Hammer and Coop February 17, 2007
I’ve heard of this in passing but never understood anything about it.
Since the recent unveiling of the 2007 MINIs (aka. R56) MINI has created a few mini movies titled Hammer and Coop. It resembles a parody of the hit television series Knight Rider in which Detective Michael Knight solves crimes with his sidekick, a black Trans AM named K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand).
2006 vs. 2007 February 5, 2007
A few weeks ago I received an email from my MINI Sales Represenative inviting me to the grand unveiling of the 2007 MINI Cooper.
A re-styled MINI Cooper?!?! I just got my brand new MINI a few months ago and it’s already outdated. Bummer.
This email got me interested to identify the differences between my 2006 MINI Cooper and re-designed 2007 MINI Cooper. Engine-wise the newer MINI gets a boost of 5-horsepower (120 hp @ 6,000 rpm) and increased gas mileage up to 40 miles per gallon (MPG) maximum with a 6-speed gearbox.
Super Bowl Sunday February 4, 2007
It’s been a few weeks since my last car washing adventure and I was getting a little bored working on the household cars so I decided to hit-up my family members for the use of their cars. In exchange for their loss of automobiles for the day, they will receive a free car wash. My first “customer” also became my car washing partner, cousin Reiki and I were out washing cars on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Heart February 3, 2007
So far all the pictures I’ve posted about Kahu have been exterior shots. Nothing to show what makes Kahu work, so here it is … bone stock.
After a much needed bath this morning, I got working on some finer points of Kahu that hasn’t seen a cleaning. The first is all the trim along the bottom edge of the hood.
Your typical engine bay photoshoot from the front bumper
Valve covers and spark plugs
According to the Owner’s Manual, oil change is required once-a-year or 10,000 miles … which ever comes first.
Smorkin in a MINI January 6, 2007
My collection of Frank Kozik’s Smorkin Labbit from Split Obsession.
No China January 5, 2007
Why does the State of Hawaii require automobiles to display front license plates??
Certain states employ Red-light cameras to identify and prosecute traffic light violators. In order to fine and/or prosecute the offender the vehicle must be identified, in which case I agree with the requirement of front license plate.
Hawaii doesn’t employ this type of traffic violation enforcement.
Back in 2002 Hawaii attempted to crackdown on speeding by utilizing a Speed-limit Photo Enforcement (aka. VanCam). Due to community complaints in reference to invasion of privacy the program was disolved after a few months of operation.
Reading some articles it appears the VanCam takes a picture of the offending vehicle from both the front and rear. The reason for the rear photograph is because the State of Hawaii does not require motorcycles to display a front license plate.
Which leads me to my next question, why are motorcycles not required to display a front plate while a requirement for passenger and commercial automobiles?!?!
Doesn’t any car look much cleaner without a front plate? 
When I purchased Kahu in November, it was baking in the sun covered with water-spots, twigs and dirt. Obviously Kahu was given a thourough cleaning before delivery and I was unable to find any imperfections, a job well done … until I removed the front license plate bracket.
A few twigs short of a completed bird-nest is what awaited me behind the bracket, complete with hardened-waterspots on the grill and bumper. In addition, MINI of Hawaii has made the decision of mounting my bracket DIRECTLY into the bumper. In fairness to MINI of Hawaii, majority of Hawaii car dealerships attach front plates in a similar fashion.
Why can’t dealerships go that little extra and attach your front plates using some body-preserving method. Perhaps something like this License Plate Mounting Bracket sold by MossMini.com.
Newbie Auto Detailer January 4, 2007
I’ve heard many positive reviews on this product, 303 Aerospace Protectant. A restoration and protection on various rubber materials.
Now the embarrassing …. earlier this week I left the office early to detail some family member’s cars as a surprise New Years gift and to make use of my newly acquired car cleaning tools.
I started with a very abused and un-kept 1999 Acura TL, complete with water spots, swirls, bird turd, dents, etc. Anticipating multiple passes with the shampoo and claybar, I was surprised to see a single pass was sufficient to remove the impurities. Left with a silky smooth surface (with exception of deep scratches and dents) I applied Turtle Wax ICE Liquid Polish and noticed the once dull paint took on an oily appearance. Nice. Finished up with Meguiar’s Gold Class Liquid Wax, left to cure for an hour while I started on the next car.
A black 2001 Acura RL, in substantially better condition although it had quite a few dents. Same process … wash, rinse, claybar, rinse, dry, polish with ICE and wax.
7-hours later — both cars look much cleaner and shinier than their previous state. Silky smooth I might add. A happy and rewarded newbie-auto-detailer … until this morning.
In attempts to perfect and fuel my auto detailing O.C.D., this morning was spent reading online reviews for various products, one of them being Turtle Wax’s ICE Liquid Polish. As it appears, this is a wax, not a polish as you would assume by the packaging. So what does this mean? Nothing really … just an extra coat of wax without any benefits of polish.
Hmm … more research and another trip to the local NAPA for some POLISH!
Bathtime December 29, 2006
After a multiple Saturdays of Christmas shopping and similar Sundays of golfing, Kahu was pretty dirty filthy.
As 2006 comes to an end and we welcome in 2007 I figure I’d give Kahu a nice once-over in anticipation of the upcoming weekend parties. I haven’t purchased any auto cleaning tools for a while now and thought today would be a good a time as any. A short trip and a $135 later I believe I have a great starter set:
Auto Armor Shine! Maintenance Kit w/Paint Protection Cleaner/Re-newer (courtesy of MINI of Hawaii)Meguiar’s Gold Class Liquid WaxTurtle Wax F21 Wheel CleanerTurtle Wax Wet n’ BlackNo Touch Tire CareICE Synthetic Liquid PolishICE Synthetic Spray DetailerTECnique Correction Clay KitArmorall Cleaner WipesChamoisTire scrub brush
View the supplies list here, in Excel format
As the weather made a turn for the worse, I was forced to ditch my waxing effort and concentrate on other aspects of Kahu’s bath: Interior detailing and tire cleaning.
The Round the Island adventure last weekend caused a lot of brake dust to coat my rims. A quick shot of Turtle Wax F21 Wheel cleaner quickly took care of that … although I believe the coat of wax applied by the dealership would have proven sufficient.
Kahu’s Christmas present from Terri & Duane, it’s called an Ionic Breeze Car Ionizer Air Purifier. It supposedly filters out the impurities from the air and allows for an odor-free environment. With the few remaining days as a smoker (New Years Resolution) I will be extensively testing the integrity of this device.
