Bence said:
Am I the only one who misses the pre-2005 times?
Probably not the only one, but I certainly don't.
Autopia pre 2005 (from my memory as a lurker)
-Nobody used wool pads and the thought was that wool was bad
-Most click and brags were of people filling in swirl marks with polishes (done on a PC for two whole passes)
-The few that finished with a rotary (that I remember) used abrasive pads
-NXT was the most loved then most loathed product (those where fun threads)
-Click and Brag was 10-15 pictures, most with exposure problems
-Nobody really used halogens (that I recall) but a few used a brinkman
-The before/after shots where usually one of each, with sun on different sections of the paint, in different lighting.
What I do remember though is that site seemed more biased towards the level of detailing done vs. the type of car it was done too. However the general level of detailing was considerably lower, IMO. (Don't read that to say that everybody was worse, but most of the work shown was to a lower standard then typical today)
Autopia definetely has more bickering and attitude then it did (which isn't a good thing at all) and less of the lets get along attitude (but I still remember Zaino threads going downhill, even in 2005), but autopia in 2008 has...
-Most click and brags are far more detailed and educational then ever before. -Threads that would have gotten 50 replies in 2005 only get 10-12 now.
-Most pro's are using (gasp 2005) wool pads and rotary buffers. The PC ROB's are used so much less.
-The threads are more focused on taking the time and doing it right, vs. two passes and bragging how good it looked (in limited light) 6 hours later.
-Carnauba wax is back on top again
-Enthustist on the forum know seem more knowledgable then most of the guys who posted in 2005.
Again, just my opinion, but I think that autopia is a better place now then it was back then.