Any good tips or tricks for final prep work at a car show

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picorrect

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The 2nd Annual Honda/Acura Meet is being held this Sunday at Park Ave Acura in Maywood NJ. We are having a friendly "Zainoff"...is that a word... :D contest for best shine. My 3 year old TL has been a garage queen as long as I've had it. I have less than 30,000 miles on it. Working from home has it benefits.



Anyway, I have been painstakingly detailing my car this week:



3 coats of Z5/ZFX on Monday

1 coat of Z2 on Tuesday

1 coat of Z2 on Wednesday

303 the interior last night

Probably one more coat of Z2 in the next day or so.





Anybody have any tips or tricks to getting my car perfect once I get to the show? I have about a 2 hour drive to the meet.



Thanks.



Neil
 
I live 15 mins from there,....maybe I will stop in sunday and say hi. That is....if BMW's are allowed! lol



ps...park ave BMW is a very congested small dealership.......I wonder where they plan on having the car show?
 
A two-hour drive? I'd suggest taking some wash supplies (bucket, mitt, shampoo, drying towels, QD) along with you and finding a blast-o-matic wash bay in the town where the meet is being held. Use the wash bay's wand set to rinse to fill your bucket, and do the initial spraydown of your car (pay special attention to all those dead bugs you're sure to have on the leading edges). Then wash as normal, and again use the wash bay's spray to rinse. Dry and QD, and you'll be shiny for the show :xyxthumbs



I know that's a lot of work right before the show, and it will add to your "travel" time, but I'd be hesitant to just QD after a drive that far; I'd be worried about dead bugs and road grime causing scratches. On the upside, you'll have one of the cleanest cars there if a lot of other people are driving in for the show . . .



Tort
 
DETAILKING said:
I live 15 mins from there,....maybe I will stop in sunday and say hi. That is....if BMW's are allowed! lol



ps...park ave BMW is a very congested small dealership.......I wonder where they plan on having the car show?
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They are going to use both the BMW dealer lot and the Acura lot for cars. Yeah it'll be tight.



Definitely stop by. I believe there will be Bimmers there as well.



If you come, ask for Neil or NSXNEXT. I have a silver TL with Racing Hart wheels.
 
Thanks TortoiseAWD,



Update: I will be staying Sat night at my in-laws in North Jersey. They are about 30 minutes from Park Ave. Hopefully I can wash the car the night before and then just QD when I get to the meet.
 
Make sure the "little things" are in good order. Like the seatbelts are in the proper position and don't have any slack in them. When you park make sure you steering wheel is straight not turned. Have any residue removed from all the crevices. All the door seals should be clean and have nothing stuck to them. If you have any metal switches in the car make sure they are cleaned and polished (no fingerprints). Don't use any greasy high shine dressing, you want to maintain the "factory" look as much as possible. One thing that can really make your car stand apart from the others is crystal clear glass.



This may seem like small stuff but in can make all the difference in the world when you are competing against other cars. :xyxthumbs
 
Do a final vacuming after getting there. Try to vacuum your floor mats so that they leave visible 45 degree diagonal patterns that are parallel with each other. This can be accomplished by vacuuming adjacent 'lines' in opposite directions in a steady even stroke. After that, try to leave a 'lining' around the edges of the mats by vacuuming the edges in one stroke. Any pattern that you see on your mats will be very faint at best, but it still looks a lot better than mats that were vacuumed haphazardly.



Oh, and don't forget the Z-6!
 
I have been doing shows for over 3 years now, there is not enough room here to tell you all the little tricks but I will add.............







Make everything clean, top to bottom back to front. I mean, front air dam, mufflers, gas cap.....everything!



Good luck:)
 
Acuracer said:
I'm telling Shawn that you're getting professional advice!



:D:D



Acuracer/MikeS 18
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I was waiting for someone from the TL or CL board to chime in here. Are you coming to the meet Sunday? Should be a blast.
 
The Zaino site has a suggestion that you apply the Z2 with front to back strokes on the horizontal surfaces and up and down on the vertical surfaces for a bit of extrra pop.



Other than what everyone else said.



Look carefully at what your eyes and brain "see" but you filter out. For example, on my XKR, you can see a glint of exhaust pipe and the edge of the muffler in each rear wheel well. I make sure all those things are clean and shiny. It makes a difference.



Pay particular attention to door, trunk and hood jams.



You won't be able to vacuum on site. Take a roll of duct tape. Wrap a good amount arount your hand and lightly dust carpets and fabrics. Works much better than a lint brush or roller.
 
michaelb said:
You won't be able to vacuum on site. Take a roll of duct tape. Wrap a good amount arount your hand and lightly dust carpets and fabrics. Works much better than a lint brush or roller.
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Funny, I do the same thing when I'm too lazy to drag out the shop vac. Gets crud out of those hard to get areas.



Thanks all.
 
Don't forget those muffler tips after the drive. They always get a little dirty. And bugs get in everywhere. Quick detail everything. Glass, chrome, paint. Do this AFTER you have done the rubber treatment. No need to do rubber treatment (except tires, the day of the show, it only invites smears) Be sure the glass is PERFECT. Nothing spoils the look of a car like a smeared pane of glass. I have a war chest of supplies I take with me. Touch up paint, applicators, waxes, solvents, literally everything you use on your car. Throw in in a box and bring it just in case. It shouldn't look like you drove there. It should look like the car was built in the parking lot!



Be sure the wheels and hub caps are lined up properly. "Showmanship" is important! Look professional. Geez, I could go on and on!



I drive my Jag from St. Louis to places like Tulsa, Kansas City, Louisville, Detroit, Chicago, etc and have just a few hours to prep for a full-on Concours. Talk about stress!



Have a great time! Be sure to show us the trophies!:xyxthumbs
 
Hey Brad,



Are you coming to the Concours show at Ault Park in Cincy next weekend? The featured marque this year is Jaguar.
 
No, I didn't know about that one. This weekend is a Combined Jag/BMW weekend at the European Car Show in St. Louis. Next week is a Porsche weekend.
 
michaelb,



I will be there as well, maybe will run into each other. :)



Hey Brad, here's a link for the show. Even though you can't make it there are some nice pics. www.cincyconcours.com



Don't worry, I will get plenty of pics to post. ;)
 
Hey NSX, I'll be at PAA on sunday with my Black 3.2Cl-P. It'll be cool to see your car, and I think that Shawn's car is looking pretty shinny for those pics that he loves to post. See you there.
 
The A&W by us always has car shows on the weekends.

Sometimes they have dedicated PT Cruiser shows(they're kinda like mini-concourse events, except the prizes are gift cert. for food:D ).

Anyway, my car's a daily driver, but I do my best to keep it perfect. Apply Zaino religiously and wash weekly(sometimes QD for that extra 'sparkle'.) I'm thinking about going to the next PT show. All of these tips are great!:xyxthumbs



What do you guys do in the door jambs? I'm afraid of putting water there...



I'd probably put a coat of Z-2 on the day before, park it in the garage(for the rest of the little details), and Z-6 it once I got there(it's only a couple miles from here!).



You guys are more experienced than me at these concours things...I appreciate the tips!
 
drewski59 said:


What do you guys do in the door jambs? I'm afraid of putting water there...

You guys are more experienced than me at these concours things...I appreciatQUOe the tips! [/TE]



I clean them up with a damp towel if they are dirty. Then I use Klasse All in One on them. After that, it is just a matter of wiping them down after each wash.
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