I really need to do this but keep putting it off because I don’t want to remove the Equipt seat covers.
How often do you treat yours?
What have you done to your 200 Series this week?
- Thread starter MScruiser
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How often do you treat yours?
Three times a year for everything (front + back seats, steering wheel), usually this time of year, mid summer & right before winter. Sporadically will hit the drivers seat 1-2 more times. Try to hit the interior plastics at the same time with Koch Chemie Top Star to protect against fade, cracking, etc.
I switched to a leather balm (Lithium Leather Love) from the more liquid conditioners and found it’s better; not as messy to apply, leather absorbs it and offers a protective layer against coffee spills. Usually apply at night so it can sit before buffing any excess off. Also have heard that with ventilating seats, you don’t want to soak the seat as it could reach the electronics.
You can get some good effect using 303 Protectant. It won’t fix the deep scratches, but things will look a lot better and have UV protection from fading. I use their multi-surface cleaner first to get the dirt and dog snot off.
I just ordered that yesterday so I’ll give that a shot
I'm curious the exact amount of lift this get you on your stock suspension. Take hub center to fender, before and after measurements please!
Absolutely will! I have dug and dug through the forums and I don’t think I’ve seen any LC with your spacer yet.
Oof, I’ve done it twice in 4 years… shameful! I need to peak under those seat covers and hope for the best.
I'm confident I have mild OCD from my prior German cars; my Mercedes had alcantara on the steering wheel and seats, which left me convinced it is the dumbest material ever to be used in a street car. Basically get forced into cleaning it once a month to avoid it getting soiled.
Removed the Wilwood front rotors and pads, and the 1” spacer.
one of the spacer nuts was stuck, ended up rounding it..and had to call the man the legend @savirc to exercise the demon. Heat. Nut extractor..finally got it off.
The previous installer must have poured a gallon of loctite.
The hub has a bit of rust. Any tips for cleaning it?
Now here’s where I can’t decide what to do..
Revert back to OEM brakes? No spacers need.
But to replacing the dust shield doesn’t seem easy…
Or keep Wilwood, try 1.25” spacer.
The reason for switching from 1 inch to 1.25 is because the rear caliper is extremely close to the rim. Barely 0.3”.
Wilwood says 0.08”.
but at the same time adding 0.25” more in the front means it might rub? 275/65/18 = 32”.
Tough decision.
one of the spacer nuts was stuck, ended up rounding it..and had to call the man the legend @savirc to exercise the demon. Heat. Nut extractor..finally got it off.
The previous installer must have poured a gallon of loctite.
The hub has a bit of rust. Any tips for cleaning it?
Now here’s where I can’t decide what to do..
Revert back to OEM brakes? No spacers need.
But to replacing the dust shield doesn’t seem easy…
Or keep Wilwood, try 1.25” spacer.
The reason for switching from 1 inch to 1.25 is because the rear caliper is extremely close to the rim. Barely 0.3”.
Wilwood says 0.08”.
but at the same time adding 0.25” more in the front means it might rub? 275/65/18 = 32”.
Tough decision.
275 w/1.25” spacer shouldn’t rub. If at all it would be extremely superficial.
Update to contact washing under a roof rack. The Harbor Freight microfiber car mop is unable to get flat enough to slide under the GOBI when you try to wash length-wise/front-to-back. Fortunately, however, there's enough space between the rack and roof that you can go side-to-side. Downsides to this:
The best "solution" I see to this is ceramic coating the roof and just blasting it with the foam cannon + pressure washer as needed. Ceramic coating should also make drying significantly easier; just break out the leaf blower and go full throttle.
- it makes it harder to get in between the peaks & valleys in the roof design; and
- the GOBI has horizontal supports and the RV mop cannot slide under it, so you're forced to do one horizontal section at a time.
The best "solution" I see to this is ceramic coating the roof and just blasting it with the foam cannon + pressure washer as needed. Ceramic coating should also make drying significantly easier; just break out the leaf blower and go full throttle.
What I did was just put a microfiber towel flat and just slide it around.
I am also gonna get it ceramic coated. Might even PPF it so roof paint doesn’t take a beating from being outside all day. Same for hood.
I've had similar racks in the past, and have dealt with the same problem.
I now have 3 RhinoRack roof bars on my LX, and it has been the best roof system I've ever had.
How often are you actually loading up your full rack with gear? If it's less frequently than every month, chances are you really don't need it.
Prior owner luckily did PPF squares near the mounting brackets and wind deflector. My concern wish PPF stems from prior car; it's not a lifetime product like some people claim and you don't want it to adhere and trash the clear coat. Fast forward to 20 mins in for nightmare fuel:
Came from prior owner like this; unlikely I'll meaningfully use it so good chance I'll pull off the GOBI (anyone in Long Island, NY area interested, feel free to message me) and swap on more simplistic/factory roof side rails & cross bars for future family ski trips.
I have had PPF on multiple cars and they are definitely not lifetime. 5-7 years is what I would recommended.
You shouldn’t have issues removing if you do it right.
(Heat/slow).
And clear coat or paint is only coming off if you had a s*** paint job (especially if it’s been repainted ever).
It yellows over time especially in very sunny climates. Never did it on any of my rides even when we lived in HI where we were much more concerned with salt damage - so wash and wax after a beach day.
siberian
siberian
I think part of the problem is that in the NYC market, PPF installers are as common as Starbucks, but the people that actually know how to properly install it where it's not noticeable are far and few between. Consequently, the prices for the work range drastically. On my E Class, I got quotes from $6,500 to $15,000. Some did include price correction into that pricing, but that's an absurd range for "skill." So to help get past the sticker shock, I think a lot of shops lie and tell people it's a lifetime, maintenance-free product (which it's not).
Removing you face the same problem; people who offer doing it and are capable of doing it are two different classes.