Jeff's ZHP Adventure....one chapter at a time

[Stigissimo]

Did you buy that BMW perf intake new?

[jgt_zhp]

No sir, got it in very good condition from a member here. Unless you were one of the lucky 5 to get in on that super deal for new ones a few weeks ago, any new ones out there are mucho expensivo. And word on the street is they're discontinued. I tried to get one from the dealer who had the $399 offer after his price went back up to $650. Price didn't matter, because he couldn't get them anyway.

[Stigissimo]

Yeah the BMW intake is on my list of future things to buy - but I'm afraid (and quite certain) that I won't be able to buy one for less than $600. Good for you finding it for cheap!

[danewilson77]

Both cars looking great my friend.

Here's a couple of good reads for your GF.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...s-of-Suffering

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...ot-and-Hellish

[jgt_zhp]

Thanks, Dane!!

I'll pass those on. Or maybe not

This'll be her third, and it's a sprint distance, but she's pretty freaked out. We've had what they call a "late winter" (it snowed last week), and they keep canceling the open water swim practice, since water temps in lakes around here are hovering at a balmy 48 degrees right now.

I told her I'd love to do one of these triathlons with her, if they'd just eliminate the swimming. And the running. And maybe have beer there. We did Warrior Dash together last year. That was pretty fun

[Torxuvin]

Thanks, Dane!!

I'll pass those on. Or maybe not

This'll be her third, and it's a sprint distance, but she's pretty freaked out. We've had what they call a "late winter" (it snowed last week), and they keep canceling the open water swim practice, since water temps in lakes around here are hovering at a balmy 48 degrees right now.

I told her I'd love to do one of these triathlons with her, if they'd just eliminate the swimming. And the running. And maybe have beer there. We did Warrior Dash together last year. That was pretty fun

Yikes. More power to her. My last gf did marathons. I'm quite content just running my normal 5 miles or so.

[jgt_zhp]

Got to say, the Mothers PowerBall 4Light All-In-One Headlight Restoration Kit is pretty underwhelming. And my lights weren't bad to begin with.

One starts with the polish and the little pom-pom thing in the drill chuck, and basically, that just verifies that you really need the "Supplemental Severe Damage Restoration Kit", consisting of two tiny two-sided wet sanding pads. Dumps you right out of that "perfect clarity in minutes" using a power tool, and more like an hour of hand sanding followed by the polishing.

Biggest problem with these little pads of 800/1000/1500/2000 grit abrasive is the life span of the pads is about one headlight. I started on the passenger side light. Did the initial polish. Verified "oh, yeah, there's still pitting and surface imperfection. Sanded the crap out of it, repolished it. And I guess it looks pretty good. I don't know that I'd say "crystal clear", but obviously better than it looked before. I could probably accept this level of finish.

I've got Lamin-X film coming tomorrow. I want these things nice before I start protecting them.

Moved on to the driver side. You're supposed to always polish first, so the wet sanding pads aren't wasted just scrubbing off dead bugs and stuff. Well, on this light, the sanding doesn't seem to be doing much. It feels different, and never really gets to that "uniform, whitish" look you're supposed to achieve before you polish. But I polish anyway. Not happy with the results at all. So I go through the whole progression of sanding again. Polish again. I'm seeing a lot of "again" in this narrative, anybody else picking up on that?? So, I've done it twice, and it still doesn't look as good as the other side. Still shows pits and wear.

SCORECARD

Mother's Box - 20 minutes of polishing with the Mother's Powerball and "clarity in minutes".

Jeff's Garage - 10 minutes of polishing, 30 minutes of sanding, 10 minutes of polishing, 10 minutes of polishing, 30 minutes of sanding, 10 minutes of polishing, another 20 minutes of sanding, another 10 minutes of polishing, immediate admission of defeat. Tomorrow - 40 minute trip to buy 4 grades of wet sanding paper, 10 minutes of taping, 30 minutes of sanding, and it better look spectacular.

So, Mother's Kit - $14. Additional Supplies to finish job - $12 Estimated. Half a day of labor - Priceless.

[E_Rak]

Those headlight lenses better be damn near invisible after a half days' worth of polishing!

I had a friend try out one of those kits on his girlfriend's car once, it didn't work out too well there either. Some wet sanding by hand a a quick go-over with compound, finishing polish, and some sealant will always work the best.

[Avetiso]

My brother used the 3M kit on his Jetta recently. Fantastic results in less than an hour of work.

[midlandtech]

My brother used the 3M kit on his Jetta recently. Fantastic results in less than an hour of work.

Thats what I used and had great results. I then had a shop film them so they won't chip or fade.

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