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.

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 Wax
• Turtle Wax F21 Wheel Cleaner
• Turtle Wax Wet n’ Black
• No Touch Tire Care
• ICE Synthetic Liquid Polish
• ICE Synthetic Spray Detailer
• TECnique Correction Clay Kit
• Armorall Cleaner Wipes
• Chamois
• Tire 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.