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Today the wife and I gave the sipper some TLC.

It got its first can of Scotchguard applied on the seats, arm rest's, door panels, carpet and floor mats.

The wife also took some beige bath towels and worked them over to be put on the seat bottoms. She used two large towels for the project. The one for the rear seat she cut out slits for the seat belts and then used a sealing zig-zag triple stitch to seal up the edges of the slit's.

She then cut the other towel in half. Then using her sewing machine she put her sealing stitch on the cut edge along with a hem.

With the towels ready to install she tucked the rear one in between the seat back and bottom and then all the way around the bottom the seat. The front seat bottom seat covers were tucked in between the bottom and top seat, pulled through and left hanging. The cover drap over the seats almost to the floor. The seat controls a still very easy to use. And truth be known.... It does not look bad at all.

Next on the list is window tint, all season floor mats.

My preference is Banoyl, it goes under quite a few brand names and is only available from Dealers of Major Brand Autos, (Honda, Toyota, GM, etc.) if your dealship uses anything else don't take it. For instance, our Banoyl is sold as PSC Autoshield car care, most dealerships sell it as First Place Finish, Hendrick auto group sells it as Hendrick Autogaurd.

Regardless of what it is called it comes with a 5 year warranty on the interior and exterior, they will repair or replace any staining, unlike Scotchgard it bonds with the fibers rather than sitting on top of them. No oil or water based substance will bond after the treatment.

I had it on my Prius and now its on my HCHII.

I would get the wife to do something to the driver's door handle. We had the beige interior and the door handle stained very easy.

Got the car tinted today. 35% 3M CS on side and rear windows with a 20% strip at the top of the windshield to just below the rear view.

Next fog lights or Mugen window visors. Both costing more than they are worth IMHO.

Sophie is now tinted, tagged and her cleanmpg id in place.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300030.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300019.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300022.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300028.jpg

Nice looking car your wife has.

Mike's got a good point about the driver's door handle. I did not get a cover but I used huge amounts of fabric protector in that and similar areas right after I got the cars. So far they are holding pretty well requiring only a minor wipe once in a while.

On the outside car care side of things this is what I've been doing from day 1:
Under coating to protect from rocks and reduce noise.
Electronic rust protection (impressed current and sacrificial anode tech)
Chemical rust-proofing (doors other accessible unibody areas)
I use Wolfgang's high gloss sealant on the painted surfaces and glass, and I resort to rain-X in the winter months for the glass areas onlyOther misc mods I already did:
Direct TPMS with temp and configurable pressure and temp thresholds
Custom interior blue illumination (covering front and rear floors) along with center storage areas.
USB hub for powering misc gadgets
Solar panel retrofit (5 W permanent + 2.4 W floater panel for the front dash)
Interior sound insulation (around rear seat area and trunk)
LED daytime running lights
LED taillightsPossible next mods:
Scrolling message high mounted rear display
Interior solar powered cooling
Anyway, so much to do and so little time. ;)

Cheers;

MSantos

The one thing that ticked me was the beige interior on our white '06. We put in Honda's all weather mats ASAP, and ScotchGuarded the seats, but it bothers me what's in that stuff...

Our driver's door armrest upholstery in particular is now starting to get that "burnished" look, oh well.

Another eyesore is the cheaply silver painted shifter bezel, the round bit directly under the shifter: it's accumulated it's share of errant keys and looks pretty pathetic now ;(

I covered my armrest. Found some good material in my wife's quilting bins. I have the white and beige as well. Hal

Nice looking car your wife has.

Interior solar powered cooling[/LIST]

MSantos

I'm all for this. I've been thinking about how/where to add some sort of solar powered exhaust and intake fan to cool my EX.

Sophie is now tinted, tagged and her cleanmpg id in place.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300030.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300019.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300022.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/S7300028.jpg

I really like the atomic blue!

What % is your tint?

Ordered CVT maint. items today.
2ea. inline filters
1ea. strainer
1ea. pan gasket

Should have it all Thursday from a local dealer.

Ordered CVT maint. items today.
2ea. inline filters
1ea. strainer
1ea. pan gasket

Should have it all Thursday from a local dealer.

So are you just looking to have the parts on hand for the future or are you planning to change the originals out already?

I will use one inline filter soon.

I always change tranny fluid and filter when I do the first oil change. Then the car will go on a 10k mile oci with 20k mile cvt fluid and filter change. The strainer and gasket will be on stand by. :)

I got your message, they get pretty swamped at month end, do you still need me to talk to them Monday?

I got your message, they get pretty swamped at month end, do you still need me to talk to them Monday?

Don't worry about it.

Thank You

Changed the oil/filter and CTVF/filter. Was a very straight forward event with a few minor twist. No big deal.

The car seemed to really like being bathed in M1. :)

The CVT fluid had a very grey look to it. The light red/pink look was gone. Also of note the CVT magnetic drain bolt was covered with so much magnetic sluge that alot of it scraped off as the plug was removed. With glops of sludge coming out with the fluid. I did not cut open the filter. But just slinging it goo like what was on the plug came out. I would think the pan magnets are pretty goo'd out.

Hi Jeff;

Excellent stuff!

Would you by any chance happen to have any "dramatic" pictures for us? :)

Cheers;

Changed the oil/filter and CTVF/filter. Was a very straight forward event with a few minor twist. No big deal.

The car seemed to really like being bathed in M1. :)

The CVT fluid had a very grey look to it. The light red/pink look was gone. Also of note the CVT magnetic drain bolt was covered with so much magnetic sluge that alot of it scraped off as the plug was removed. With glops of sludge coming out with the fluid. I did not cut open the filter. But just slinging it goo like what was on the plug came out. I would think the pan magnets are pretty goo'd out.

Thanks for the update, I wondered how the filter change went. As you know, you can only get ~3 qts out with a fluid change via the pan drain plug. When you pulled the CVT filter, were you able to get out more fluid and have a more thorough fluid change?

Mike

This might explain why my CVT is sluggish at 41K even though I've changed the fluid once x2 and once x1.

Hi Jeff;

Excellent stuff!

Would you by any chance happen to have any "dramatic" pictures for us? :)

Cheers;

No pics,,, sorry. I have been digi-camera challenged of late, sorry.

Thanks for the update, I wondered how the filter change went. As you know, you can only get ~3 qts out with a fluid change via the pan drain plug. When you pulled the CVT filter, were you able to get out more fluid and have a more thorough fluid change?

Mike

Only got a few Oz. out of the lines and filter. The filter is very easy to get to. Right there in the lower front of the car. Was a breeze to change.

Just to let everyone know what my CVT oil looked like! My A- 1 2 3 Maint. wrench came on so I added new air filter and CVT oil. The oil drained looked good! Only slightly darker red color! Some grey sludge on the oil drain magnet. This is at about 37,000 Kilometers. I thought this might be soon , as I am easy on the Civic, but I'm going to do what it tells me!!! The CVT does seem a bit smoother but that could be my imagination! Hal

Nice looking car your wife has.

Mike's
Custom interior blue illumination (covering front and rear floors) along with center storage areas.
USB hub for powering misc gadgets


Did you post DIYs by chance on the USB hub and the blue illumination (if you didn' use the Honda kit)?

Mike

Hi Mike;

These were not the Honda Kits. I wanted better and more extensive lighting. Besides the USB option was not available.

I did not put any DIY but I did post this where you'll see both:

Tire Pressure Monitoring System - "Direct Type" install (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5025&highlight=tpms)

Cheers;

MSantos

On a mundane subject:

Just washed our HCHII last weekend. There's a plastic shield inside the rear wheel well on the gas tank side. I've found it difficult to access it's tricky fasteners in the past, so finally bit the bullet: backed the car out into our driveway, securely blocked the front wheels, slightly loosened the rear wheel lug nuts, then jacked up the back end with a floor jack and put safety stands at the 2 rear rocker panel bearing points.

Then removed the wheels, wrapped the rear brake drums with plastic shopping bags (not sure if this was necessary, but doesn't hurt) and removed the rear mud flaps (where applicable) and the little rubber deflectors at the bottom leading corners of the wheel wells (and replaced their bolts, to prevent water infiltration).

Then I took the plastic shield out. It's purpose is to protect the gas tank filler and vent pipes. It has 3 of the push-in fasters. They're always a pain to remove, requiring a flat screw driver blade or similar, and a bit of cajoling. Having a few spares on hand is a good idea, in case you lose or damage them.

You're almost guaranteed to find a slimy, grimy poltice behind this shield. This is a perfect opportunity to thoroughly clean out the wheel wells and suspension, and have a general look 'round. A wheel well brush is handy. Check with your finger tips behind the angled edge of the wheel well, a lot of grit can collect in there. Also, give the surfaces a good blast with garden hose and you'll likely see that wonderful undercoat coming off. My preference is to just clean it off as it comes loose, and then leave it as is.

I gave Shopie her first exterior real clean up yesterday. I had bought a bottle of Rejex paint sealant to use on her. The conditions were not right and I could not meet the application recommendations. So it will be saved for a fall clean up.

What I did use is Dawn, Meg's Gold Class Shampoo, Meg,s Clay, Meg's Scratch-X, Meg's Swirl-X, Meg's NXT-1.0 paste, Meg's NXT Spray Booster-1.0, Meg's Hot Shine Tire Spray, Meg's Wool Wash Mit, Meg's, Viking and others Micro Fiber Towels, Two bucket wash, Tire brush and sponge.

The car was dirty as could be. It had been hand washed twice. very quick jobs. And coin-op washed with a spray wand maybe four times in 5200 miles. It was covered with bugs on the front end with ever increasing layers of gunk on it. The wheel wells were a mess. But the wheels and tires were in good shape.

The wash process went well over two hours getting it all cleaned up. What a mess. I got our dirt off of it and thought I was done. Blew it off the blot dried it only to find out I had just got to the dealers sealant and clean up. The dealers sealant had to go as I could see there swirl marks under the sealant. So I went after it again with a very strong mixture of Dawn and water. Soaping the car up and then letting it stand while gently misting the car so it would not dry in place, got the job done.

Once the car was completely striped, rinsed and dried I had a swirl mark from hell mess on my hands. I proceed to clay it out with a very strong mixture of Meg's Gold Class Shampoo as the lubricant. The sides and back of the car were ok. The clay always came back clean. But the front and top surfaces were awful. First round on the top surfaces was all black. Once that was gone there was a layer of brown muck that came off. The third bar stayed clean. WOW that was a job. I've never used more than one bar on a car. This one took two and a third to make sure it was done! After the clay job it got washed once again with the Gold Class Shampoo. Rinsed with the sheeting method and blow dried and blotted dry. Worked my little compressor hard. :)

With all these swirl marks I have my work cut out. With a little China 6" DA,,, you know the ones. Better than using one's hands but not near as good as a real DA I set off to correct the swirls. I used a yellow pad and Scratch-X for the first pass. Then Swirl-X for the second with a basic 6" MF bonnet. I managed to get 90% of it corrected. Again time and temperatures were my enemy. During the heat of the day my polish's were drying on me way to fast even when working very small area's. I spent a lot of time cleaning my bonnet's of cake. But they did stay clean. That let me know the washing and claying had done there job's. So after hours of chasing shade and working in mid to high 90f temps its was polished as good as I was going to get it this time around.

For the sealant/waxing phase I really wanted to use the Rejex. But,, there was just no way that was going to happen. So that left me with the Meg's NXT Paste, #26 Paste, Classic Liq, Gold Class Liq. and P21s. Knowing I had some swirls left, minor as they are I knew Classic and P21s would show them. Never having used the #26 I did not wont to in these conditions. The Gold Glass would help hide the swirls but would only last about two weeks max. I went with the NXT. With the temps I had it was real hard to get the NXT to lay on right for the first coat. I just could not get it on thin enough. It would goop right up on me. Once the first goat was on the second went much better. :) I then went over it with the NXT Spray Booster for the finale. The booster did spread good with no grabbing and came off easy. This let me know I did have a good even coat of sealant on the car. All the remaining swirls did disappear for the time being. :o

I then turned my attention to the wheels and wells. The wheel wells washed up very nice and still looked good so I didn't bother with dressing them out nor the defectors or air dam.
I use the Meg's tire dressing by soaking a rag then applying buy hand. This gives me a nice satin finish and the tires don't turn brown over time. Thus keeping them easy to scrub down at wash time. I then applied a coat of Gold Class Liq. to the wheels. Wish this stuff protected better than it does. Cause it's very easy to work!

Spent almost 12 hours working on the car yesterday. The paint on the HCHII is better than the paint on the 06 Civic or the Accord. It appears to be on par with the paint of the MZ3. But not near as thick as the paint on the MZ3. Which can be seen via a few rock chips already on the HCHII verses the ones on the MZ3. What is it with Honda and the thin ass paint? It has less orange peel than the Accord or the old Civic with no paint defects that I found on the Accord and Civic. I did touch up one rock peck I found that went to the metal. So between the MZ3 built in Japan and the HCHII built in Japan, they both have better paint than the Accord and Civic that were built in the we can't do much right anymore USA.

The polish and NXT popped the paint very nicely. The metal flake jumped up and some depth came out of the paint and it did darken it a shade.

These two pics were taken this morning with my cheap cam that either try's to work or wont work. I need a new cam in the worse way. :(

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/medium/nxt1.jpg
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/623/medium/nxt2.jpg

Sure looks great! That paint color is great, especially with a high-quality wax job.

Awesome job Jeff. It really looks great.

I only clay twice a year because I am a bit concerned about working my way into the clear coat too much. But I do apply two coats of sealant at least twice a year since that appears to work well for me. I use Wolfgang's sealant on the entire car and Rejex around the lower sides of the car, the nose, the windows and the wheels.
Wolfgang seems to be very good for that wet look and lasts for a good while but I have yet to find a sealant that does not attract any dust after the second coat.
I apply the second coat a day after I apply the first and I normally pick a weekend for this.

On a regular basis I use WolfGang's car wash + detailing spray and that appears to restore the wet look but the dust magnet still remains on. How does your sealant work with regards to the dust problem?

Cheers;

Awesome job Jeff. It really looks great.

I only clay twice a year because I am a bit concerned about working my way into the clear coat too much. But I do apply two coats of sealant at least twice a year since that appears to work well for me. I use Wolfgang's sealant on the entire car and Rejex around the lower sides of the car, the nose, the windows and the wheels.
Wolfgang seems to be very good for that wet look and lasts for a good while but I have yet to find a sealant that does not attract any dust after the second coat.
I apply the second coat a day after I apply the first and I normally pick a weekend for this.

On a regular basis I use WolfGang's car wash + detailing spray and that appears to restore the wet look but the dust magnet still remains on. How does your sealant work with regards to the dust problem?

Cheers;

Its been my experience that the dust/pollen magnet we see so often is caused by static. More times than not this is because people dry the MF or high end terry towels in a dryer. I dried my in the dryer last time I used them and wham! The car is covered with dust today.

I've also seen this when I lived in Denver and have visited area's of the Southwestern USA were its real dry and static is a problem.

As for claying a car. Clay will not effect the clear coat. Once one is clayed out right the first time, polished and sealed it should only require spot claying. Or a full clay job if one lets there sealant or wax completely fail. If you go to polish a finish and see you towels or pads discoloring on a clear coat finish. One should stop right there and rewash and clay the car.

Now if you want to get down and dirty one can block out the car with 7500 and 10k grit polishing papers and make the orange peel go away. The HCHII is a good canidate for such a move finish wise. But Honda puts on so little clear and base it's not worth the effort. Honda really cuts corners when it comes to paint.

Hi Jeff:

___Your wife's HCH-II looks beautiful!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Does anyone else notice oxidation at the edge of the wheel center caps? We've got a bit. It seems to me the clearance to the inner edge of wheel is a bit too tight, and the gap is prone to catching a bit of grit, which in turn abrades the clear coat.

Hi Mendel;

I guess it is possible... but I did not notice anything of the kind on my 2006 (and wife's 2007). Then again, I always keep my cars free of dirt (wax the wheels too) and the OEM wheels come off for the winter season. :rolleyes:

Cheers;

MSantos

"and the OEM wheels come off for the winter season"

Yeah, we didn't get snow tires until our third winter (with our OEM's tread depth down to around 5~6/32", they were getting really treacherous in snow). I wax the wheels, but they went through 2 salty winters.

The Civic was demodded lastnight. I forgot to lock the car lastnight. Woke up to find the SG1 and I-Pod gone. No damage to the car.

So it it now time to mod on the perp or want to be perp's who stole this stuff. Be it young or old there about to have a life changing moment. Will let it cool down for a few days then set the car up for a sting. Touch the car and suffer a god awful beating. It seems some of the new trash that have moved into the neighborhood have not been school yet in psychoisms. The cop that took the report knows bad things will soon happen. :D

:eek: for them!

Nothing like good old-fashioned old testament punishment with some justice mixed in for good measure. We had similar occurrences in our neighborhood awhile back, but the thieves dropped much of the stuff on the way out. I hope you catch the neighborhood degenerates.

Hi Jeff and Mike;

This kind of stuff really sickens me... and at the risk of endorsing extreme measures I would not complain about a bit of "good old-fashioned old testament punishment" when given to the maggots that did it. :(

Cheers

MSantos

Kind of odd that they took the SG1. I wonder what they thought it might be?

I'm so sorry that it happened. :(

OOO they also took the cell phone chargers.

I've got several leads from folks on who took the stuff. And this person also let himself be seen joking with another person and pointing at the HCHII while riding by very slowly on there motorcycles.