Hi Everyone!
Ever since I was little, I have always loved cars of all kinds, but over the years, I have grown especially fond of Volvos: they're big, boxy, and safe!
Swedish safety rules!
Since I am studying/training to work in the health care field and see/work with the aftermath of injuries sustained from motor vehicle accidents, it has strengthed my appreciation of Swedish iron and Swedish engineering!
Volvo. For life. Its more than a motto.
1. How did you wind up at Autopia?
I initially found this forum from a link posted at Swedespeed, a Volvo forum (what else would it be?
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12. Would you ever pay someone else to detail your car?
Yep, and I have. I currently own a 1980 Volvo 244DL in brown and tan (single coat original paint) and when I first bought the car, I called it "my allergy car" because it was so poorly neglected-- I'm talking about severe oxidation, a thick layer of dust, dirt, and who-knows-what-else on the exterior and in the interior. It was really bad. I tired doing some work myself, but I didn't even make a dent in the dust/dirt-- it was caked on and quite happy to be there. I took it to a really good detail guy who is very meticulous. When he saw the car, he thought he could finish it in one day and just about killed himself trying to meet his self imposed deadline (I told him I was in no rush...). But, boy did that baby shine! And, the interior was a whole new color-- a much brighter and lighter version than I thought it was. I was shocked!
Unfortunately, I've let the wax finish lapse and the car is beginning to oxidize again, so I joined this forum to seek help-- Look for my post elsewhere in this forum (once it makes its way through the moderator queue)...
And, on to the other questions:
2. What do you like most about detailing?
10. What got you interested in keeping cars perfect?
11. What motivates you to detail?
14. What is your favorite part about detailing?
I like shiny pretty things!! It really is that simple.
Plus, I find the process relaxing, and dare I say it, fun!
Generally, I like working with my hands, and I don't mind getting dirty.
I am not a clean freak by any stretch of the imagination, but I am pretty fastidious about my cars (especially the interior), so a lot of people think I am quite anal (despite my Scandinavian playful nature, I might add)...
13. Does detailing run in the family at all, or are you the only normal one?
I am by far the only normal one!
Everyone else has their priorities wrong-- why should the house be cleaner than the car? Where do we spend most of our waking time?
At work/school or in the car commuting!
But, if you are the only one who thinks you are normal, what does that really make you...?
15. If detailing is a hobby for you, would you like to do it full time, or do you feel that it would take the fun out of it?
I need to learn A LOT more before it could ever turn into a paying gig, but I may have a future in it as my neighbors always stop by when I am washing my car(s) to ask, semi-joking, when I will be available to wash theirs...
10. What was you first car?
My first car was a truck. A 1992 Chevy S-10 in charcoal and grey! Best truck ever, except the paint was oxidizing and the clear coat failed on the roof before I bought it. Despite all that, I washed it every week and regularly applied wax to prevent it from getting worse. And, amazingly, it worked!
3. What are your favorite products/processes and why?
With my Chevy truck, I loved the Turtle Wax line!
But, ever since I bought my Volvos, I have been gravitating towards Maguiars-- and from what I've read in the Volvo forums, a lot of other Volvo owners also swear by Maguiars too.
4. What's your dream car and why?
I think you already know the answer to that one-- A VOLVO! Duh!
6. What are some of your other hobbies and interests?
Gardening, hiking, nature photography, sports-- We interrupt this regularly scheduled introduction for a news update. This just in:
Celtics beat the Lakers! Oh, yeah!
(If you don't know basketball rivalries, Kings fans ALWAYS root for the team playing against the Lakers!)
7. Do you have any pets? If so, types, names, pics.
Yes, but they are much too shy for publicity.
9. Where are you from and where do you live now?
The Golden State! Born and raised!
5. What's the best thing you learned on Autopia?
A. Other people like pretty shiny things too!
B. It is completely okay to spend an inordinate amount of time looking at, talking about, and taking pictures of said pretty shiny objects!
C. Since I browsing/searching this forum, I've learned that my exterior car care is sub-par, but my interior detail is pretty good for an "average" person.
8. Name three secret techniques that you think you should share to fellow Autopians.
A. If you don't have access to a garage, shade tents are quite handy.
B. If you need a to-go box from a restaurant, always place it in the trunk-- left over food smells = yuk!
C. If you don't know what you are doing or how to do it-- ask for help.
Oh, and you may have noticed by the re-ordering of the questions that I may read the directions and follow them when I don't know what I am doing, but I also tend to have my own little way of doing things...
Thanks for checking in. I hope you've enjoyed your journey into my strange little world!
Well, I'm off to post my questions...
Take care.
Warning: Wierd newbie with long post (Is wierd just too weird?) 
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