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here! I use a soft mitt with plenty of water.
Its a pain to keep nice tho. As is any dark color.
My last 4 trucks have been black. My Caddy is
white (ball and chains choice..LOL). That one
I run thru the automatic. White shows nothing!
You can avoid it by using clean 100% cotten terry cloth towels or appropiate safe synthetic equivelent when washing or drying. Lambs wool mitts work very well when washing too, which is what I use. And make sure you make lots of trips back to the bucket. If your car is really dirty, you may want to wash part of it, empty out the bucket, refill, and continue.
But you also need a good protective wax to protect the clearcoat finish. I use Meguire's although everyone has their favorite. Once you've done this step, you are less likely to have problems with these kinds of scratches.
I am a Mother's man. I started using the 3 step process on my freshly repaintd Camaro in '93.
A shine so deep and glossy you have to wear sun glasses to look at it.
Also after years of doing it by hand I bought a buffer. Lots faster and no swirl marks. but the wax gets in every nook and cranny.
If I hand wash my car which is even rarer than actually car washes I use whatever car soap that is cheap and on sale at Pep Boys or the supermarket. I only use one bucket and don't care how dirty the water gets. It will add more fine scratches and luster to the finish. Sponges are also great because you can see the swirls developing and control thier direction as you go. To rinse I use fresh water most of the time but as minimal as I can get.
For drying the car(I sometimes don't because then I can always say that I just got caught in a shower and that's what the spots are from) I use old fabric remnants. I just let the cloth fibers get lost in the wind. Never use a chamois cloth because I wouldn't use a dead animal part and synthetic ones are just that... synthetic dead animal parts?
For a wax finish which I do try to do at least once a year, again wax is wax, so whatever is cheap and on sale. It lets the neighbors see that I do wax my car and they're never close enough to see the wax bottle anyway. Sometimes the soapy film left on from a car wash or when I don't rinse good enough, adds some drama and mystery to the finish and gets people to get closer to see what is on the car surface.
I just don't understand what all the fuss is concerning a black color on a CTS anyway!
I have a friend who believes the layer of dirt that he's built up on his car by not washing it is a protective layer. And he's only half joking.
On my '87 IROC the wheels are painted argent silver with a clearcoat over them.
Of course the front wheels get a lot of brake dust, while the back wheels get almost none.
Guess which wheels are not faded out and dull looking?
The front ones! I guess the brake dust protected the wheels from sun damage.
(IROC's have different front and rear offsets so the wheels are not rotated with the tires.)
Would like to see if the scratches show up. LOL.
Not only is it near-impossible to keep them looking clean - because the car gets hotter, and retains more heat, the interior, all the trim, etc. all ages faster if you park outdoors in the sun at all.
I have one black car and one white. While the black car shows dirt and dust more easily, it has a deep shine that's beyond compare, when it's clean and freshly waxed.
As for waxing, I use the same Meguire's wax process as sevenfeet0. This year I'm going to try something new, Mother's California Gold Claybar process. It has a claybar that is used to remove paint contaminants before a coat wax is applied. It's going to be labor intensive so it may be a one time trial.
Rich
Great stuff, much better than Zymol.
I think dark colors repel heat and light colors reflect light which in turn causes more heat, but don't quote me on that one, because I've been wrong before, and know people that will testify to that fact.
In this part of the country, it rarely rains (maybe once or twice a year) so it's easy to keep a car clean using a California car mop every morning. I also get the car washed one or two times a week at a hand car wash (we have several here) for only fifteen dollars a pop. Image is everything when your car is your office.
thebug...
thebug...
They threw in the window tint ($270) for free, and gave me $1,920 off the sticker without haggling. I paid all the taxes up front (it's required because I registered in my home state Ohio instead of Nevada), and financed $34,600 @ 3.9%/5yrs.
Overall, I think I got a pretty good deal. Only took 45 days from order to pick up. They promised that I would have it on my birthday, and they delivered. They also gave me two very well constructed Cadillac lawn chairs.
I looked at many other cars (ie; BMW'5s, MB's, Lexis 300s and the G35) before I made my decision. The toss up was between the G35 and the CTS. The looks (inside & out), price per pound, color choices, computer gadgets, standard features, and overall comfort and feel while driving won the CTS over. The service and attention that I received at the Cadillac dealership (as opposed to the others) was also a contributing factor.
I've had my CTS for 4 months (5600 miles), and I love this car. If you decide to purchase one, you won't be disapponited. The CTS rocks!!!
thebug...
In my situation, I actually got the auto tranny and wheels free. So it's worth trying to cut a deal with the salesperson. People I have talked to are getting really deals on new auto purchases. This includes cost of loan and auto.
thebug...
thebug...
cjs2002: I guess that's the way to give options one could do without, or those that are not so popular a free ride. Always a catch. Good luck on your purchase.
thebug...
Most here have had few if any probs.
thebug...
I bought the CTS just after Mother's day last year, so she's about 10 months old. Just like sevenfeet0, we think the CTS is a blast to drive.
We're beginning to see CTS's everywhere. Last Saturday it was at the local Chinese restaurant and Sunday at a grocery store (both White Sport Lux's). In between, we've seen several on the road. The most prevalent colors are black and white, with an occasional silver or gold. I wave, and my wife tells me that the people in the other CTS are going to think that I'm crazy. I guess she's right.
Rich
Do your keys have a lot of weight on them? ie, al lot of keys or heavy key fobs?
This can sometimes cause ignition poroblems.
Well, the G35 did in fact get more horses, but if you look at the remarks in the suggested improvements, from most respondents, the increase in hp opened a new can of worms. I guess the auto manufactures just can't win. People are just "sooo" hard to please. In other words, if "A" happens, then "B" is bound to happen.
In my view (per their own complaints), those who purchased the G35 probably should have looked at, or test driven the CTS. I couldn't help but notice that most of their chief complaints (of missing features), are standard items on the CTS for a similar price.
Cadillac produced an excellent blend and balance of power (not too much, nor too little, just so), comfort, convenience, handling and styling with the CTS. If you would take the time to compare and contrast the competeing vehicles (per the owners view), our (CTS owners) peeves are petty in comparison. Cadillac seems to have covered most all the bases. And in that, you will find that the CTS is the better choice.
But I think we all know that. Hindsight "is" an exact science, ya know.
Happy motoring ~(8o)
thebug...
I also think GM cut a few corners on material quality to get there, but then Nissan definitely did so on the G35, and the G35's interior design and layout leaves quite a bit to be desired.
I'll never think the CTS shape is attractive - it's tolerable in light colors, but that's as far as I'll take it. I'm just hanging around to see if the CTS-V's performance overcomes my distaste for the shape. The G35 is decent-looking, nothing special (the IS300 is a much better shape than either the G35 or CTS.) The G35 coupe is flat gorgeous - I'd love to see a G35 sedan with the fatter coupe fenders.
By the way, pedal parking brakes in manual-transmission cars suck donkey parts. You either need a manual handle (preferred, as you can then use it to bring your speed down without activating brake lights as some cop merges onto the freeway) or electric/ electrohydraulic toggle switch e.g. 2003 Jag S-Type. Regardless, it's got to be hand-controlled. Otherwise, you WILL someday find yourself nosed up to a traffic light with a full load of passengers, on some hill steep enough that there are steps cut into the sidewalk, and some delivery van will stop a foot off your rear bumper...
My insurance company is GMAC Insurance(GM employee). I expect that other insurance companies experience is similar.
Interested in knowing if I'm alone in this.
In the case of CTS looks, each to his own, but it's pretty obvious by now that many do like the looks and style of the CTS.
It may not be long before other auto manufactures adopt this cutting edege style to get away from the routine and bland jelly bean look.
In regards to cutting corners, I think this has become the norm, rather than the exception with the auto industry, because it's all about money.
Manufctures of any merchandise seem to refer to it "as keeping the cost down", (but mostly for them). And as I said in a post way back when, if you keep looking at the CTS, it will grow on you. So be careful, wouldn't want you to buy a car you didn't like, LOL.
And I believe everyone agrees, the foot operated parking brake really sucks. What were they thinking?
thebug...
thebug...
Join us tonight, 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for another
round of automotive trivia and member-to-member chat.
Test your skills (or multiple choice guessing ability)
against other Town Hall members.
http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html
Hope to see you there!