dlmartin81's PG Sport Z
 

I finally got her 2 weeks ago after a brutally looooong 3 month wait.

6 speed manual PG + sport package + floor & trunk matts + illuminated kick plates + splash gaurds

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0121.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0120.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0119.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0118.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/IMG_0122.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/%3Ca%20href=%...%22%3E%3C/a%3E

awesome colour Z and nice lawn...well except that dead patch there...lol


got it as a gift??

Yeah, the lawn is kept pretty well maintained...except for that patch that you pointed out...haha. It's my parents'. We held my 28th b-day there on Sat.

The car wasn't really a gift per say. My wife and I ordered it 3 months ago. I was due for another car. I had my previous one for 9 years. However, I did just graduate from college and I am working full-time....so it was more like I treated myself. But some could look at it as a gift/reward for all the hard work.

The bow on the car was my wife's idea. Kind of like to show it off to guests as they arrived for the party. It was a neat idea.

^^ the bow made me ask if it was a gift...lol

lol when i get mine ill keep a bow on top of it for a week!

Loved the bow idea. Great way to flaunt the new Z without being too "in your face"

looks great! good taste :)

Any mods coming?

sooooooooooo jealous!

I just love PG. Congrats.

Looking good now its time to add some mods

^^ Thanks. I love this car and the color.

I'd like to start modding but I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon. My wife and I are trying to fully pay off another vehicle of ours by the end of summer. That's our goal.

Maybe late this year I'll look into my first mod.

I am curious to see and hear the final product of your exhaust, however.

Thanks! Yes, it is an awesome color. It changes so much.....depending on lighting and surrounding colors.

I love this color. My current car is pretty much this color and I can't wait till I can get my hands on PG Z.

wwow pics look gorgeous.. and they really set off the wonderful stance of the Z

^^ Thanks. I took them with a stand point and shoot camera....and no extra editing. I think it's color of the lawn that makes the wonderful contrast, which really brings out the car's color.

Here are some other photos in my album that were taken at work.

REVIEW: BlackFire Wet Diamond Clay, Polish & Shine Kit
 

So I finally got around to using the BlackFire Wet Diamond Clay, Polish & Shine Kit yesterday. It was a looooong day. I don't know the exact total time but it was somewhere around 6 hours. I only did the exterior and vacuumed the interior. I can only imagine how much longer if I cleaned that too.

I first started off with the shampoo (obviously). I used the two-bucket system. I found the car shampoo to be real suddy. The suds never disappeared from inside the bucket, unlike some other stuff I used.

Then I did the clay bar. I never used the CB before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I must say, it's pretty simple. The key is to keep the surface area and the bar lubricated. Other than that, you gently glide the bar back and forth (horizontal and vertical) until you can't here it pick up anymore grime. Then buff the area with a microfiber cloth.

After the CB, I did the polish. The polish is to remove the old wax and visually reduce swirls, while enhancing the paint's depth and richness.

Finally, I applied the "Super Polymer" wax. Unlike carnauba type waxes, no residue is left behind, thus making it real easy to work with around plastic trim and other stuff. Buffing it is a sinch as well. The other nice thing about this type of wax is that it lasts longer than the carnauba according to some sources. This kit also comes with a "maintenance" spray to apply after each wash to maintain the rich shine.

My final comments......This is a GREAT car care kit. Everything was easy to use. However, I need to purchase a buffing machine...lol. My arms were killing me half way through the polish and shine process. My wife wound up helping me. While I applied the products and worked them in, she came in behind and buffed it with a microfiber cloth. A couple months from now, when I'm ready to go through this whole procedure again, I may purchase the Porter Cable.


Here are a few pics from today (the day after applying the polish and shine). You can find the rest in my album >> BlackFire Polish and Shine. It was a hard day to shoot. The weather kept changing on me. It would go from sunny to cloudy and back to sunny again and so on.

Let me know what ya'll think. :tiphat:

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...1-img-0185.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...4-img-0189.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...3-img-0187.jpg

Beautiful, I really like that pg color!

Thanks man. :tiphat:

wow very gorgeous! It almost looks like a commercial pic.

^^ Thanks.

I actually didn't think the pics came out right. They were taken with a regular point-and-shoot camera. Plus, I'm not a great photographer.

looks like your car has a crush

^^ yeah...haha.

40% LLumar Film Installed
 

I just got her tinted yesterday (Sat) with 40% LLumar film all around.

Below are some pics taken just after a wash this afternoon. The place that installed the film left all this residue on the outside of the car, which had to be taken care of....pronto. ;)

There's too much going on in these pics to truly appreciate the new look. I'll try to take better pics tomorrow and post them up.

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...7-img-0197.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...9-img-0194.jpg

This shot is really irrelevant because it does not showcase the tint but it does however showcase the wonderful 'wax' I used last week.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...4-img-0192.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...6-img-0193.jpg

Looks good! 40 is pretty light, but it looks good!

Thanks RCZ. Yeah, 40 is light but not too light IMO.

One of my main reasons to go with 40 is because I've been pulled over several times in the past for having 30 all around. I've gotten tickets and had to remove it twice (once in my previous car and the other on my wife's).

Actually, my tint job is exactly the same as AK's. In fact, it was installed at the same place(Shades Of Gray).

VERY nice :tup: . I like it. I am very happy with my 40% tint. I was pulled over twice in last 3 months and cop didn't ask me about the tint - which is a plus. Just be careful and let it cure a little longer than they ask you.

Car looks shiny. I think you've inspired me to wax my Z today!

Yes, I too am happy with it.

That's great that the cops didn't get on your azz about it.......and I know how them Jersey cops are.......definitely a plus.

So how much longer do you suggest me leaving the windows up? Today is supposed to be the last day.

Yes, she's pretty shiny. I waxed her last week (see above) and washed her yesterday. I took some better pics this morning and I'll post them up later this evening showing off the tint.......and shine of course. ;)

40% LLumar Film Installed (cont.)
 

Ok, here are some pics from this morning. These pics are much better than those I took yesterday. I think the 40% looks great.....imo of course. ;)

Also, take note of the awesome shiiiiiine. :rock:

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...3-img-0205.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...4-img-0203.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...5-img-0202.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...6-img-0204.jpg

I couldn't resist. The lighting in these last pics is perfect for editing. So here's my poor attempt in PS.


http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...hdr-effect.jpg

ORIGINAL
http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...3-img-0205.jpg


http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...hdr-effect.jpg

ORIGINAL
http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...4-img-0203.jpg

Wheel Wax Review
 

So I purchase Wheel Wax a 1.5 months ago or so and used it on face of the wheels and was very happy with the results.

http://www.wheelwax.com/images/Wheel-Wax-1.jpghttp://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/classic-motoring_2072_27820601

This past weekend I washed, clay-bared, polished, and waxed my car. While I was at it, this time I decided to go all out and FULLY clean the wheels. I did so by removing them one by one, washing them with my BlackFire wheel cleaner and applying the Wheel Wax. The results were to good to be true!

All my life, I found it EXTREMELY difficult to remove break dust and tar build-up. In fact, till now I have never been able to fully remove those stubborn tar stains. Well, with a little bit muscle and determination, it is now possible. The pics below are from my front-right wheel. And as we all know, the front wheels suffer the most.

Below is what the wheel looked like before the procedure.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0225.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0226.jpg

This is after washing it with BlackFire's wheel cleaner. Notice how the majority of the brake dust was removed; however, the damn tar stains remained. HAVE NO FEAR.....WHEEL WAX IS HERE!
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0229.jpg

Here I applied the WW. Some stains where easier than others. The more stubborn ones took some muscle and a little bit of teeth grinding.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0228.jpg

After a few minutes of scrubbing, the wax residue was removed and WALLAH...no more stains or brake dust!
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0230.jpg

End result.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0235.jpg


I HIGHLY recommend Wheel Wax to anyone interested in the ultimate wheel polish and stain removal, as well as BlackFire's wheel cleaner.

I think next time I will trying using a Dremel with a polishing attachment to get rid of the tar stains. After scrubbing/rubbing the second wheel, my wrist and finger tips where starting to give. I had to take a few beer breaks while I did the rest. :tiphat:



Other pics of the grueling wash/polish/wax job.......WHAT A CHORE!
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0233.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0241.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0240.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0237.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/IMG_0239.jpg

Fast Intentions TDX w/18" Resonators
 

I finally received my brown box covered with F.I. tape this past Thursday, and did the install Friday afternoon. It took me about 2.5 ~ 3 hours at a casual pace. Plus, I had a buddy of mine stop over unexpectedly which helped slow things down a bit. PB Blaster worked wonders in getting off those damn stubborn rusted stock bolts. It was my first time using it and I was impressed. Rust literally chipped off on its own. I was like, wow! Anyway, install was pretty straightforward. I did have to shim the right hanger to align the tips. It's still not 100%. I plan to buy another set of washers and take care of that. It's a simple fix.

I must say, like everyone else has claimed, the F.I. CBE is top notch....from the quality to the sound. The resonators, mufflers, and tips are all polished to the point of serious reflection.....it's mirror like. The sound of the CBE is amazing....very deep and smooth. It's not loud at all when cruising but comes to life when you get on it.....and even still, it's not overwhelmingly loud (keep in mind, I have the 18" resonators). For those like myself who don't want a super loud CBE, you know you've found the right one when your wife approves of it and loves it. She said, "I love how it purrs." I haven't paid much attention as to when it does that but it does purr, and I must say it sounds awesome.

Tony - thanks for such a great product!

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...9-img-0548.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...7-img-0543.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...6-img-0542.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/dlmar...5-img-0539.jpg

UPDATE: 7/09

Great write ups dude!!!

Glad you like it. Looks great :)

Looks nice man....finally :)

Thanks!

Man, I love this thing. I'm so glad I went with the 18" resonators.

Yeah I know...."finally". 2+ months seemed like an eternity.

The 18s are perfect, aren't they?

Who wants to give me one? :)

Yes, they are! It sounds so smooth. I hear no rasp at all. I don't recall if that was ever an issue with the 18s or not. There is some hiss but that's the nature of the beast. I don't mind it though.