Happy Birthday!!
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From: Manor, TX (Outside of Austin)
Not much beyond the instruction sheet to report, Alex.
Clean the lens completely. Then clean it again w/clear, filtered water. Then clean it AGAIN w/clear filtered water, then again. Make it as clean and dust free as possible.
Lay the film out where it will warm up completely and you'll have an easier time of it. DON'T SPRAY ON TOO MUCH WATER BEFORE TRYING THE INSTALL. Work it from the lower inside corner, and from the middle out to the top and bottom a little at a time. This helps it spread out and stretch over the compound curve of the lens.
They can be a b*tch to install, but this is my fourth set, so except for the high winds we had that day, I had it pretty much under control. Also the film is pretty forgiving under most circumstances. I had an issue with the wind blowing it back onto itself which did cause a slight, but hardly noticeable defect in the final product.
I also installed a clear pieces over my neighbor's, as well as my own John Deere tractor and they both came out great!! (4"X 24" for those interested.)
Next I finish the wife's Pontiac Vibe. As you can see in the picture, the fogs, the easy part, are on. The HL's have an even more pronounced compound curve than does the Mz3. This should be fun!!
This is the second time I've installed these on the Mazda, though the first ones were from RockBlocker, now OOB.
The before pic is what they became after four yrs of Texas summer sun... faded to nearly clear. I have since found out that using Carnauba wax on them several times a year adds UV protection and that they might actually last longer.
I HIGHLY recommend this mod to anyone, especially those of us that live in high sun areas and wish to protect their expensive plastic HL lenses.
I figured the original cost on the first set and divided by the # of months. They cost me about $1.30/month to protect my headlight and fog light lenses from further damage. Cheap insurance if you'd ask me.
Last edited by virgin1; Jun 17, 2010 at 07:32 PM.
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OK, not earth-shattering news, but I've waited probably a year to do this. That's right. This stuff has been in my shop for over a year.
Install of the day, and yes I know my fog light surrounds are chipped:
I also "green greased" my replacement polyurethane rear sway bar bushings for the Progress... soon to be replaced by an R. B. anyway.
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Since I had the day off today I installed the rear mud flaps that have been gracing my shop for a while now. I'm waiting on pictures for a selection of XenonMods.com decals to see if I want to enhance them.
Cleaned the rear calipers and rotor hats while I was at it. They really need redoing, though not as much as the front ones. I have a G2 kit coming later this month (blue, of course) for that.
Also received (and installed) McGard "Spline Drive" lug nuts for my Kosei's.
Originally Posted by Brian Goodwin, Good-Win Racing
These are the patented design McGard Spline Drive lugs. Non-hex wheel lug which is both a light weight lug with more gripping surface area than the stock lug (to prevent loosening up under load), and a wheel lock. An RX8 takes 20 of these and ordering one of these kits includes 20 spline lugs and one tool. If you look really close at the picture above you can actually see the two piece nature of this lug by looking into the lug at the bottom of the picture. The part that touches the wheel (the "seat") stops turning and a bearing between that little ring and the rest of the lug allows the outer part of the lug to keep turning. What this means for you is that the lugs are not grinding against the surface of your nice new wheels and these lugs go on much smoother than any other lug choice. If you ask what is on our Mazdas here...this is the choice.
Last edited by virgin1; Jun 24, 2010 at 06:24 PM.
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Well, keep in mind that I am +/-30 yrs older than you are, have been working for nearly 40yrs now, have had this car for nearly 6 yrs (another V1 birthday in August) and am STILL working on what I consider to be the basics!!
It doesn't always come easy, and it doesn't always come fast.
Be patient, persistent and shop wisely. Those are how you can choose and get the best pieces at the best prices.
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You are not alone, Alex.
In fact I would venture to say that more cars guys are with non-"Betty's" (<<< one for you to look up) than with Betty's... including this one.