Come on in and watch the transformation of my "new" car!

Picus said:
You guys really don't see the difference? Hm, must be because I'm a photographer at heart. :)
Click to expand...





I see the difference now!



The road seems to have less detail (particularly in the foreground), to focus the attention on the car. Am I right, or am I just seeing things?
 
White95Max said:
I see the difference now!



The road seems to have less detail (particularly in the foreground), to focus the attention on the car. Am I right, or am I just seeing things?
Click to expand...



Not really, the idea of running an image like that through a noise filter is just that - to remove noise. Check out the area around the bumper in the two pictures. The one he posted looks smoother, and clearer - more like it would in real life, while the original version has "noise" (sort of small pixle sized dots of distortion) in that area that makes it look fuzzier and less clear.
 
Here's an update:



I swapped my wheels off, and re-installed the OEM 14" steelies with brand new snow tires...Dunlop Winter Sport M3s. I protected the CV boots and brake hoses with 1Z Tiefenpfleger. The car's wearing AIO/UPPx2/#16 at this time, and the last wash/QD was 3 days ago.



WheelSwap1.JPG


WheelSwap2.JPG


WheelSwap3.JPG


WheelSwap4.JPG


WheelSwap5.JPG


WheelSwap9.JPG


WheelSwap8.JPG




Here's a comparison of the tread of the winter vs summer tires.



Tire_Tire.JPG






Now I wait for snow, so I can see the difference in traction that a snow tire makes!
 
White95Max said:
I see the difference now!



The road seems to have less detail (particularly in the foreground), to focus the attention on the car. Am I right, or am I just seeing things?
Click to expand...



HomicidalSloth said:
Not really, the idea of running an image like that through a noise filter is just that - to remove noise. Check out the area around the bumper in the two pictures. The one he posted looks smoother, and clearer - more like it would in real life, while the original version has "noise" (sort of small pixle sized dots of distortion) in that area that makes it look fuzzier and less clear.
Click to expand...



Yep ^. A downside of noise filters is they can sometime kill small details. There is definitely a happy medium. I tend to err on the side of more noise/more detail rather than less noise/less detail. Noise is just as a result of too little light being let into the lens. Here are two really dramatic examples - check out the background.



http://kbhamill.com/pics/noise3.jpg



http://kbhamill.com/pics/noise.jpg



Sorry for the OT. The car looks great - I need to put my snows on!
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Maxy--what's all that scraping to the left of the tire in that last pic?!?! :soscared:
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It's from the previous owner, I swear! :) The car wasn't maintained very well, as you can see from the various pictures at the beginning of this thread. All of the wheel covers look pretty much like that part of the bumper.





truzoom said:
I've never seen silver so shiny. Do you have access to your garage from your apt or do you have to enter it from the actual door itself?
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The garages are in a detached building. I have to walk maybe 150ft to my garage. My neighbors frequently see me walking back and forth with buckets and bottles of this and that.
 
I sold the Maxima and bought the Protege in mid-July. It was kinda of an early B-day present to myself. :)



I loved the power of the 3.0L + 5spd, but here's why I didn't want that car anymore...



Fuel mileage was not great (~21/26)

2 major dents from accident damage

half-dozen or more door dings

167K miles

Premium fuel required

Tires sucked in winter, and would need to be replaced before this winter.

Leaking transmission fluid

10 years old

No cup holders!!! :mad:

Power antenna that only sometimes worked, and made tons of noise all the time.

Rust on the bottom of 1/4 panels.



Overall, it was time for a new car. My job over the summer had me driving sometimes 150+ miles per day, and I got reimbursed a flat rate for driving costs. And I now live 105 miles away from the family, so gas mileage is even more important than before.



I was looking for a good-condition, newer car with a 5spd, in silver or blue. I saw this one in the paper, and it was even a TX car. So I went to see it, and cut $900 off the asking price, complaining about things that I knew my detailing skills could fix. :)



Now I've got a car that is 4 years newer, and has still yet to get me below 30mpg, even in all city driving. Its only flaws include a bit of rust on the underside of the hood, a few scrapes in the bumper, and a couple very minor door dings (I'm the only one that can find them). It doesn't come close to the power of the Maxima, but that's just not a priority right now. I'll have a fast car after I get my degree.
 
I just won a new shift knob on Ebay. Soon I'll be able to take that ugly thick plastic Escort knob off, and replace it with this leather/aluminum one from the Mazda6/Mazda3. :)



Mazda6_Shift_Knob.JPG
 
This thread kind of inspired me. I am in the market for a Protege5 now. I test drove a 5 speed today, and man did it handle nice. Of course, I am used to driving my gigantic truck so pretty much anything else feels like a Ferrari to me.
 
Tasty - Honestly, the only two wagons I would be interested in are the Mazda6 and Protege5. None of the other wagons out there really appeal to me. The WRX wagon is OK too.



The rest are either too boring, or too expensive to hold my interest.
 
I got my new shift knob in today! :woohoo:

I apologize for the blurry pic. The leather was cleaned with Pinnacle leather cleaner/conditioner, and allowed to soak for 2 min. It was then removed with a yellow Excel Supreme MF.

The aluminum got Vanilla Moose, applied/removed with another yellow MF.





ShiftKnob.JPG






And inside the car... (ignore the dirty floor mats. It's inevitable during the winter season around here.)





NewShiftKnob.JPG
 
I also installed a new set of Sylvania Silverstars today. As with many things, it was a total PITA the first time, but now I could replace another set in under 5 min. :) The electrical connectors didn't want to come off, so I had to pry the rubber seal off part way, and reach in there to disconnect the bulb holding spring. Then the bulb/seal/connector came out as one piece and I was able to get the connector off.



So here's a couple shots showing the difference. Obviously the driver's side has the Silverstar. There is a noticeable difference for sure. See for yourself...



Silverstar_vs_OEM.JPG


Silverstar_vs_OEM_2.JPG
 
White95Max said:
After watching it leave, and getting the new title for the Protege, I cleaned up the headliner with Woolite and warm water, and a couple WalMart MFs.



Headliner2.JPG




Headliner3.JPG




HeadlinerClean.JPG
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Did you wet the MF with the woolite/water mix and scrub? Spray the headliner lightly then scrub? I know you gotta be careful with these things and was wondering how you went about doing it. You may have answered it already in this thread if so I missed it. Thanks :)
 
I had a bucket of Woolite and warm water, and I soaked the MF with it, then wrung it out to the point that it was just damp. I lightly rubbed the headliner with the damp MF, and followed it with a clean, dry MF. After going over an area and drying it, I usually went over it again after wringing out the MF again.



It worked great on the plastic trim as well. You can see if the first pic how nasty the pillar was next to the driver's seat.
 
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