Rochester

iTrader: (8)

We were discussing how modding a car is all about compromises. I've got some.

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The way the vinyl wrap on my rear bumper wasn’t cut to follow the tapering, invisible line of the bumper on the wrap-around.

The offset on the front Vossen being too reserved.

The offset on the rear Vossens being too aggressive.

The way the color-matched Moonlight White on my custom front grille doesn’t actually match the rest of the car.

The hack-job DIY repair to the lower front bumper than no one actually knows about.

The long cut-out in the rear window tint over the 3rd brake light.

The way the Fast Intentions catback sounds like a can of nails when the temps are cold and the engine is too.

The belt-line application of vinyl that I’ve redone 6 times, but still not perfect.

The two almost imperceptible fender dings that I haven’t gotten PDR repaired yet.

The dozen or so chips in the front bumper paint.

The chip in the roof paint. (WTF? LOL)

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

I think you'd find 2 pages of stuff on mine J, if you double space, lol.

ZahyMatar

iTrader: (4)

I feel your pain with those fender dings. It kills me everytime I think about it. I'll get them PDR one day.

hexotic

im still repairing the neglect of my car's previous owner... on the bright side, a brand new windshield is always nice lol. The stone chips on my front bumper resemble the face of an acne ridden teenagers cheek, and the 15 inch scrape across the front drivers side bumper that was carefully masked with layers of wax by the dealership looks like the car was making out with a concrete wall.

lobuzz311

iTrader: (6)

The downside of hand washing your car = knowing EVERY imperfection.
The upside = fondling those sexy curves!

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

I purchased my previous car new from the dealership in 2003, and I sold it in 2012. As just the first 5 years went by, I was becoming increasingly aware of the windshield nicks, and the state of the front bumper, which was slowly becoming like sandpaper, with all the paint chips and nicks.

So I vowed that with my next car (my G), that I would always keep a more-than-typical distance from other cars in front of me on the highway. And I can honestly say it's made a huge difference. So yeah, I'm complaining, but this is nothing like as bad as it could be.

The other thing I vowed to do was keep my headlight lenses cleaned and waxed numerous times a year, considering how I was watching the plastic headlight lenses fade on my previous car. So I've been doing that, too, both on my car and my wife's 2008 Honda. Years later, that has turned out to be an excellent discipline.

Live and learn. Fun little discussion. Thanks for playing, guys.

Ricio1991

Really clean sedan you got there! You have the diode dynamics led dogs correct? After your headlights are customized it will change the whole appearance of the car for mine I decided to paint the side marker it looks better that way and matched the car color shroud, now I'm looking into doing double halos and switchbacks hopefully from someone on the Facebook page that seems to do a great job! Can't wait!

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

Last year, I had LatheWerks.com cut me a custom, teardrop shift **** out of solid Titanium, with a matching Titanium boot ring. Love that thing!

However, last winter it was downright brutal. The **** was so cold, and *stayed* cold, that I had to wear a glove each and every time I drove the car. Eventually, I just left a right-hand glove in the car 100% of the time, just for that purpose.

Thing is, I am so happy with the fitment of this teardrop shape, that I don't want to live without it. So this winter I had LatheWerks.com cut me another one, this time in Black Copolymer. This particular plastic material does a lousy job of retaining heat or cold temps, so it should work out just fine, as a winter-only item.

It's not a perfect match to my stone leather interior, but good enough in that there are some satin-black elements throughout.

2GoRNot2G

iTrader: (5)

Wow, that's quite a list you've got going there, John. Thanks for making us all feel a little better about our cars. ;-) Of course, I'm sure we could all come up with similar lists if we really started nit picking things (I know I could)!


A few comments... I actually got rid of my FI exhaust for the very same reason. And, I can't believe that whomever did your window tint didn't remove your 3rd brake light before applying your rear window tint... Just seems like a shortcut to just cut around the light. Also, I'm surprised you didn't clear bra your front end and headlights when your car was new. I would never buy a new car and not immediately add a clear bra to it. My car is now 7 years old and only has 2 chips on it, one on the driver's side door and also, like yours, has one on the roof (which is soon to be covered up), so although they aren't cheap the clear bra's definitely work. My windshield on the other hand looks like someone's sand blasted it because I decided to leave it bare, which I now regret. Live and learn I guess...


Thankfully most of the items on your list are relatively minor, comparatively speaking and several should be fairly easy to remedy (i.e. redo the vinyl wrap, redo, rear window tint, repaint the front grill, add front wheel spacers, touch up chips, etc...). And of course none of these things takes away from how stunning your car is either!

2GoRNot2G

iTrader: (5)

SO true!


My wife actually calls my G "the girlfriend" for this very reason! Well that, and it takes up most of my spare cash. LOL

2GoRNot2G

iTrader: (5)

Interesting how your stone interior isn't two-tone like on the earlier model year cars. When did they stop doing the two-tone interiors?


That new **** doesn't look bad at all. Like you said, definitely not a perfect match for the other brushed metal parts or the stone leather, but not a complete mismatch either.. Plus, if it's only a Winter **** then you only have to look at it a few months out of the year. ;-) I'm curious, though, how does the weight of the copolymer **** compare to the solid titanium ****?

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

2009 was the last year. Starting in 2010, they stopped with the black dash. Shame, too, IMO.

My thinking exactly. This is a 4 month temporary thing.

I don't have a scale in grams. As you know, the OEM **** is deceptively more heavy than it looks. The Titanium **** is slightly heavier than OEM, whereas this plastic one is noticeably lighter. Heavy for what it is, but absolutely *not* a solid metal device.

Haven't actually driven the car yet, and don't know when I will. Sometimes 3 or 4 days can slip by without driving it.

Redfire32

iTrader: (12)

Personally I like the new ****. No it's not a perfect match to the other metals, but it's sweet IMO. As usual well done John

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

Once the car is warmed up, that FI exhaust is a spectacular sound, particularly in this class of car. By that I mean it sounds more worthy than the car itself. The G is a fine car, but certainly not exotic, the way the exhaust sounds. However, when the engine is cold, particularly when it's cold outside... yikes!

It was like that when I bought the car, tinted by a New Jersey shop. The tint is 3M, and looks like a good job, except for that cut-out.

I bought it used, less than a year old, with 3900 miles on it. It was a lease surrender that the NJ dealership bought back from the leasing company.

Kind words. Thanks!

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

Confirmed.

It was below freezing the other day, and the shift **** felt absolutely fine to the touch. Honestly, it was much better than I expected. All along I was thinking what would happen is that it would just warm up to my hand quickly... but the reality is that it's immediately usable when frozen.

Go figure.