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As I drove to visit family in Northern Virginia last weekend, the TPMS light in my BMW 128 flashed while I was 50 miles from destination. I got to a gas station quickly, but upon filling the offending tire, it would not hold air, not at all. A goner. So, I called BMW of Fairfax VA, and...

I do have a garage to park my car in. It is shared with the upstairs tenant at the apartment where I live. It is not a "man cave," just a place to get my car out of the weather (the doors don't even close). Tonight, as I was about to pull in my half of the garage (about 11PM), I noticed...

First of all, thanks to everyone who chimed in on my thread in the "Car and Driver" section a while back. I ordered a BMW 128 in Black Sapphire Metallic, with Terracotta (football-colored) leather interior. It has been built, and is awaiting shipment. I have been reviewing my product list...

As I am preparing to retire at the end of May after 34 years as a schoolteacher, I am also pondering a new car purchase (maybe a treat?) I intend to keep my by-then, paid-for Focus ST, since it is enjoyable to drive, and very reliable. It would also help me keep the miles down on the new...

Sometimes, things just kind of fall into place. Yesterday, a few things in my life came together, and to cut to the chase, I am planning to retire from my teaching job of 34 years in June of 2009. My income in retirement will match what I make while teaching, and since I have a pretty simple...

My college-age daughter's Beretta was worked on recently by a local (competent and very honest) mechanic, who replaced the alternator and a belt. She no sooner got back to college, when the car quit again, with either battery or alternator symptoms. The mechanic apologized, and assured me...

I'm the lucky guy with the friend who loaned me his Porsche Cayman S two weekends ago. He and I are going to play a little tennis early Saturday morning, and then I'm taking the Cayman home with me to give it some it some TLC. It has some swirling (dealer installed, no less), some bug residue...

I have played tennis an a pretty regular basis for 20 years with a gentleman who has become a good friend. We don't see much of each other away from the court, but he is fun to play against, and a very agreeable person. I knew that he had done pretty well in his career, but we rarely...

I had an opportunity to attend a local car show this weekend. Even though it was a local event, there were a handful of interesting cars (a Porsche 356, a split-window Corvette, and a very nice GTO, among others). This is the first show I have attended since joining this forum; so, of...

Last weekend here in "Happy Valley" was the first in a while with decent weather, which coincided with my first weekend off in two months, and also, the arrival of my plunge into the Optimum line--OP, Poli-Seal, and OS. The candidates were my dark gray metallic Focus, cared for in Autopian...

My girlfriend (a wonderful person--should have met her 30 years ago) is in the process of replacing an aging minivan. As a local businesswoman, she would prefer to do business at the local Ford dealership where I have purchased numerous vehicles, and have a great realtionship with the staff...

I have watched the Volvo commercials for the "collision warning," and the blind spot indicator in the outside mirror. I applaud Volvo for the technology. However, doesn't it seem like all of this is a substitute for good driving? If you are a good, alert driver, and not fussing around...

Last year (my "rookie season" on Autopia), I used SSR 2.5 and 1 on my and my girlfriend's vehicles. I was OK with the results, but as many, I wonder what else it out there. I was considering getting either the Optimum line (compound and polish), or the Menzerna line (Intensive Polish and...

I stopped by the local Lowe's store (midway on I-80 here in PA) for some charcoal this morning. Most people cook hams, etc., for Christmas. I grill and BBQ. Anyway, I stopped to see how low the PCs were selling for. I have an 8-year-old, still going strong, but I was curious. How...

I guess there's no turning back from my detailing enthusiasm now. I gave a "detailing gift" as a Christmas present, so I am officially certifiable. The high-school principal who runs the building I teach in is a tremendous person to work for. He typically takes all the heat that is directed...

Typically, I work on my own vehicle. For the last handful of years, it has been new, or fairly new. Thanks to a lot of people here, I have done almost no work with my PC. With good wash/dry techniques, I didn't have to. It has two coats of IW for winter (instead of the summer Natty's...

My son has a quality electric guitar, and he has become aware of minor swirl marks in the finish. I have offered to try to get rid of them as best I can. I's assuming that the guitar has a urethane finish. Are there any car polishes that would be OK to use on the guitar? I have SSR 1 and...

When I got my new car last summer, I had "decent" car-care procedures, but I began to learn so much more, courtesy of this site. Just when I got confident enough to do a full-blown Autopian-style detail, winter set in. I was happy just to have some IW on the car, which did get me through the...

The MF towels I have are high-quality towels that are pretty plush. They do very well for QD duty, but I am sensing that something just as high-quality, but not as plush would be the ticket for removing polish residue and LSP removal. I was wondering if a towel such as Excel's "Blue Supreme"...

I was running out of QD, and, based on all the comments here, I caved in, and ordered a gallon of #425. The Autopia 10% discount code worked, and I will await its arrival. According to Accumulator, Meg's Final Inspection is a go-to for cleaning off polished panels. I think that my local...