Seahag1978

What you see is oxidization of the paint. Get some mild rubbing compound and begin polishing lightly BY HAND. Do a small area and keep checking the progress by wiping it down with a dry rag. Once you get down to good paint !STOP! you can get down to primer real fast. Rinse it thoroughly to get rid of the grit and then apply a good wax with UV protection in it. Be sure to keep a good coat of wax on it in the future and it should solve the problem. Good luck!

Sorry for the hijack torxxx, My sunroof is leaking, I don't think it's where the frame goes into the body, but where the glass clamps down onto the frame. Anything that can be fixed? I never plan on opening it ever. 2 places I took it to said they have to replace the whole sunroof to the tune of $400+. For the time being, a large Hefty bag on the seat works for me!

Listen to Syd... I have gone through 9 windshields in the past 2 years... poor quality glass was the main reason. Wavy glass which makes you car sick while driving and at night disperses the light into sprays across the windshield, seems people who wear glasses are pretty much immune to seeing this problem, so the practice continues. I had one replaced and it was good glass... got hit by a rock within a month... when the second tech came out to replace it, he discovered the first one never cleaned or sealed the scratches that inevitably happen when the old glass is removed. It had already began to rust, within a year I would have had leaks. There's a compound in a can that they apply to the opening to prohibit this problem. I can't remember the name but the other guy never took the time to apply it... his not taking a PAID minute out of his life would have caused me a major hassle. Mass. comprehensive insurance covers glass with no deductible, so all the glass companies make calls to drum up business. They use poor quality aftermarket glass and bill the insurance direct. (as I stated people who wear glasses don't see the wavy glass and think it's ok). I have vowed to have the original glass repaired whenever possible by Safe-Lite they come out and fill it as long as it's less than 6". I had it done to one and with the exception of a tiny, greyish spot, it was fine. Syd, what's your opinion on the Safe-Lite repair aspect? Any safety issues? Longevity of the repair?

Is it a rubber gasket with a slot that goes on the body opening and the glass goes in the opposing slot? I watched the guy replace mine. It took quite a bit of "finessing" (I think the swearing helped) to get it in. He told me that out of a couple dozen or more glass replacement guys in his company, he's the only one that knows how to do it, and even he has "bad days". Allin all, they charged me $200 including the glass, rubber and installation. Well worth it, no risk on my part Tim has decided to install all his glass into his 50 Ford himself, he said something about using stiff string? He has to wait til it warms up before attempting it Yes, make sure you clean and seal the opening well, it will lead to rust/leak problems later. Good luck!

Yeah, it could be a just a city ordinance here... I never heard of the homemade trailer thing except in NY. Some of the lifts on the trucks in Danvers are crazy... looking at the kids driving them scares me, little rich kids that can't handle them, or even mom's SUV for that matter. <shudder, shake> What really P's me off is I can't keep an unregistered car in my own yard and yet I see the number of "NH residents" just "hanging out" on a daily basis in my neighborhood. Since NH drivers don't even need insurance, it forces me to carry more insurance to cover me against under/uninsured drivers! And I'd still be stuck with the deductible! We can't even drive in their state without a minimum of 20/40. Why IS that anyway? Arrrrgggghhhh!

I just bought the same color combo, but a turbo 5 sp. Nope... I wouldn't bother... I have been in some wild weather lately and have had no problems with the mirrors. Good luck with it!

I just took the Baja out in the snow, just a couple of inches so far, it handled very well, very sure-footed, I had to try to make it skid. Handled the hills like dry road. I will say, the ABS brakes kinda wigged me out a bit... this is the first car I have had them on. My Brat would go through anything to about mid-bumper, after that, it plowed and all bets were off. I picked up and delivered a wedding cake (the tiers were built) in a blizzard... made it in perfect condition! I'll take the "new" one out in a bit, before the salt trucks come around. The old ones like a low salt diet.

I agree the Mazda Protege is a car you can drive for hours on end with no fatigue, very quick (92 mph when I got nailed in NY, I'm old, so he let me off), easy on gas... great car! '98 Honda Civic... most uncomfortable car to drive... gets you right in the back of the right thigh. Very reliable, almost maintenance free... VERY BORING! Hyundai Elantras: #1 an '00 Ugly, but responsive #2 an '01 not bad, but smelled like mildew #3 an '04 POS and then some. '78 Brat (2nd one)... Blast to drive! Not fast, but sure-footed, will go through anything. '05 Baja Turbo 5 speed... quickly becoming my all-time favorite! I have had a LOT of cars... the ones listed are only over the past 7 years. Subarus are awesome cars... this new one is my 4th. Go for it!

I'm geographically challenged... they only show shapes of the states on the weather maps. I know Iowa is the one with the roundish "nose" on the right side. Is he in the middle of that storm that we've been watching?!

They scream and then after a few miles, they sound like the whole front end is falling off! It was so loud, it totally drowned out the sound of my blown ring and pinion and leaky exhaust.

Ah... Promised Land and not to forget Lord's Valley. While driving to VA, it was at the Promised Land Truck Stop that I came to the sudden realization that I didn't know how to pump my own gas! I have always used full serve stations... a nice elderly gentleman bailed me out of that one! Keep the "faith" Waldo! You'll be seeing familiar faces again soon!

I have tried that and agree 100%, but the smell of vinegar gags me. Take it one step further, try drying it down with newspaper instead of paper towels... there's something in the printer's ink that really makes the glass look clearer! Maybe it fills in all the tiny scratches with black and reduces the refraction of light from them? They sell those black pencils to "repair" scratches on eyeglass lenses... could be the same principal? The newspaper doesn't leave lint behind either.

So... where's Waldo?

Use slightly diluted dish washing liquid, 409 or Fantastik but DON'T get it on your paint/clear coat... it could (will probably) dull it. Follow up with a water rinse, normal Windex or Glass Plus. Just get it all the soap off.

Miles Fox?!?!

Nah... in Boston, we make you GUESS which exit you need to take! Add in the one-ways and you've got a 50/50 shot of gettin' where you're goin'

Keep him down for at least 8 hours... after that run, he'll need sleep! He's going to need his wits about him when he gets further east... this ain't Washington... traffic and such... please tell him to be sure he pays close attention to the overhead signs... if the arrow points down to a lane where he wants to go, he'd better get in it or he'll take some unwanted detours. There are both left and right off-ramps. Take it slow Pat!

That's very nice!

LOL! No need to wait... I already do!

I just noticed your location on your profile. We visit that area (Lovettsville) twice a year. We just went down at Christmas. That last ride, driving a Hyundai through the PA mountains in the snow/rain... tractor trailers on your butt provoked this change... yikes!

After reading of your adventures... sounds like you needed the downtime... driving under stress takes a lot out of person... Happy Trails Waldo!

I just got back from the dealership... I drove home in a '05 two-tone grey and silver 5 speed, turbo! While searching the web for price comparisons and interest rates, I stumbled upon an '05 with 5,000 miles on it that was traded in on a Ford truck because the Baja was too small for them. The $5,000.00 hit they took, offset the hit I was taking on my Hyundai and it was as if it never existed! A complete wash. Full warranty was included. What an awesome driving car! Thank you all for your opinions... I appreciate the input! Mary

subyrally is from Frederick. Would have met him a couple of weeks ago, but didn't get the message in time.

LOL... nah... you're not a chump... just a different way of thinking... you camp... I never rough it... my Girl Scout troop stayed in the best of hotel/apartments on Nantucket when we "camped". The other poor troops were digging sand out of their hair for weeks!

Who's up for pitching in for a hotel room for Waldo?