apaul

Canzoomer : Kudos and a caution

Finally received my order.. delayed about two weeks due to shipping some parts from Japan. The license plate surround and rotary accent were carefully-packed and insulated against shocks and bumps with styrofoam 'peanuts'.

A few points:

The 'chrome' license plate surround ( I purchased only the rear one) is not pre-drilled to accommodate Ontario plates. The mounting holes' alignment is 'way off' in relation to the ON plates pre-drilled openings' ...perhaps intended for Japan home market? ..I had to drill a new hole in the surround with my trusty Black and Decker to make it fit .. the plate is still slightly off-centre...likely will try again. Recommended with a caution.

The Rear Rotary Accent is a breeze to install.. even though the instruction pages were in Japanese.. illustrations were clear and complete. Highly Recommended..

The aluminum mylar front window sun shade is pricey at $46, but fantastic.. it is sturdy yet flexible, notched to fit around the mirror and bends fairly easily to sit flush against the windshield. It rolls up compactly for storage in the trunk or back seat and comes complete with a Velcro tabbed fastener.. And I thought I was getting the most overpriced cardboard sunshield on the planet. Highly Recommended

All in all, I'm pleased. Hope this may be useful
Apologies for low res photo quality.

hobbes

Thanks for the info. Haven't order my wish list, thinking of doing other things. I had to drop $200 to get the scratch fixed and painted, which looks great btw. I hoping that after SEMA, more toys will be made for the 8.
________
ULTIMATE FIGHTERS

mysql101

I've had the front window shade for about 2 months now and it's sagging into the car. I'm thinking about getting some thin long flexable plastic bits and attaching them from the bottom to the top at 6" intervals to prevent the sag.

If it were stronger vertically, I'd recommend it more.

apaul

Hi hobbes and JasonHamilton: thanks for reading and your comments. Jason, I almost ran upstairs and into the driveway after reading what you said about the vertical 'sag' and sure enough, you're right. Then I had an 'Aha' moment~tried flipping down the visors which seems to have 'locked' the top of the shade more or less securely.

Hope things are okay with you in Tampa.. I was up north in Timmins watching CNN and having spent Xmas nine years ago at Sanibel Is., was horrified to see 'Charley' making landfall close to Captiva. Such destruction and loss of life at and around Punta Gorda ( haven't been there). Love Tampa also ...Best wishes

mysql101

I've always been using the visors to keep the blind in place, but that only lasted a while before it started to sag into the car. I've only rolled the blind into a roll, never the other way, so it wasn't neglect or misuse that caused mine to sag. I think they will all eventually do it within 1-2 months.

Tampa is fine - didn't even slightly hit us.

apaul

Hi Jason: I didn't even occur to me to flip the visors down last night. I was getting so frustrated [to be PC] with the license plate alignment that I just kind of jammed in the shade and went inside for a brew..thanks for the heads up about future sagging..

hobbes I forgot to congratulate you on your repair. Did you use your dealer's shop or elsewhere? Quality and pricewise, I gather that you're pleased. Good

I think I've pretty much finished with xtra toys as the car is leased and I'm happy with it as it stands..Although if strakes ever come down in price......
Cheers

mysql101

when you think you're done getting toys for your car, you'll see something else that strikes your fancy.

a green air filter, or the interior cabin filter are both nice to get (and pretty cheap). Clear sidemarkers is one of the first things most buy.

apaul

You're right about the toys. Not sure about the clear side markers . When we had a small Toronto area get together in July I saw them. They do look great on V. Red and Titanium, but the orange stock ones seem okay on my yellow and a couple of the folks there suggested that I keep them.

I am definitely going to look into the filters. Someone had taken my car out for a test drive and was obviously smoking.. have tried all the usual fixes, including Febreeze ( not on the leather--soaked a cloth and set in on the passenger side floor mat) but it comes back after three -four days. The dealer used whatever they use on used cars..not effective. Next, I'll try a leather cleaner conditioner as the odour's likely embedded in the pores.

Thanks for the information.

hobbes

I used an aftermarket garage to get it done, thanks to Hybrid-RX8 for the referal. The guy did it all in one day, which was a surprise to me. He did a great job, no one can tell where the scratch was so it's all good. He also gave me extra paint for the paint chips, though I had been given some by my saleman when I picked up the car.

For the smoking smell. First, let me say, never, never let anyone smoke on your car, if you're not a smoker yourself. I haven't tried this myself (never had to luckily) but someone had suggested to use baking soda, yup you heard me. Put some in a bowl, cup whatever, and put it in the car. Depending on the smell, it should get it out in a day or two. Just remember not to drive with the baking soda still in the car . You might want to clean the inside of the windows, somke doesn't help with visibility.

For the fantic in you, here is a website that may help (or not) with cleaning issues and what nots for your car (okay all of our cars). Car car check out the how-to section on cleaning, waxing, whatever your fancy. Hope this helps.
________
Mercedes-benz 770

apaul

Thanks very much, hobbes. Good to know there is a high quality shop thereabouts that takes pride in its work and doesn't gouge.. I know a shop on Ritson R. North, Oshawa.. friend of a friend, Ritson Collision.. Louie ( no idea re his last name) the owner is first rate.. My wife took in her metallic silver Olds Silhouette van that had been creamed in a parking lot-hit and run-pushed in her right rear automatic sliding door. [weird aside: the paint that the creep or creepette left on her door was yellow!] Louie had it ready within two days in July and it was flawless, for less than a grand. He did a touch up job on my black Miata's front end last Spring ..five years of road salt chips [flung by Ministry plows ]and the usual stone chips.. genius work for less than $100.

I took your advice and put a small plastic bowl on the passenger side floor with about 2 cm of baking soda, then left it there for a run over to Pickering and back.. it didn't spill and I swear I can notice the difference already. THanks also for the BCC website URL. Love that kind of stuff.

Great of you. Thanks again and take care!
Alan

hobbes

Glad to hear that it worked. Can't beleive you drove with a bowl of baking soda in the car, but as long as it didn't spill. I can only imagine what a cop would of asked if he had pulled you over. .
________
Liberty engine

apaul

I would have told him/her it was for brushing my teeth :D ..vinegar's supposed to be good too, but I'm not getting into that.. one tight corner at speed and my car might end up smelling like a patates frites stand... or the Dead Lobster

Great avatar by the way! I'm still searching.. maybe I should learn how to make them!
Best,
Alan

hobbes

Thanks. I'm part of a writing forum (my hobby) and one of the guys found this site were you can build...well yourself there, which I did, the devil horns..well, I couldn't resist :D I PMed the site to you. Enjoy!
________
VAPORIZER

apaul

Well, here's my first 'go'..I need a better graphics editing program. As a writer/small publisher, its about time I invested in one. El cheapos and freebies just don't cut it..I usually farm out graphics. Adobe InDesign c/w Photoshop would be my choice. Hobbes, thank you very, very much! A very cool program

hobbes

No problem. Glad you like the program. If you have adobe photoshop you can go to save as web graphic and it will downgrade your pic so you can post it..well here. That's how I got mine to look somewhat good.

If you're a writer you might want to take a look at the writer forum that I have pm'ed you.
________
Penny Stock