robb

I haven’t tried any ceramic wax’s yet. I like Meguiars products. I have always waxed my vehicles twice a year and like to do it as that way I can go over the car and take care of any new scratches or other detail needs. It’s almost perfect weather today to get a coat of wax on its cool and very overcast, hopefully the rain will stay away.

engifineer

I typically have used Meguiars or Griots waxes on my cars. I do need to get the S2k waxed. It just gets covered in brake dust during the track season so I do try to get a good wax on it before that. I have delayed doing any autosports so far this year for a few reasons but should at least get it out, wax it and get the tag up to date so I can drive it on the street! I have new front calipers, pads, rotors and all new brake lines lying here for it so may try to do that this weekend and then swap out the stuff I need to in order to pass inspection for street driving . No emissions where I live but I do put the cat back in place of the test pipe in case they look and swap in my stock suspension since my track setup has no helper springs. They are supposed to put it on a lift and see if the springs move, after about 30 seconds (if I have the rebound cranked way up) it can droop enough to make the spring slightly loose and that fails inspection. However, with the place I have been going I am pretty sure they just take the $12 and put a sticker on. that is how they did our truck last year lol. But to be safe, I will swap out those things to be sure!

Other than the car, doing some garden projects and building a few things for the shop.

robb

^^They changed the inspection process here in Vt a few years back, now whenever a shop does an inspection they have to use an iPad and everything they check has to be sent to the state so nothing slides through anymore. I had my S inspected a few weeks ago and it passed no problem luckily. I still have the original brakes right down to the pads but they are getting close to needing replacement, definitely can’t complain since they are 21 years old!

engifineer

Yeah it depends on where you go here. When we first moved to MO and I took the S2k in, they failed it due to the no helper spring thing. Tech even said it was stupid but it was the rule. So I marked my ride height, cranked the perches up a bit to make it tighter and it passed But then the shop told me that since my car had body panels without the matching original VIN that the highway patrol may have to inspect it. I told the guy that it had been repaired before I bought it and hence, those numbers would not match. He acted like I was talking in some alien language (yay dealership people). But he called his manager who said "pass his inspection and send him on his way". But at this shop near me, we took the pickup in, I went in to sit down and they said "we are done!" ... not even 5 minutes. I will just keep going to them! It is a joke though. The process here would take a tech 30 min to complete and the shop can only legally charge you $12. And the sticker costs the shop $2. And if you fail something, they are required to reinspect for free if you fix within 30 days. So no wonder most shops will not put any real time into it

S2KRAY

Meguiars and Griot are great products. I use some Meguiars products in my detailing business. My BMW brake pads are being replaced with ceramic pads and drilled rotors. German cars have the worst brake dust issues of any vehicles I detail.

robb

I pay a different price every time I get an inspection and I mean just for the inspection. I paid 55 for the Subaru and the S was a lot less but that was a coupon deal. My friend who has a shop charges either 50 or 55 and he said it all goes to the state and he also had to spend a lot of money on equipment when they changed the process. I know of a few shops that stopped doing it once they changed everything.

robb

I’ve never used Griot’s always thought they were a bit pricey but have noticed a lot of people recommending their products lately. I don’t mind spending extra for something if it is worth it.

engifineer

The two states I have lived in that had inspections (MN did not) had the price locked by the state to preven shops from gouging. But the prices are so low that many shops wont do them. In MO, if your primary biz is selling cars you have to do them by law. Other shops do them in the hope that the customer will pay them to fix items found wrong. I think once they realize that you work on all your own stuff, they just sell you a sticker

The first state I lived in that did them was OK and they stopped all together because it had become a joke. No shop actually did the full inspection. Turn on lights, turn signal, brake light at most. MO is still doing them. Now, in the county St Louis is in, they also do emissions too.

engifineer

I have really liked the Griots stuff. I have their compound, polish, wax, track spray (to help remove cone marks) and one of their clay pads for my buffer. I use the Chemical Guys pads for my buffer. I feel like Griots waxes tend to last longer between applications than the Meguires stuff. But I have both and they are both good for me.

S2KRAY

I buy my detailing products from Detailed Image in upstate N.Y. Their products arrive in 2 days not over a week from Griots. Their pros prep the vehicles for auction at the Mecum and Barrett Jackson auctions. I think their products are superior to Griots. Their website has videos on how to do every phase of detailing. They also have an Ask a Pro option for help on any detailing issue.
Their pros test any new products and provide feed back. Reviews are submitted by customers which provides me with what products I want to use. BTW, don’t apply any polish or protective coating without clay barring. I don’t use clay anymore. Mothers has a replacement which is far superior. It is a pad which fits in the palm of your hand with a synthetic surface on the other side which glides across the paint to better remove any airborne contamination. If you drop it just wash it in soap and water. If you drop a clay bar it will pick up dirt and can’t be used on paint. These are available at most auto supply stores.