Thanks Autopians!

[Vadar]

Today was the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Southern California concours, and I`m proud to say I took 2nd place for late model cars!!!



Thanks to everyone on this forum for their help with my questions. I`ve done alot of lurking, and picked up lots of good advice on car care.



I`ve taken pictures, but they are going to get developed (I really should get a digital camera), so hopefully I will be able to post them soon.



My setup: Clay, then z1, three layers of Z5, 3 layers of Z2, with Z6 in between each layer. Trim, tires, etc. was done with black magic semi gloss. Interior with Griots Garage leather rejuvinator.



The car looked great (if I do say so myself), but there is still room for improvement (and I`m still learning).



Thanks everyone,

Dom

1991 Alfa 164

[vettefan67]

Dom,



Awesome! Too bad I couldn`t make it out there to check out your car, maybe next time. Great job and keep learning, you`ll take first next time! Be sure to give us a link to the pictures when you get them!



Justin

[ISLANDSBEST]

Thanks for sharing the win with us. Its very kind of you to acknowledge our help, no matter how small it might have been. It nice to be included. Thank you. If we can help more, do not hesitate to ask.

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

:up ......"still room for improvement".....spoken like a true Autopian...:D

[DETAILKING]

Keep up the good work. Can`t wait to see those pics!

[Vadar]

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

<em class=`bbc`>Originally posted by darbh [/i]
<strong class=`bbc`>Thanks for sharing the win with us. Its very kind of you to acknowledge our help, no matter how small it might have been. It nice to be included. Thank you. If we can help more, do not hesitate to ask. [/b]</blockquote>
Well, I learned alot just from lurking on this site. With this knowledge, I`ve been able to do a much better job on my car than I`ve done in the past.

The only downside, is now my car never looks perfect to me :(

Maybe I should find a car that isn`t black, because those swirls are going to be the end of me yet.

Dom
1991 Alfa 164

[imported_Intermezzo]

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

<em class=`bbc`>Originally posted by Dom [/i]
<strong class=`bbc`>

Well, I learned alot just from lurking on this site. With this knowledge, I`ve been able to do a much better job on my car than I`ve done in the past.

The only downside, is now my car never looks perfect to me :(

[/b]</blockquote>
Dom, I know what you mean. Ignorance may be bliss to some people and ever since I`ve been on this forum, I`ll never sleep well at night until I`ve attained my goal of swirl-free finishes on my two black cars under the bright sun & flourescent lights.

But hey, I`d rather have it this way than sleep well every night clueless to the ravaging swirls being inflicted on my babies every weekend. :D

[ISLANDSBEST]

Well said.

[Lowejackson]

Congratulations on your 2nd place



I am reminded of that old Hertz (?) advert which said something like "we are number two, therefore we try harder".



I would love to see the pictures



Steven

Alfa 164

[edgewise]

Congrats Dom!

[dengelson]

Congratulations Dom! Can you tell us more about the experience of entering your car in a concourse? Thanks

[Vadar]

Sure Short Cut,



The AROSC concours are pretty laid back, I think (it seems to me that most alfa people are at least somewhat laid back :D ).



To enter, all you do is show up and pay the fee. Cars are grouped into classes. In this case, there were classes for older cars, newer cars, race cars, etc. I`ve also seen where they have just 2 classes, open or closed, depending on the number of cars entered. Cars are judged on looks, originality, etc., typical of most concours events, I think.



One thing the Alfa club does that I like is that they will award points for functional upgrades. So in other words, I have a 5-point harness, fire extinguisher, etc. that I use during competition, that went towards points.



I think also, that they do take into consideration if a car is a daily driver, which is nice, because mine is, and when it is used as a daily driver, you just can`t avoid some things. The downside is, while I got an award at the Alfa event, I probably would not have qualified for an award at some other event.



The intent of the alfa club concours is for the entrants to have fun, and I did. I`ve entered them before and not won awards, and it`s still a fun thing to do. I like to clean up my car (that must explain why I`m here :eek:), and I think it is nice to have a car that runs and looks good. It`s also nice to go and look at everyone else`s cars, some of which are truly garage queens, and look immaculate.



Hope this helps.



Dom

1991 Alfa 164S

[imported_doug]

:up Congratulations, Dom! :up



You now have objective proof that your detailing skills are way above average. Hope you`ll share what you`ve learned with us too. It is a two way street and we are all students!



Cheers

[Langley Interior Car Kare]

that they take those things into consideration...that way not only people with a bizillion $ and a 3 car garage can enter....awesome...:)

[Vadar]

I finally got some of the photos developed from the concours.