishing and waxing?

I think that very few people on web forums are in a position where they can comment on what sort of life another may lead.

Which is exactly what you have done in your first post.

If you post it on the internet, people will comment. Simple as that.

If you don't want people to comment, don't post it.

Actually thinking about it, using mineral water is probably not a good idea. Most mineral waters come from areas where the groundwater used is from limestone or chalk or similar and this is generally hard water. The mineral content tends to be quite high, to the point where it is not recommended for babies to be given it - the calcium content can make them ill.

The water can be harder than the tap water in your area.

So mixing this water with a variety of chemicals could lead to mineral deposition occurring, I could understand using deionised or distilled water.

Now does this make me sad?

It's just a thread that makes me feel a whole lot better

Yes, there are people out there, somewhere, who are worse than me

'Power to the people', 'it would be boring if we were all the same', 'opinions are like arseholes' etc etc etc

I preferred his last Astra anyway! :P

Steve

Actually thinking about it, using mineral water is probably not a good idea. Most mineral waters come from areas where the groundwater used is from limestone or chalk or similar and this is generally hard water. The mineral content tends to be quite high, to the point where it is not recommended for babies to be given it - the calcium content can make them ill.

The water can be harder than the tap water in your area.

So mixing this water with a variety of chemicals could lead to mineral deposition occurring, I could understand using deionised or distilled water.

Now does this make me sad?

:iagree: de-ionised would be much better....

Steve

:iagree: de-ionised would be much better....

Steve

Smart a$$

Actually thinking about it, using mineral water is probably not a good idea. Most mineral waters come from areas where the groundwater used is from limestone or chalk or similar and this is generally hard water. The mineral content tends to be quite high, to the point where it is not recommended for babies to be given it - the calcium content can make them ill.

The water can be harder than the tap water in your area.

So mixing this water with a variety of chemicals could lead to mineral deposition occurring, I could understand using deionised or distilled water.

Now does this make me sad?

I don't reckon it was mineral water, reading the post- it was RO Water that doesn't leave spots, in a mineral water container- I'd wondered myself and went back for another read. Apparently some carwashes use this for a final rinse, so you could see the point there-less leathering off. I still con't be cleaning the letters out on my brake calipers any time soon

I've just spent longer reading that post than I do cleaning my car.

I don't reckon it was mineral water, reading the post- it was RO Water that doesn't leave spots, in a mineral water container- I'd wondered myself and went back for another read. Apparently some carwashes use this for a final rinse, so you could see the point there-less leathering off. I still con't be cleaning the letters out on my brake calipers any time soon

But then after carefully applying a bazzillion coats of wax, he goes and shoots his car with a pressure washer??? Surely that can't be good for the wax? Somebody call the Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to wax, which I'm sure this guy is president of.

The quantity of photos that included himself, rather than the car did worry me as well. I know, there's a lot to worry about in that thread. But also occured to me - there was a third person there, for the entire time, just taking photos! :confused: :eek:

Then there's photos, of them taking photos, of (alleged) paint defects

Steve

The quantity of photos that included himself, rather than the car did worry me as well. I know, there's a lot to worry about in that thread. But also occured to me - there was a third person there, for the entire time, just taking photos! :confused: :eek:

Then there's photos, of them taking photos, of (alleged) paint defects

Steve

I know!!! I was thinking the exact same thing! Who is the mystery photographer? and what lens was he using? What camera body does he prefer? What was the favoured aperture and ISO setting for inside the garage? and how about outside the garage? Did he experience any chromatic aberation with the white paint?.......

Perish the thought.

:ignore:

Well I can exclusively reveal that some photos were taken on a Nokia N95 at 6mm and others on an EOS 5D with a 28mm focal length. Both seem to use ISO100 too...

Who went off looking at EXIF data from the JPEGs?! Saddo.

I seriously think that guy has mental problems. I love a clean car but that is really obsessive! And at the end of the day a car is for driving. Which makes it dirty.

My mates called me sad when I spent 4 hours cleaning my car. And I have to admit it wasn't as clean as I wanted it to be for that much effort!!

But there's only so much time I'm willing to spend cleaning and polishing.

Though you have to give him credit for a fantastically well done piece of work - turning his car into a unique piece of, well, art I guess.

That engine bay is a lovely job, but the time and money that went into it was huge.

On the other hand....

Perhaps he drives his car a lot, so it gets dirty, so he has to clean it again?

How accurate do you think your statement is Harry, truly?

I was tempted to ask him how many miles his old VXR had done when he sold it...

Steve

but can anyone say if that car went past you with the cleaning its had or if it went past after going to the local drive through hand wash youd notice? cant say i could

I could tell. Depth of shine and gloss on the paintwork for a start. Whether it's that noticeable enough alongside a normally detailed car, I'm not so sure. I take your point about the untrained eye though, or the average Joe in the street....

Trouble is, everyone's opinion will be different here, which is one of the things that's come out of this thread. How long would you spend cleaning your car? And what would each person consider a normal for detailing a car? A lot of variables there.....

Steve

I would love to spend time like this on my car

He's welcome to detail my motor if he gets a thrill from it.