- 8,480
- P_Balance
Are you doing it in the shade while your car is cool to the touch?
Ask GTP About Your Car Problems/General Questions
- Thread starter nd 4 holden spd
- 1,479 comments
- 85,076 views
Keef
Premium
- 25,185
- Dayton, OH
- GTP_KeefRacer
- GTP Keef
Polishes, waxes, and stuff like that need to be applied in shade and while your paint is cool. Unlike a wax you actually need to work a polish, with an orbital buffer or by hand. Moglet would be able to give you good tips on how to polish by hand.
- 8,480
- P_Balance
Well give it a try!
- 7,666
I remember doing that with the Volvo but that just made a bigger mess of everything.
Although... I think it's pretty safe to assume that my problem could be the quick detailer I used as lube for the claying I did earlier...
Oh well. I'll probably just finish the car up in a glaze (M07 makes the GTI look beautiful btw) and try it again another day.
Although... I think it's pretty safe to assume that my problem could be the quick detailer I used as lube for the claying I did earlier...
Oh well. I'll probably just finish the car up in a glaze (M07 makes the GTI look beautiful btw) and try it again another day.
///M-Spec
Staff Emeritus
- 4,928
What exactly are you using to apply the compound? A towel? An applicator pad? You hands? And what are you using to remove the compound once you are done working? You could have contaminates in a dirty towel. I strongly recommend a pack of microfiber buffing cloths.
Here's a rule of thumb to remember when trying to buff out scratches and swirls: if you can catch your fingertips in a scratch, it is too deep to remove with most compounds and manual work --you will need wet sanding or an orbital buffer.
Also keep in mind that it is normal for most compounds to leave your finish looking hazy and dull. It is the polishing process that restores the clarity and reflectivity.
Deep swirls can be hard to remove by hand, especially with darker colors. Most of the time you are simply hiding them by rounding off the edges or filling them in. I've never had any luck eliminating swirls with hand polishing --it was only when I bought a DA polisher that I really started to make my cars look 'showroom' good.
For your GTI, try Klasse All In One. It works very well with VAG paint (I believe it is Glasurit) and I've had nothing but good results with it. It can be applied by hand or machine.
Although... I think it's pretty safe to assume that my problem could be the quick detailer I used as lube for the claying I did earlier...
It is perfectly fine to use 'quick detailer' as clay lubricant for many clays. Meguaris, Mother's, 3M... they will all work with it.
M
- 7,666
I was using just a terry cloth. I just put a drop or so on there and then worked it into a ~1 sq. ft. area for a while. And then I just ran a microfiber towel over the car to remove it. But it would all bunch up (like it was drying on the paint or something). Could this have been the result of me using the quick detailer before (essentially waxing the car before I polished it)?
The thing that surprised me was that the UC did nothing. When I did the Volvo (same technique), the paint was left a bit darker and a good amount of swirls were removed. But that car was in terrible shape to begin with. But nothing came out of the GTI unless I went over it with three or more applications with a lot of effort in a concentrated area. And then I went over the whole car with a professional glaze (M07, presumably designed for use with a DA polisher). What surprised me was that the glaze had no trouble removing a lot of swirls, yet this compound stuff didn't get anything.
It is good to know that I really shouldn't be expecting any results from hand polishing. Maybe I'll have to go invest in a polisher or something to get the car back to looking brand new.
The thing that surprised me was that the UC did nothing. When I did the Volvo (same technique), the paint was left a bit darker and a good amount of swirls were removed. But that car was in terrible shape to begin with. But nothing came out of the GTI unless I went over it with three or more applications with a lot of effort in a concentrated area. And then I went over the whole car with a professional glaze (M07, presumably designed for use with a DA polisher). What surprised me was that the glaze had no trouble removing a lot of swirls, yet this compound stuff didn't get anything.
It is good to know that I really shouldn't be expecting any results from hand polishing. Maybe I'll have to go invest in a polisher or something to get the car back to looking brand new.
ND4SPD
Premium
- 8,479
- Guelph ON
- JeffZ28
- Jeff C6R
Anyone want to explain this to me? I recently put two cherry bomb glasspacks in place of the mufflers on the Interceptor. I've noticed they act differently depending on the temperature outside. Today it was a very hot day about 29 degrees and I drove all morning in the heat. From the moment I started the car till I parked the car the cherry bombs were very loud, infact it was hard to hold a conversation in the car. I just went for a little 1 hour drive and the temperature outside has cooled down to about 13 degrees and I've noticed the cherry bombs have actually quieted down. Still loud, but about half as loud as they were earlier this morning. So I'm wondering if there is a logical explanation as to why it does this? If it's very hot outside the cherry bombs are very loud, but if it gets down to around 13 degrees or so they quiet down. Today isn't the only time I've noticed this. It's done this multiple times now and it always seems to quiet down when cools down a little bit outside.
- 7,666
- 12,903
- Cambridge
- Moglet85
- Moglet
The best answer I got so far covered a few areas;
My advice would be to wash and clay the car, then give it a full Isopropyl Alcohol (99.7% or above) wipe down to ensure a completely clean surface and have another go. The glaze will have been removed by the claying so you should be able to see if the swirls are genuinely being effected by the Megs. If it still doesn't do much, just use the glaze again.
My advice would be to wash and clay the car, then give it a full Isopropyl Alcohol (99.7% or above) wipe down to ensure a completely clean surface and have another go. The glaze will have been removed by the claying so you should be able to see if the swirls are genuinely being effected by the Megs. If it still doesn't do much, just use the glaze again.
- 9,473
- QLD, Down Under
- GTP_Paulie
- Paulie LDP
Does anyone know what kind of on-going costs would be involved with engine swaps? Say I wanted to put the formidable Alloytec V6 in to my lightweight VR, is this something that would send insurance costs through the roof? I know the job itself would be quite expensive, once you get the engine, gearbox, new tailshaft, custom cross-members and engine mounts etc. By the time I could afford the job itself, I could no doubt just as cheaply get a VE SV6, but that'd be far heavier, and then I'd have to pay for 2 cars, and I wouldn't have anything very unique. For the price of a 2nd car I am guessing I could do the engine swap, have a unique and fast car, keep my first car (not that I think I'd ever sell my Ute anyway, too attached) with more power and efficiency than the original engine could hope for (not that the Buick 3.8L is a bad engine). I'm just mulling over the idea, and any help with the sharing of knowledge with engine swaps would be good.
The only thing that could change my mind is if I find I can afford a 2nd car, or if Holden came out with a smaller mid-size RWD V6 sports car, in which case I'd MAKE room for a 2nd car.
While I'm here, how many others have got a car they just don't think they could ever sell?
The only thing that could change my mind is if I find I can afford a 2nd car, or if Holden came out with a smaller mid-size RWD V6 sports car, in which case I'd MAKE room for a 2nd car.While I'm here, how many others have got a car they just don't think they could ever sell?
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
Here in America, your insurance is based on the cars VIN number. I could have a 1990 chevy cavalier with a LS9, roll cage, nitrous and EVO 9 AWD hardware, and still pay the same insurance as a base, 4 cylinder cavalier. Unless I wanted to insure all those mods too.
I have a question. Recently, I've started just pulling the car out of gear instead of clutching -> pulling out of gear. The shifter just comes right out of gear, no grinding or anything. Is this detrimental to the tranny?
I have a question. Recently, I've started just pulling the car out of gear instead of clutching -> pulling out of gear. The shifter just comes right out of gear, no grinding or anything. Is this detrimental to the tranny?
- 24,344
- Midlantic Area
- GTP_Duke
Correct. And if you total it, they're going to give you the $200 a 1990 Cavalier is worth. If you dump a lot of money into a built car, you'll need to get it appraised and come to an agreementwith your insurer on the value of the car before you write the policy.
Probably not terribly bad, but why would you risk it?
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
Just thinking about saving clutch. (Yes, I'm aware that engaging the clutch and disengaging don't really wear it, it's the slipping that does.) About a month ago I was in D.C. and stuck in a traffic jam. My mom was doing it and said there was nothing wrong. So that's just led to a bit up pent up curiosity.
Which leads to a second question: Does gliding with a clutch on, clutch pedal all the way to the floor lead to any excess wear of any parts related to it? I do that out of habit, not wanting to pump my leg a bunch.
- 24,344
- Midlantic Area
- GTP_Duke
That contributes extra wear to the throwout bearing, which is what the shaft rides on when you force the pressure plates apart with the pedal.
Some cars have massively overdesigned throwout bearings that never wear out. Some cars have weaker ones that get noisy and fail. Again, there's not a huge amount wrong with it and i would hardly call it abuse, but I wouldn't do it without a good reason to, either.
Some cars have massively overdesigned throwout bearings that never wear out. Some cars have weaker ones that get noisy and fail. Again, there's not a huge amount wrong with it and i would hardly call it abuse, but I wouldn't do it without a good reason to, either.
- 3,008
- You're crazy if you think
- I can afford either of these.
Ok, thanks for that. The car in question is a 2006 Ford Escape 2.3 5 speed
- 27,222
- United Kingdom
Not me
Though I do think that part of me will miss the Fiesta when I sell it. I've had it for over six years and it's been excellent. There are still very few cars I've driven where the control weighting feels so right for the car and so intuitive. If I had enough money I'd honestly keep it and buy something else as well rather than having to sell it. A few years back I was very tempted to turn it into a basic rally car using bits that Ford sold for the KA series. Lightweight alloys, basic engine bits taking it from 60 to 90bhp, stripped-out interior... yes please!I do that very occasionally in my car but not intentionally. The transmission feels so light that it pops out of gear without the clutch with very little effort and makes absolutely no odd noises, so I suspect it's completely safe.
I have a question for GTP - is it worth repairing these before I sell my car or should I not bother?
Driver's side sill
Passenger side rear panel behind the door
Bottom edge of the rear hatch (that I opened my garage door onto, d'oh)
50p piece used for reference (to non-UK members, a 50p is about 27mm across, or around an inch). The rust certainly isn't structural, just cosmetic. I suspect it would just need grinding back a bit, treating, sanding and re-spraying in State Blue Metallic to match the rest of the car (honestly, my car is metallic, it's just very, very dirty so you can't see it!).
The car will probably only fetch about £800 now but perhaps it'll be easier to sell if it looks a bit tidier. Obviously it'll get a thorough clean before it goes up for sale too...
- 1,035
I'd price up how much it would cost to get fixed. Most people, especially when shopping for cheaper cars, are looking for every single fault they can find to try and get the seller to drop their price, and inch long pieces of rust would certainly catch my interest. If you know someone who does paint and bodywork it would cost bugger all to fix.
Joey D
Premium
- 47,573
- Lakes of the North, MI
- GTP_Joey
- GTP Joey
This is going to sound like a rather dumb question, but I really do not know the answer. I got new rims and tires for my car and I check the air pressure occasionally. I was wondering if by putting larger rims and wider tires on my car gives me a different air pressure spec over the stock wheels and tires. I think it's 35psi on the Cooper normally and tonight the tires were running 28psi. Probably something to do with it being 80 earlier and in the mid 50's right now.
- 27,222
- United Kingdom
Cheers 👍 I'll look into it then. May even repair it myself seeing as they're only fairly small spots and not structural.
- 7,666
So the GTI is going to the dealer next week for it's 60k checkup, but I figured I'd ask around here on a couple things the car is developing. Whenever I start the car up, there is a squeak that happens at the same time the motor turns over every time until it starts firing. Starter related?
I'm also getting a nasty smell from the air conditioner. I thought it was just from not being run very often when I'm at college, but it was doing it today. Could that be from the cabin filter? Would the VW dealer be able to check that out? And it's also leaking a fair amount of water. I figure this is from the AC, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it's not coming from the radiator. Is this something I should be worried about?
I'm also getting a nasty smell from the air conditioner. I thought it was just from not being run very often when I'm at college, but it was doing it today. Could that be from the cabin filter? Would the VW dealer be able to check that out? And it's also leaking a fair amount of water. I figure this is from the AC, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it's not coming from the radiator. Is this something I should be worried about?
- 1,151
- AmuseR1
Hey guys, I just recently bought my first car, and I love it to death, Today I had to run some errands and it was a total downpour, ran through a few bumper-deep puddles, but the car ran fine! The only thing that bothered me, is that for awhile, my car's ABS light was on, even w/o breaking? And I felt a splutter from the break pedal, not so much breaking at high speeds, but when im close to a stop. It was a quite loud splutter and felt it easily, my Mother which I was running her around, asked what I was doing, I was in awe at the fact that I had no clue what was going on. Any advice? My father said it may be a sensor, which is Expensive, and I don't have that kind of money.
When we got home, the ABS light was off and the breaks returned to normal, Im guessing due to the fact that the breakes/car dried after the rain stoped, Im still kinda worried?
When we got home, the ABS light was off and the breaks returned to normal, Im guessing due to the fact that the breakes/car dried after the rain stoped, Im still kinda worried?
They're the FWD equivalent of MX-5, in terms of power and weight..
- 2,266
- GTP_Thatman/Thatmanthere
- A Man Hamster
What's usually on the sidewalls is the maximum safe pressure. Not that you'd want to drive around on 50 psi or so..
Talk about it....the tards at walmart had my Buick's front right OVER 45 psi after they fixed it! And for about 2 weeks I was wondering..."gee my ride seems a bit more rough..."
@Picc84
Perhaps something just got wet and your car didnt like it? And maybe just check your brakes visually where the lines go and see if there is any leakage in the system...
Anyways, lately my left blinker side has got SUPER fast. the right blinker is normal, I thought a light may have been out but I took some pics to see if any of yall had any ideas on where or not to change a few? Or somehow see a light that out that I didnt. There was however indeed a light out when this problem first came up and that was my LEFT licenses plate light, but I promptly replaced that and its still fast
any Ideas?
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