Detail Integra Type R under shade tent

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imported_Todd

New member
My wife got one of those imitation "EZ-up" tents as a supermarket coupon give-away last week. It's been a hot, sunny week here in North Carolina, so I decided to give it a try on my 2001 Acura Integra Type R.



The tent is about 10'x10', lightweight and fairly easy to set up. You really need to tether it down or use weights if you're going to use it on a solid surface driveway. I decided to set it up on the lawn next to the driveway. It has small aluminum stakes that "pin" the four corners to the ground.



I washed the Acura on the driveway to avoid a wet, soggy lawn. I then drove the car underneath the tent to dry it.



I covered about 70% of the car from the sun. This allowed me use Pinnacle Glaz wax in the shade. It really kept the interior and paint temperatures low.



One warning: I would NOT use the tent in any sort of windy weather. It's too flimsy and might topple over on to the car. I'm not sure how stable the regular EZ-up tents are.



Overall, I think that the tent is a good idea on bright, sunny, wind-free days that you want to detail outside. A nice garage is more convenient, if available.



Pics:





TypeRshade3.jpg




TypeRshade2.jpg




TypeRshade1.jpg
 
I believe A/C was an option on these back in '97 and became standard later on. I might be mistaken though. They do lack cruise control and a sunroof though (weight savings) and revving at ~5krpm doing 80 on the freeway can be quite interesting ;)



Championship White is clean... one of my most favorite whites (although it can look dingy at times)



Dean, I just noticed those "door ding" moldings- did you buy the car like this from the dealer, or did you get them installed yourself? AFAIK all ITRs came w/o side moldings, and IMO it looks a lot cleaner that way.
 
Type R's are extremely rare nowadays - most of them have been stolen or wrecked. Make sure you hold on to that car.



You should try to find some OEM side skirts.



Does cruise control really add that much weight to the car? The sunroof I can understand, but I thought cruise control was just an electronic chip or something. I don't know if I could live without cruise control with all the highway driving I do ;)
 
Thanks for the positive feedback!



Blue Ranger,



A/C was standard on all US-spec Type R's after 1997. However, the Canadian-spec cars (like mine) had A/C as a dealer installed option. I did NOT know this when I purchased the car sight unseen from Seattle.



It's nearly impossible to enjoy a car without air conditioning in North Carolina, so I had to import one of the last OEM A/C kits available in Canada. It cost me $1300 !

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bunmango,



There's a sad story behind the door moldings on my car. I prefer the clean look like you do. However, there was a door ding on the driver's side that cracked to paint. My local Dent Wizard guy (who is very talented) could not fix it.



I agonized over my options. Do I live with the dent on a otherwise new car? Do I take to a body shop and respray the entire side, thus ruining the originality of the factory paint?



I decided to buy a Honda Civic coupe molding, which fit the Integra well. I had a local body shop paint it Championship White (off the car, of course). It's a compromise that I'm starting to accept. :sosad

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GSR Jay,



I had the opportunity to buy the factory side skirts, but I foolishly passed on it. Now it's difficult to find and very $$$$.



I'm sure cruise control doesn't weigh much, but I don't really miss it in a Type R. It's really a street legal racer, with few amenities.
 
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